Thursday, December 31, 2015

December and 2016 Totals

December -   312 km
YTD 2015 total - 3,346.7 km

Ran 24 times in Dec
4 X Track at the Y = 157 km
15 X Treadmill at Work = 119 km
3 X Trail = 15.4 km
1 X Road = 10.3 km
1 X Tractor Trail =10.3 km  

I am happy with the December numbers the month was geared towards building volume and getting ready for the 8 Hour R4K Jan 9.     With the Sulphur 100 miler 5 months away I will need to keep the volume up and will be turning to the Y to get the long ones in Jan, Feb and March then April May take the long ones outside.   The prep for Sulpur will set me up to the rest of the Ultra Season.  

2016 ... bring it on!  

2015 races ...


Last Run of 2015 - A fitting end to another year of going long.

  Its pretty cool ending the year running a Marathon yesterday logging 43K on the track at the Owen Sound Y.   This wraps up the Y Runs until late Jan...8 hour R4K is in 9 days ,  I am ready and excited to run the first Ultra of 2016.    I thought I was going to have some company on the track yesterday but Grant bailed at the last minute and Patrick decided to go to Blue instead.   It would have been super easy to bail on the Run as I was a little hung over and had some GI issues ...I wasn't expecting much and saw it as a good training opportunity.   Other then getting to the Y I really didn't feel all that bad when I got going.   13K in a funny thing happened.  HR had been hanging in the mid 120 to 130 bpm ...  glanced at the HR and it was suddenly 141 bpm...WTF?   That usually doesn't get there until a few hours into an LSD.   I continued to watch it climb ,  142,  143 then I decided to walk and it was 144 and not changing...WTF!!!!   Looking a little closer at my Garmin I realized that there was a colon between the 1 and the 44 ... it was 1:44 pm LOL darn old eyes!   After 5K I stopped every K for water for a total of 2.5 litres during the Run .   Did 3 S Caps and gels at 20, 27 and 34K.   Figured the HR would be different but it made squat difference.  Last week and yesterday run were within 1 minute of each other and looking at the average Heart Rate both days it was 133 bpm.   Took an unplanned walk break around 37K when Rose showed up to tell me he was delayed due to Beer drinking at Blue!    Made up for the walk by running from 40 to 41K then I did my traditional 2K walk at the end.  I cannot stress enough the value of a good cool down.  


Tuesday, December 29, 2015

Run Around the Hood

Missed yesterdays planned 10K ... doesn't happen very often but I left it too late the weather was somewhat miserable besides I really don't take enough rest days especially with R4K looming and well I have done my homework!   Logged a little 5.1ker just to " get my run on " today.   Was debating about tomorrows planned 48K LSD on the track tomorrow and decided to do what I did lat week but with fuel ....brilliant idea !!!!!!

Monday, December 28, 2015

Late Sunday

 Almost didn't get out the door yesterday but I am glad I managed to fit one in at the end of the day logging a 10.3K Run on the back roads and tractor trails of West Grey.   It was fun to throw the lights on and run in the dark,  I was wearing my blue tooth speaker in my back pack blasting the tunes into the night.   I felt pretty goo with a little bit of quad pain from Wednesdays Run and Fridays Gardening.  


Saturday, December 26, 2015

Trail Saturday

 Its been awhile since I ran trail.   I logged a lazy little 5.2K run around the backyard trail and neighbors properties.   I had planned 2 rest days after the Y run ... first day was restful but not so much Christmas.  Spent the afternoon "Gardening" getting rid of a Raspberry ( Weed ) patch and transplanting Norway Spruce Trees.   I had originally intend on a 10K today but decided I needed more rest so I cut it short.   I may repeat today again tomorrow if I am still feeling it.  


Thursday, December 24, 2015

Hello Wall

43Ks  at a mostly 6:00 pace done on the track at the Owen Sound Y yesterday.    The picture tells the story ...

















