Night LSD

I am working the night shift this week. Part of the recurring ritual is to adjust sleep patterns before hand. Lat night at midnight I headed out for an LSD , how long or how far not really known but I was hoping to go out for three hours or so. I live in a very dark area, the nearest street light is 9km from home! I dawned my head light , Ipod, Garmin and a pocket full of GU and my new

Nathan X Trainer Mutation.....

I love my hand held but there are times when I would rather not carry a bottle. I have tried various fanny packs but I didn't like the bounce. Nathans new belt lives up to its claim details here ....http://www.nathansports.com/our_products/hydration_nutrition/x_trainer_mutation.html

I was fully loaded when I headed out , I addition to the Water Bottle I had a 4 AA Battery Pack in the Mesh Pocket. Starting out I did notice small bounce but after the first K the Belt found a comfortable position around my waste and I never knew it was there for the next 26 km. The bottle was easy to remove and replace. You can adjust the tension holding the bottle , I had it loose and never had any issues with it staying in place.

The night was cold, -2C for early May but it was very still ...not a whisper of a breeze. I headed down the 2nd towards Durham. This was the second time I used my headlight. It provided lots of light in the diffuse mode. I passed by a Cemetery at the end of the 2nd, it was rather ghostly as the frost was just forming on the grass and it was really blotchy .... white images cover the ground. I knew I was in for a treat , LSD combined with the dark was sure to produce some interesting moments. At 9K I drop into the Durham Conservation Area, its a camp ground on the North side of the Saugeen River. Next up was a little Ipod magic , as I was making my way through the park on came Pink Floyd's " Run Like Hell "... the Lyrics made me pick up the pace a bit....

"Run, Run, Run, Run, Run, Run, Run, Run, Run, Run, Run, Run, Run, Run, Run, Run.You better run all day And run all night."

OK, that was exactly what I had in mind ..... sweet !

Next up was crossing the bridge at Mc Gowan falls , there are large high intensity flood lights aimed at falls and bridge. The bright light was illuminating a cloud of mist caused but the water thundering over the falls. Running through sleepy Durham was really cool , literally. The street lights illuminated the way , there no traffic or signs of anyone stirring at 1:00 am. I was beginning to feel a bit chilled , the Shell was pined against my fleece lines top , being wet from sweat it conducts heat out rather well. The hands were getting cold too , I remember pulling my thumbs back in out of the gloves to warm them. Crossing the Dam at the lower bridge I noticed that the mist was turning into snow... brr! Gelled while I was in town , it really seemed to pick me up, had a new lime flavoured GU ... really yummy but and with the cold it had the consistency of soft ice cream!

Heading out of Durham I made my way back through the park and back into the dark. I really had some GI issues , lots of pressure ! The park has washrooms but I was to afraid of catching a big chill to stop do I decided to tough it out. Headed back up the second , was feeling very chilled decided to Gel again ... this really helped. This stretch of the LSD is not my favorite part of the run , tonight would be different! After the Gel I picked up the pace , the tummy was settled and I just got into an nice smooth stride for the next 5K. It rocked , I was a running machine on cruise control. I started to swing the arms more , much more ... the cold went away! The increased arm swing was awesome , I was finally warming up a bit. 5K from home I was startled by a "Fire Ball " straight over head , it was bright white and blue light with a luminescent tale that lasted for a few seconds. The fire ball was in line with the way home , it was like a trail marker.... this way home. One more interesting thing harped , with about 3K to go there was a reflection from the woods. At first I thought it was a reflector then one bright yellow light became 2 then the yellow lights started to follow me ..... the eyes were set apart more then a human . The light seemed to emanate from theses Devilish Eyes ... gave me the shivers and I carried on wondering what creature of the night that I had just encountered!

I wanted to stretch it out to 3 hours but when I was a couple of Ks from home the GI thing started to act up allot , very painful so I cut it short!

So I managed a 27.56K +500/-496m run at an LSD pace of 5:48/K total time 2 hours 40 minutes. My recovery was an hour in the hot tub with a cool bear under the full moon..... cant wait to do it all over again .. maybe on a warmer night.

Trillium 10K Race

This was my fifth consecutive Trillium Run and the first time that my Wife and any of my 5 children tagged along. To top it off Carrie did the 5K Walk , Noah did the 5K Run. The weather was really iffy, race time was 09:30 am we left home at 08:20 and it was pouring rain with a bit of Thunder. We arrived in Mount Forest around 08:50, it was still raining but had let up a little. Most of the post race activity was getting Noah registered and picking up race kits and chips! Before I knew it we were out the door watching the 10K in line skaters head out. The rain had stopped and the temp was about 13C , overcast and almost no breeze but the air was really heavy. Moments after the skaters were off they called the 10K participants to the line.....

