Monday Backyard Trail

 Nice and warm ,  29C Monday perfect for looping the backyard trail + hammock session.   4.8K logged! 

Warm BV

 21.3 km logged today doing th Beaver Valley Loop.  It was relatively warm , 23C with humidity.   Not quite use the that yet.   Started a little underhydrated and never caught up making the last 7km unpleasant.  

I drank 2.5l of water and took 3 S Caps ...usually well enough but not today!    I  was sweating heavily ,  lots of salt stains after the clothes dried.     

Mid 7

 12K logged,  10K @ 7:00 pace then a 2K walk.  

Weigh in 175 lbs

Mid 5 and 6

3K and 5K walks the last two mornings.  

Mid 4 5@4

 5k@4am this morning. 

Mid 3

 3K walk late in my shift this morning.

Mid 2

 5.5 K at a mostly 7:00 pace on my meal break this am. 

Mid 1

  Nights again this week!  Logged a 3.5k walk on my first shift. 

Pure Grit 6 Hour Trail Race - May 3, 2025 - Hepworth, Ontario

 First race of the season is in the books running the Pure Grit 6 Hour at the Sawmill Cross Country trails on Saturday.   It was a chilly morning , 3C ,  no wind ,  no sun either.   Dressed in a long sleeve tech T ,  wool gloves, shorts with light running pants over them.  

 Had the pleasure of running with Patrick and Raj.  Stuck with them for 4 laps they were doing the "30K" race.   I went on to do one more lap officially credited with 37.5K on the day however the course was short and it was probably around 30K.     I finished my last loop at 5h14min.  I wanted to go out for a partial loop however it was " how ever many loops you can get done in 6 hours"...no problem!    I did however did a cool down 2K walk brining the days total to 32K ,  longest run this year!   

 Love the small local races ,  came in 3rd overall in the 6 hour race.   The kicker .... only 6 were registered and one no show! 

None the less I picked up a bottle of wine and a chocolate bar for my result!

Garmin Data 

 I did around 500 ml of water / loop about 2.5l all together.   The success of the day was fueling with Maple Syrup shots....it worked extremely well!  

 Up next in 3 weeks is my one and probably only 50K of the year the Great Mansfield...only a couple of long runs away.   

Lunch Walk

 3k  walk on my meal break this eve.   6 hour race Saturday 

S M T W

 Sunday - Rest ,  was in London visiting family

Monday - 3K walk on my eve meal break

Tuesday - Didn't make it to the Gym

Wednesday -  5 K @ 7:00 pace on my  meal break 

Cold and wet BV

 20.8 km logged doing my Beaver Valley Grahams/Eugenia/Hoggs loop today with Patrick.  

It was 3C, windy and wet but that didn't stop us from getting out today. 

I had a shell on for the first 30 minutes I was getting hot so I tied it off around my waste.   Wore a hat , long sleeve tech T and tights...about right for the conditions.

After last weeks spring warm up I was keen to get back on the trail ahead of next weekends 6 hour Pure Grit race.  

She was slow and steady all day 

Finished with a smile,  a little wet, a little cold and a whole lot hungry. 

Friday

 3K walk today on my meal break. 

And Thursday

 5K @ 7:00 pace again today on my meal break.  

Spring Warm Up Picture

 

Tuesday and Wednesday

 5K each day at 7:00 pace

Walk

 3K walk after a busy weekend.  

Outrace Spring Warm Up - Mansfield Ont - April 19 2025

 22.3 km logged  on the trails adjacent the Mansfield outdoor center.  We super lucked out ,  temperatures started in the high teens ending in the low teens and no rain.  

About and hour in I took the shirt off.  I  was wearing my Salomon ADV Skin 12 pack.   I can put allot of stuff inn it and was prepared for rain or the temperature to drop.  Luckly I didnt have to call on any of its content during the event.  The Garmin ( on my wrist ) temperature graph tells the story.

It was a slow pace but I was 100% A OK with that...relentless forward progress. 

