Run Clinic Tonight

Just got in from the Durham 5K Run Clinic tonight. Did 5K in the rain, it was a pleasant 14C so we were all quiet comfortable. Think I will do a rest day tomorrow then a couple of long runs on the weekend!

Strides

A little 7K run at noon today. Did 4 sets of Strides before I started my run. Trying to avoid the fish out of water feeling when I start a short race. Went on to do 5K at a 4:20 pace then 1K at a 4:10 pace then a 1K cool down.

Working on speed!

6K done on the treadmill at lunch, 2K@5:00 pace, 2K@4:20 pace then 1K@4:10 then a 1K cool down.

Waterloo Marathon Finish Line Picture

5K today

5K at a 5:00 pace on the treadmill after yesterdays Marathon. I was surprised by how little muscle pain I had !

Waterlo Marathon , Sunday April 26 2009

Drum roll please ...... and I award myself a Silver Medal . Garmin time for my first Marathon is 3:48:16. Not sure of my placing yet as results haven't been posted!

Race day started at 3:00 am after 6 hours of sleep! Besides putting a pot of coffee on I fired up the PC to check the weather. It was going to be wet , either +20C or +10C. No one was saying for sure ... how to dress! Did my usual breakfast , Oatmeal , OJ, English Muffin with PB and a Coffee. Jumped in the hot tub with another brew and I was off at 5:15. Temp leaving home was 6C , upon arrival in Waterloo at 6:45 it was 14 ... would the cold or warm air win out. Started with my Shell over top of a compression shirt , in an hour the temp had dropped to 11C and a stiff breeze accompanied the change. I added a semi fitted long sleeve tech shirt and I was comfortable , after all you can always take it off.

Race started at 08:00 , there was a pretty good crowd for the full ... probably close to 150 folks. First few K were through the city , 1K in a fellow in front of me jumped over the 1K marker. All I could think was he is going to regret that little energy outburst later. I was rock'in to my ipod and trying to run as relaxed and efficiently as I could. My pace goal was 5:00/K for as long as I could, no pace band required! I quickly settled into the race , first 3K were 5:08, 4:46, 5:02 . At 3K sweat strarted rolling down my face , the Shell came off and it was tied around my waist. Next mile stone was at 45min, did my first Gel , avg pace was 5:04! The wind was really strong from around 8K to 20K we were either into it or it was at a 45 degree angle. I was comfortable , wet but not sweating too much. After the Gel at 9K I caught myself speeding up to a 4:36 pace .. put the breaks on that turned out to be a 4:52 pace for that K!

9 through 18K were uneventful ... nice country roads , not too many hills. I concentrated on being relaxed and efficient and tried to breath deep and easy. Gelled again at 19K , 1:36 in , again I picked the next K up a bit... 17K was 5:08 , 18K 5:07, 19K 5:10 20K 4:58. At around the half way point we changed directions and headed down a 5K Gravel Road... wind at out backs. Picked up the pace a bit , 21K 5:06, 22K 4:52, 23K 4:57 , my average pace dropped to 5:03 , I started to think that maybe a 3:3X:XX may be possible. From 24-30K I started to slow a bit , 24 was 5:18, 25 5:10 , 26 5:16, 27 5:43. 27K I did another Gel and then had my first aid station stop , I had only consumed 700ml of Gator Aid that I was carrying. I filled my bottle back up , half water/half accelerade. After the brief aid station stop and the Gel I was able to pick it up a bit and 28K was done in 5:14. I was really starting to feel fatigued and continued to fade , slowly but steadily. 29K was 5:19 , 30K I cramped for a few minute , rather acute but short lived and I ended up with a 5:51 pace. The next 12K would see 6:00 +/- 10 second pace .... it was really hard but managed to push on and keep running all be it at a pace 1 minute slower then the planned 5:00 At around 33-34K we were back into the wind and it was stronger and I was cold. I put my Shell back on and this really helped me to be more comfortable in the last stretch. The last 8K were down a really busy road . I felt at risk with the wind pushing me around and cars whizzing by at 80K with only a few feet of clearance. I could have moved to the gravel shoulder but it was really soft due to all the rain and besides I wasn't up to the extra effort. I may think twice before I do this run again because of this hazard. The other 34K was awesome , little to no traffic and scenic. An out and back would have been better!

