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CHECKMARK ✓

Running Journey Unfiltered:
​Motivation・Facilitation ・Reflection

25/52

6/25/2017

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Week 25 REcap

Can you believe that we are nearly half-way into the year? Where has the time gone? Personally, I find that the time passes by much quicker as a runner, as you continuously run through busy schedules, good days, bad days, and training sessions leading up the the glorious race day.

Stay tuned for the half-year review next week!  

In the meantime, I have been compiling next month's playlist to go along more so with a summery theme suitable for most occasions beyond just running. Canada Day or 4th of July weekend friendly!

Now that the peak busy part of the month done and over with, I can finally get back into the after work hours running routine going again. Remarkably I managed to log in two long runs into the week without feeling obligated to do so whatsoever. The first one was more so of a mental breakthrough moment as I physically convinced that running from Markham to Whitchurch-Stouffville is absolutely possible even with the unpaved side roads along Highway 48. The second run was fuelled by the strong desire to give a new piece of running accessory to the test. In this case, it was test-driving the Garmin Fēnix 3 HR, which I got from Best Buy on special at time of writing. A review will follow but right from the get-go, I am getting significantly more data that could add real value to my existing and future runs and battery life that will conquer through the upcoming ultramarathon 50K without all too much difficulty.

I'm already like what I see and it is definitely a solid motivation to keep running! ?

This upcoming week: weather depending, back into the average 55-65 km accumulation throughout the week

​Cheers, M.W
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24/52

6/19/2017

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Week 24 Recap

Another busy work week. Another mis-mash of hastily self-imposed runs.

Started the week off right with 17 km loop on Monday followed by the weekly long run at 21.1 km.

Then work got in the way. One major missed opportunity would be the Lululemon sponsored Toronto Waterfront 10K which I did last year. I would've definitely love to re-run that route and officially register a faster 10K that was also lost upon from the dropped phone incident from the Sporting Life 10K a couple weeks before.

Maybe it's also for the better to do some necessary rest up before resuming training for the 50K ultramarathon in mid-July. One thing I bought is those hydration packs but I seriously need to give that thing a trial run so at least I can get accustomed to the additional weight on my back.

Anyways, focus for the week is to rest some more, maintain minimal sugar consumption, and occasionally shaking some running rust off by getting that form right (as previously mentioned a couple weeks ago from an earlier entry).

Next week, I'll curate the July playlist alongside with some run ready tracklist of the live EDM performances from EDC LV.

Cheers, M.W.
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23/52

6/13/2017

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Week 23 Recap

Sorry for the late post, life's been getting busy and headed through rough waters for the week.

This week, my mind has been focused towards getting back onto the typical regular training and grind. My legs told me otherwise as my right leg ached for the better part of the week.

By the end of it all, my typical runs ended up being a life diversion and act as the literal analogy of "running away from your problems"

?

I felt mentally recharged after each and every run that I did and circumstances doesn't quite seem to be as shitty as it seems.

The revenge of the hot humid summer weather also made a comeback this past week but thank god the Saturday morning Lululemon run stayed cool during the session.

Which by the way, good luck to all those that are participating in the Lululemon Toronto Waterfront 10K this upcoming Saturday! It's a real drag that I have to miss this year due to pre-existing work commitments. Guess I'll cheer on the sidelines through the social media hashtags!

Here's a Barrie half recap photo as a motivation to push through the remainder of this week!

Cheers, M.W.

#tbt to Sunday's rainy Barrie Half Marathon with a new PB of 1:31:36 . . . . . #barriehalfmarathon #halfmarathon #21k #runTO #4run6 #canadianrunning #runhappy #runitfast #runnerscommunity #runchat #instarunners #igrunners #running #runnersofinstagram #torontorunning #torontorunners #run #runtoronto #runhk #hkrunner #werunhkg #marathontraining #runtoinspire #beatyesterday #跑 #跑了就懂 #hkig #caig

A post shared by Mike Wan (@mcywan) on Jun 8, 2017 at 4:40pm PDT

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22/52

6/4/2017

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WEEK 22 ✕ BARRIE WATERFRONT HALF-MARATHON RECAP

This past week has been a quasi-tapering kind of week. I should have just completely rested up leading up to Sunday's race day but still ran in just a comfy pace. The weather still has not been cooperating hence racking up the mileage at the first few days of the week and then just a casual run Saturday morning with my local Markham Lululemon club.

Which by the way, I would like to make special shoutout to join their weekly run club:

What: Weekly Run
Who: Lululemon Markham
When: Every Saturday morning at 8:30 am
Where: Meetup in front of Starbucks at Main Street Unionville 
Why: Sometimes it is just better to run within a group and feel belonged! All skill groups welcome and most importantly, very friendly atmosphere

Compared to the downtown Toronto run clubs, the Lululemon Markham chapter is not structured or uberly competitive. It really gives out a supportive vibe from everyone and brings out the genuine joy out of running.

Race Report - Barrie Half

This was my very first time in Barrie for anything actually. I had no prior knowledge of this course other than looking it up on the main website and observing other people's runs in the "activity search" segment in Strava for elevation map. In terms of expectations, it was at a minimal considering it was raining cats and dogs outside and that I have not done a road half-marathon since the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon back in 2015. I knew that based on my recent races that I would be capable to run in the lower spectrum of the 01:35:00 to 01:42:00 range.

My day started off at 4:45 am and was immediately out the door after downing my yogurt and banana combination. I knew that driving from Markham to Barrie will take approximately an hour and a couple of minutes (thanks Waze!), so finished things off with a large Timmies double double, knowing that the morning nature's call will be due by the time I arrive. Took care of business followed by packet pickup.

The route of the race is shaped like a horseshoe with the starting line beginning at the dead centre. First off, it was heading southward where there was a good mix of asphalt roads and mixed soil like texture in some areas. After going to the far end, there is a return loop to go back to the start line area but bypassing it and heading northwards instead. This time around, the surface is more so of a sand and gravel mixture and turn around again once you reach the end point. It was thoroughly soggy although this was to be expected right from the get-go.

This time around, I was mindful of my running posture but wasn't necessarily trying to completely alter the way I normally run. At my race pace, it was significantly easier to really have my legs push off the ground in a cyclical motion. Also, it was easier to also have my back position forward-facing as if I was about to hit the ground face first. That workshop from The Runner's Academy definitely paid off indeed.

At the end of it all, I managed to shed off a wholesome ~16 minutes off from my last half record registered in October 2015. 01:31:36 and to my delight, I didn't lose any gear this time around. It just sets the tone that with continuous drive to improve, harder to reach goals are no longer out of reach and are actually plausible if I put the work in.

Going to take this upcoming week easy, we'll see how it goes! - Cheers, M.W.
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