The race plan was 4K at 4:30, 3K at 4:15 and the final 3K at 4:00. I started out running with with Frank from the run clinic and Anne from Hanover. Both had sub 45:00 goal and the plan was to pace then through the first few K's . The start was uneventfully , trying not to go out too fast was the goal and it was done in 4:19. At the 1K marker there was a photographer and Anne was hamming it up and reminded me to smile! I was feeling pretty good through 2K but I knew we were going out a little too fast . I tried to slow down a bit but the 2nd K as done in 4:20. I was in stride with Anne through 3K , Frank was right on our tail. A few runners blew by us between 2 and 3K . I thought to myself that these guys were going to break 42:00 or I was going to catch them at the later stages of the race. The 3rd K was done in 4:26 , Anne dropped off the pace and I had no idea where Frank was but I knew he wouldn't be far behind. I naturally dropped pace and the 4th K was done in 4:27 , this was good. The 5th K was starting to get hard , this was where my wheels fell off in the last 10K a year ago and I was beginning to doubt I could pick it up to the planned 4:15 pace , finished this K in 4:22 7 seconds off but I had some time in the bank so it was OK. The 6th K I passed one of the guys that blew by me earlier , my breathing and heart rate were pegged. I was really beginning to feel it but I kept thinking about executing my race plan on the treadmill and how I had waves of feeling like I couldn't followed by moments of its OK I can do this , 6th K was done in 4:18. Now I was slowly closing on 2 more runners that had passed me earlier , they were sticking together ... I thought about tucking in behind them and following but I seemed to close on them quickly so I went by. I had a vision of them passing me later on, the rest of the race I never looked back but I was sure I could hear their foot strikes not to far behind. The 7th K was done in 4:19, now the plan was to pick it up to a 4:00 pace for the last 3Ks! I just didn't have the 02 to do it , I felt that he legs would carry me but when I pushed things started to go black so I had to back off . My new plan was to hold my 4:20 pace for the next 2Ks and then push hard on the the finish. There was one other runner that I though I could catch and it seemed like I was closing on him. 8th K was done in 4:17... the new plan was working, now to push hard for the next 2K. There was a bit of a hill in the 9th K , a 10m gain over 500m. Normally I wouldn't have noticed that sort of incline but the 02 was red lining and I had no choice but to slow the pace a bit , the 9th K was done in 4:26. I was a bit bummed at this point because I knew I would not achieve a 42:XX finish. I seemed to have closed to within 30m of the guy I was trying to pass, my push in the last K was to try to catch him. The last K was by far the toughest, I pushed hard and ended up with a 4:07 pace but I didn't manage to catch the fellow in front but he made for an awesome target! Best thing about crossing the finish was hearing Noah yell out "DAD", I didn't see him but hearing him yell out was a moment I will always remember!

9 2423 Ronald Irwin 43:30 LM40-49 3/10 8 4:21 43:29 Durham

I finished 9th out of 59 participants , 3rd out of 10 in the Masters Division in a Chip Time of 43:29. This was a new PB for me , my previous best 10K was 44:51 set in 2007 at the Trillium Run.

Noah rocked , actually he ran! He is a 9 year old that cant stop moving and it served him well!

138 4177 Noah Bertrand 33:13 SM-9 2/2 54 6:39 33:13 Durham

Noah finished 2nd in his age group out of 2 runners. He was glowing on the podium getting his medal. I am very proud of his accomplishment!

The day was a first for my Wife Carrie! She was really surprised by the support of fellow runners and walkers and was totally blown away be the folks standing on their front laws cheering everyone on. Carrie shared the day with a friend from work , this was a first for Vivian too. Carrie told me about a really cute moment that they had .... the were strolling along when suddenly Vivian was totally disgusted by a mess of paper cups that were on the road , she commented to Carrier " who would ever leave such a mess....." , my wife was quick to point out that it was an aid station and you grab a quick drink and discard the cup on the road. Like an experience pro Vivian grabbed a glass , took a swig and threw it down....cute!

11 901 Carrie Bertrand 47:35 WALKF 6/25 6 9:31 47:34 Durham

Franks and Anne had great finishes , I watched and cheered as they both crossed the line. The look of pain of Franks face said it all , he was giving it 110%!

14 2448 Frank Vander Meulen 45:31 LM40-49 4/10 12 4:34 45:30 Durham

15 2456 Anne McClitche 45:40 LF30-39 2/6 3 4:34 45:39 Hanover

We are all ready planning our next family event... Saturday August 8, 2009 the 2nd Annual Colleen Lantz Memorial Run 4 Youth in Neustadt Ontario! http://www.run4youth.ca/. This will be my first 5K ever. Who knows , I may be able to coax a couple of more of my children to participate!

Run Clinic

5.6 K with the run clinic this evening. Lots of folks are going to be in Mount Forest on Saturday for the Trillium Races , lots of excitement building. I am really excited because my wife Carrie will be coming along. She is doing the 5K walk.

