July Totals

July       302.2 km
YTD    2008.8 km

Two races ,  Creemore 50 km  and Limberlost 56 km

Last July Run

5K @5:00 pace on my meal break this eve.

2nd run today

Did a 5K run at  a 5:00 pace  on my break tonight.   It sure seemed easy compared to my last 3 runs!

Tough Loop

Res-erected a couple of old running routes this week.  The LSD and now my "10K Loop".  Up the second across at the tractor trail north of #12 the back down the Baseline towards the McCormick rd then looping back up the 2nd.   There are hills....

and there was heat ...pushing 30 today but there was a nice breeze now and again.   Exposure was a bugger running just after noon and I have to give honorable mention to the pesky biting pursuit flys that are a constant this warm summer.


So I logged 10.2K at an AVG 5:55 pace.

Trail today

 Before it got to hot today I hit the trail for an 11.8K Run.  Averaged a 7:45 pace ,  walked a couple of the bigger hills.  Definitely feeling yesterday eves road run...mostly a bit tired and a tiny bit sore here and there.

Evening LSD

 Its only been 14 days since Limberlost but it felt like forever since I did a "long" Run.    Spent most of the day running around with the intention of running late in the afternoon....well that became a 6:30 start.   Wanted to go around 3 hours or so so I packed a light in my Ultraspire pack as well as all the other necessities for running for awhile.    Logged a very solid 27.8K at an avg 5:55 pace.  Never felt like the wheels were going to fall off....very positive.   The weather made it really pleasant ,  temps plummeted as the Sun was going down and there was a lovely cool,  dry northerly breeze.     I ran my traditional Durham loop ,  down the 2nd through the Park past the School , Tims , Beer Store back across the last Dam then looping through the Ball Park past the Police station over the Heritage Bridge then back through the Park  and up the 2nd.   FUN!

Lunch Run

Didn't feel like running fast(er) today so I slowed it down at lunch doing 5K at a mostly 6:00 pace.

Things that make me hurt

#1 Running Fast

#2 Repeated treadmill running


Both a re good to avoid but are a necessary part of getting to what I do on the weekends.


5K done today a  mostly 5:00 pace.

Lunch Run

6K at a mostly 5:00 pace today.   Going to try for an hour and a bit on the trail tonight.

Tempo Tuesday

Little longer this week ,  7K at a mostly 4:30 pace.   Felt good to really good...think I am ready for Shore to Shore.

Need to get a long one in this weekend.  

Limberlost Photo

Here I am faking it ... what I really was thing was QUITTING!    The picture was taken near the end of the third loop 6 hours30  in and I was melting.

Unexpected Run

 After driving 700km today I didn't expect to get any running in but when I got home Carrie asked if I would like to go out with the Horses tonight.   It was really hot and the Fly's were bugging the Horses so we cut it short logging 3.7K mostly walking.   After the Horses I  Ran home logging 5.9K at an avg 5:43 pace ...it was really HOT!  

UCC Results

The UCC was an award for running both Creemore on July 7th and Limerblost on July 14.   The following are the results.

Last run of the week

5K at a 5:00 pace again today at lunch.   Wont be running this weekend ... busy!  

Faster Lunch

5K at a 5min pace today

Horse Run

5.7K done with the Horses this Eve.

My new running companions.

Lunch Run

5K at a 5:30 pace today at lunch.

Waking up the legs!

Tempo Tuesday ... what a surprise.  6K logged at a mostly 4:30 pace today.  It felt good to run fast...now I just have to remember to breath.  

Cross Training - Sauble Beach Kayak - July 11 , 2102

Sauble Beach Kayaking - 2012-07-11

Runs With Horse

 One good thing about a day like Saturday  is a speedy recovery.  With the exception of my BIG Toe nothing else hurts.   I don't think its broken but it sure hurts allot and is quite swollen but it will heal... no big deal!

