Saturday, December 31, 2016

Goodbye 2016 hello 2017

See ya 2016 its been fun...























Hello 2017 here I come ...


























Pretty much have the 2017 calendar in order.   I have already registered for R4K,  Canadian National Snowshoe, Seaton, Sulphur ,  Conquer the Canuck and all of the Endur Race.   Not going long long satisfied with the 50K ish distance.   It kind of nice to have the distance monkey off my back.  Don't get me wrong I do enjoy long long but I have allot of other interests besides running.  So look out 2017 ... here I come!  

December 2016 Totals

December - 203.9 km
YTD         - 3358.1 km  

No races ,  one LSD on the track at the Y.    More or less maintenance running this month will ramp it up a bit in January and will get a good start expecting a 50+ km day at the R4K 6 hour in a week.  

Ran 25 times and this is the breakdown ....
Snow Shoe Trail - 2 runs logging 11.9 km
Road - 3 runs logging 30 km
Track - 1 run logging 32 km
Treadmill - 19 runs logging 130 km
Rest Days - a  whopping 7



Dec 31, 2016 - Lunch Run

Final lunch run of the year 2016 logging a 7Ker on the treadmill.     Could have went longer  ( had the time ) but I decided to so a weight routine instead....time well spent!

Friday, December 30, 2016

Tik Tok

2nd last running opportunity of 2016 logging a 7Ker the usual way today on my meal break!

Thursday, December 29, 2016

Back at it

 5K logged on my meal break today after 2 days of reset.   Looks like December is " maintenance running " but then again with no 100 or even 50 milers on the 2017 calendar I am A OK!   Registered for the Sulphur 50K in May and the Tobermorry 42.2 in September today.  

Monday, December 26, 2016

Mid 7 - Boxing Day BAM Run

BAM ,  bare ass minimum but hey I got it done logging 10K on my meal break late this morning .

Looked at the metrics again and noticed the same results as yesterday.    I am running with a more closed stance so I suspect that that has something to do with the higher cadence.  


Sunday, December 25, 2016

Mid 6 - Christmas Morning Metrics

Working on Christmas sucks but I did get a run in logging 12K's on my meal break today.

 First 10K were at a mostly 5:00 pace and at the 4K mark started 0.2K 4:45 fatleks through 10K.   In the 11th K I held the 4:45 pace yielding a 146 BPM HR Spike.    Most of the run at the 5:00 pace averaged around 138-139 BPM.      Max HR is around 165 BPM so the 5:00 paces yields an overall effort of around 84% of the max HR!  

 Havent wore the heart strap in awhile and was surprised to see the Candance was higher and very consistent.   Other metrics were fantastic too!


Saturday, December 24, 2016

2016 Race Summary


Mid 5

Skipped Mid 4's run ...too too too tired.  Working Mids suck!   10K logged tonight after over indulging in Christmas Chocolate and Donuts all washed down with an extra large Tims FV!   Should have ran longer probably burned less then half the calories I just consumed.... weigh in = 170 lbs.

Thursday, December 22, 2016

Wednesday, December 21, 2016

Mid 2

Almost didn't get to the Gym this morning but I gave into the "running guilt"  and logged a 5Ker the usual way at 6:30 am.

Tuesday, December 20, 2016

Monday, December 19, 2016

Forgot Saturday

Was feeling super beat after doing snow ,  snowshoeing ,  skiing and running all week.   Almost didn't make it out.  I was suppose to do and LSD with Grant at the Y but he bailed ....want too disappointed .   Managed a little 10Ker out and back on the 2nd.   Sunday I was feeling super tired so I made it a rest day.

Back at the Y

32Ks logged on the track at the Owen Sound Y.   Didn't. Wear the Garmin but I estimate an average 5:50 pace.   Right metatarsal flared up...superb painful for a bit ,  not sure why.  Otherwise it was a pretty routine 32K on the track ....three bottles of water and 2 s caps no calories.

Thursday, December 15, 2016

Pruning

Dawned the snow shoes ,  threw on my headlight and grabbed the pruning sheers for a late afternoon 6.7 Ker looping the backyard trail.  Deep fresh snow made breaking trail really tough walked the first loop pruning the low hanging cedars and pines!  

