My Marathon Future

It has been almost a year since I completed my first marathon in New York. I have continued to run and have completed one half-marathon and two official 10K runs this year. I have set my sites on once again completing the New York City Marathon in 2012. My plans are to head back to the East Coast in fall 2012 and complete back-to-back marathons. The Marine Corp Marathon in Washington, DC followed by the New York City Marathon the week after. I considered a Olympic Triathlon this year but was not able focus time on learning how to swim.

I plan to continue to run with a minimum of 25K per week.

New York New York

Well a month has past since the New York City Marathon and I can not begin to tell you what a great experience this was. The entire trip was outstanding (thanks to my travel agent) and I would like to go back to August to get to count down the days to the start.

I encourage everyone to chase a dream, challenge or goal... it is worth it in the end.

As I sit here I am trying to think of a goal for 2009 but I am afraid that I will overshadow my NY Marathon goal so I am cautious.


Dream big, live big.....

4:38:51 Out for Now!

1459 Days and Counting!

1459 Days to the next trip to the New York Marathon!

Yes, I am going to run this every 5-years - I think it will keep me young!

Bruce

Well it is over! 4:38:51 for the 26.2 Miles. Great run, I had a blast!

I will post some pictures shortly, we are in Washington today!

Thanks again!

Bruce

Well, we are off to New York Friday October 31 and my Adventure 374 days in the planning.

Thanks again to everyone who gave me encouragement and sponsorship funds for the Team for Kids.

This really truly has been a great experience to train for and I am looking forward the next few days. I will update the blog with photos after the run and have a full set up shortly.

Noelle & Thomas, thanks for being patient with me while I trained, ran and went to be early.... And of course Sharon, my coach and sag wagon driver on the long training runs - Thanks - I love you!

See you after the run..... and stay tuned for next years challenge!

Bruce

Well here we are, just a week away from the New York City Marathon. Yesterday I completed my last long run, 16 KM. This week will be short runs and rest leading up to next Sunday.

The experience of training for a marathon has been great. Having a goal and training with that one clear goal in mind has been very educational for me. I have really learned that if there is something that you want, you just need to work at it to achieve it.

Once I complete the marathon I will post my photos of the event on this site.

Thanks again for your support!

Bruce

10 Days and counting to New York! I continue to train this week and will cut the miles down next week getting ready for Sunday November 2nd. I am truly excited about the marathon and looking forward to getting to the start line for my 10:20 EST start time.

I will begin putting together my running gear and take everything, planning for what ever the weather will bring on Sunday.

It has been a long road since October 2007 and my plan to run a marathon.

Stay tuned for more...

Bruce

676.76 kilometers run since the 1/2 Marathon in Vancouver this spring! Just looking at that total makes my feet hurt. I am less than 3 weeks away from the marathon and I am more than anything looking forward to it being done! Training has slowed due to the weather and my not wanting to strain or break anything. We are ready to roll to New York and Sharon will be at the finishing area waiting (hopefully with a large glass of anything with booze in it).

That is all for now, gotta run!

Bruce

29 Days to go before New York!

I have received my start time, 10:20 AM, starting in the third wave start. Training is on track, I have 4 small (6-8 K) runs during the week and a longer 20-30 K run on Sunday. I am looking forward to getting to New York and soaking in the entire event. I estimate that I will complete the run in the 3:10-3:20 PM time frame and get back to the hotel around 6:00 PM. Sharon and I will head out for a huge steak dinner and I am sure that I will be on a runners high for the rest of the day.

Thanks for tuning in!

Gotta run!

Bruce

35 Days to go to New York!

Today was a 20K long run on what was a beautiful fall day. Today is the day that I am going to rant about some of the stupid people that I see when I am out running. First, there was the lady on Vedder River Trail who felt the the leash rule does not apply to her. She let her two little dogs run freely around the trail. Other dog owners are responsible enough to leash their pets but this lady feels that the rules and common sense do not apply to her. Then there was the old jackass driving down Lickman Road. I am running into traffic, as I should. Just as he passes me, he takes a moment to "flip me off". Now, I don't have a problem with "old, fat men and there fat old ladies" in there mid 80's Oldsmobile piece of crap cars with handicap stickers but.... seriously dude!

To all who have supported me, thanks! To that old man and his finger, I wish a 2 day rectal exam to you.