 Yesterday I  did some cross training and a wee bit of running.   In the afternoon I headed out on the Mountain bike to scope out a new trail.   The neighbors across from where my wife keeps her Horse gave us permission to cut across their property to get to the trail head.   Well in order to be able to find the trail head you have to be able to find the trail head.  After about 10K of biking trails I found the connection ,  DOH!
In the evening I did a little 4K tail walk/run/walk thing with 2 Horses following me.  The Horses were quite content to follow my lead.  "Mist"  was right on my heals so much so that my leg kick made contact with the hoof!!!!   So it looks like I have some new running companions...just one problem ,  they like to fly up hill.

 Today at lunch I jumped on the treadmill and did a 5K at a mostly 5:00 pace.  It was really weird but for a change I actually enjoyed being on the treadmill.  

Limberlost Challenge - July 14, 2012

What a day....really!  

Limberlost is a must do race.  It highlights the best of the Muskoka woods and then some.      We had some pretty hot conditions to deal with and it really was the story of the day.  

 The course is a 14K loop so the 56Kers ran it 4 times.  My goal was to try to complete each loop in under 2 hours aiming for a sub 8 hour finish.    I was surprised just how quickly we all spread out in the first loop.  By teh first aide station 5K in I was pretty much on my own.   7K in in the trail that runs along a series of Beaver Dams I was taking in the scenery and BAM I went down hard.   I know better then to let my guard down but there is just so much to see its tough not to look around.    Took most of the fall with my right forearm and hip and came away relatively unscathed however my big toe on my right foot would hurt for the rest of the day.  Finishing the first loop there was a pleasant change the last 2Ks looping around a lake instead of the trek down the gravel road....very nice!  Finished the first loop in 1hr53min pretty much where I wanted to be.  Heading out of the second loop it the temperature was starting to push into the mid 20s but it was still manageable.    I was wearing my Ultraspire pack with 2L in the Bladder.  The plan was to take in lots of fluids at the Aide stations and use the water I carried in between.  Knowing that the heat would come into play today  I was taking  one S!Cap on the hour as well as Gelling.      Slowed a bit on the 2nd loop but I completed it  in 2hrs00min.  I felt really good heading out on the third loop and really felt that 8hours was still possible.   Past the 1st aide station the route along the Beaver Dams had become Dam HOT.   It was nearly 1pm and the Temps were creeping up into the low 30's and the humidity was really building.    Caught up with Chris McPeak at the 2nd Aide Station and we ran together ,  or should I say walked!   We both admitted that the day was more or less over ,  time goals out the window and it was SURVIVAL mode.    We started running in the easy parts and that was the last I saw of Chris until after the race although I  suspected that we wasn't too far ahead.   1K before the end of the 3rd loop I was done ,  completely done.   I took off my Ultraspire Pack and Shirt and sat on  log contemplating quitting.  About 5 minutes passed as well as  few runners.  One fellow stopped to talk to me ,  a 50Ker on lap 3 like me.   He said that he was done.  I congratulated him on accomplishing a Marathon under some really tough conditions.  He went on to tell me that it was his first trail race and that his family was waiting at the finish.  Bedsides the obvious reason for quitting he said that his Wife and Children were waiting at the finish and he didn't want to have them wait another 3 hours for him to finish.   I don't know what motivated me more ,  talking to him or the little break I took but when I stood up I decided I was going to go on and complete the race!     So I crossed the timing mat logging 2hrs37min for the for loop 3.    Heading out on the 4th and final loop  it was a shuffle/ walk combo to the only big hill a little less then 2K in.      I did shuffle along where it was easy but it was mostly walking to the first Aide Station the 5K mark.     I was dreading,  absolutely dreading the fully exposed to the Sun 2 or so Ks along the Beaver Dams.   OMG it was like a blast furnace through this section and all I could manage is a walk and even that was tough.    It took awhile before I was able to get back to the shuffle /walk combo but after a few Ks out of the Sun I started to move along a bit better.  At the last Aide Station I got a big bag of Ice and rotated it between the top of my head ,  back of my neck and my belly. It really seemed to help and I actually started to get something back and was able to run ,  albeit rather slowly.   Crossed the timing mat for the last time logging a   2hr42min loop and a total time of 9hrs14min25 seconds for the 56K.   AS is so often the case there was very little reward at the end ,  no Metal,  no Ultra Challenge Challenge  Metal ( Did Creemore the week before ).  I laid down on the grass for a few minutes ,  kicked my shoes off and my big toe was incredibly painful  (Its swollen and bruised the next day)  I think I broke it!!!!!!  I  didn't stick around,  jumped in the Car and headed out.   Did the drive through at Tims before I hit HWY 11 and ordered a Large Caramel Ice Cap and some Chicken Wraps,  stopped a second time close to home for Pizza and a Coke.   

