Friday

 Normal work week done and the so to is the last of 5 5K lunch runs logging one more this morning on my meal break. 

Lunch Run

 5km on my meal break today. 

Mid Week

Another 5 km run on my meal break is in the log today.  

Lunch Run

 5 km the usual way on my meal break today. 

Back to work Monday

 First run since Saturdays 50 ker  done today at lunch.   The 5km was actually pretty easy with the exception of the heat.    Legs were a tiny bit sluggish otherwise everything was 100%...must be doing something right.  Actually I felt so darn good its rather empowering.  

Talley in the Valley Trail Race - Saturday July 24, 2021

 First organized race since January 2020 was done Saturday.   I was registered for the 24 hour race and was surprised a few weeks ago when they announced that the race was a go! I had a super busy 64 hour work week leading up to the race working until midnight the day before.   The race started at 9 am,  I picked up my race bib and was running by around 11:30.    My A goal was to get to 80 km ,  B 50 km and C was stay home.    It was oppressively humid through the afternoon but we got reprieve with an hour or two of light to moderate rain.   The rain was fantastic but afterward the sun came out long enough to bring back the humidity.    Its a 7 km loop done in an average of around 65-70 min.   I gelled and or ate and brought in at least 600 - 700 ml of water each loop.   I was also running to heart rate keeping it in the 130's on the trail and 120's on the 2k rail trail section.  Half way through the run it was impossible to still run and keep the HR in the 120' on the rail trail section so I let it creep into the mid 130's.   That was all about Glycogen depletion and using more O2 to burn body mass as fuel.     I was though the 6 laps / 42 km in about 6.5 hours.   Checked the weather and T Storms and heavy rain were expected in a couple of hours.  Figured I would call it a day after 7 laps/ 49 km because I wasn't going to site out the weather I figured I would loose interest so I grabbed my poles and speed walked most of my final loop.    

So yeah ,  goal B met ...any day I can run 50 km is a good day.  This was my longest run in 13 months so I was pretty happy to get it done. 

Ans now I rest!

 Last of 6 consecutive lunch runs this week logging a leisurely 5 km run around Allan Park again today on my meal break.  Taking a rest day Friday then its go long day at Talley in the Valley on Saturday. 

Race plan ,  an easy 50 km minimum with the stretch being 50 miles.   

Lunch Run

 Cooler today , 20C ... pace naturally picked up and the HR was lower.  One more run tomorrow before taking Friday off ahead of my first Ultra in over 12 months. 

Tuesday

 Another day at work and another 5 km lunch run.  Good thing it was short cause it was hot and the run was over before the body figured out what it was doing! 

Monday

 One more 5ker around APK on my meal break today. 

Lunch Run

 Another 10 km around APK on my meal break today.  

Just for fun I picked up the pace for the 9th of 10 laps running it "fast" at a 5:06 pace LOL.   

Drove the HR from the 130s to 160!   Need to do more of these sorts of intervals just to keep me " speed honest" .

Saturday at work.

 Back to work today logged a warm 10 laps around APK good for 10 km.  

Friday , back to work tomorrow last day of vacation.

 12 laps on the backyard trail followed by a hammock session.  First 6 laps were on my original loop the second 6 laps I ran the extension I added last year.  I was super interested in the elevation profiles. 

First 6 Laps 

Second 6 Laps 

 Adding in the trip to and from the house to the trailhead it was a total of 10.4 km.    The new extension doubles the elevation and slighlty increases the distance...about 400 meter in 6 loops. 

Thursday Trail

 Back home on Thursday,  cleaned the house then did 5 laps/ 4.8 km on the backyard trail.  

Wednesday Bike and Run

 First it was a 18 k bike ....

Second it was a 5 km run on the beach 

The run was super nice on a very crowded beach... always fun.   

Tuesday the 13th

 

5k on the beach at Sauble Tuesday.  The 6th st pavilion has rocks in out into the lake as a result of the high water level last year.  I tried to navigate my way through the rocks and slipped coming down very hard on my right hip.  Thought for sure I did some serious damage it was incredibly painful for the first few moments but I was able to walk it off and do my run.   Have a super large purple bruise as a result. 

