Getting my trail on!

Solid trail run today , 14.6K done at an avg 6:59 pace. Wanted to go longer but with Creemore in 2 days thats enough. Was trying out what I am going to wear in the heat on Saturday ... bring it on!

Lunch Run

Got some new Saucony Xodus Trail Shoes today so I took them for a little run at lunch. 5K done at a slower 5:30 pace.... getting ready for Creemore in a couple of days.

Tempo Tuesday

8K run , 7K at a 4:30 pace ... it felt easy tonight, wish it was a race day!

Longer Faster

More or less repeated yesterday , did a 16K run 15K at a 4:58 pace with a 1K cool down.

I totally disconnected mind from body and I was 8K in before I realized what I was doing. I was even forgetting to breath!

Solid Lunch Run

Did today what I wanted to do last weekend, 1/3 of a Full at the 5:00 Marathon pace. Had an abrupt cool down , ended it at 14.15K .... had to go!!!!

Back at work

5K lunch run at a 5:00 pace. Groin was tender at the start and I wasn't really into it until the first K was done. Going to try to get to town for the Tri Club Run tonight.

Better Run

Headed n on the 2nd to the Glenelg / Holland line then East to the Baseline South and back across 12 to the 2nd again. Muzono's Trails Shoes were wet , the Addidas Super Nova Trail are like bricks on the road so I opted for my Saucony Paramounts ... they worked perfect! Was a little slower at the start as it was a little warmer. Horse flys were a pain again but I took some defense wearing a Buff and a loose fitting tech T. The still were landing on the Buff and once I had it biting through to my scalp. They were as thick as yesterday but didn't bother me as much. Ate Tai Sweet Chilli Chips and washed it down with Coffee before I headed out , I kept getting reminded of my pre run snacks I went along. Had Fruit Punch Gator aide on board today. The bottle was 4/5 full and I was surprised at how little the fanny pack bounce was bothering me. The last 1/2 of the run it was misting, blowing and occasionally raining. It was welcome relief and I was able to pick up the pace ...sweet to actual run again! Managed to do exactly 17.0K at an avg 5:51 pace. I am working through the weekend again starting tomorrow so I will continue the "speed" work at lunch. I am also going to try to get out to the Tri Club run group tomorrow , hill repeats are on order!

Deer Fly Meat

I am fairly tolerant of insects but today was just a little more then I am usually willing to ignore. I was going to add another 4K to the run but when I pulled three deer fly from my hair at he same time I decided that after two hours of almost constant bombardment I would call it a day. It was also an incredibly hot , humid run where I had to manage my heat and fluids or I wouldn't last long. Managed a 2hr5min run covering 16.4K at an avg 7:38 pace.

Back on the trail...sort of!

3hrs37min 21.4K on the trail today...long and short I didn't always follow a trail, sometimes it was through thick brush or an over grown trial but it was a fun discovery. It really took allot out of me , it was warmer and very humid but the terrain killed my legs. Overall it was a good way to start back at it after the speed work on mids last week.

A little differnet but OK

So I start off this morning feeling strong wanting to do a 13K run at 5:00 pace with a 1K cool down. 8.6K in , I have to go ...real bad. So I jump off take care of things get back on and well I didn't feel like starting over so I walked 400m then called it a day.

Tough start

It was just one of those runs that was oh so tough to start. I really didn't feel like sticking to my plan and had a tough time getting to the gym this morning. usually it only takes a few minutes to get into what I am trying to do but not today. I managed to do a 12K run but it took nearly 3K to get up to the 5:00 pace. Earlier this week everything felt really solid , even the tempo run yesterday. Its really hard to predict when it comes naturally and those runs that make you wonder just how and the hell did I ever do it!

Speed week continues ...

Just jumped off the treadmill after a 6.3K run , 6K done at a 4:30 pace then a little cool down. Its amazing what a difference there is between a 5:00 and a 4:30 pace. I generated so much more body heat. At a 5:00 pace I break out is a bit of a sweat , at a 4:30 pace its a dripping wet pool of sweat...so much more core heat builds up with such a small increase in speed! Heat killed me allot last year and I am pretty sure I am better prepared to deal with it this season. The #1 coping strategy is to slow down, #2 is ICE and Hydration and last but not least #3 is Sun exposure , light coloured tech clothes! Next two days its longer runs 10-15K at my 5:00 Marathon pace the starting Monday its back to the trails and some back to back to back longer runs!

Speed week...sort of!

