Thursday, June 28, 2018

Thursday Lunch

5 easy 6:00 Ks followed by an upper body weight routine today on my meal break. 

Tuesday, June 26, 2018

Tuesday Lunch

5Ks @6:00 pace done today on my meal break.  First run since Saturday ...no issues what so ever 100% ready to go again! 

Pure Grit ... I did it!

 Didn't think I would be able to do this one but I did managed to log 52.5 km on the Sawmill Ski Trails in Hepworth on Saturday. 

 It was a roughly 7.5K loop done 7 times.   Great single track course  and I love to loop.   Did 600ml  water,  1 S Cap and 2 race provided Endurance Taps every loop.   The winner of the day was my shoes....first time going long with the Hoka Speed Goat 2's.   The Vibram outsoles rocked in the sandy  terrain,  almost no slip ever.   The shoes had a bit of flex through the midsole so toeing off in the sand was no problem! 

Had super solid splits first 5 laps within a minute of each other at around 54 - 55 min.   Last 2 laps were a bit slower at around an hour each.   Super happy with the consistent  effort. 

Loved the race ,  love that its local and will definelty be back for another do at it next year. 



Friday, June 22, 2018

Run and Lift Friday

5K @ 6:00 pace followed by an upper body weight routine today on my meal break.   Running is going to have to take a back seat for a few days,  more important things to do.   Going to be switching gears next week adding more road and speed in prep for Endure in August. 

Thursday, June 21, 2018

Wednesday, June 20, 2018

Tried to do it!

5K done on my meal break.  Started as a " Heart Run" and as I was closing in on the 2K mark I had to take an important call so the speed work had an abrupt end!

Tuesday, June 19, 2018

Tuesday Lunch

5K @ 6:00 pace done today on my meal break.   Had a good recovery from Niagara I could have the past couple of days but I was too busy with  other things.   All ready for the next 50Ker this Saturday ,   Pure Grit 50K @ Hepworth ... a local race for me! 

Monday, June 18, 2018

The Niagara Ultra 50 km - Saturday June 16, 2018

 Niagara never disappoints ,  its very scenic and super exciting as you approach the Falls but man oh man was it a scorcher!    Wasn't racing it this year running with Patrick Rose.  Aim is to head out at around a 7:30 pace then slow it down 30 sec/k on the way back ... not by choice!   Heading out at 7 am it was already around 20 and humid but there was a cloudy haze and a nice breeze.   As we approached the falls it was at around the 3 hour mark as planned and the last few Ks to the turn around it became sunny.     We took around a 10min break at the falls taking some pictures ,  eating and just taking it in.   Heading out I was drinking  a little bit less then what I should have and did zero nutrition.   Had a little bit of catch up to do but I wasn't overly concerned because the pace was pretty slow.  It would have been a super good day to get to the falls 30 minutes sooner just to beat the warmer temps that we faced in the early afternoon.   If they ever decided to start the race at 6am I don't think they would get a single complaint.    We survived the run back and managed to keep running albeit at a little slower pace then planned but time really didn't matter that day. 

Finished in 6hrs41min29sec good for 115th out of 143 finishers.   Highlight of the day came after the race.  I had just sat down after finishing and this little guy about 3 years old came over to me and touched my on my shoulder.  I had no idea what he said so I asked him if he ran today... he said he did so I gave him my finishers medal.  He ran back to his Mom super excited and showed her she came back and wanted to give the medal back to me but I insisted that it was OK with them I would like him to keep it!

Up next weekend ... pure grit,   a local race for me in running the rolling Sand Dunes in the Pines at the Sawmill Ski trails in Hepworth. 

Pictures courtesy of Patrick Rose.











The night before .... again

Just like like last weeks 50K I headed out Friday Eve and did a little backyard trail the night before another 50K race.   Logged a little 4.8Ks and some hammock time to boot.  It was super slow because of the heat but it was a good " dry run " for Saturdays fun. 

Easy Thursday

A wee bit behind on the blog!   On Thursday at Lunch I did a little 5Ker @ 6:00 pace. 

Wednesday, June 13, 2018

Mixing it up a little

7K Heart Run today on my meal break.   Was only planning easy stuff this week in advance of the Niagara 50K Saturday however I may not be able to make the race. 


