Indifferent Run

Indifferent run today , didn't care if I did , didn't care if I didn't so I just did 5K at a 5:30 pace to just do it!

Skiing tonight at Blue.... fresh snow, South Lodge is open , Pasta Bar with some Red Wine for Dinner.

STWM Video

STWM Video , Grant Mat and I pass by at the 2:42 mark.





Grant Matt and myself pass by at the 2:42 mark.

Lunch Run

Better run today , logged 7.5K at a mostly much slower 5:30 pace.

Tempo Tuesday

What a difference a day makes! Yesterday it was run for ever, today it was when will it be over. Managed to log 10K , 1K ramp up to a 4:30 pace then it was 7K at a 4:30 pace then a 2K cool down. Starting the run I felt tired after a stress filled night and 2 gravol to get to sleep... groin was tender too. 3K in I got that insulin spike feeling. I had a few too many yogurt covered almonds .. I think there was a ton of sugar in the "Yogurt" coating. Sort of ran through the bad feeling at around 6K then it felt a little more OK. Pulled the plug at 8K ramping down 0.3 kmh every 100m until I got to a 6:00 pace.

Feeling great ...

I expected that it would be tough getting the miles in over Christmas and I was right. The Skiing on Xmas Eve and Xmas Day really agreed with me. Legs and core felt great doing today's lunch run. Logged 9.8K mostly at a 5:00 pace.

Santa came early

Got an early gift thanks to Mother Nature. Just a skiff of snow and a solidly frozen ground made it an easy choice to hit the trail for today's run. Logged 11.3K at an avg 6:44 pace. Was running on fresh legs today, full 48 hours off! Yesterday I was going to hit the gym at lunch but when I was leaving for work I spilled some tomato sauce on my gym stuff....went back to the house to swap clothes but ended up leaving the shorts behind.....just the way it goes sometimes but the rest day was long over due. 2nd gift of the day will be an evening at Blue ...heading out this afternoon.

Run after work

Worked through lunch today. Left a 3:15 in Lieu of lunch and headed to the gym but the treadmill was in use so I headed home. Thought about taking it outside but jumped on the treadmill instead. Set off to do 12-14 K and ended up logging 18K. First 5K was spent ramping up from a 6:00 pace to a 5:00 pace the I did 10K at a 5:00 pace and then a 3K real gradual cool down. Entertained myself by watching "U2 360 at the Rose Bowl" ... it was very cool.

Slower today

Slowed it down at lunch , 6K done at a mostly 5:30 pace.

Tempo Tuesday

8K logged at lunch. 7K at a 4:30 pace followwed by a 1K cool down.

I should have just ate lunch

What was suppose to be an easy recovery run after yesterday turned out to be rather unpleasant. At first the groin ached. After I got up to speed I started to cough then had to walk it off . Getting back on pace the new shoes were really pushing back and I was feeling it in my left knee...potential problem for sure. 3K in it was a GI issue ... pressure from the abundance of fiber yesterday. Called it a day a 4.7K . Tempo run tomorrow.

Longer better faster

21K logged on the treadmill today. Been wanting to do this run for awhile now. The first 15K was at a 5:00 pace, cranked it up to a 4:30 pace for the 16th and 17th then back to a 5:00 pace through 20K then a 1K cool down.

Broke in some new shoes. Picked up the Asics Gell 3010 road shoes this week. There a mid stability shoe, probably a good idea. The shoes is was more solid then the Sauconys I have been running in. Really felt the shoe pushing back on the take off. Ended up with a blister on the toe next to the little one on both feet...weird! I think the shoes will be very good on the treadmill over the next few winter months.

Outside again

Planned on doing an indoor run today but the Sunshine was calling me to the great outdoors. It was a bit on the cool side at -7C. I had just washed all my really good cold weather gear so it was plan B. Wore a fleece line running shirt , Saugoi Firewall jacket and a pair of Adidas "Clima Proof" running pants. Was a bit on the too warm side with cold hands. Was considering going longer but opted to turn around 6K in and head back. Logged a total of 11.8K at around an avg 6:00 pace ..... good enough.

OK one more

11.3K done once again on the trails under a light snow fall. Ran the loop one more time just because I could!!!!! Legs are now toast ..done done done! Dragged a Christmas tree about a K from the back of the property this morning. That little exercise may have contributed to my jelly legs today. Then again , the Muck, the Wet Snow and generally pretty slippery conditions added exponentially to the effort required to cover the distance.