Ditto last night , 5.5K done 5K at a 5:00 pace. Fun starts tonight, 6K at a 4:30 pace + cool down.

A little faster tonight ...

Cranked it up to a 5:00 pace tonight , 5K done at speed then a 0.5K cool down. It felt ridiculously fast at first but I very quickly adjusted to the pace and rather enjoyed the Rhythmic Run. Tomorrow I will do a repeat then Sat its a 4:30 pace for 6 or 7 K followed by a Sun / Mon 10-15K at a 5:00 pace. When I get off the mids I will take it to the trail again after this weeks speed refresher!

What a difference a day makes ....

Its like I found new legs .... got on the treadmill and did a repeat of last night , 5K at a 5:30 pace . It was easy and I felt like I could go forever. Tomorrow I am going to repeat but at a 5:00 pace.

Trying to run faster

If there has been one ill affect of doing 100 miles two weeks ago its trying to run faster again. The treadmill has always been my friend when it comes to adding a bit of speed. Jumped on today and cranked it to a blistering 5:30 pace and had a really tough time for the first couple of Ks. Managed to hang in there and as I went along it did get a bit easier. I am going to try to get on the treamill every night this week workign my way up to 4:30 pace by the end of the week. Managed to do a full 4.5k at 11kmh then a 0.5K cool down.

Night Run

Working mids this week I decided to turn around my sleep by going for a long run at 11pm last night. It was cold for mid June , really cold with temps in the high single digits. I wore shorts , long sleeve Tech T and a Shell. I figured that the cold would come into play and it did. First it was my arms that were uncomfortable, they were wet from sweat. I had the Shell unzipped for the first hour but the cold was penetrating my core so it got zipped up. I almost turned around at the 9K mark but I decided to push on a do a loop around Durham. Being colder I figured that I would have picked up the pace allot. I though I was doing a around a 5:30pace but in reality it was a 6:30 pace. So I picked it up on the way back and finished the 22.9K run in 2hrs25min.

There are some runs that you would have been better off not doing , this was one of them!

Longer today

Just finished a 1hr50min 17.3K combo , country road , tractor trail and trail run. Avg pace was 6:23 , felt like I should have been a little faster around 6:00 pace but I was feeling tired today. May have something to do with loading and unloading a ton of gravel yesterday afternoon and this morning. Going to go longer tomorrow, may even do it after midnight getting ready to work the graveyard shift next week... will see!

Faster today

Sub 20 temps and sort of a days reset made for a quicker run today. 10.6K done at an avg 6:32 pace with a couple of stops. Did a couple of Sub 5 min Ks on the tractor trial in the last part part of the run. I am off for a few days now and hope to get a 2 and then 3 hour run in...I have a need to go long!

and I though it was hot yesterday!

With temps pushing 30C I decided to take it to the trail again, this time a little slower. Managed 11.2K at an avg 7:59 pace . It really wasn't all that bad but I was happy to be done!

Trail Tuesday

It was hot , hazy and humid today and I loved it. Headed out at 11:00 am and did a 11.2K trial run loving every minute.

Back on the Trail

2hour 16K trail run at an avg 7:22 pace today. Feel like I am fully recovered from Sulphur, now its time to look ahead to Creemore.

3 Encounters Run

Did the 10.2K "McCormick" loop again today. Little slower but it felt much better today. Usually not much happens in a run but today was a little different ...

1) 2K in I heard cow bells over my music .... looked and there were real cows wearing bells cheering me on!

2) 3K in a dog ran at me...just finished reading about a dog attack before I ran. Yelled at the dog to go home, its ran up and made contact with me with its nose as I yelled at it. I quickly realized it was no threat and then the owner called it off. I yelled back " don't worry he didn't eat me".

3) 4K in I bumped into a running friend from Owen Sound...paused for a few minutes and chatted.

It was a really really nice morning for a run....its going to get hot today so its the pool and beer this afternoon. Summer is great!

First Run after Sulphur

I haven't run since I destroyed my feet last weened until today. Headed out for a warm steamy 10.2K McCormick loop. I was feeling like I was fully recovered ready to go until I ran today. Felt OK but didn't have any pop to the legs. I managed an avg 6:27 pace but it felt like I was flying! There was a tiny bit of pain in the quads and my groin ache is back after mysteriously disappearing around the 60K mark last Saturday. 10K felt more like running a Full and I kept having this urge to take walking breaks! Anyhow I am back and will run again tomorrow.

Maybe stacking firewood for 2 hours before I ran today wasn't such a good idea!

May Totals

May 391.7km
YTD 1510.8