 With the exception of a bathroom break around 7K I did a constant run.   All the little spikes in HR and Pace are a result of stopping just about every  K for a few seconds to drink water...micro breaks I would say.   I as going to do Gels at 20, 27 and 34Ks but as I went along I decided to skip them and see how that would affect my Run.   I did bring in 2.5 Liters of Water and did 4 S Caps but ZERO calories.    The HR was in the high 120's for the first 90 minutes the slowly climbed through the 130's in the next 90 minutes settling in the low to mid 140's in the last hour.    Running on empty meant for a little higher HR and it felt a little bit harder then usual but not terribly bad.    As I usually do at then end I did a 3K walk ... long cool downs make for great recovery vs just stopping.  

 Had a restless sleep last night and feel a little tired and a tiny bit achey today but otherwise fine.   Going to take a couple of days of reset hopefullly taking it to the trails Sat, Sun , Mon before a rest day Tues then a return to Owen Sound Y on Wed for a planned 48K Run on the Track.    R4K 8 Hour is just around the corner Jan 10.  

Monday, December 21, 2015

Lunch Run

5K lunch run today on my meal break.   Rest day tomorrow then long run at the Y the following day.

Sunday, December 20, 2015

Sunday Speed

 12K done more or less the same way as yesterday.   Looking at the data its weird the way my cadence starts mid 160s then after 10 min or so it drops to the low 160s.   It does however rise to the mid 160s when I do my 4:45 fartleks.  




Saturday, December 19, 2015

Speed Saturday

12K done on my meal break.   Ramped up from a 6:00 pace to 5:00 pace over the first 2K then did a 200 meter 4:45 fartlek at the 4,5,6,7,8,9,10k marks then did a long cool down to 12K.   HR was 10 BPM lower then the same run last weekend ... go figure.




Friday, December 18, 2015

Friday Lunch

Just another little 5K traditional lunch run today.

Got a new battery for the HRM and its back in up again!   Estimate 200 Runs on the last battery.

Thursday, December 17, 2015

Lunch Run

Back to work ,  back to day shift ,  back to the real world and out of Zombie mode.   No DOMS after Tuesdays LSD ... you just never know!   Logged a 5K the usual way on my meal break.  

Wednesday, December 16, 2015

Track at the Owen Sound Y

 38K logged on the track at the Owen Sound Y yesterday.    I was on an 8 day running streak that started at the Y Mon Dec 7 logging 33K on the track.   Working mids last week I logged 7 runs ,  5k, 5k, 5k, 7K, 8K 12K and finally 16K on Monday morning.    I didn't sleep Monday after finishing up Mids at 08:00 am and was in bed by 10pm having a pretty decent 8+ hour sleep....I was exhausted!     I find this strategy the best way to turn back around instantly.   I was planning on a 11am start at the Y on Tues however coffee in the hot tub took a little too long and I had some errands to run so I didn't make it to the Y until noon.  Had all kinds of little techy troubles at the start of my run.    First my Heart Rate Monitor wasn't working.   I had just washed the strap like I had done many times before and was suspicious that something happened to it however it could just be the battery.  I noticed that the HRM wasn't registering as quick as it normally does ... next up a new battery.    Next up was trouble with the music.... first off my favourite streaming site Okemos Brewing  has gone down due to having to pay much larger royalty $$.   Plan B was "She Radio" a south Fla claasic rock station ... not bad but not Okemos!   Last time out I was able top leave my iPhone at my aid station and my Blue Tooth Ear buds performed more of less flawlessly.  that day we were running counter clock wise and the radio in my left ear was facing in.    On Tues it was clockwise so the radio was out and my skull was getting between the iPhone and Blue Tooth dropping out!!!!!!   Plan B ... had my " 10K" belt with me and stuffed my MiFi ( Internet Connection ) and iPhone in....... no problem had tunes.   All this messing around meant I didn't get a start until nearly 12:30.   I was aiming to do a 6:00  pace but it seemed a little bit tough heading out.   I really struggled settling into for the first 10K and it just seemed like allot of work and no joy.  Its not uncommon the feel this way for the first hour.  I figured that the speed workouts I did and finishing mids with the cold turkey turn around probably had something to do with it.    At 10K I took a 1K walking break downing my first 0.5L bottle of water and taking an S Cap ... it was going to be a long day.   At this point I also started taking in a bit of water more or less every K stopping momentarily at my aid station.   I continued to struggle to maintain the 6:00 pace but was pretty close through 25K....still wasn't feeling the Love!    At the 25K mark I did another 1K walking break this time taking in a Gel.   I also finished off my second and 3rd 0.5 L of water for a total of 1.5L in 2hrs55min.    Past 26K things finally started to kick in and I was really starting to enjoy the run.   The gel was a miracle putting some pop in my legs and I had no problem maintaining the 6:00 pace through 36K.   The goal was a 38K outing so I pulled the plug on the run at 36K opting to walk the last 2K in the interest of a decent cool down.  