 Looking at the results it was no big surprise that of the 87 folks that started the race 56 finished it.   The 35% drop out rate is the highest I have seen for this distance.   I finished 47th out of the 87 starters , 6 out of 10 finishers  in my AG  and 30 out of 36 male finishers.

Back on the Trail

Did my first Run since Creemore yesterday.  Although there was very little muscle pain after Saturdays race I was a bit stiff and a little tiered and hungry.....a 50K hang over I would say.   After 74 hours of not running I hit the trail after work last night.   Felt like fish out of water at the start.  The kind of heavy breathing you get n the later stages of a long run when your Glycogen is depleted.     Quads quickly developed a wee bit of a burn and I generally felt tired.   Things seemed to settle down a bit and after 45 minutes or so I settled into a comfortable pace that kind of felt like where I left off on Saturday.   Not sure what I am going to do until Limberlost on Saturday but its probably best just to take it  easy and not do any running.   I am heading to Sauble for some Kayaking and fun in the Sun .... maybe a little run too,  maybe.

Creemore Vertical Challenge 50K - July 7, 2012

 Creemore Vertical Chllange 

 This was my 5th consecutive Creemoore  race the 4th time doing the 50K.  The course is a challenge but on Saturday Mother Nature threw a new curve at us.    Arriving at 07:00 am storm clouds were gathering and it wasn't  long before the sky opened up.  Rain I am OK with but the Lightening not so much.   I sat in the Car until there was a bit of a break in the weather around 7:30 so I ventured out to pick up my race kit.   First stop was the Porta Potty ... mother nature put on quite a show while I was taking care of business and I wasn't in any hurry to leave.   Ventured out and picked up the race kit then it was back to the car until 7:58.  The race was suppose to go off at 08:00 am but was wisely delayed until 08:15.    Mother Nature co-operated and the majority of the electrical activity had moved on so off we went.