Easy Trail Today

OK, I have to admit I really didn't know what to run today , road/trail/tempo/easy! There is always something that occurs that makes my mind up for me. As I was staring out the window a truck went by and there was a massive cloud of dust... they graded the road yesterday! OK that was easy I was taking it to the trail!

I did my "classic trail run" today , 11.19 km. I didn't want to go out hard with the 10K road race on Saturday so I decided to run it like I was doing a 50k Ultra. My goal was a 6:30 pace ... I tried to keep it nice and easy with the exception of 3 sprints of a 200m on the short road sections at a 4:30 pace. Now the really cool part is that I didn't look at the avg pace, only glanced at the current pace when I did the sprints and my Garmin reported a 6:27 pace!

Tomorrow I have my 5K Run Clinic , should fit well! Friday I think I will do a few easy Ks with a couple of sprints to race speed.

Executing Saturdays 10K Race Plan

I am working Evenings this week, last night at 11pm I jumped on the treadmill to give my race plan a try. Did the first 4K at a 4:30 pace , I really felt like I was cruising the breathing was good and the effort was easy. AT 4K I ramped it up to a 4:15 pace , I held this for 3K. it wasn't too bad but I was breathing heavier and there were moments of I am not sure I can keep this pace but I kept pushing. At 7K I ramped it up to a 4:00 pace, this was definitely pushing the 02 Max and the HR was pegged but again I had more moments of you cant do this followed by brief intervals of its alright. The last 500m I picked it up to 15.5 kmh then 16.0 kmh then crossed the line with 42:38 on the clock. This is the fastest I have ever run 10K , a few times before I broke 44:00 on the treadmill and my race pb is 44:51. Its a given that I will break 45:00, how close I get to 42:XX I am not sure.

3 Hour Trail Run Sunday

Sunday was my "long run" day. Originally I planned on hitting the road for a nice relaxing 3 hours however there was a wicked cool wind so I decided to take shelter and hit the trails. I didn't worry about pace or distance just have a little fun and go for the designated time. I did my whole run never being further then 5K from home. In keeping with my theme I didn't have any particular route in mind , just followed my whims. Started out trying a new trail just South of the Rocky Saugeen 700m from home. Headed West on what turned out to be a trail to nowhere so I headed back towards where I entered and then crossed the 2nd and headed on a different trail east parallel to the river. After a K of nicely groomed tractor trail I dropped down to the river bank and started following a Dear Trail. No running for more then a K , walking was tough ... large boulders cover in moss , lots of down trees and some real muddy sections. To my left was the river , to my right 30 meter limestone cliffs. I knew I would meet up with a trail that I ran the day before but there was one catch, had to cross the Saugeen River. Its fast flowing with a rocky bottom and only knee deep but man was it cold. The crossing was about 100m wide but it felt like my legs were turning blue. After the river crossing I was on a familiar trail except I was going the opposite way ... weird , seemed like a whole new trail. Looped around almost back to the second then headed into a Saugeen Valley Conservation Authority Forest. Ended up running across the rear of my property crossing the 2nd then heading into another SVCA forest , looped around the back of my neighbours property . I keeping with my theme I choose a route that I avoid until August because it so wet. I blasted right though the mud/water and found it much easier then going around, as a matter for fact I was having a blast! I was 1:55 in and took a brief stop at home for a refill of water and some fresh made chocolate chip cookies .... YUM. It was good to try something this solid! Heading back out I was COLD , I hate stopping. It took a few Ks to warm back up! Throughout this run I was trying to manage the heart rate and breathing to feel comfortable and like I could go forever. There were times when the chest felt tight and I couldn't get enough 02 , I just backed off until I felt comfortable. I was also considering that the cool breeze that I caught now and again may be responsible for the heavy chest felling... lots of warmer weather running ahead I guess I will get my answer soon! For the last hour I headed out behind my house East towards the baseline , again taking trails I haven't run before . Came out near Grey Rd 12 and the Baseline crossed 12 and continued North until I hit another SVCA property. Did a 4 K loop on the trail , saw a Turkey hunter so I made lots of noise so he could tell where I was ..... I wasn't about to be mistaken for a bird! When I came of the loop it was 3K to home on a gravel road, with the exception of two steep hills that I walked I opened it up to a 5:00 pace. Today I am feeling a little tired , working at 4pm so I think I will take it inside for a fast 10K getting ready for Saturdays Trillium Run.

On the Trail Again

Just a little 11.2K +683/-677m trail run this evening before dinner. This was my first local trail run of the season. Up until mid April there was too much snow, when it melted I was doing Seaton then a week later Waterloo. Went out hard , legs told me so after a few Ks. I was doing Fire Wood all day so it probably didn't help with the run. The chest felt heavy, 02 was art a premium. It was kind of cool. 10C and lots of wind. Highlight of the run was scaring an Owl out of its roost. Its not often that you get to see these magnificent creatures so close. More fire wood on the books tomorrow, does that count as cross training? I may hit the trail again for a couple of loops but more then likely I will do an LSD 25-30K at an easy pace!