 Garmin data tells the story in spite of not having the HRM















 Running 129 km in 9 consecutive runs with the 12 and 16 km speed workouts leading to yesterday LSD was probably not the best strategy.    Last nights sleep was restless and was probably a result of the runs and turning around off Mids.    I appreciate when its tough going I see it as a training opportunity... the tougher it is it makes me more determined to carry on and find a way to turn it around and thats more or less what I did at the Y yesterday.    

 Grabbed a slice of Pizza and a pop on my way home at 5pm.  At 6pm I ate again downing some Chinese.  Next up was a couple of hours in the Hot Tub and of course an ample quantity of Beer!










Monday, December 14, 2015

Mid 7 - The Longer Run

 16K @ 5:00 pace  including 11X 200 meter 4:45 fartleks done this morning.  I havent run that far that fast in a long long time.   Had some more Cybex troubles ... when you do a "quick start" the stupid ass treadmill shuts down at 60 minutes .... I have some more config to do with this guy.  The blip in HR at the 60 min mark is the restart  ,  stupid ass treadmill   (*&&^)^%.














4 hour 38K Run planned on the track at the Owen Sound Y tomorrow.... cant wait!


Sunday, December 13, 2015

Mid 6 - As Planned

12K logged as planned.   When I start a run I quickly get up to a 6:00 pace then ever so slowly increased to a 5:00 pace at the 2K mark today.  Did 4:45 fartlks at 4,5,6,7,8,9,10K mark then did a gradual cool down finishing with a 4 min walk.    There was a little dip in the HR at 10.3K when I inadvertently tripped the safety strap.    The dumbass at Cybex who designed this Treadmill offset the safety about 2cm off center to the right and guess what ... now and again I trip it with a right arm swing.... I am going to take some pictures and complain to Cybex!!!!

HR...

















I noticed a trend through the summer into the fall that my cadence was dropping a bit.   I have a suspcion its a reult of running lots of long and slow races through the Summer ... getting lazy!    I have been consciously trying to increase it and am beginning to see some progress.

Cadence ...















More green and less yellow is showing up.   At a 5:00 pace I am in the low 160s but when I break into a 4:45 pace it increases to the mid 160s.   When I run trail its in the low 140's LOL!  


Up next in 24 hours is more or less the same run just 4K longer!  

Saturday, December 12, 2015

Mid 5 - Plus One

One more K and one more Fartlek then yesterday logging 8K on my meal break at 3am.   I struggled to get into the Gym ... first I was planning on 8K then I though about skipping it ( I rarely do but often think it) then I decided heck at least I will do a 5K then when I got to the Gym I though no make it 7K but as soon as I started running I decided 8K it is and I stuck to it and it really isn't all that bad.  Two 12 hour night shift left before I stop the Zombie life for 6 weeks.  Planning 12K tomorrow ,  16K the following day then after flipping back around off night it will be 38K at the Y on day 3 ...then perhaps I can take a rest day!  


Friday, December 11, 2015

Mid 4

7Ks including 3 Fartleks this morning.  HR was high toppin gout at 151 BPM.  I didn't have good fan position and will do better tomorrow....felt really really hot.  

Thursday, December 10, 2015

48 Hour DOMS ... must be doing something right!

Still a touch of DOMS after Mondays Track Run.  It peaked yesterday and is just about gone today.    Logged another 5K lunch run the traditional way on my meal break this morning.

