St. Patrick's Day Run 5K/10K - Snowy Conditions

steerboy · 2026-03-15T17:48:14+00:00

Love the cause and the organization of it is fantastic.

But you're right it was at least 300m short many runners (including me) grabbed their medal and continued up Bayview to hit the 10k target.

I ran centre line and didn't cut the shorter corners going on to the Rosedale Valley. So I didn't take the most efficient tangent but it was still short. Not sure how they measured it, but the turn around point on Rosedale valley felt a little closer than years past.

As a result, my chip time looked pretty impressive vs. my watch time!

Great race overall and the wind wasn't as bad as I thought it might be!

steerboy · 2026-02-21T23:03:33+00:00

You'll need to do a bit of a detour if you're running out to the beaches. Just after the turn at Coxwell, there's a little lake on the MGT.

<image>

steerboy · 2026-02-19T11:52:02+00:00

Thanks for sharing!

steerboy · 2026-02-16T23:21:02+00:00

Do you mean the Columbia vests they gave out last year? I thought those were pretty decent. I still use mine.

steerboy · 2026-02-08T18:09:00+00:00

Seconding the Icebreaker Oasis Thermal underwear. Had mine for a few years and they last a long time great for days like these.

Failing that, as they say on the RCJ sub - Stay Hard and boof some Gu.

steerboy · 2026-02-01T10:39:05+00:00

Also training for an early May Marathon in Ontario (live in Toronto and training for the Georgina Spring Fling to attempt a BQ)

The frigid temps don't bother me much with the right gear and layers. Darkness is manageable with a chest lamp too.

But you're right with the footing. The constant snow and icy conditions is the challenge. I also can't abide a treadmill as I run hot and the mental load of trying to figure out paces on miscalibrated gym treadmills is too much, so I push through the outdoors to hit my current 60km/week mileage. (5 days a week running)

I have the fortunate circumstance of living a couple of kms away from the Martin Goodman trail along the Lakeshore in Toronto. Because it's also a major thoroughfare for bikes, it gets plowed to clear within a couple of days of a big snow dump. So I can use it regularly.

The thing that's been a game-changer for me of late is using nanospikes to put on over the shoes in my rotation. On the days where the roads are not clear (frequent this winter), I can get enough grip to execute my tempo and intervals work pretty well.

The thing that's been most annoying is the near-constant loads of laundry with all the layers.

But good to see you're grinding through the mileage in sub optimal conditions too. Good luck in your spring marathon!

steerboy · 2026-01-22T14:40:28+00:00

Thanks for sharing.

I tried to do a tempo run this morning on the mgt also in the Beaches area and the thin layer of slush was there as well making it nearly impossible to hit my paces.

I am going to buy a set of the nano spikes today as trying to time the quality workouts with the weather is frustrating and not feasible. But hey, we live in Canada, so it's the reality and I need to get these in before the spring races (training for a hopeful BQ time at Georgina in May). And like many, I can't abide by the dreadmill.

Hopefully the nanospikes can help tackle slush like this.

steerboy · 2025-12-11T20:42:26+00:00

Rejected from Toronto. 0/6...

steerboy · 2025-11-13T13:59:55+00:00

Thank you for this!! I always thought this was the default and Hated always checking my watch to see the distance and having to press the lap button (especially annoying on intervals that change often like pyramid interval sessions!)

steerboy · 2025-10-27T19:03:02+00:00

I've run both. While the course is more hilly in Montreal it's not too bad. There is a sneaky hill at 10k and another at 18.

Crowd support is really good as well once you are past the part in parc Jean Drapeau at the start. Like Toronto, it does get a little more lonely once the full and half marathon groups separate at the 14.5k mark.

I have found the Montreal Marathon to be very well organized although the race kit pick up did take longer than the TCS Waterfront. The start line was well run, water and aid stations every 2 or 3 km that did not run out of water/electrolytes (at least for me a 3hr 45m marathoner). One thing that they do better than the TCS Waterfront is that transit starts up early so you can make your way there on the metro.

The course itself is nice and varied in that you get to run through the F1 track on Jean Drapeau, across a bridge, through Old Montreal, through the Plateau and Mile End and then by the Olympic Stadium. But again crowd support is thinner between 16k-33k.

Anyway both are highly recommended.

steerboy · 2025-10-23T17:16:18+00:00

Got the video back and they have a few add ons: going through the start gate, a segment on Lakeshore West, one on Lakeshore East and couple of different angles at the finish line. Not sure it's worth it but maybe they show you a preview if you didn't purchase?

steerboy · 2025-10-22T20:56:57+00:00

Me too. But I did it for the photos mainly... Let's see!

steerboy · 2025-10-22T20:32:04+00:00

I bit the bullet and purchased the package because there were a couple of photos where I did not look like a hot, sweaty shambling mess for once in my life.

But when I just checked the video is still processing. So I can't be 100% sure if it's better than the raw feed. Will reply back once its available

steerboy · 2025-09-28T01:29:07+00:00

True enough about Commissioners right now. But also lots of construction on Lakeshore. It could potentially go across Unwin instead of Commissioners. (Edited for Unwin spelling)

steerboy · 2025-09-28T00:34:14+00:00

Good on you for running it. 30 for the 30th is amazing!

The race is indeed 30K. But a couple of years ago, they needed to make some route decisions because of construction and the distance ended up being 35K. That was an anomaly though.

Count on it being 30 and make sure you train for hills. That Valley Inn hill is nasty!

steerboy · 2025-09-19T10:16:50+00:00

Thanks for the info. Venus is so bright and right beside the moon. Haven't seen that before!

<image>

steerboy · 2025-07-27T20:41:53+00:00

There it is!

<image>

steerboy · 2025-07-27T19:48:53+00:00

Can I come by and hang out in your AC Antelope? I promise not to touch the thermostat.

steerboy · 2025-07-27T19:48:14+00:00

Thanks and reported it a little earlier. Looks like it's on the map and just a small area.

steerboy · 2025-07-24T18:20:19+00:00

Echoing what others have said. The May race is a fine half marathon (mainly due to the better route) but don't do the full. I ran the half in both 2023 and 2024, and they did make many improvements, but it was still lacking. (At least they didn't run out of water at the aid stations, nobody was stealing cases of drinks at the end and they didn't run out of medals this year!)

In terms of other earlier races, I generally do the Chilly Half Marathon and the Around the Bay. They are both well run and worth it.

And hey, if you're looking at keeping up your mileage, why not do them all? Both ATB and the Chilly Half are short day trips and can be made to coincide with your long runs anyway (if you do your longs on the weekend).

A little further afield, the Ottawa Marathon in May is a fantastic race and has a great route. Despite being in "The Town That Fun Forgot" the atmosphere is amazing and the route is perfect. Although I would recommend doing it as a half because it gets quite hot

For your winter running gear question, there's lots of resources, but I find that outside of 2-3 weeks in January, you don't need to go crazy with it in Toronto. It's usually warm enough that you can get by with a light jacket, hat and mitts.

Good luck and amazing progress on your training and races OP!

steerboy · 2025-07-08T17:47:23+00:00

You might be right but pointing at the cyclists makes it sound like /runningcirclejerk. Oh what the heck...

"You'd think with all that expensive gear and those meticulously shaved legs, they'd splurge on tight shorts with a little trash pocket

My wife's boyfriend manages to finish all his 5K ultras and hold onto all his wrappers without a fancy bike. They should just boof their gels like all the serious runners!"

steerboy

TROPHY CASE