Toronto Runner Dave Fleet

Toronto distance runner Dave Fleet's running blog, TorontoRunner.com, has been a motivational site for Toronto runners and is packed full of useful info. Fleet speaks with Cityguide on his blog and running adventures.

What inspired you to start the blog?
I originally started up Toronto Runner as a way to motivate myself to get back into running after a year-long injury. Distance running involves a substantial time commitment and it can be tough getting into the groove.

The site definitely accomplished that first goal, and has evolved quite a bit since then. I have two aims for Toronto Runner now:

1. 1.Provide a useful resource for Toronto runners, primarily people who have just moved to the area or people getting into running
2. 2.Connect with other people in the running community

What's been the response so far?
I'm really happy with the response so far. The site has helped me to connect with other people in the Toronto area, but also introduced me to runners who are well outside of this area.

Running's a funny sport – it can be solitary but there's a tight-knit community. I love reading about other peoples' ups and downs and offering my support and advice to them, and I enjoy receiving the same from others.

At the same time the site's still quite new, so it's still evolving and improving. I look forward to introducing some pretty significant changes in the near future as I really find my feet with it.

What do you love the most about running?
Three things stand out for me – reducing stress, exploring the city and the running community.

Without question, the main reason I got into running seriously was to reduce the stress from work. I work pretty long hours and running is my way of leaving that all behind. It's hard to describe the way my worries just fall away when I lace-up my shoes and hit the trails. There's nothing else like it - I get home after my runs and I feel great.

Running also provides a great way to get out and explore Toronto, or wherever you live. My current goal is to run a different route every time I run for as long as possible, which forces me to explore different areas all the time. Just last Tuesday I headed out to the Kipling subway station at the far west-end of the city and ran back... the only times I've been out there before were when I was on the way to the airport. It's fascinating - the city is so much more interesting when you're not sat on a train going under it all.

The other thing that I love is the sense of community. I run with a group from the Runners' Shop, who are just great – it's wonderful being part of such a warm, welcoming group. It's the same at races – you're running with thousands of other people with the same passion as you. The Toronto Runner blog helps me to extend that beyond my geographical boundaries, and I love that.

Any runners, athletes or other people who inspire you when running?
There are the obvious candidates like the professional runners or people like Lance Armstrong, but I find 'regular' people more inspiring.

The first group that inspires me are the folks I run with regularly – their enthusiasm and friendliness is fantastic.

There are also many, many people out there who don't perhaps run at the same level or for the same reasons, but who put an equal or greater amount of effort into it. I'm particularly inspired by some of those I see running for weight-loss or health reasons – it's a huge challenge for them to run a couple of kilometres and they feel a huge sense of pride when they achieve that. I find that way more inspiring than hearing about naturally athletic people who don't have to try that hard.

What's your favourite running music?
I spend most of my runs listening to podcasts. I listen to a few running podcasts, but I listen mainly to PR-related shows. I work in PR and write a PR blog (Fleet Street PR). My average run nowadays is between 60 and 90 minutes, and I can usually come back with several ideas for things to write about.

When I do listen to music, though, it's alternative/rock music. I'm a huge rock music fan and songs with a strong, driving rhythm help me when runs get tough. I have a special place in my heart for a few songs that have helped me through some especially tough runs - nowadays they pump me up whenever I hear them.

What have you done to improve your times and get better in the past year?
The last year was a bit of an anomaly, as I was injured for most of it. Right now I'm focusing on getting back into shape.

I did notice a huge jump in my times when I added extra track workouts to my training last year. I plan on doing the same thing as I approach Boston in 2008. The hard part is balancing that with listening to your body and not getting injured. I fell on the wrong side of that line last year, but I've learned from it and hopefully I'll get the balance right this year.

What's the best foods to be a high performance runner?
You might need to ask someone else about high performance running, but I can give some advice from the perspective of a mid-performance plodder!

When I'm training hard, I live on pasta. It becomes the staple of my diet. When you're burning an extra couple of thousand calories most days, taking on extra nutrition becomes essential. I sit at my desk most days with a stack of trail mix, granola bars and yoghurt within easy reach, and I eat pretty much all the time throughout the day.

One other thing that I found really helpful was protein shakes after each run. Slap a bunch of fruit, tofu yoghurt and ice into a blender and you're set to go. Great recovery food. Alternatively, meal replacement shakes do a good job too.

When did you make it your goal to go to the Boston Marathon?
As soon as I realized I had a realistic chance of qualifying! Boston is my reward for training hard last year. I qualified back in May 2006 at the Mississauga Marathon, but my injury meant I had to defer my entry so I missed out on running it this year. I'm determined that I'll be there in April to get my reward. After that, my main goal is to go three hours in a marathon next year.

What's your favourite running route in Toronto?
I run a different route each time, so that's a really tough one!

I think one of my favourites so far was running from York Mills station down to Davisville station via Toronto's park network. The route is posted here – it's about 13km, give or take. Most of the run is through parks and trails, with just a little road running at the beginning and end. I'd never have known Toronto had most of these parks if I hadn't forced myself to get out and explore them!

What's your favourite 5k run route?
I think it would have to be the Moore Park Ravine and David A. Balfour Park near Yonge & St. Clair.

It's a short trail – maybe 5km end-to-end, although you have to get to and from it so the run ends up a little longer. You start off just east of Mount Pleasant on Moore Avenue then basically run down then back up a U-shaped ravine.

The ravine is beautiful. It's colourful, sheltered from the elements and the best part is that you don't feel like you're in the middle of a major city. You can even head off the main trail near the end and run along narrow dirt singletrack for a slightly longer run. Not an easy route – the second half is all hill – but a classic nonetheless.

How do you keep yourself injury free?
Nowadays it's three main things – eating well, stretching properly and listening to my body. If I feel something isn't right, I stop. I made the mistake of pushing through an injury before, and it's just not worth it.

What's running like in Britain compared to Toronto?
Rainier!

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[ READER COMMENTS ]

1

Lourdes said:

Well all I am looking for is trails and paths to run

Posted at 07:41 PM, on July 26 2009

2

Lourdes said:

Well I came from Mexico City and there I ran every day in a beautiful forest, the only one locate at the South of the city. It is a surprise for me to see that there is a lot of forests in this city but I noticed the runners run in the street instead of the forest. I love trails and do not like to run on asphalt I actually find near my home a beautiful park , I enter at Leslie and Steels but it has a asphalt path, then I am every day looking in this park new insede paths or trails but sometimes it scared me because I do not see any people ther I am crazy??

Posted at 07:48 PM, on July 26 2009

Toronto Runner Dave Fleet

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