Wednesday, December 9, 2015

Mid 2

Night run 2 of 7 done.  Almost took a rest day ... feeling tired from mids and a little sore from Mondays LSD.   Bribed my mental allowing myself some candy before hitting the treadmill.   Ramped up to speed slowly otherwise I managed a traditional 5K lunch run and it really wasn't all that bad!  

Tuesday, December 8, 2015

Mid 1

Started another round of mids this morning.    12 hours after starting my Y Run Idecided to not run at teh usual 5:00 pace instead I was going to do a 6:00 pace with no Farltek.   HR sure was lower topping out in the mid 120's but it took allot longer to get to the 5K mark but all and all a good recovery run was logged.  

Y Monday

 I didn't really plan on hitting the Y yesterday but I needed to get a longer run in.  Thought about taking it outside for a bit but then decided with R4K looming going long on the track was a better choice .   Got to the Y around 2:30 quiclky realizing I forgot my combo lock for the locker.  It was pretty warm out so I came  a plan B using the car as a locker.  Paid my drop in fee and told them my lock story and they gave me a loner...very nice!  So I set up my usual aid station getting everything on order I realize I forgot my running belt for my iPod and MiFi.   There was no way I was going to run around in circles for hours without tunes and decided to carry the electronics .... but wait I decided that maybe just maybe the Bluetooth Ear Buds might be able to work through the track and low and behold I was right.   Just one spot that it oh so briefly lost the signal now and again but it was very brief.   So I ran and I ran and I ran.  Plan was to get to 30K in 3 hours ... sounds easy right ,  well not really nut not really all that bad either.   At around 17K someone started playing game with my lap counter.   I run with 6 elastics.  Every lap I move an elastic from the right arm to the left arm.  When there are  no elastic left I hit my Lap Counter sitting at my Aid Station marking a K.   I more or less always know my distance based on pace which really helps when someone plays a trick on me.   After they advanced my Lap Counter another couple of Ks I stopped and reset it to the proper distance making it to 20Ks in a little under 2 hours.    Did not drink a whole lot or bring in many calories 25K to 30K reminded me of that.   The JPG below tells the story ... Heart Rate Rises when body switches from burning the easy stuff Glycogen C24H42O21 to burning body mass,  hopefully fat but organs and muscles can and will be cannibalized.....YIKES!    Now toy can never get enough calories going Ultra long so the ability to switch gears ,  burn body mass and go and go and go isn't such a bad thing.  

Circled is switching from Glocogen to Body Mass.  Also known as "hitting the wall"
















Decided to push the HR holding a 6:00 pace through the last 5K.  Hitting 30K I geared it back to a 7:30 pace for a K before doing a 2K walk.    

So I logged a total of 33K today satisfied
that I was able to get in this much needed "long one".






Saturday, December 5, 2015

Parliament Hill Run

I am in Ottawa this weekend marking my 30th year with Telesat.   Had the alarm set for 7am to get a run around Parliament Hill before Breakfast.  Lots of great views of the Nations Capitol even making it to Quebec,   Logged 10.3K in total.  












Thursday, December 3, 2015

Breaking the mold

 7K logged on this evening meal break.  Did a fartlek at 4K then held the 4:45 pace between 5 and 6 where I started my cool down.   It felt good ... HR topped out at 149 BPM.   The old Treadmill is fixed so one day next week I am going to run on it to compare the Hrs.  I am sure there is a discrepancy of at least 0.25 kmh.  

Wednesday, December 2, 2015

Two Run Wednesday

Another 5Ker done on my meal break this evening.  

Pleasant Run

It was just one of those days that you just have to fit one in.   I really wanted to get some sun and enjoy the snow free trails and no breeze and a most pleasant 5C ... almost tropical this time of year.  Logged a little 5.1 K on the backyard trail leaving enough time for a Hot Tub before starting work at 4pm.  


Tuesday, December 1, 2015

First of December 2015 - Lunch Run

5K the usual way this eve after a super duper busy day of doing everything....I need a rest!