Note: Confirmed - the 10k course was at least 180 metres short. When adjusted for the correct distance, this was still a monster PB with Amanda. I'm still wondering about the exact distance. I'm marking this one with an asterisk.

Double loop course, lots of hills. I surprised myself at our time. I had just run in the Ottawa marathon six days before. I figured if I ran 1:15 I would be doing well. Amanda really enjoyed the railway bumps (twice) and her hot dog after.

In 2002, she kicked up a big fuss when she saw I was going to this race without her (real tears!) Needless to say, she went racing on her first 15k.

For the record, I really don't like this race. Boxing day is usually such a rush-rush day, and I generally want a quiet day after the silliness of Christmas day. This year it was different, quiet even.

I woke up early and stuck my head out the door to find almost perfect conditions. I was feeling fat and slow so I decided to go. Then I asked Amanda if she wanted to race when she got up and that's why we did it. We even managed to get our pictures in the local paper again, but they managed to misspell our names as "Amanda and Mark Collins". There is no "N" in "Collis".

The race itself is a nasty hilly route with about a kilometer along the rail trail that is about half way down the escarpment. Because the rain and mild weather melted most of the snow, the trail was clear.

Cool weather, light winds all made for almost perfect conditions for this race. Lots of people were disappointed we were racing rather than being Pace Bunnies.

My race plan worked to perfection and not only did I mange to get Amanda a silver finishers medal, but we set a monster PB for the distance. I only have to trim off 11 more minutes until I can get a silver like Amanda.

Marathon #8 - Rain at the start, and again around mile 5. Strong winds off Lake Erie, but nice steady tail wind for the 18 miles along the Niagara Parkway.

Amanda was bundled up like a turkey going into the freezer but she was warm and dry the whole way. She even copped a short nap between mile 12 and 13. She had a few marathoners sing "Happy Birthday" at mile 15, as she turned 21.

Nice steady sub 8 minute mile pace that held until mile 22. Boston qualifying time - Boston Marathon in 2007!

Race Name: Around The Bay
Location: Hamilton, Ontario
Date: 28-Mar-10
Distance: 30 KM / 18.6 miles
Time: Sub 2:40:00 - 2:45:00

Knee problems have hampered my training so far this season. I'll just be running this one to finish. No doubt Amanda will run it for the cheeseburger and fries after.

Race Name: Boston, Massachusetts, USA
Location: Boston Marathon
Date: 19-Apr-10
Distance: 26.2 miles
Time: sub 4:00

Once more to Boston to play. Not sure, but I have a feeling it will be the last time for a while.

Race Name: Chilly Half Marathon
Location: Burlington, Ontario
Date: 07-Mar-2010
Distance: 21.1 KM / 13.1 miles
Time: 1:45:47 (clock) / 1:45:37 (chip)

Once again, I have to thank VRPro Races and race director Kelly Arnott in particular for all the support over the years.

Perfect weather, sunny, warm, with a little bit of a head wind on the last 10 km. Amanda enjoyed the day out, had lots of people cheering her on and maintained her unbeaten streak of finishing just a head of me.

Race Name: Boxing Day 10 Miler
Location: Hamilton, Ontario
Date: 26-Dec-08
Distance: 10 miles / 16 km
Time: 1:24:08 (clock) / 1:24:07 (chip)

For the record, I really don't like this race. Boxing day is usually such a rush-rush day, and I generally want a quiet day after the silliness of Christmas day. This year it was different, quiet even.

I woke up early and stuck my head out the door to find almost perfect conditions. I was feeling fat and slow so I decided to go. Then I asked Amanda if she wanted to race when she got up and that's why we did it. We even managed to get our pictures in the local paper again, but they misspelled our names as "Amanda and Mark Collins". There is no "N" in "Collis".

The race itself is a nasty hilly route with about a kilometer along the rail trail that is about half way down the escarpment. Because the rain and mild weather melted most of the snow, the trail was clear.

Race Name: Road2Hope Marathon
Location: Hamilton Ontario, Canada
Date: 3-Nov-08
Distance: 42.2 KM / 26.1 miles
Time: 3:33:35 (clock) / 3:33:28 (chip)

Marathon #12 - Esther Pauls has always been an influence in the local running community with the Runners Den stores, but she's also inspired people to not only raise money but contribute their sweat and work to support a community in the most depressed neibourhood in Cap Haitian, Haiti. Through the efforts of Esther, her volunteers and the funds raised, they have built schools, orphanages and infrastructure. Heck, I even timed the second Haiti 5 km race and donated the fee to the charity.