 The original venue was Dunedin,   a course I am very familiar with and quite fond of.   Due to an Ice Storm a couple of weeks ago the Bruce Trail was closed.    The new venue was the forest adjacent the Mansfield Outdoor center.  I ran a 50k there a couple of years ago and will be doing it again in another 6 weeks.   We had a fair bit of rain the night before the race I was expecting mud but there wasn't any...very well drained sandy soil.   The trails were beautiful to boot and wihout leaves you could see a long ways.   

Raj was along for the ride and did very well.  We started with the 12K loop upon completion we decided another 8K was enough timing the arrival of the Pizza.   Around 4K in we came across a fellow doing the same as us however he made a wrong turn or was lead astray by some confusing flagging.   Coming back we came to the second 8K or 12K junction and decided to follow the 12K loop knowing it would end at the start/finish.   This added a couple of Ks to our day and that was really nice.   

Up next in 2 weeks is the 6 hour Pure Grit.   Hoping to get out to BV for a loop or two between no and then. 

I really wasnt sure what to expect I havent run any trails since December and my longest run this year was 12 km on a treadmill.   I have been  very busy doing firewood and skiing both very good cross training for running.   

Good Friday

 Working today ,  4K walk on my meal break.  Season opener tomorrow doing the Outrace Spring Warm Up.  

Thursday Run

5K lunch run Thursday 

Lunch Walk

 3K walk on my meal break today 

Lunch Run

 5K @ 7:00 pace again today on my meal break. 

Reset

 5K @ 7:00 pace on my meal break today.   Haven't been running but been super busy...cross training doing wood! 

April 7 and 8

Logged a 5k @ 7:00 pace on Monday and Tuesday evening on the treadmill  after work.  

Lunch Run

 5K walk on my meal break today.  

Lunch Run

 12K today on my meal break.  Ran 10K @ 7:00 pace followed by a 2K walk.    Found the lungs were a bit heavy towards then end of the run I am still a little congested.   

Back at it ...again!

 5K 7:30 pace today on my meal break.  Feeling much better now ,  not quite 100%.  

Mid 5, 6 and 7

That was unexpected,  came down with a classic head cold on Mid 5.    Mid 6 really sucked I was fevered the majority of the shift.   This was suppose to be the week that I started to build some volume...didn't happen.   

Mid 5 - 5K  Walk

Mid 6 - No Gym

Mid 7 - 5K Walk 

Mid 4

 Better this morn,  5K @7:00 pace early on my shift this morning. 

Mid 3

 5K the unusual way.   Started running at 5am ,  got 2K in at the 7:00 pace then geared it down to a walk for 3K...weird run! 

Mid 2

 3K walk,  too tired to run. 

Mid 1

 5K the usual running on yet another pair of new Stenson's.    Time to build volume requires some new kicks! 

Vancouver Runs

Wrapped up the Ski season with a trip to Whistler last week.   5 days of powder skiing made for some really good "Ultra" training.  

Ran 5K on a treadmill at the Westin on Sunday March 16. 

Ran 5K in Stanley Park on Monday March 17. 

Skied Tuesday March 18 through Saturday March 22.     There was powder , lots of powder making.   Skiing day after day after day my  Fitbit " readiness score " dropped and my resting heart heart rate went up every day...can you say over training!      Over the next few days the heart rate will drop back to normal again! 

Walk 3

 Feeling a bit better but still fighting off something.   Decided on yet another walk logging 5K again.   

Same but better!

 5K walk ,  still feeling a bit under the weather.   

Walk

 Feeling a wee bit like a bug may be catching up with me.  Most likely I just need a good days sleep.   Defaulted to a 3K walk on my meal break and I feel better after then before so all is well! 

Almost

 Almost walked ...pretty tired this eve.   When I got on the treadmill I started to walk but quickly decided I needed a run and I am glad I did logging a 5K @ 7:00 pace.  

Back to work

 Had a normal 2 day weekend and today I am back working Evenings.  Logged my usual 5K on my  meal break. 

12=10

 Working another 12 today so I was able to log another 10K this week ... same pace. 

Shorter day

 Only an 8 hour shift today logging my usual 5K on my meal break. 

Longer

Working a 12 hour shift today so I had a longer meal break logging a 10K at a 7:00 pace. 

Tuesday

 5K again today! 

Monday

 5.5K @ 7:00 pace today on my meal break

Missed Thursday

 Logged another 5k on Thursday too! 

