June Summary

Total for June 267.9K

Includes two races both PBs.....

Dam Trail 1/2 ... 1:38:50 and the Niagara 50K 4:40:11

14C , Rain, Overcast ...last day of June!

16.3K road run this morning. One thing about being a runner is cool wet weather in the summer isn't so bad! Yes I miss the hot weather of last week but it sure is nice for running today. Did my " Townsend Lake " loop , easy at first , picked it up to a couple of quick Ks in the middle , 4:33 and 4:19, then backed off. Covered the distance in 1:30:21 , an avg pace of 5:32. Didn't run Sunday or Monday after my hot 27J LSD on Saturday. It was very awkward starting this morning , right off I had a pain in my upper left chest.... took a few Ks to work it out. Didn't really get into the run until the 3K mark , that was about when it started to rain heavily. Paused and put my ipod in a plastic bag. It took less then a minute but I was slightly chilly when I started back up again .... I don't like stopping! I felt strong throughout the rest of the run , even after the 2K sprint I recovered quick.

Looking forward to Creemore on Saturday. I have been thinking about my race plan. This one is all about going up and down , therefore its going to be all about managing my resources. I will not go out fast , it there is anything left after the first loop I will open it up on the second. A really really good time here would be anything under 6 hours.

Warm LSD

27K LSD done at a 5:38 avg pace today. It was pleasantly warm , 26Cm Sun and a nice dry breeze. From time to time heat became an issue. First 8K was right into a mid day Sun, breeze at my back. It goes without saying that it was a very hit start. 9-12K were in the Durham Conservation area , almost total shade ... I recovered in the park and was able to pick it up a bit heading through town. Lots going on with Canada looming, running through the Ball Park there was a Beer Garden set up . Man was I tempted . When I made it back in the park around 16K it was another opportunity to cool down, Stopped , refilled my water bottle , dumped water over my head and even tuck away a small flask to cool myself with . Going back up the second I had the sun to my left , wind in my face so it was reasonable.... the cooling in the park helped. As I passed the 25K mark I thought to my self if this was Creemore I would just be finishing the first of two loops.... lesson learned , if Creemore is warm be very conservative . Especially on the first loop! Off to Varney with the kids tonight for an evening of stock car races!

A little faster on the trail today

Third consecutive trail day, was able to pick it up to an avg 6:04 pace but it was tough. I though tit would be cooler running today , a front had just passed dumping rain and clearing out the humidity. After the showers it cleared off and was quiet sunny. The sun mad things quiet tropical in the forest... like running in a jungle! Sweat was no effective , it was probably 5-8 C cooler then yesterday but I was just as hot! Time for a dip in the pool and my first meal of the day before I head to work at 4 pm.

29C, 9&1's survival technique!

Did my classic trail run at noon today , it was all about heat...29C and rising! I ran the first 5K then decided to do 9 and 1s for the next 6K. I am working this evening so its time for brunch and a brewski in the pool before I leave in a couple of hours.

Pure Trail = Pure Joy

Back in the saddle today after Niagara , little 11.2 K trail run at a relatively easy pace! Summer is here , 22C and humid to start with Sun and rising temps. Really quiet a nice day for a run. My right knee was a little stiff after Saturdays Ultra, the kind of thing that you just need to run off! Nothing bothered me much today , the quads complained a little and the only time I noticed the knee is when I thought about it. When I got home I moved 30 bundles of shingles from the driveway to the back of the house. 1/3 down , the rest will be moved tomorrow! Going to take a wee break and float around the pool for a bit then its off to the Jays game tonight! Gotta love Summer.......

Niagara 50K OUS Race

The Niagara Ultra was the second 50K event this year! The race was amazing, totally lived up to expectations. It was more scenic then I could have imagined. Niagara on the Lake is beautiful , the race starts at park then it winds its way though the grounds of and old fort then makes it way out of town. You then run past vineyards and very old stately homes. When you enter Queenston you climb the escarpment , at top of the climb you run over the Sir Adam Beck Power Station. As you approach the Falls the " tourist" things start to pop up! The turnaround was just past the top of the falls. There was an aide station there , it was really bizarre because the entire place was void of tourist. Heavy rain and the fact that it was 9:30 am meant the runners owned the Falls! Heading back I was full of optimism, looking forward to taking in more of the constant scenery and enjoying this amazing place that I was running!



The elevation chart tells the story of the race ......





I wasn't sure how I was going to pace this race. I thought about trying to run it at a 5:00 pace to 40K then back off for the last 10 but I as soon as I started I decided to go out easy and then pick it up at the end if there was anything left. Gelled at 45 minutes and refilled my water bottle at the 10K aid station.


0 -10K were done in 53min24 sec


The climb up the escarpment began after the 10K aid station. The majority of the climb was between 11 and 12K , about 100m was gained . It wasn't a hard climb, a fairly easy grade. Gelled again 90 minutes in, finished off my third bottle of water. Stopped at the 20K aid station and filled up again.


10-20K was done in 54min11 sec


Around 20K it started to rain quiet hard. Temperature wasn't an issue , it was a comfortable 17C , almost cool with the rain. The 25K turnaround was just pass the Horseshoe Falls. Ran a couple of Ks at a 5:00 pace. Gelled again at 2hours15min.


20-30K was done in 54min7sec


Refilled the water bottle at the 30K aid station. I was starting to feel a little fatigued. The rain was still coming down quiet hard and I was really beginning to notice the extra weight of the soaked shoes and socks. I did my meal replacement drink early , took it at 2hrs45min instead at the 3 hour mark. I had a bad cramp come on about 15min after the MRD at about the three hour mark. At first I thought it was heart pain but it was in my upper left abdomen. I slowed the pace a concentrated on my form , drank a little more water and in a few minutes the pain subsided. At 38K the escarpment decent began , it wasn't as easy as I had envisioned on the way out! At the bottom of the decent I cramped again , this time it was my lower right abdomen. Slowed the pace again for a few hundred meters until the pain subsided a bit.


30-40K was done in 58min22sec


The last 10K was really hard , the cramps never totally went away and I found that I was loosing form allot. The feet were starting to hurt a bit and I no longer felt like drinking or taking my last Gel. I stopped at the 40K aid station a drank a glass of water. There was a small hill at the 43K mark that I walked up. It felt like I was really slowing down, at the 45K mark I made myself do the last Gel. Usually I dissolve it in my mouth with a bit of water, this time it went down as a blob! The last aid station was at 47K , stopped for water and a momentary breather with the intention of pushing hard for the last 3K to the finish!


40-50K was done in 58min54sec.


The graph of my pace really shows where I started to struggle in the last third of the race....






My chip time was 4:40:11, finished 27th out of 134, 12th out of 35 in the 40-49 category, 32nd out of a total of 95 males.

This is another PB in the 50K distance , this beat my previous best time by 59 minutes. Its hard to compare Niagara to the other Ultra Trail Races , no root , no rocks , only one big hill with a very gentle grade.

I am sure that the Niagara Ultra will be my fastest 50K event of the year!