Wednesday, December 14, 2016

Tuesday, December 13, 2016

Two Run Tuesday

2nd run today logging a 7Ker on my meal break this evening.  

Breaking Trail

Nothing like registering for a  race to get you moving.   Broke trail for the first time today logging 5.2Ks looping the backyard trail wearing snowshoes.

Monday, December 12, 2016

Back to work...

After a long weekend of home reno's and and todays snow removal I am back to work a place I know that 99% of the time I will get my run in....yippie!   Logged a 7Ker the usual way tonight on my meal break.

Weekend Running ...or Not!

10K done Friday just a little out and back on the 2nd ...fast by trail standards.    Sort of rest days Sat and Sun...trying to get the house fixed up before some new furniture arrives.  Don't think up and down a ladder for 2 days would be the same as a run but one thing for sure I wasn't sitting on my butt.

 

Thursday, December 8, 2016

Monday, December 5, 2016

Monday Lunch

5K on my meal break today.   Rest day yesterday ... too many other things to do!

Saturday, December 3, 2016

Breaking the mold...again.

Things to do today so I need to fit a 10Ker in and was out in the fresh snow and a snow squall at 7:30 am this morning.  It quite rare that a run occurs first thing in the morning unless its a race!  

Thursday, December 1, 2016

2016 - The Home Stretch

Ah December the month I more or less finalize my following year race calendar.  Already have a signed on the dotted line for some fun back to back to back to back to back to back stuff......

























After slacking off in November its time to start ramping up for the new year.   Haven't had to take it indoors to the track yet but the dark ,  damp darn right depressing days are making that indoor run look pretty darn appealing!  

So in keeping with a theme ( I like a theme ) I broke the mold to day on my " Day Shift" meal break running 7Ks @ 5:00 pace with 4:45 fartleks at the 4,5 and 6K mark!  

Wednesday, November 30, 2016

November 2016 Totals

 4 in 6,  thats 4 Ultras in the past 6 weeks,  The Bad Thing - Oct 22,  Horror Hill - Oct 29, Batawa Fatass Nov - 13 and Slippin Flippin 50 Nov - 26.    Lots of short runs and rest days between the Ultras seemed to be a pretty good season ending formula.   Distance was a little lite this month but I don't feel that it has hindered me in the least as a matter of fact the added rest days and easy does it between the long runs was a little mind bending but I got over it when I ran long!  

November 2016 -    201.4 km
YTD                  -  3,154.2 km

Breakdown

Treadmill,  16 runs 87.0 km logged
Trail,           5  runs 64.4 km logged
Gravel Path 1  run  50.0 km logged
Road            0  
Rest Days                 8  

Up next in two weeks will be my shortest race of the year the 10.8 km Egg Nogg Jog and then 6 weeks from now its the R4K 6 Hour.    Going to get at least 2 3-5 hour LSDs in between now and R4K.


Lunch

5K the usual way on my meal break today.

Weigh in ...172.6 lbs

Tuesday, November 29, 2016

Reset

5K the usual way on my meal break my first run since the 50Ker on Saturday.  

Slippin' Flippin' Fifty - Owen Sound - November 26, 2016

Ran Doug Barbers  Slippin' Flippin' Fifty on Saturday ,  my last last 50Ker of 2016. 























 Entry was free and it was only a 30 minute drive from home so it was a 100% must do and I am super glad I made did.   There were varying distances and  no formal timing more of a fun run pf sorts to me they are all fun runs.    We started at 8:23 am heading North on an old rail trail that ever so slowly climbed up the escarpment then at the 6.25 km mark we turned around and ran back.   The weather wasn't great but not horrible either.   The first couple of loops were solid and the Sun broke out a couple of times.    I was through the 25 km mark in just a little under 2:30 and was thinking a sub 5 hour but I hadn't been keeping up with the running essentials, hydration, calories and electrolytes.  Only gelled twice heading out on the 3rd and 4th loop.   Had some G at the turnaround and some water at the start finish.   Did 2 S Caps heading out on my final loop.    Started slowing down in the third loop for some weird reason the hips were aching but I knew it would pass.  I was wearing tights ,  long sleeve tech T and a short sleeve tech T over it and of course gloves.   Changes out wet gloves heading out on the 3rd loop ...heaven!   The last loop I took a few short walking breaks here and there but was generally felling pretty solid.   If I had of done more in the way of calories and brought in more fluid I may have been able to hold the 6:00 pace and not walked!    The course was really well measured crossed the start finish for the final time in 5hrs19min29 second as the Garmin ticked 50.00 km...good job Doug!   