OK, this is now getting serious... We are down to the 39 day mark and counting for New York. Training has continued to stay on track with only a slight adjustment due to a fishing trip last weekend. I will continue on my weekly schedule with Tuesday-Thursday and Saturday-Sunday. The long runs are going to continue to be on Sunday.

It's GAME ON NEW YORK!

Bruce

With only 49 days to go until the New York Marathon today I completed my longest run to date. On a beautiful Sunday morning I hit the road to complete a 30K run. My 1/2 marathon time was 2:20 and 30K time was 3:15. This SHOULD get me in the under 5 hour time for the marathon in New York. The carrot for the marathon is that the New York Times only publishes the names of the people who are under 5-hours. There are only 2 ways for me to get my name in the New York Times, run 26.2 in under 5 hours or die trying....

More to come as I ramp up the miles in the coming weeks. This week I will purchase a new set of shoes for the marathon and begin to break them in.

Gotta run! -- Later!

It seems with 54 days to go that the clock is ticking faster and faster... This past week I accomplished running a total of 51.04 K for the week. Sunday's long run was 2.5K short of the 29K required for the day. The temperature hit 27 degrees when I was on the road and I hit the wall at 26.5K. In my defence I did run two back to back sub 1-hour 10K so I was running on my race pace. This Sunday I am going to ramp it up to 30K as I will be off the following week.

In the next two weeks I will pick out a pair of shoes to run the marathon in and begin the process of breaking them in. I will also begin some training at lunch time, short runs, treadmill runs or some weight training to continue to develop my legs.

Everything else is ready to go, flights, hotels and my pre and post race planning is done. Nothing left but to continue to log miles and miles.

That is all for now - Gotta run!

It is hard to believe that it is only 60 days from the New York Marathon! When I started this it was 378 days away and now it is just around the corner. The final training push is on now and the mile are starting to add up. Last Sunday I completed a 29 KM run, my longest to date. This week I will complete my daily runs followed by a 32 KM run on Sunday. The 32K is the longest you will complete before the marathon. I am working on my strategy for race day and will be breaking the marathon up into sections for sanity. I will work on completing 4 x 10K runs and finish strong with the final 4K push through Central Park.

Stay tuned for more... Gotta Run!

Holy Schnikies! 74 Days to the Marathon in New York! Where does the time go? When I started this, I was a young lad of 42 and now at the ripe old age of 43 I have much more experience and wisdom.... Training has been going great! Last weekend I was a part of the Cedar Grove Riders completing the MS Society Grape Escape Bike Ride on Vancouver Island. A two-day ride that covers 105 kilometers of wine country. A great cross-training experience! Now I am on to week 6 of the full marathon-training program. My birthday presents included a weighted running vest to help me ratchet it up a notch. I am able to add additional weight to the vest to help increase the intensity of each run. I am also doing hill repeats once a week, running 1/4 KM hills to an 80% max heart rate and then recovery. I know it actually sounds like I know what I am talking about here and I have learned a lot from The Running Room and reading several running articles.

That is the update for now.... Gotta RUN!

Well it is 90 days and counting to the New York City Marathon. When I started this it seemed that 370 days was a long time.... With less than 3-months to go it is fair to say that the tension is building! I have just returned from 1 week in Puerto Vallarta and did manage to get a few runs in between the pool and eating. Running in 35 degree heat and 100% humidity is a little different than running in Vancouver. A 3-mile run feels like a 30 mile run and you are drained very quickly at this temperature. This has made me glad that I made the decision to run in New York in November rather than a marathon in Mexico in July! I am 2-weeks away from the Grape Escape MS Bike Ride on Vancouver Island and will even add a run on ride days. With my little Mexican vacation behind me, I will be back to running doubles three times per week. I will start today with a 10K warm up run and a hike with a weighted backpack tonight.

Gotta run!

Bruce

Time to go out on a limb and call my finish time for the New York City Marathon in November. Barring catastrophic disasters, lost shoe, broken limbs, getting lost… I have calculated that I will finish between 4H:30M – 4H:45M. Not a record-breaking pace by any means BUT – a very respectable time for a first time marathon runner.

Training has been going well, this week I started doing “doubles”. “Hey Bruce, what are doubles”, you ask? Doubles are doing two runs on the same day three times a week. I am adding a night run to my medium run days. For example, yesterday I ran 8.05 KM in the morning and 5.02 KM at night. This will help increase distance and further increase my cardio and recovery rate. I am starting to plan my meals leading up to the marathon and of course my FIRST meal after the marathon, Smith and Wolensky Steak House in Manhattan.