Amanda and I were honoured to talk at this years pre race dinner. I hope that we inspired people a fraction as much as Esther and Gord Pauls have over the years.

We had a great race, despite not having put the training miles in for the last month that I should have (sinuses). The wind was a factor, especially along the Beach strip and Waterfront Trail section. I'm pretty sure we'd have made our sub 3:30 goal without it.

Race Name: Down Town Dash
Location: Burlington Ontario, Canada
Date: 23-Jul-08
Distance: 10k
Time: 0:44:02 (chip)

It wasn't as hot or humid as it has been in the past, but it was hot enough. We weren't as fast as previous years, but with all the cycling and other training to get ready for the fall IM distance race, I hadn't tapered properly for this one. Amanda still enjoyed the race, but we had to head home shortly after.

My Learn To Run clinic people did great! All of them hit their goals for the day and quite a few of them have signed up for other local races since then. I'm so proud of them.

Race Name: Utica Boilermaker
Location: Utica, New York, USA
Date: 13-Jul-08
Distance: 15k
Time: 1:14:07 (chip)

I ran wearing the Toronto Achilles club singlet, and after the race we were greeted by a fellow Achilles member. We chatted with the legally blind runner and compared notes on the course, the weather and what a great race they put on in Utica. It wasn't until after that some one told me that the runner in question was also the Governor of New York, David Paterson. How cool is that?

Amanda was awake at 5:30 AM laughing and tapping on her wrist, "Is it time to go?" Due to rain we wrapped her legs in a garbage bag and her top in a plastic poncho, but we didn't need it on the race, as it stopped about 10 minutes before the gun. At the party after the race, Amanda had a yogurt and the bag of potato chips in my food bag. Ya gotta replenish those salts and proteins when you are an athelete.

Race Name: Boston, Massachusetts, USA
Location: Boston Marathon
Date: 21-Apr-08
Distance: 26.2 miles
Time: 3:59:11 (chip)

Marathon #11 - The showers that were predicted late in the week evaporated and left us with almost perfect race conditons.
We didn't run fast, but we did have fun along the way. We got to say hello to lots of people that we had only talked to via email and even a hug or two from friends on the route. Amanda wore her race shirt and medal to her show her friends at the community center she attends. Quite a few of them took turns wearing the finishers medal all day.

I took lots of pictures this and I hope to get a slideshow slapped together of the shots I've taken though the years.

Race Name: Around The Bay
Location: Hamilton, Ontario
Date: 30-Mar-08
Distance: 30 KM / 18.6 miles
Time: Sub 2:37:23 (clock) / 2:37:18 (chip)

The weather turned out to be almost perfect. Sunny, dry footing, temperature between 0-4 c, but a bit of a breeze. I'm short on distance and I knew this one was going to be slower than last year. All in all, our time turned out about what I was expecting based on the Chilly half.

Amanda had a great day, her only complaint was the wind in her face going down Woodward Ave. She even responded to a few people when they asked her if she was having a good run, that's unusual. People told me she was smiling the whole way (I can't see, I'm behind). I could tell we had a great day out, smiles all afternoon, eating a big lunch and dinner and asking to go to bed early. It's tough being an athelete.

Race Name: Chilly Half Marathon
Location: Burlington, Ontario
Date: 03-Mar-08
Distance: 21.1 KM / 13.1 miles
Time: 1:44:14 (clock) / 1:44:20 (chip)

Due to weather (snow and cold) and nose surgery I had in December, "The Team" hasn't put in a lot of training. This race was only our second time on the road in 2008. Amanda was so excited about racing that she was asking if it was "time to go" (she taps her wrist) at dinner the night before. Pretty much perfect conditions for this race, a tad cold but sunny and no wind.

Thanks again to Kelly Arnott and VRPro Races for letting us participate.

Race Name: Toronto Waterfront Marathon
Location: Toronto, Ontario
Date: 24-Sep-06
Distance: 42.2 KM / 26.1 miles
Time: 3:32:41 (clock) / 3:30:51 (chip) (Boston qualifier)

Race Name: Niagara Marathon
Location: Buffalo, NY to Niagara Falls ON
Date: 22-Oct-06
Distance: 26.2 miles
Time: 3:28:09 (clock) / 3:27:39 (chip) (Boston qualifier)
Note: 30 second head start for wheelchair racers

Note: Confirmed - the 10k course was at least 180 metres short. When adjusted for the correct distance, this was still a monster PB with Amanda. I'm still wondering about the exact distance. I'm marking this one with an asterisk.