 A big thanks goes out to Doug Barber who put on the event.  I really liked the course and have put the route on my training map.  It would be a good run to do prior to the Niagara race.  



Wednesday, November 23, 2016

Monday, November 21, 2016

Sunday, November 20, 2016

Saturday, November 19, 2016

Saturday at work

7K logged 5:00 pace with fartleks at 4,5 and 6K mark.    Kept the run short so I could lift afterwards ... a little longer tomorrow.

Friday, November 18, 2016

Working Run

Back to work today ,  5K done the usual way on my meal break.

Thursday Trail

Thursday Trail logging 4.9 Ks it was still warm and included some hammock time afterwards.  I suspect that the next trail may be in snow shoes.  

Thursday, November 17, 2016

Wednesday Trail

6 laps of the backyard trail yesterday coming in at 5.7 Ks.     Still running in shorts and am comfortable but thats all about to change.   Suspect I will be logging a snow shoe run before the month is out...off to put the winter tires on my car now,  run later!  

Tuesday, November 15, 2016

Recovery Run

Just a little peachy 4.8 Ker on the backyard trail this afternoon.   Recovered with a few beers in the hammock with some great tunes ....yup Nov 15 and still rocking the Hammock.

Batawa 6 Hour Ultra - November 13, 2016

  Well this was one of those WTF were you thinking doing this race.   This was my 3rd Ultra in 4 weeks ,  it involved a small Ski Hill, it was a 3+ hour drive from home,  it had a 07:00 meeting followed by an 07:30 start and to boot I am just coming off three weeks of evening shift with my bed time the same time that I  need to have the alarm set for this race.   If it wasn't for the fact that Grant was meeting me at my house at 3am this probably would have been the race that I skipped!    

 The alarm was set for 2:40 am but I woke up at 2:30 am after a 4 hour sleep barely enough to sustain me through the day but I knew I was OK.   The  trip to Trenton flew by chatting it up with Grant all the way.   We arrived around 6:40 am with plenty of time to spare.    The race meeting was at 7:00 ,  not allot of info other then we were running slightly over a 6K loop with an aide station at 3K,  5K and the 6Kish start finish.  Ditched the backpack,  ditched the water bottle it was going to be an AS day.     Temps were a pleasant 5C expecting to go up to 10C but it was suppose to be windy.   Greta debate this time of year...what to wear.  Started and finished the day with shorts ,   long sleeve tech T and over that a short sleeve tech T and of course gloves!    The first few Ks were done with a shell on but I quickly lost it when I warmed up.  I was pretty comfortable most of the day with the occasional chill but never overheating.  

 The 6K started with a climb up the Ski hill.



















Twice per loop we climbed the hill...not as bad as it looks we went up the side and it was much more gradual then the straight line.   Once at the top we headed along a rooty rocky ridge for about a K before making a rather steep decent bleeding off all the initial elevation gain.  There was a few Ks of trails and a K of an old rail bed  ( the gift ) before we headed back up the hill coming down one of the runs back to the start finish.   Fueled the entire day with chocolate ,  every 3K for the first 5 hours.  No gels,  no s caps just chocolate and water.    Felt pretty solid through the first 30Ks.  On the 6th lap my right calve began to complain and i was slowing down.   By the last lap I had switched gears and found a new comfortable pace .   Finished the last lap in 5hrs54min logging 43.7 Ks good enough for 7th place out of the 27 folks who participated.  



















I paused to take a few pictures before finishing up my last lap.   Had a slice of Pizza at then end chatted a bit then didn't waste any time wrapping the day up satisfied that I did it.   I would do this race again next year I really enjoyed the loop and the organizers did a great job of putting on the vent.  I would just want to ensure that it fits better with my sleep schedule!  





Friday, November 11, 2016

Easy does it

5K the slower way this evening on my meal break.   Wanted to guard the right calve and it was A OK just a slight hint of the pain earlier this week .    Rest day tomorrow then 6 hours on Sunday!  

