Week 3 - Running in Toronto, June 9 - 15

I’m in Markham Canada for the Mycological Society of America meetings this week.  I arrived on Sunday and immediately set out for a shake-out run around the vicinity of the Hilton Conference Center.  What I intend to be a simple 2-mile jaunt turned into a 4 mile tour after getting lost and missing a turn in the suburban environment of Marham/Unionville.

Despite the detour, I felt good. Much nicer experience to go from 5k to 6k ft atmosphere down to relatively terrestrial 600 ft elevation. However, I still tried to push myself to stay on top of the relative challenge of running at Denver’s elevation. What was good about this week was the relative consistency in my runs and ease of recovery.

I had a great time at the conference. There were some longtime friends and colleagues that I hadn’t seen in a while. The research, educational, and collaborative projects I’ve been involved with had a great presence at the meeting.  I was also able to make new acquaintances and establish new potential collaborations.

After the meetings I proceeded to downtown Toronto, thanks to Kathryn Bushley and her partner who were kind enough to drive me in and drop me off at my hotel. That first day involved a lot of walking around the city, down to the harbor, and catching views of the CN tower and the Toronto islands.  On Friday, I went for a run around the University of Toronto and Queen’s Park, as well as a trip to the islands on a ferry. On Saturday I walked around the University a little more after visiting the National Ontario Museum (NOM). I also attempted a long run from my hotel, down to and along the harbor.  Long runs are much easier to pull off at home. If you don’t have easy access to bathroom facilities, some long-runs can turn into awkward walks.

 

Probably TMI for you readers, but now you know that the challenges of marathon training are much more complex and nuanced than simply running from place to place.

Thanks for reading, and thanks for contributing to my fundraising…
https://fundraisers.hakuapp.com/andrew-wilson-2

 


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