Things I would do different to improve time would be....

1) Slow the pace down a little , say 5:10.. anything left the last 5K giver er!

2) Increase my weekly long runs to 35K. Max has been 25-30K

3) I have dropped from 183 to 176 lbs , I have would like to get to 170lbs ... hold the beer!

This was my first Marathon , I have done 2 50K Tails races but the road Marathon is a totally different beast. The Marathon is a cross between a speed and an endurance event ... now I understand! I am looking forward to doing the forty two two again , probably Socita Waterfront in the fall!

5K and thinking...

Yet another 5K indoors at a 5:00 pace. Not going longer this week in preparation for Sundays Marathon made the 1st couple of Ks seem awkward, but after 2K it rocked...you know that I can go forever and it feels great feeling! Still feeling the effects of my Protein loading , the 2lbs of Steak I ate last night are still making the journey through the body!

Tomorrow... the day before, well I am going to drink more water, I am going to eat lighter , Mac and Cheese / Spaghetti/ Oatmeal ..... smaller lighter meals! I have a reasonable day planned, going to build new entrance steps to the house . Not too much unusual bending or heavy lifting.

The weather for Sunday has changed, 12C and rain! I am OK with that , as a matter of fact I kinda like it. Not sure on what to wear and will probably make some last minute changes based on past experience with what ever weather I may face on Sunday morn!

Been reading a bunch of Boston Race reports ... probably not too good for the mental just before race day!

OK, now for the predicts ..... absolute Gold medal the running Gods were alright and it was downhill with a tail wind kinda a day would be a 3:30:XX day... a stretch but some days I think YES , others I think a wee bit on the overly optimistic side! Silver and allot more realistic would be anywhere between 3:31:XX and 3:51:XX . I suspect that I will fall into this category more towards the 3:4X:XX range. Now my Bronze medal would be earned with a 3:5X:XX finish. My what happened would be anything over 4 hours!

Run clinic tonight...

4th Thurs for our 5K run clinic. Once again I was out front with the continuous runners. They picked up the pace a bit this week , around a 6:15 pace. Near the end one of the three I was with had to get home , the last K she did at a 4:30 pace... I was impressed. I looped back and joined the two we left behind and caught up with them at the end. It was a 6K night , 4K at a 6:25 pace then 2K at a 4:30 pace... lots of fun.
Pigged out on a couple of lbs of steak and mushrooms then topped it off with Yogurt... let just say I have loaded up on my Protein! This will be the last big read meat meal prior to Sundays Marathon , time to get into that easy to digest and always yummy pasta!

Taper madness!

6K done on the treadmill at a 5:00 pace this evening. Looking forward to Sundays race but its hard not running this week. The weather forecast for the next few days is stellar and I will only be doing a couple of short runs just to remind my legs what they have to do on the weekend!

Legs are back to 60%

Just did another 5 indoors at a 5min pace. The Quad pain is gone but the legs are still recovering from the beating the took on Saturday.

5K this eve

It was a slow start , ramped up to cruise control 5:00 pace over the first K. Wasn't sure if I should be running with sore quads bu tit really felt good to be back in the saddle. Getting excited about Sundays Marathon.

Seaton pictures....

Seaton trail today

Seaton had it all , a true trail runners paradise! Mud , swamps, elevation , rivers , dry stream beds , dangerous cliffs and just as you feet started to dry out more of the same , what a blast!

I did the 26K run , Garmin said it was 25.49km with a +1713m/-1765 meters in elevation. My Garmin time was 2:52:22 with an average pace of 6:45 min/km. I am not sure where I placed yet but I suspect it was somewhere in the middle. .

Race day started early , left the house at 04:15 arriving at the race just before 06:45. Couldn't have been better weather, light overcast with Sun and a starting temp of 13C. Before the race I finally meet up with Kinga Miklos and Steven! Also chatted with a fellow from the Owen Sound area, Wayne Spahr.. in for the 78K race...Ouch! Watched the Ultra /Ultra guys go off at 07:00.