As always, thanks to everyone for their words of support and encouragement. Your kind thoughts will help carry me the 26.2 miles in November.

With one day to go in my first full week of marathon training I know the task ahead is going to be a tough one. The first week of full marathon training starts with the following:
10 K run
6 K run
10 k run
6 K run
6 K run for 38 K total in the first week. Compare this to the 1/2 marathon training where the first week of training was 9 K in total. The weather is a little better to be training at I am just heading out a 6 AM for a 6K hill run. I will continue to keep everyone posted on my training and progress. The most updated statistics for marathons in North America still show that less than 1% of the population will ever complete a marathon. Also, the fast growing group of marathon runners is Males 40-44 - imagine that!

139 days from today, June 16th I will be in New York Running in the New York City Marathon. June 15th was the official start of training for this run. Marathon training is much harder than that little 1/2 marathon stuff so now is the time to buckle down and get busy running. The first weeks training (starting today) starts with a little 10K jaunt... Now that being said when I starting training for the 1/2 last year, a 3K was the starting point.
Thank you again to all who have supported my run and fundraising efforts for the Team for Kids!

Well today was the Abbotsford "Run for Water" 1/2 Marathon. Let me tell you, I was a little concerned about the fact that I had cut back on training after the Vancouver 1/2 Marathon. The Vancouver 1/2 Marathon was run in 2:14.30 on a flat easy course. Today I completed the Abbotsford "Run for Water" 1/2 Marathon in 2:02:33 a FULL 12 MINUTES QUICKER! Was I surprised when I checked my watch at the last 100 yards! So for the record New York - It's on! The Abbotsford course was full of hills and more than 400 ft of elevation change, most of it is a 2 mile track. I am feeling good about the New York Marathon and will look for a few more local runs to keep the training up. My next goal is to complete a 1/2 in less than 2 hours.

Thanks again to my road crew (family) - following me from race to race!

Another week on the road and another week on the treadmill.... In Winnipeg this week the temperature in the AM was still to cold to get out for a street run (no jacket packed for the trip). I was confined to the treadmill at the hotel this week and managed to put in two 5K runs and some weigh training. I have signed up for the Abbotsford Run for Water 1/2 Marathon on June 1, 2008. This will be another chance to get an organized run behind me as I continue training. Big Big THANKS to Sharon, Noelle & Thomas for their support while I am training for the New York Marathon!

Finally some good warm weather to train in Vancouver.... On Monday I did a 10K training run at home and managed to shave another 2 minutes off my 10K time. I will continue to work on some speed training and continue to pile on the miles. Having the warm weather across Canada should make it easier to log miles while I continue to travel. This week I am in Winnipeg and next week Alberta. I have researched some running trails in Winnipeg and hope to get a 6K and a 8K in this week.

Back in the saddle again.....

After the 1/2 Marathon my plan was to get back on the bike and continue my training by cycling. Today I rode 13.5 miles and let me tell you, it was easier to ride it than run it. By cross-training with the bike I will be able to give my knees a well deserved rest. I will be mixing running and cycling over the next month and continue to build miles and my cardio. The next few races are as follows:

• Mothers Day "Run for Mom" 8K - May
• Cowichan Valley Grape Escape MS Bike Tour (2-Day 130 KM Ride) - August
• New York Marathon - November

I may continue to pick up some additional training runs and am even considering another 1/2 Marathon this summer.

As always, thank you for your generous support!

Late!

Vancouver 1/2 Marathon Update:

You could not have had a better day to run the streets of Vancouver and Stanley Park! The sun was out and the temperature was 12 degrees. The scenery was spectacular and running in Stanley Park on a Sunday morning with no traffic was fantastic. I set my time goal for this first official 1/2 marathon at 2:20 minutes. My goal was to run a moderate pace through the 10K mark and run 10 minutes and walk 1 minute for the balance of the race. I ran through the first 10K and made it to the course halfway point without any rest periods. I felt strong so I decided to continue to run the entire race. I was running a 10:04 minute mile at this point. I continued to run through the Prospect Point hill and made some ground up on some runners who decided to walk the 200 metre climb. Any good 200 metre uphill is always followed by a 200 metre downhill... The momentum (Advil/Motrin) began to kick in as I ran out of Stanley Park to Beach Avenue and English Bay. Up Beach to Pacific and on to the BC Place Finish line. My final time according to my watch was 2:14:30 for 13.25 miles ahead of my 2:20 goal and as a bonus I ran the entire course. Now it is on to the Full Marathon Training schedule for the New York City Marathon November 2, 2008.

