Sunday, November 8, 2009
Running in Cuba
20K done in a very Tropical Cuba today. Normally its just too hard to go too long when I find myself in a tropical paradise but today was different. Hurricane Ida is 600 km due West of Cayo Santa Marie. The storm is spinning off bands of clouds creating the occasional tropical rain storm. Hi winds and a cool driving rain as well as a pounding surf mad for an absolutely magical run this morning. Started off on the beach heading West with the wind at my back. The pace was a fast 5:30/k and I was running at the top of the surf line keeping my feet dry. 3K down the beach I heard some thunder, there was another K of beach left to explore but it would have to wait for another day. I turned back and headed East, wind and I do mean wind in my face. When I hit the resort we are staying at the threat had passed so I kept going to the other end of the beach. There is about a 6K strip of continuous sand where we are staying. With the heavy rain and occasional wave that I didnt time I had wet feet so I started running I the surf…..fun fun fun. The ocean water cooled my legs but it was also filling my shoes with the powdery white sand. At first I though my shoes shrank or my feet were bigger but I soon realized my toe box was full of sand. Heading back towards the resort there was a real blast of rain at my back with a very strong wind to boot. The cool rain felt great, it was at least 25C and the only reason why I could run was my friend the wind and the rain. I was probably one of very few who was really enjoying the tropical downpour. After 12K on the beach started I turned into out resort, the Melia Las Dunas. It was still raining quiet heavily so I didn’t have any pedestrian traffic to contend with on the paths that wind through the resort. By around the 17K mark the rain had subsided and I occasionally notice a bit of a shadow. It felt like a Ground Hog in March, would seeing shadow mean another 6 days of rain….not so bad if it means being able to run in a tropical paradise. The last few Ks the heat was starting to build up. I wanted to log 20K today so I reduced my pace and took it all in. My thoughts turned to what my reward at the end of my run. I truly have the ultimate aid station, the whole resort! Choose two treats, started with Guava Ice Cream topped with fresh pineapple …an amazing recovery snack when you are starting to over heat. After the Ice Cream I headed to the Beer Gardens where I had a nice frosty mug of draft….yum!
Saturday, November 7, 2009
Last Run Clinic
This evening was the last night for the 5K Run Clinic in Durham. Its sad when a Fall clinic ends ...its just so long until Spring! For the first time I left the Garmin at home , did about 4K around a 5:45 pace. Off to Cuba tomorrow, weather forecast looks favorable for running not sunning... rain and overcast for pretty much the whole week due to tropical storm Ida!
Friday, November 6, 2009
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
October Totals
Ran 263.2 km in October
Includes 3 races...
Run for the Toad 50K
Autumn Colours 10K
Vulture Bait 50K
Includes 3 races...
Run for the Toad 50K
Autumn Colours 10K
Vulture Bait 50K
Back at it
Had allot of delayed muscle pain after the Marathon. Pretty much every muscle in my legs hurt to some degree. I was really surprised , I had run longer much tougher trail runs without this sort of discomfort.
Did a very short easy 4K on the treadmill this morning.
Did a very short easy 4K on the treadmill this morning.
Monday, November 2, 2009
Road to Hope Marathon - Hamilton - Nov 1/09
I did my second ever Road Marathon on Sunday. After 7 Ultras this summer I figured I had the distance thing figured out and have been working on adding some speed. My goal was a 3:30 finish!
Race day weather was about as good as you can get , light breeze and about 4C and cloudy and the expected high was 9C. These conditions were similar to Vulture Bait two weeks before and the Toad a month earlier. I was dressed in shorts , compression shirt , long sleeve tech T as well as my shell.
Race kit pickup was at Confederation Park on Lake Ont. We were bussed to a high school where the race started. Had about an hours wait before the race began. I sat and took it easy contemplating what I was about to do.
The race started at 08:15 , it took a half minute or so to hit the timing mat and there was allot of traffic making it difficult to nail the 4:55 pace . Things thinned out over the next few Ks and I was able to pick it up and then set the cruise control. By 8K I met up with the 3:30 pace Bunny. I was getting a little tired of checking my Garmin so settled into a pack of 20 or so running with the Bunny. I had never done this before and it was a really cool experience running in a group. We were into a light breeze but the group was so tight only the front runners were feeling it. 45 minutes in I did my first Gel . After 10K I was really starting to settled into the pace and the running with the group. 90 minutes in I gelled again , I had consumed one water bottle of heed and was feeling amazing. I really felt strong and was thinking about passing the Bunny but my goal was a 3:30 finish and there was allot of Ks ahead. So I stuck with the group , the running felt effortless ... breathing was relaxed, heart rate was good and I was a comfortable temperature. We passed the half way point a minute or two a head of schedule. At around 22K we headed down the escarpment on what seemed like and endless downhill. At the beginning of the descent I had a small stitch that came and went but I was feeling a bit of pressure in the bowl. The Bunny used the downhill to bank a little time. Passing the 24K mark one of the runners in the pack yelled out " we just did a 4:36 Km" . At that moment my day began to fall apart! At 25K my legs turned to stone , I couldn't believe it . My first though was that they were cold but this didn't happen in the two Ultras ran in similar conditions. Suddenly I was falling off pace , the legs were getting heavier and the Bunny was off in the distance and I was being passed like I was standing still. I ran the 27th and 28th K a minute off my planned pace. At 29K I stopped at a porta potty , tried to relive myself but nothing happened. Stopped again at another porta potty at 31.5 K and this time things were moving, what was going out had the same consistency as what was going in....I knew the day was over this point. I was pretty sure that the gels, heed and water I had been consuming were not being processed. This was definitely the hardest I have ever hit the wall, it felt more like the wall fell on me! I managed to run the next couple of Ks around a 6 minute pace but things were getting worse and I started walking at 34.2K. Over the last 7 K I walked 9 times for a total distance of about 2.65 km , when I did managed to pick it up the most I could do was a 6:00 pace.