The 52K and 26K races started at 08:00. It was an out and back 13Km course. Chatted it up with Steven Miklos for the first few Ks , got off to a speedy start 5:42/5:37/5:49 hmm! Goal pace was somewhere around 6:00 . The river crossing came at 3K , after that things got tough. I passed the 26k leaders at their 15K point , just past 11K for me , figured they were out 3.5K ahead! I knew they would finish around 2hours but I felt I was well positioned for a 2:35-2:40 finish. I gelled at 12K , was really starting to feel the beating that the legs were taking. I haven't done any trial running yet this season and this trail was a challenging start! I was feeling pretty good at the 13k turn around , my split was 1:19:48. If I could keep it together I had a chance at 2:40 but I knew at this point it would be tough. Ended up walking up 9 hills on the return , as compared to 4 on the way out. What really killed me was the stairs half way back , I stopped for close to 90 seconds , the rest caused me a 9:13 pace for this Km.....d'oh! With 7K to go I started downing sport beans, the picked me up a bit but I was still off pace. I was passed by a dozen or so other folks on the last 10K , I wasn't alone as I managed to pass a few others. At around the 24K mark I was passed by Steven Miklos , he said that he had been trying to catch me and said " your doing the 52K "... moment of being rather humbled I would say. I felt like I should have apologized just in case he was trying to keep pace with me thinking I was going long too! Its too bad that the race bibs don't ID the race you are in , especially with three different races on the out and back. Passed Pat Burk from Hillsburg at around the 25K mark , he was also going back out for another loop.

So , I have some trail running to catch up on. Going to include some of the good stuff... river crossing , swamps , lots of mud and maybe some big steep hills that you need stairs or a rope assist!

On a good note I didn't fall , came close twice. Managed to roll the right ankle, nothing major was able to run it off and didn't have any problems with it afterwards.

After the awards we had a great pasta meal. Chatted it up with Dianne the Dirty Girls Race Director and Henry. Dianne said that there were two runners doing the 78K that were running Boston on Monday!!!!!! Now that really blew me away!

In and out day

5K indoors at lunch at a 5:00 pace, 6.5K with the Durham Run Clinic this evening.

5K today

Just another enjoyable 5K indoors at lunch , the usual cruise control...5:00/km.

Ski, Rest , Run

Sunday - Cross training , 6 hours of Alpine Skiing
Monday- Day of rest, much needed
Tuesday- 5K at 5:00 pace at lunch

25.5K today

First back to back "long" days since my 2 halves in Cuba. Yesterday it was a 21.1K sort of trail run , today a 25.5K +/- 557 m road run. Garmin pace was 5:47 yesterday , 5:21 today. The weather sucked , plain and simple . Yeah it was sunny and about 6 or 7C but there was a howling wind , bitter cold from the N NE . There was just no getting away from it anywhere and the last 8K I was totally exposed running straight into it. This was a tough run , Gelled at 10K, Chocolate GU and 16K it was a Roctane and I also did in 500ml of good ole Gator aid.

I can really see the see the benefit ... I think of the back to back long runs. Its kinda like starting where you left off the day before. I really ran out of steam at around 12K , my times picked up after the GU Roctane , at the time it was feeling quiet fatigued and it felt like I was slowing down when in fact I was picking it up a bit ....there is something up with Roctane for sure!

A week from today it Seaton 26K trail , then in two weeks its the Waterloo Marathon. I have done my last "long" run locally for a few weeks! Tomorrow it Alpine Skiing at Blue Mountain , Monday thru Thurs it will be 5Ks at lunch... 5 min pace and maybe an easy 10K outside too. Nothing long and nothing hard! I was originally thinking of a " nice little jog " through the woods but its not too long , I have a full 7 days to recover and after Seaton I will maybe do an easy 10s and 3 or 4 5's at my planned 5:00 mara pace.

So Seaton I am aiming for a 6:00 pace ... maybe a 2:30 finish, never been there so I cant say for sure. Waterloo is a simple strategy , hold as close to a 5:00 pace as is possible!

Country Road/Tractor Trail Run today

21.1K +931/-943m today, it had it all, three water crossings due to flooded roads, lots of snowy sections, mud and more mud as well as a stream!!! Love every minute of it!