 Planned on getting through the first loop with a sub 7:30 pace being somewhat conservative on the uphills and then picking it up on the flats and downhills.  It was still raining at the start and I quite welcomed it but it quickly became apparent  that things were going to be slippery.  The trial following the river was pretty slick so the 2K of gravel that followed were welcome.  The first aide station marked the end of the gravel and the start of he old coach trial.   Man was this slippery and the water was really flowing over the old Beaver Dam.   After the trial ended we were back on the road and  "Hill One",  a must walk hill.  We were still getting light rain and I actually had a chill on near the second aide station at the top of the climb.   After a 1K or so loop through a little forest it was another K or so on the road before we dropped down what is usually a dry stream bed.  This time it wasn't dry and the water was the colour of chocolate mile.  At the bottom what is usually a small creek was a raging river knee deep and about 10 feet across...no getting around it.   Heading back out on the gravel was a relief and a short distance later we hit the last aide station on the 25K loop.  There is a real treat now a 2 K of downhill followed by a  1K or so of flat.  Now there is a price to pay and as they say what goes down goes up ...actually its the other way around but what the heck its the same idea. I very slowly ran the 1K or so to the base of the "O2" hill just past the 15K mark.    I was surprised at just how well I made it up O2 and after looping by the last aide station you more or less turn a corner and its the  "Top Hill".   There isn't much recovery between the two hill but "Top Hill" is about half the climb  of "O2".    The last 6-7K back to the start finish is downhill with a few interesting twists.  There is a couple of K of country road before you really start the drop.  I seem to recall this section as being flat but in reality its divide into a slight up then a slight down.     After the drop into "Valley" there is a swamp crossing with a small foot bridge.  Missed the bridge and sank Knee deep in Black/Smelly/Gooey Muck ...I laughed. ( there would be allot more laughing on the next loop).   Valley gave way to a small up hill followed by going back down "Hill 1".    The rain had pretty much stopped by now  and things were starting to clear off ... the dreaded Sun was making an appearance!!!     The two ravines that within the last 2K were giving folks grief.  I witness a good wipe out and there were more skid marks the at the 1/4 mile at Grand Bend.   Made it to the start finish in 3hrs2min,  had visions of a negative split but with the ever increasing Sunshine I was dubious.      So throw out the original goal of a Sub 6hr  .... I would spend the next 25K estimating my time with was anywhere from a 6 to 7 hour finish depending on how things went.   Heading out the river trail was really slippery.  First time around there were a dozen or two or these folks that had traversed the course before me.  This time hundreds of folks had been through the trail.  In some spots the mud was really sticking to the bottom of my shoes adding a few pounds.   The first road section was welcome relief.  At the first Aide I discovered that what I thought was water proof pouch on my new Ultraspire pack was not so water proof.  Reached in and found that my Eload Caps were mush..OH OH,  trouble!!!   Kim Van Delst just happened to be at the aide station at the same time and offered me some of here Electrolyte replacement goodies.     Speaking of the Ultraspire pack this was the first long one I have wore it in.    I filled the bladder with 2L of water.  My hydration goal was to drink at all Aide Stations and in between use the fluid in the pack.  I wanted to have the bladder drained with 5K remaining.  The new packed rocked ,  besides the water I had my Gels, iPhone, Ear Buds, Kleenex ( in case I had to wipe my nose), GU Chomps and a Buff tied off near the shoulder that I used to wipe my Brow!   The pack rode well and after 50 wet Ks there was no chaffing anywhere.    With 20K remaining we entered the old "Stage Coach" trial .  What was slippery the first time around was dam near impossible to negotiate.  Usually after the climb that follows the Beaver Dam its pretty good trail running ,   this time it was more akin to skating... I laughed!   After the trail and before "Hill 1" there is a K or so of running through an open field with long grass.  This is where I realized that the heat was really getting to me and I wasn't getting enough fluids.  Temps were starting to push up into the mid 20s but it was more the opressive humidity.   Heading up "Hill One" I had visions of Niagara which was more or less 20K of please make this be over.  Past the Aide Station at the top of "Hill 1" we drop back into a trial loop.    Kim and  I leaped fogged again and she gave me some more Electrolytes.      After the Forest loop its a bit of road ,  a bit of trail through the creek bed then the final aide station before the big drop.  It took a while to recover from "Hill 1" but  I started feeling better  and my thoughts of a 7 hour +day were gone and I was thinking 6:40ish would be a possibility.  I started concentrating on little goals ,  run this walk that planing the last 13 or so Ks.  First up was running from the last Aide Station to the base of "O2",   manged to get there but was really feeling it heading up "O2".   In both 2010 and 2011 O2 meany seeing stars and spending a few minutes resting here and there.  This year it was tough but I didn't reset ,  I slowed down here and there keeping things in check.   I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to shuffle along after 02 but  I managed to pick it up and get back to the Aide Station again.   "O2" took a few minutes longer then last time and again my goal adjusted to a 7 hour finish.     Did one more of Kims Electrolytes and headed towards the final big climb of the day "Top Hill".   I so wanted to run after climbing this Hill but I didn't know if I had it in me.   Fortunately for me Mother Nature co-operated and there was strong cooling breeze as I crested "Top Hill" .  New goal was to run from here to the Swamp at the bottom of Valley and that exactly what I did.   I wasnt feeling to bad coming out of Valley to the top of "Hill 1".  My effort during the last section made me think of 6hrs3Xmins finish or just maybe 6hrs2Xmins.     With a few Ks to go I was starting to heat up from the effort but overall I was feeling pretty good.   The last K and the ravines were really tough in 2010 and 2011 but not today.  I more or less breezed through this time and before I knew it I was running across the suspension bridge and crossing the finish line.  Garmin time said 6hrs29min37sec making my 25K split 3hrs2min/3hr28min.     Although I was happy to be done I was a bit sad that it was over.  The race had a little bit of just about everything and it was a real fun adventure .... you never really knew what was over the next Hill.    