Well.... We are one week away from the Vancouver 1/2 Marathon and the "tension" is building. Now I have run the 22 KM before but doing it with 10,000 other people will be different. Perhaps I can use a NASCAR Technique and get behind someone and draft for the first 18K or so.

Training has been going well and the milestone that I reached this morning was a new weight loss low. Since the start of the year I have been watching what I have been eating, drinking and putting on additional miles every week. On January 1, 2008 I weighed in at 203.5 lbs (yes, overweight). As of this morning, 192 lbs (yes overweight). My goal for June and for the New York Marathon will be 175-178 lbs. This means if I hit my total weight loss goal I will be 28 lbs lighter for the marathon. Picture running 26.2 miles with 28 lbs of butter in a backpack.

I will update again after the BMO Vancouver 1/2 Marathon next week.

On Sunday April 20th I completed the Vancouver Sun Run 10K. My time for this run was 59:12! Last years time was 1:06:57 so I managed to shave more that a few minutes off my time. The weather was less than enjoyable for running in Vancouver with the temperatures hovering around 3. Overall a great run and I feel I am more than ready to run the Vancouver 1/2 Marathon in 2-weeks.

Again, thanks to all who have made a donation to my New York City Marathon Team for Kids site!

On Sunday April 13th I completed an "un-official" Half-Marathon in Chilliwack. A 13.5 mile run in 2:29! On Friday I had an "adjustment" with a Physical Therapist and found that because I was not aligned it was leading to knee and hamstring pain. The adjustment helped and I completed my longest run with no pain. Next week will be the Sun Run in Vancouver and I plan on putting this down in less than 1 hour. After that one more week of training before the Vancouver Half-Marathon.



Again, please take some time to pledge me for my New York City Marathon!



Check back soon for more updates!

Please click on the link below to donate:
https://www.nyrrc.org/cgi-bin/start.cgi/mar-programs/nyrrf/team/2008/donations.htm

ING New York Marathon Entry #: 224859

Last Name: Bunn

Thank you in advance for your contribution!

Only 27 days to the Vancouver Half Marathon! On Sunday I completed a 18.25 KM run in just over 2 hours. This pace was good and I feel I am ready to run the half marathon in Vancouver in May.

Only 209 days left until the New York City Marathon - now 209 days may seem like a long time but it was 382 days when I decided to run in the marathon.

Thank you to all who have donated to my New York City Marathon Team for Kids fund. I truly appreciate your support.

Please click on the link below to donate:https://www.nyrrc.org/cgi-bin/start.cgi/mar-programs/nyrrf/team/2008/donations.htm
ING New York Marathon Entry #: 224859
Last Name: Bunn

Five Bridges, Five Boroughs and Two Million Spectators….


This year I have made the decision to run in the New York City Marathon on Sunday November 2, 2008. This will be the first marathon for me and if you are going to run 26 miles, there is no better city to do that in than New York. As part of my plan to run the marathon I wanted to ensure that I make a positive impact on the community and do my best to pay it forward. I have decided to run and fundraise for the New York Road Runners “Team for Kids”. The “Team For Kids” helps establish running-based fitness and character building programs in schools and community centers that strengthen young bodies, minds and spirits. Currently 25,000 New York City elementary through high school students of all fitness and athletic abilities participate in the New York Road Runners Foundation programs every week, but in a city with limited school based physical educations programs there urgent need to serve thousands more.

I am asking that you help with my fundraising efforts for this great cause. I am covering all of the costs of the trip, flights, hotels and meals myself. I am hoping that your tax-deductible donation will help me reach my fundraising commitment of $2500.00 or more! Your support will help bring the value, benefits and special features of the programs to additional youth and make a meaningful difference in many young lives.

Please click on the link below to donate:

https://www.nyrrc.org/cgi-bin/start.cgi/mar-programs/nyrrf/team/2008/donations.htm

ING New York Marathon Entry #: 224859
Last Name: Bunn

Thank you in advance for your contribution!

Only 31 days left until the Vancouver 1/2 Marathon. Training has tapered off for the last few weeks but now is the time to ramp it back up and get ready for the 1/2!

This weeks runs will include a 18 KM on Sunday, only 2 KM short of the 1/2. My goal for the 1/2 in Vancouver is 2:20 minutes - that is a very consistent pace as the course appears to be flat.

Thanks for tuning in!