Wednesday, November 9, 2016

Not sure...

5K again on my meal beak.   Yesterday about 3Ks in there was a pain in my lower right calve.   There was no forewarning , nothing happened to bring it on.     I ran through it like so many of those little aches but afterwards it hurt more.   It felt better today and although I was still feeling a bit of discomfort I decided to do my lunch run.    It was OK at first but began to hurt more 3K in.     Its not unusual to have little aches and pains but the biggest thing about this one is that its now so I wasn't sure if I should run through it or not....time will tell.

Monday, November 7, 2016

Monday Lunch

5K done on my meal break this evening.   Wanted to run trial but its " Long Gun Week" so its not a good idea to be running around the forest!  

Saturday, November 5, 2016

Little Trail

5.3Ks logged on the backyard trail this afternoon.  Nice to be comfortable in shorts in November!  

Wednesday, November 2, 2016

Tuesday, November 1, 2016

Lunch Run

5K the usual way this evening on my meal break.  100% recovered from Saturdays 50Ker.  

Monday, October 31, 2016

October 2016 Totals

October    -    265.6 km
YTD - 2,952.8 km

Two 50 km  Trails Races completed " The Bad Thing " and " Horror Hill".  

Breakdown ...

Road  -   1X    10.3 km
Treadmill -  14X 96 km
Trail - 8X 150.3 km

23 runs were done with an unprecedented number of rest days 10 in total!  




Horror Hill - 50K Trail Ultra - October 29, 2016

 Did Horror Hill 50K on Saturday.   It was a whole lot easier then the Bad Thing the week before but it wasn't a walk in the park either.   Had a great day with lots of my running peeps.  This was the last OutRace event of the 2016 season so there awards were handed out afterwards,  It was great to see Grant getting his Slam swag as well as his AG award.

 I wasn't sure what to expect this race being that I was only 7 days out from my last  event.  I had a really solid effort fueled almost entirely with Gatorade and Potato Chips.   The 2.5K loop is very familiar to me and I quickly settled in doing more or less repeat segments of the occasional hill walk but it was mostly running.    I completed the 50K in 5hrs44min2sec the fastest 50 on the trail this year.   The quick time was a result of perfect weather a nice breeze and temps pushing into the mid teens ... always welcome in late October!


Wednesday, October 26, 2016

Lunch and some Bad Thoughts and Pictures

Logged the usual 5Ker in my meal break this eve.

I usually leave a few things out of a race report .... " Brain Freeze " ,  " Lucky I didn't break something " and " Trail Toes "   .  awe the unwritten chapters!

Hijacked a few race day pics .....



Tuesday, October 25, 2016

Lunch Run

With another 50Ker this weekend  and one done this past Saturday I decided that taking Sunday and Monday off would be OK.   Logged my usual 5K lunch run this evening on my meal break and was more or less 100% ready to go long again!  

Monday, October 24, 2016

The Bad Thing 50 km Ultra - Saturday October 22, 2016
























 Ran Ontario's only point to point 50K Ultra " The Bad Thing " on Saturday.    Loved the course  a real mixed bag of crazy single track 40% ,   tractor trails 40%   and road sections 20%.    Jumped on a bus in Auburn at around 6:30 am for a short ride into Goderich and before I knew it we were off and running at 7:00 am.   The race started at the Kiwanis Park just above the harbor.       We made an immediate drop to the harbor where the salt mine was then made a spectacular crossing of the Maitland River  over a very high foot bridge.   First single track was along the river bank in the dark narrow with lots of camber.     Made our way through a residential area of Godereich before heading out of town following the beautiful Maitland River.   First half of the run was a series of single track and tractor trails,  some easy and some really tough but all quite enjoyable.   The weather was iffy at best ,  high winds  ,  temps pushing 5C and lake effect showers even a little bit of frozen stuff thrown in.   In the forest it wasn't too bad but out in the open the wind was really nasty.   I was a little bit over dressed but for the most part quite comfortable with a single layer head to toe thermal gear.  Aid stations were space allot further apart then I am use to but I knew about it before hand so it was a no big deal thing.    I was felling pretty good and moving well through 34K but then I hit a section where all the hills were named ,  Lady's Slipper,  Old Eagle Nest and Cedar Hill.   Named hills are always something to behold and through the 40K mark it was pretty tough going.   Was little dehydrated and under nourished through the final 10Ks was still running 90% of the time but was doing the odd walk to  manage the HR and temps besides I wasn't looking for a time.    I the final K we did a river crossing it was a great way to clean up before wrapping the the run up.      Finished in 7hrs15min in 31 st position out of the 39 finishers.    Had a quick beer and a bit of chilly before heading out.    