Creemore 2009 vs 2010

 Been debating Saturdays  race plan and I am going to go out conservatively.  I looked at 2009 vs 2010 first 30K.    Mind you there was was a very big difference in the weather between the 2 years 09 being cool and 10 being hot but the comparison is still very interesting.   In 09 I went out easy walking the hills and running the flats and downhills. In 10 I went out running every thing ,  flats and downhill were slow then 09 but the uphills were way way faster.  Interestingly enough the 09 results were nearly an hour better then 10 by nearly an hour.

 So on Saturday its going to be hotish and we may get lucky and get a shower but regardless I am going to go easy on the climbs and pick it up on the downhills and flats.

One more one more

Just couldn't leave the Gym bag at home today.  Logged a 5K lunch run at a mostly 5:30 pace.  

OK, one more Run before Creemore

Took advantage of the 32C Humid Sunny Weather and logged another 11.3K on the trail.   Deer and Horse Flys were brutal ... first hour was tough,  last 30 min much better.  Practiced a run/shuffle/walk  that should be quite useful on Saturday.

Bruce Trail - Walters Falls to the Bognor Marsh

Logged 14.6K on the Bruce Trail today covering from just West of Walters Falls to the Bognor March.

Doug Barber joined me today so it was nice to be able to do a point to point run compared to my planned loop...basically we cut most of the road.

We picked up the trail head going up " On Yonder Hill ".  We even had the pleasure to meet the property owner after the run.  They are great stewards of the trail and really seem to enjoy hosting those using it.

We dam near got carried away by the "Deer Fly's" heading up Yonder but things improved when we headed into the forest.  First 6K were mostly runnable single track  through mature Forest and skirting the occasion farmers field.   The Corn was more then "knee high for early July".....

There was about 2.5 K of quite Country Road before we made it to the entrance to the Bognor Marsh.

After a brief water stop at the Car we headed into the Bognor Marsh loop.

The trail was quite over grown in parts of the Bognor loop.  Running wasn't really a good idea and unfortunately Doug ended up going heel first into a hole.   The Achilles were in play and it wasn't fun so we cut the loop short heading back to the car.

I covered the amount of trail that I had intended today so I was OK calling it a day running 10K less then expected.

The " Steamy Super Hot"  Creemore 50K is looming on Saturday so I may do a short one tomorrow and I think I will schedule rest days Thursday and Friday.

I loaded up the Ultraspire today with a full bladder and really didn't mind it.  I don't expect to use it in most races but if Creemore is going to be as hot as I think it may be I just might use the pack.  

Last Run of my Night Shift

Night #7  and it was my 7th treadmill run of the week.  Covered 14K tonight at a mostly 5:00 pace.   Monday is turnaround day a time to get my clock back in sync with the real world.  Monday is also wood stacking  day ,  10 face cord tomorrow...more cross training !   Tuesday I am going to give my new  Ultraspire pack a run covering the Bruce Trail from Walters Falls to the Bognor Marsh.  

More Speed

12 covered at lunch this morning , mostly at a 5:00 pace.