Windy and Wet Trail

Shorts and a compression shirt were all it took to face the 11C, overcast and windy weather today. Hit the trial for what I suspect is the last time for 2011 and logged 14.8K at a leisurely 7:00 pace.

Cold , wet and a wee bit slippery

OK , its Dec and I am running trails .... no complaints. Started off around 4C , overcast and very damp. There was just a small amount of slushy snow here and there but it hardly caused my feet to get wet, at first. 3K in it started to rain , 4K in it was quite heavy. I thought about calling it a day at 4K but I was up to temp and was reasonably comfortable. Completed my 11.4K trail loop , very wet at the end but satisfied that I got it done. The whole run took extra energy to complete. Legs were still a bit tired from the weekend but I am 90% recovered. Longer and probably inside tomorrow.

Recovery Run #2

Attn ...there has been a 48 hour delay!!!

Sunday after the Nog Jog ... no pain felt great
Monday T+24 , small pain in the outside shin just above ankle ... no big deal.
Tuesday+48, OK what gives ...lots of little muscle pain through the legs

Muscle pain use to be more instantaneous , now its occurs 48 hours out!

Toady's Lunch Run was better in terms of feeling more natural, muscle pain didn't come into play at all. Completed 5K at a mostly 5:30 pace.

Lunch Run

5K recovery run at a mostly 5:30 pace. Suffering a bit after yesterdays race, sore throat from gulping so much cold dry air and a bit of muscle pain in the front lower outside shin.

Egg Nogg Jog - Dec 11, 2011 - PB and 2nd in AG

Having run the Nogg Jog the past three consecutive years I had a pretty good idea how to run this race. The plan was pretty simple , blast off and take advantage of the very generous 2K downhill right off the start , make it through the 5K or so of gaining back the elevation then go like stink of the last 4K with a very fast final downhill at the finish. I really mused over the race plan as well as what to wear in the days leading up to the race. I even publicly announced that I “Wouldn’t over dress”. Sleep was very restless the night before, that’s usually a good sign. I dreamed that I was running an Ultra through an urban setting. All the usual OUS characters were in the race. The thing that was quite unusual was that twice I woke up and when I fell back asleep I went right back into the same dream. Shook the bed at 5:00 am, hit the hot tub had breakfast then I was off at 07:15 a m stopping in Varney to pick up Grant. We made it to Terra Cotta with time to spare so I drove the course…dry and snow free! The temperature was -5C but it was forecasted to rise above freezing. The Sun was out and there was very little breeze making it feel allot warmer then it was. Finalized my race attire and ended up with Shorts, Mizuno Breath Thermo Long Sleeve Compression Shirt , Gloves and my Compression Toque from the Sulphur Springs 100 miler. I brought my Mizuno Ascend 6 trail shoes but opted for my Saucony Paramount 2’s , a great road shoe but a wee bit miled out. Stayed in the Car with the heat cranked until 12 minutes before the race then headed to the start line.

Seeded myself in the second row. Race start is Gun time and I planned on blasting off so I didn’t want to be weaving my way through traffic. When the gun went off so did I …my first K was the fastest ever in any race I have ever done doing it in 3min34 seconds. The next K was a little slower and was done in 3min41 seconds. It was a little unusually to be 2K into the race and still have RMer Robbie-T still insight. 2K in is also where the climb begins and I was about to switch gears. There was about 20 out in front of me and I fully expected in the next few K to be the one being passed but another 20 or so and I wasn’t disappointed. Starting the climb I was a little worried because I was totally winded , legs were great and wanted to go but I just couldn’t get enough 02! The next few Ks were a fairly gentle climb with a few rollers thrown in and were done in 4min57sec, 4min52sec and 4min51sec. 5K in I was still totally winded and was still struggling to get enough air. There is about a half K flat section at 5K just before a steep but short climb. Backed down the pace a bit and for the first time that I started I felt like I had a wee bit of O2 to spare although I was still breathing very heavy. The hill at 5.5K was tough and slow but I managed to get past it logging my slowest K of the day 5min36sec. There was one more climb to go , not as steep but once concurred it was more or less flat to downhill to the finish. Covered the 7th K and final hill in 5min1sec. OK , now it was show time , after 5K of watching my average pace climb it was time to head it the other way. I quickly fell into a comfortably fast pace that seemed to settle out around a 4:20 pace. Breathing was heavy but manageable , I was running at probably 98% of my 02 capacity. Logged the 8th , 9th and 10th Ks in 4:36, 4:21 and 4:15. The final half K or so was a really steep downhill to the finish, one last opportunity to push back the average pace. Garmin said I covered the last 696 meters at an average 3:46 pace a very fitting way end the race just like it began.

