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. 

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 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.   

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".