Tuesday, June 12, 2018

Tuesday Lunch

Did a little 4Ker@6:00 pace today on my meal break. 

Monday Recovery Run

Lifted at lunch then ran the backyard trail after work logging a slow 5.6k run.   Knees were super stiff Sunday and the left leg was swollen above and below the right knee.   The swelling was down by Monday and it was no problem running slow trail.  Today , Tuesday things are pretty much back to normal.   

Sunday, June 10, 2018

Conquer the Canuck 50K Trail Race - Saturday June 9th, 2018

  Did the 50K Conquer the Canuck 50K Trail Race yesterday.  Last year was a complete blowout ,   death marched the last 8Ks ...not fun.  Needless to say I had a fair bit of trepidation and was looking for redemption!   Last years it was hot ,  really hot and I wasn't acclimatized and didn't pay attention to the important things.  This years forecast was for much more favorable conditions ,  low to mid 20's.     The course is a 8.3 K loop done 6 times and it is super fast with only a few " walking" hills nd at least 2 very fast Ks.     I went out fast last year and things caught up to me ,  this year it was all about an even consistent pace getting enough water ,  nutrition and electrolytes.   I ended up doing 1 gel / loop for a total of 5 gels.  Did a race supplied Endurance Tap ( Maple Syrup ) in the last 2 laps.   I had my stuff set up at the start / finish and this is where I gelled ,  also did an S Cap with every gel ... hadn't done this before but it really worked well.   Did the first lap in 55min42sec,  going forward the goal was to keep every lap under 1 hour trying to average a minimum 7:30 pace throughout the race. 

Avg pace per loop ended up being

Loop #          Pace
   1                 6:39
   2                 6:46
   3                 6:47
   4                 6:48
   5                 6:51
   6                 6:52 

 I found myself pulling  back on the reigns that first 3 laps.  I could have posted a faster day but I really  wasn't interested in playing the fade vs risking the " Death March".

 The race unfolded in a planned ,  calculated manor and was my best effort in the woods this year.    I finished in 5hrs43min compared to last years   6hrs45min.    The race was the " Canadian 50K Championship " so there were a few extra fast runners on the course!   I finished 26th out of the 45 folks who I started with. 

Up next Saturday is one of my favorite races the " Niagara Ultra". 

It was the night before...

Super busy being off last week doing all those things on the very long list of things to do around the house so there wasn't much running done.   I was only doing one day of the Conquer the Canuck this year so I thought a little backyard trail on the eve of the 50Ker would be a good idea besides I always sleep better on the days I run.   I logged 5 laps good for 4.8Ks in the logbook! 

Thursday, June 7, 2018

Tues Wed

Rest day Tuesday ,  getting things done around the house!

6 Laps,  5.6 Ks done on the backyard trail done yesterday afternoon.

Monday, June 4, 2018

Mid 7

Did an easy 10K 6:00 pace then an upper body weight routine this morning on my meal break. 

Sunday, June 3, 2018

Mid 4

Forgot to log it but I did another 5Ker on mid 4 and took a rest day mid 5...lazy! 

Mid 6 , another B.A.M. ...but it was nice

An easy 10K @ 6:00 pace this morning on my meal break.  Did feel like doing it mids and all but I really enjoyed the run everything felt fluid and easy no issues what so ever.   With 3 ultras in the next 3 weekends  the only thing I can do to prepare is to not do too much! 

Friday, June 1, 2018

May 2018 Summary

May    -   228.1 km
YTD   - 1068.6 km

One race done the Seaton 50 km Trail Race.     Running more trail then anything else now still a little lite on the overall Ks but I am doing what I need to do to get to what I have planed on the weekend.   


Breakdown....

27 Runs with 10 rest days ,  lots of 2 run days in the mix.   

Treadmill 13 X   78.5 km 
Trail         14 X 149.6 km 


Wrapping up May 2018 with a little trail!

5.6Ks done on the backyard trail Thursday Evening.   It was super hot ,  30C so it was slow going but very enjoyable.   Wore the Speedgoats for the second time.   I am hoping they are a good go long shoe but I am not sure will be using them in 2 weeks at Shades Mills running the Conquer the Canuck 50Ker.