So I finished in just under 4 hours with a chip time of 3:58:15 456 out of 813 finishers. The folks finishing around 3:30 placed in the top 200 so I watched 250 people pass me in the final 16K ... not fun!
So , what happened? I ran the first 42.2 of Vulture Bait 50K at a 6:00 pace ( I subscribe to a 1 minute difference between road and trail ) . Maybe the Toad 50K , Vulture Bait 50K and then Road to Hope was too much in 4 weeks! The weekend between the Vulture Bait and the Road to Hope I did a 10K park path ( almost trial) in 44:50. I pretty sure that it was all due to tummy trouble. I didn't exactly do my usual day before the race diet. 20 hours before I ran I had lunch at a popular burger place .... the meal that feels like a lump in the stomach after you eat it! At the time I though I may regret my choice and boy was I ever correct.
In spite of my problems I was an great day to be running. Coming in the last 4 K along Lake Ontario the Sun was shinning , it was 10C and there was so many people out cheering us on. A local school set up a cheering station and there was a live band! The course was amazingly flat with the exception of a long gentle downhill when you drop down the escarpment. If you are looking for a PB or a BQ this is the place. I really look forward to doing this one again next year!
So my "distance season" is over for this year. I wont be doing any Ultras or Marathons until April of 2010. I am going to keep my mileage up , 200-300K /month with a weekly long run. I am going to do heart rate and strength training through the end of 2009 then in January I am going to reintroduce the tempo runs. As winter gives way to spring I am going to stretch the long runs out to 40K.
Race day weather was about as good as you can get , light breeze and about 4C and cloudy and the expected high was 9C. These conditions were similar to Vulture Bait two weeks before and the Toad a month earlier. I was dressed in shorts , compression shirt , long sleeve tech T as well as my shell.
Race kit pickup was at Confederation Park on Lake Ont. We were bussed to a high school where the race started. Had about an hours wait before the race began. I sat and took it easy contemplating what I was about to do.
The race started at 08:15 , it took a half minute or so to hit the timing mat and there was allot of traffic making it difficult to nail the 4:55 pace . Things thinned out over the next few Ks and I was able to pick it up and then set the cruise control. By 8K I met up with the 3:30 pace Bunny. I was getting a little tired of checking my Garmin so settled into a pack of 20 or so running with the Bunny. I had never done this before and it was a really cool experience running in a group. We were into a light breeze but the group was so tight only the front runners were feeling it. 45 minutes in I did my first Gel . After 10K I was really starting to settled into the pace and the running with the group. 90 minutes in I gelled again , I had consumed one water bottle of heed and was feeling amazing. I really felt strong and was thinking about passing the Bunny but my goal was a 3:30 finish and there was allot of Ks ahead. So I stuck with the group , the running felt effortless ... breathing was relaxed, heart rate was good and I was a comfortable temperature. We passed the half way point a minute or two a head of schedule. At around 22K we headed down the escarpment on what seemed like and endless downhill. At the beginning of the descent I had a small stitch that came and went but I was feeling a bit of pressure in the bowl. The Bunny used the downhill to bank a little time. Passing the 24K mark one of the runners in the pack yelled out " we just did a 4:36 Km" . At that moment my day began to fall apart! At 25K my legs turned to stone , I couldn't believe it . My first though was that they were cold but this didn't happen in the two Ultras ran in similar conditions. Suddenly I was falling off pace , the legs were getting heavier and the Bunny was off in the distance and I was being passed like I was standing still. I ran the 27th and 28th K a minute off my planned pace. At 29K I stopped at a porta potty , tried to relive myself but nothing happened. Stopped again at another porta potty at 31.5 K and this time things were moving, what was going out had the same consistency as what was going in....I knew the day was over this point. I was pretty sure that the gels, heed and water I had been consuming were not being processed. This was definitely the hardest I have ever hit the wall, it felt more like the wall fell on me! I managed to run the next couple of Ks around a 6 minute pace but things were getting worse and I started walking at 34.2K. Over the last 7 K I walked 9 times for a total distance of about 2.65 km , when I did managed to pick it up the most I could do was a 6:00 pace.
So I finished in just under 4 hours with a chip time of 3:58:15 456 out of 813 finishers. The folks finishing around 3:30 placed in the top 200 so I watched 250 people pass me in the final 16K ... not fun!
So , what happened? I ran the first 42.2 of Vulture Bait 50K at a 6:00 pace ( I subscribe to a 1 minute difference between road and trail ) . Maybe the Toad 50K , Vulture Bait 50K and then Road to Hope was too much in 4 weeks! The weekend between the Vulture Bait and the Road to Hope I did a 10K park path ( almost trial) in 44:50. I pretty sure that it was all due to tummy trouble. I didn't exactly do my usual day before the race diet. 20 hours before I ran I had lunch at a popular burger place .... the meal that feels like a lump in the stomach after you eat it! At the time I though I may regret my choice and boy was I ever correct.
In spite of my problems I was an great day to be running. Coming in the last 4 K along Lake Ontario the Sun was shinning , it was 10C and there was so many people out cheering us on. A local school set up a cheering station and there was a live band! The course was amazingly flat with the exception of a long gentle downhill when you drop down the escarpment. If you are looking for a PB or a BQ this is the place. I really look forward to doing this one again next year!
So my "distance season" is over for this year. I wont be doing any Ultras or Marathons until April of 2010. I am going to keep my mileage up , 200-300K /month with a weekly long run. I am going to do heart rate and strength training through the end of 2009 then in January I am going to reintroduce the tempo runs. As winter gives way to spring I am going to stretch the long runs out to 40K.
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