Late Update of South Huron Run

I have been so busy lately with the family, work and purchasing a new vehicle. The 1999 Ford windstar that we had, had a lot of parts replaced under warranty. Those same parts (transmission, tie rod ends, sway bars, air conditioning, etc.) are starting to break again. It's time to get a new vehicle, a Honda. We pick up a new CRV on Monday. I've noticed that there are some that check the blog out on a regular basis, I am sorry that I have not updated it.

Last Sunday was the South Huron 8km race. I beat last years time by a minute and 26 seconds and almost 10 minutes from 2 years ago. There were 138 people in the race, and it was not that crowded. It is part of the runner's pike series. The south huron trail is a stone chip trail that runs along the ausable river from Exeter to the Morrison. Most of the race is in the shade, but there are a lot of small hills and sharp truns that can slow you down.

The first split was still faster than what I wanted at 3:37. I was hoping to make the first km one of my slowest. One of these days I will really do that. I started to pass some younger ones that started out too hard. Then got into a groove with 3 others just within reach. At about the 3rd kilometer, I caught up and passed one. I never saw him again. I stuck with the other 2 that were very close together. I thought we were going at a good pace, but when I clocked the 4th km at 4:20, I was not impressed. I picked up the pace a bit and passed one of the 2. The 3rd guy also looked at his watch and started to pick up the pace. Eventually between the 4th and 5th kilometer, I passed him. I did not stay there for long. He passed me again very soon after and I couldn't keep up within some of the smaller hills. I can really feel the effects of any hills. That was the positioning from then on in to the finish line. I heard someone behind me around the dreaded hill in the last k, but I kept in front. Once up the hill there is about a 300m flat stretch to the finish line. About half way there, I felt like I was going to puke. It sounds freaky, but at this point in the race, this is how I want to feel. I never second guess my effort when I feel this way. I backed of just a touch to keep the puking under control, then slowly accelerated to the finish line.

Here are the splits:

This years:
3:37.9, 4:01.6, 3:59.7, 4:20.6, 4:04.0, 4:18.1, 4:07.1, 4:14
3:48, 4:02, 4:24, 4:22, 4:22, 4:31, 4:15, 4:22

I was much more consistent last year. I was also running mostly by myself then too.

I am still waiting for the orthotics to come in. Other than the race, I have not been doing any speed or hill work outs. Just base running, stretching and some strengthening. Last week, I still managed to put in 40km in 4 sessions. This week I hope to do 5 sessions again. The shins have been feeling really good, but I am going to wait until the orthotics are in and until I have run with them for a couple weeks, before I increase my mileage.

Right Foot, "I'll fix that"

In the past year I have seen a podiatrist often, my family doctor, a sports medicine doctor and a massage therapist, all for running. Everyone of them has asked "do I feel more pain on shin then the other". After a couple of days there is usually the same amount of pain and inflammation in the shins. However, when the problem was there and when I ran, there is usually a little more pulling in the right shin. Also, the therapists have noticed that when I walk my right leg is a little awkward or different. I have noticed that when I run, the right foot seems to land a little harder. Also, my right hamstring usually acts up before the left one. After the cast was taken, Robert noticed that the big toe of my right metatarisal, in the neutral position, is quite high. High enough that he could fit a pen under it and probably a second one. The left was only a couple of mm higher. That part will be fixed. They should be in 2 weeks from Tuesday. Oh ya, he also the first one to mention getting a compartment syndrome test done. If the orthotics don't work that will be my next avenue.

something unexpected did happen this week. I was able to finish my plan without any pain in the shins. The MSM and the eggs right after my run seem to be doing the job or it could be the slower running. It could also be, as I think Lydiard has said "it's everything".

Here are the results from last week:
S: 9.87k in 53:30, 5:25/km chip trail
M: 9.19k in 51:02, 5:33/km chip trail
T: off (leg exercises and stretching twice)
W: 13k in 1:12, 5:31/km pavement and 1k of grass (very hot and humid)
T: 8.98k in 48:40, 5:25/km pavement (very hot and humid)
F: off
S: 10.48k in 53:58, 5:09/km chip trail, includes a 3k marathon pace in 14:03

Total of 51.53km in 4 hours and 40 minutes

I felt so good yesterday that I decided to pick up the pace and do an M pace or higher aerobic workout. I used the 4th, 3rd and 2nd k markings of the race on the trail. I found it difficult to lock on to the pace with splits of: 4:50, 4:33, and 4:40. I started to wonder about a marathon, and thought man those guys that run the marathons have to be well disciplined to not get caught up in to the action and run at the level were you are exerting yourself just tiny bit but not too much. With the 5 and 10k races, I find that you go out at a certain pace that is hard, and it is just below your max and kind of hold on. Maybe it was just the day and I could not pace it right, I don't know. But I can't imagine running a marathon with such fluctuations. What type of runner am I? I have been asking myself that question ever since Robert asked me that last week.

This weeks plan:
S: 9k easy
M: 11k easy with some strides
T: off
W: 13k easy
T: 9k easy with some strides
F: off
S: 9k easy