Overall it was a great event a must so on next years race calendar.   It was staged from a great venue,  had fantastic volunteers including ample marshals at the important places.
























Garmin results ...
















Garmin elevation profile...
















Splits

16:20.86:20.86:171.0020316:216:175:011591760.9981
28:09.514:307:411.005178:097:415:341411680.8781
38:48.123:198:401.00898:488:407:361381620.8261
47:18.130:377:151.003107:187:155:461431610.9676
58:14.938:528:131.0040--8:158:135:171351610.9076
66:12.445:046:091.009156:126:095:471551641.0486
78:21.453:258:091.0026108:228:096:001401700.8575
85:47.059:125:391.0013--5:475:395:291571631.1084
910:361:09:489:291.0044210:369:295:381261750.7563
1010:571:20:459:051.0022--10:579:057:041121850.8156
117:54.41:28:407:491.0016337:547:493:481401790.9078
127:42.21:36:227:381.0011--7:427:384:041441890.9078
135:52.71:42:155:471.00--115:535:475:021541611.1083
147:09.01:49:247:041.0024--7:097:045:341531590.9289
159:54.71:59:188:271.0043309:558:273:391111810.9170
169:28.62:08:479:061.0016379:299:066:231271780.8372
179:57.42:18:448:461.0017299:578:466:001181790.8571
187:04.92:25:497:011.004--7:057:016:121521630.9377
196:21.42:32:116:151.009--6:216:155:581541611.0287
209:13.12:41:249:111.0033299:139:114:311181720.9273
217:44.72:49:087:421.0027--7:457:425:131351630.9575
228:59.72:58:088:311.008309:008:315:511321820.8472
236:42.23:04:506:371.00466:426:375:051521590.9886
249:24.43:14:159:211.0029109:249:215:541241580.8574
259:02.33:23:178:441.0019269:028:446:021311680.8468
266:55.83:30:136:551.00--116:566:555:551511970.9687
277:12.33:37:257:111.00617:127:115:501461560.9589
288:31.13:45:568:151.0011--8:318:153:061361590.8774
298:49.23:54:458:431.009--8:498:436:301301560.8774
308:20.94:03:068:191.007--8:218:194:551261780.9567
317:50.84:10:577:431.00197:517:435:401281591.0080
328:06.14:19:037:561.005208:067:566:371471700.8472
339:18.64:28:228:471.008--9:198:477:231301560.8360
3412:034:40:2510:171.0019712:0410:177:231061680.7853
3513:224:53:4710:281.0013213:2310:287:581081630.6954
369:59.85:03:479:591.0082610:009:596:411151680.8762
3714:085:17:5510:481.00251214:0710:486:44931680.7653
3810:405:28:359:551.0092410:409:557:381251590.7557
398:03.35:36:387:541.003--8:037:546:281391580.9084
4010:055:46:438:401.0023--10:058:405:511041560.9569
417:09.15:53:527:041.002--7:097:045:541431580.9878
427:41.86:01:347:291.0013147:427:296:111371560.9579
438:14.56:09:498:131.0023148:158:136:411341610.9073
447:36.56:17:257:321.00--267:367:326:231431560.9278
458:49.26:26:148:471.0018--8:498:476:201261580.9066
468:06.76:34:217:441.00--168:077:446:061391780.8981
477:03.66:41:256:551.0013107:046:555:551451590.9879
488:21.16:49:468:161.00--58:218:166:351271580.9471
498:15.26:58:018:091.0013--8:158:095:191361590.8962
508:03.97:06:058:031.00--98:048:035:121371590.9174
519:16.37:15:218:381.0024--9:168:386:191181590.9167
520:10.47:15:310:080.03----6:335:026:191521541.012
Summary7:15:317:15:316:53:2451.03668





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