I was only 5K in when I hit the water...man was it cold! 10M, 20M and then a 15M crossings ...only a foot or so deep but boy was it cold. Forgot about the wet feet by the time I git 10K. Headed towards Bells Lake and then Traverston. It was a nice day, Sun , a few degrees above freezing and a light breeze from the east. just past townsend lake a couple loud Geese flew directly over my at tree top level. Traverston was cool with the deep Gorge and the thundering water fall. A couple of big climbs along the way and a few K of snow cover snowmobile trails at the end. It will be a week or two before I can get back on the trails. Seaton next week will be my first trail run of the season!

Decided to go out real easy today , still feeling it a bit from my stupid 6K at a 3:58 pace Thursday. Its probably all in my head but I really believed I couldn't push the heart any further , I think I found my fast limit .... doable without death is a Sub 20:00 5K and a 42:30 10K.....THATS IT , maybe. Going to test the 10K in Mount Forest is a month!

Will run tomorrow , probably repeat what I did today if my shoes have dried out.

5K Run Clinic today

Didn't run at lunch today ... too busy. Did a 5K run with the run clinic in Durham tonight. i am a run leader and took out 3 other runners for a continuous run. It was a nice relaxing , avg 7:15 pace. Its a ton of fun going out with the other runners. This was the 2nd night , 6 more to go and it was just so much fun. I really look forward to seeing how everyone progresses.

Fast 5 at noon

7K total , 6K at a 3:58 pace then a 1K cool down. I think it was a little too much, I felt fairly stressed after...definitely took the heart beyond where it wanted to work ... no pain but you know it was a little much. I will blame the speedy new Saucony Paramounts for making me go so fast.

Ditto yesterday

Another 5K at a 5:00 pace indoors at lunch ... beginning to love the Paramounts. The heel strike took a little getting use too. The toe off rocks , they feel like the are spring loaded getting me up on my toes allot more then any other shoe I have ever wore.

5K on cruise control

5K done at lunch at a 5:00 pace today.

Speed work at work

Working 12 hours today so I had a little more time then usual in the gym. 12K was done , first 5 at 4:26 , 2 at 4:20 , 2 at 4:10 and the last one at 4:00 for a 43:21 time. Breathing wasn't too bad up to the 4:00 pace . 4:26 was easy! Wore the Acis shoes today , no issues with the knee. Will try the Saucony Paramounts tomorrow.... jury is still out on those shoes!

August 8 2009

Some things just have to be rationalized, namely my plans for Aug 8 2009. I am going to run my first 5K and 50 mile race in the same day!

At 09:50 I am going to run my first 5K with a goal of a sub 20:00 time. Its a local race in Neustadt, http://www.run4youth.ca/. But wait, three is more....

As soon as I am done the 5K its off to Mansfield for my first 80K run, http://www.dirtyrunnerproductions.com/trail_race/. The race starts at 09:00 am but I probably wont start until sometime between 2:00 and 4:00 pm. I cleared the late arrival with the race director . The only thing Dian said was that I have to complete 80K to be a finisher and get OSU points.

Top 3 reasons to do this ....

1) I am working nights the following week. Running all night will help me to adjust my sleep patterns.
2) Its cooler at night. It can be really hot in Ontario at that time of year. If its a real hot day I will go out real easy or I may wait until night fall.
3) I want to put my new headlight to use!

10K at lunch

Did a test run on the Saucony Paramounts at lunch. 5K at a 5:00 pace then 5K at a 4:30 pace. They are really nice shoes but they may not be the ones for me. I need a mid range stability show , these are low. They may make a good race day shoe but I need to run a little further in them to make sure. I will give them a try again tomorrow.

13K today

It was a beautiful but wet early spring run! Temps at 9C and
moderate to heavy rain. Headed up the 2nd to the Holland Gelenelg
town line then back, 13K at a 5:31 pace. Wore the Garmin but didn't
look at it until I was home, it felt like I was runnign closer to a 5:00 pace . When you factor in the +/- 400m in elevation change it was closer to a 5:10 pace, to bad Garmin didn't factor in elevation!

I didn't run with music , wanted to hear the natural world and I wasn't disappointed. I love the sound of the rain! In many paces there was fast moving water , the robins, geese and frogs were all making a racket too. Ran down the middle of the road to avoid the puddles and soft parts. I didn't pass a single car the entire way ... running in Grey is great!

Speed today

16K +401/-405m today at a 4:56 pace. Weather was good, Sun , temps at 10C but a stiff Southerly Breeze!