Monday...all about the beach!

I was planning a loop at Lions Head but decided to run Sauble Beach instead.  It was a super nice beach day besides Ican run in the forest just about everyday.   Logged a 12 km run on the beach then I did a 5 km Kayak followed by a bike ride to the DQ to replace some calories!  

The past week ... again!

Its been a busy summer especially being off for the past two weeks.    

Sunday July 4th - My recent running partner Dax went back to his family now that they have settled into a new home.  The dog will be back from time to time look forward to future runs with him.   Sunday afternoon I logged 5 laps on the backyard trail good for 4.8 km.  

Monday and Tuesday July 5,6 -  Parked at the SE corner at " Cemetery " and hiked in on the South side of the escarpment spending the night at McKay Harbor then hiked back to the car on the North side then cutting across the forest trail back to the car.    So I covered somewhere around 18 km.  On the weigh out my pack was somewhere around 40 lbs the return was lighter around 30 lbs.  

Wednesday, Thursday and Friday - Fully vaccinated so I headed to London to spend a few days with my Mother.  Both Wednesday and Friday were reset days but I did squeeze on in in London logging 6.8 km along the Thames Valley Trail Medowlilly to Egerton St.   Trails were fantastic the area has changed a ton since I left in 83!

Saturday July 10 - 5 km on the beach at Sauble.  Went late afternoon and the beach was super busy making the run really fun.    

Going long Saturday

  Just a little under 4 hours on the trail Saturday logging 21.5 km on the "Beaver Valley Grahams Hill" loop.  There was a reroute coming down from Eugenia making the loop 0.5 km shorter and a little less elevation.   Was out with Grant again ,   a last minute message Friday thought I would be solo because he usually has plans but as it turned out he was planning to run  there regardless.   We started a little before 8 am finishing up a little before noon. 

June Totals - 1/2 Running Year Done

 What happened to June … probably the same thing as May ,  how time flys.   

June -    213.6 km

YTD -   914.9 km

Breakdown 

Trail 8X 118.6 km

Road 9X 55 km

Beach  5X 40 km 

Rest  Days - 8 

Best month for volume this year with 4 long runs done.   2 of the reset days were a result of the 2 nd covid vaccine but I am pleased to report that I am fully vaccinated.    A pleasant surprise email yesterday from Happy Trails Racing ...game on for Talley and I  am in for the 24 hour event.   

The past week...

25/06/2021  -  Rest day! 

 

26/06/2021 -  5 km on the road at Sauble Beach with Dax.  I was heading out the door to run on the beach but I got those big brown puppy dog eyes staring me down wanting to come along.  There are no dogs on the beach until after labor day so I opted to hit the road with my canine companion.  Headed down Lake Shore to the sign  then looped around to 6th st returning on  Lake Shore.   There was light rain and the occasional thunder as weather was rolling in off the Lake.  

27/06/2021 -  Sunday was a down day ,  felt lazy.   Almost didn't run but managed to fit a 5 km run on the beach before dinner. 

28/06/2021 -  Patrick joined me for a 10 km at 10 am on the beach.  It was foggy and coolish in the mid teens which made the run very pleasant.  

29/06/2021 and 30/06/2021 -  Had my second covid 19 shot after Mondays run with Patrick.  For two days afterwards I had flu like symptoms so running was not going to happen.  

01/07/2021 - Canada Day  - It was a little " get back to running again " 4.8 km on the backyard trail with Dax.   

02/07/2021 - 4.8 km on the backyard trail with Dax.  Got a surprising email yesterday and it looks like my Talley in the Valley 24 hour is a go in 3 weeks ...yes 3 weeks YIKES!   I have been building some volume as of late so I am sort of ready.   I am scheduled to work until midnight the day before and I really have no plans to run for a full 24 hours but I am leaning towards a 50 mile run starting around noon and wrapping up around 3 am.   I really like the 24 hour format,  do what ever you want at your own pace.  Super looking forward to it.  Havent done a long run this week and was going to skip it but  with this race just around the corner its back to Beaver Valley tomorrow for another 22 km loop.