The surprise of the day was my time. My goal was to cover the 10.8K in under 50 minutes. When I crossed the finish I tripped the clock at 48min24sec, a PB by 90 seconds beating my 2009 time by 80 seconds and 2min35sec better then my 2010 effort.

The official results stated that I covered the 10.8K in 48min24secs for an average pace of 4mins29sec/K. I placed 46th out of 609 entrants 39th out of 227 Men and 2 out of 39 in my AG 50-54 years.

I received a $20.00 gift certificate to a local running store that just so happed to have a table at the event. I quickly turned my wind fall into 10 packets of Gu Gel. I also won a much needed and very nice door prize … a pair of Sunglasses. It was a fantastic way to wrap up a truly amazing year of running. My only trepidation is how high I set the bar for next year’s Nogg Jog !

Lunch Run

Legs felt heavy after yesterdays Tempo Run. Did 5K mostly at a 5:30 pace. Tomorrow ...working 12 hours days , no Running before the Nogg Jog Sunday.

Tempo Thrusday

7K run at lunch today , 6K at a 4:30 pace followed by a 1K cool down.

Tough LSD

Last night between running the 15 year olds to Broom ball and picked my 19 year old up from work at 1:00 am I manged to fit in a so so LSD. Logged 20K , 19k at a mostly 5:30 pace then a 1K cool down. The first hour was OK but I was a bit gassy. At 11.5K I had to make a quick bathroom break and then again at 14K. Stopping and starting sucks , much more difficult going straight through but I managed to push on and finish my 2 hour run.
I was going to take it to the trail today but I just didn't make it but that's OK ..need to taper a bit for Sundays Egg Nogg Jog. Will do a tempo run tomorrow at lunch then on Fri slow it down a bit then rest on Saturday.

Another longer lunch run

17K tonight , 16K of it at a 5:30 pace with a 1K cool down.

Things that were so-so

• Ouch, scarfing on the inner thighs... blame my old and should be retired Nike shorts.


• Left foot , blisters to start on bottom of little toe , right side of big toe and right side of bunion. Bandaged them before starting , it helped for a bit but I will soon be popping blisters.


• Bowl pressure , intense at times.

I kept embracing the pain and kept going. Tonight I want to go a full 2 hours at a 5:30 pace but the way I am feeling now I have my doubts but its probably nothing a good days sleep won't cure.

Night Magic

Started at 03:40 am and did a 16K Run. 15K at a 5:30 pace with a 1K cool down. It felt really good to be running this morning and I would have liked to have continued for another hour but I had to get back to work.

In ealry again

Hit the Gym before work again and did a 10K run mostly at a 5:30 pace. It felt pretty good and I really enjoyed my time on the treadmill getting lost in my mind. Weighed in afterwards and I tipped the scaled just a little over 172 lbs around my summer running weight.

4 am and 45 minutes ...what to do!

In spite of the fact that I ran before work I took the opportunity to hit the treadmill 4 hours later on my lunch break. Took it real easy and did a 6K run at a 6:00 pace. It was easy , it as fun and kind of reminded me what its like to go long... nothing like running on tired legs.

Couldn't resist....

I think running your first 100 Mile Race you should have more then a Belt Buckle to remind you of the accomplishment. They knocked 33% off the price of the images so I purchased the following picture.

In early again

Came in early for my night shift and jumped on the treadmill again. Did a 14K run , first 12K at a 5:00 pace , 1K at a 4:30 pace then a 1K cool down. Great way to begin my December Running.

November Totals

Run - 290.8km
YTD- 3116km

There were no races and I only went past 20K on one ocasion. One thing that really made the month was the weather allowing me to remain on the trails.

Last November Run

Had some time to kill before work so I came in an hour early and did my final run of Nov 2011.

Logged 10.8K, 10K at a 5:00 pace followed by an 800m cool down.