Friday

 5th and final work day of the week  brought on my 5th 5K at lunch today...good enough! 

Lunch Run

 5K @ 7:00 pace again today 

Longer

 5.3K at a 7:00 pace today on the treadmill at work.  

Monday

 5K @ 7:00 pace today on my meal break. 

Walk

 Tired today after 3 consecutive evenings of pushing snow around.   Logged 4K walk on my meal break today. 

Same

 Same 6K as yesterday.  

Lunch Run

 8 hour shift today ,  logged a 6K on my meal break. 

Sunday

 3K walk today on my meal break.  Stayed up too late watching the hockey game! 

Saturday

 10K @ mostly 7:00 pace today on my meal break. 

Slow start to February

 Only 2 runs this month so far but thats about to change.  I was away on a European Ski trip leaving on the 1st returning on the 10th.  

I did manage one small 5K on Feb 5 running up and then down a mountain road after a full ski day  in Mirabel , France...3 Valleys 

Today I am back at work and logged a 5K @ 7:00 pace on my meal break.  

January Totals

 January 2025 - 103.4 km 

The month ended better then it started.   The first almost 2 weeks in February will not see much running I will be travelling.    

Breakdown 

Rest X 12

Run 15 X 95 km ,  all on the treadmill at work

Walk 2 X 6 km

Snow Shoe 1 X 2.4 km

Friday

 6K the usual way this eve ,  my last run of Jan 2025 

Thursday

 6K the same way as the rest of the week. 

Wednesday Evening

 6K the same as Monday and Tuesday

Tuesday Eve

 Another 6K the same as yesterday. 

Monday Eve

 Sunday sucked , no break too busy!  Today I logged 6K,  5K@7:00 pace then a 1K walk. 

Saturdays 12

 23 hour shift today the longer lunch allowed me to do a 10K run at a mostly 7:00 pace.  

December 2024 Summary and 2024 Year End Recap

 December - 96 km

YTD          - 1390.6 km 

2024 total Ks logged ….

1390.6 km 

Now that was a pretty light running total.   Volume has been dropping over the past few years mostly because the furthest I  strive for now is 50 km.     I did however log 1 50K Ultra,  Niagara and 2 Marathons ,  Endur and Run the Edge.    I more of less expect 2025 to be similar to 2024 concentrating more on local events.  I am already signed on for the 50K at Mansfield and the 42.2 at Beaver Valley and will pick up some shorter local events throughout the season.    

December Breakdown 

Treadmill 17X = 96 km

Rest  13 X  ( 4 rest days occurred skiing Whistler at the beginning of the month.   

Lunch Run

 5K @ 7:00 pace today on my meal break. 

Back at work.

 First day of a 9 day stretch at the office after a 5 day weekend.  

Logged a 5K @ a mostly 7:00 pace.  

Friday

 7K logged this eve ,  6L @ 7:00 pace followed by a 1K walk. 

Same

 Did the same 6K run as the past 2 days.  

Mid Week

 6K the same way as yesterday 

Faster

 6K tonight on my meal break.  5K @ 7:00 pace followed by a 1K walk.  

Monday

 5K lunch run ,  mostly 7:30 pace however I through in 1/2 at a 6:00 pace and it felt ridiculously fast. 

Better

 Had a laid back day ,  sleeping a little more and taking it somewhat easy.   I was able to get a run in on my meal break this evening logging a 5K @ 7:30 pace.  

Not what I planned

  3K walk , intended on a Run but my lower back suddenly went into spasm while I was standing talking to a co worker.   I hurt myself skiing last Friday and have a compression injury to my right rib cage.    Its painful to sneeze / cough / blow my nose and sleeping is a bit painful.    My lower back pain probably has something to do with my compression injury.    I may have to lay low for a few days before I can run again ... will try tomorrow eve. 

Tired after skiing.

 It was a powder day ....I am tired.   Logged a 3K walk on my meal  break this eve. 

Lunch Run

 5K @ 7:30 pace this eve on my meal break. 

Happy New Year

 Not much happening yet this year.  

Jan 3 ,  first snowshoe..2.4 km of breaking trail on the backyard trail

Jan 6, back to work logging a 5K @ 7:30 pace.