On Thursday my shins were starting to hurt. I stopped at 1.5km into the run. They were very sensitive to the touch as well.
Friday, I had an appointment to get another structural integration massage. I learnt a new way to stretch the shins. The therapist also asked me about my diet. I told him what I eat when I am in Toronto;
- gatorade during and after the run
- bran cereal in the morning with yogurt
- banana and 4 other fruits
- spaghetti with meat balls or stir fry or left overs from the weekend for lunch and supper
- large salad with green leafy lettuce
- bagel
- toast with honey
- one or 2 coffee's
Too many carbs. I think the biggest difference I can make is to get rid of the bran for breakfast. The purpose of the bran is to suck all the fats and crap out of your body to help rid it of cholesterol and stuff, which is what I was told to do when I had high cholesterol. Do I need to do that now? I don't think so. I need all those fats and proteins to help rebuild the muscle tissues, especially after a run. I am going to start having Vector cereal after wards with an egg and piece of toast.
He also suggested that I use a supplement called MSM to reduce the inflammation and help in the re-construction of the connectivity tissues. I went to the local pharmacy and found one with clucosamine and MSM in it. The clucosamine is suppose to help with connectivity tissues. I'll give this a try as well. I also need to cut out the coffee they could be influencing the adrino gland which releases anti-inflammatory substances.
After a few e-mails with my podiatrist, I am finally getting orthotics. They may not be the answer to all the problems, but I can't leave this stone unturned. I hate going out for a run and thinking "could these help? Could I increase my mileage more with them? If I don't have them, will I end up repeating the same thing that happened last winter? " It drives me crazy. If they will help reduce the chances of my shins getting sore after increasing the mileage, then great. If anything it should give me peace of mind. My goal is to get to 60k without any shin problems. It's fairly simple right now. Once I hit that milestone I can figure out what races I really want to run. Along the way, I may go into a couple races, but I don't expect much out of them, it is more for fun.
Here is my running break down for the past 2 weeks starting July 16:
S: 12.76k in 1:11:48 at 5:37/km AM
M: 8.73 including a 3k M pace in 13:35 or 4:31/km
T: off
W: 5.25k in 28:12 or 5.25/km on the grass
T: off
F: 11.6k, with 5k race in 19:27,
S: 4.45k in 36:36, with my youngest son on the trail
Total 43km
S: 10.27k in 1:00:52, at 5:55/km on the trail (first 10 minutes with Donna)
M: off
T: 9.11k in 48:38, at 5:20/km, on a paved trail in Scarborough
W: 13.13k in 1:11:20 at 5:26/km, on same trail with some grass running
T: 1.5k, stopped due to sore shins
F: off structural integration massage
S: 10.72 in 57:14 at 5:20/km, on chip trail
This weeks plan:
S: 10k easy (51 minutes or more)
M: 9k easy (47)
T: Off
W: 13k L easy (some grass) (68)
T:9k easy (47)
F: off
S: 10k easy with strides (51)
Sunday, July 30, 2006
Monday, July 24, 2006
Easy runnin' for the week
I signed up for another race. This one is the home town one and I can't miss it. Usually I just sign up and don't give any donations, but I felt good about giving a donation this time. After all it's for the trail. My family uses it all the time.
I wonder if I should be concentrating on my training rather than any races at this time though.
This weeks plan:
S: 10k easy (51)
M: Off
T: 9k easy (47)
W: 13k L easy (some grass) (68)
T:9k easy (47)
F: off
S: 10k easy with strides (51)
I moved my long run to Wednesday. All the races I have ever run in have been on the weekends. Therefore, I thought that it would be a good idea to place a quality run on the Saturday. I think Ken mentioned this to me many months ago. Next week, I will run on the Monday instead of the Tuesday, so that my long run comes after a day off.
I wonder if I should be concentrating on my training rather than any races at this time though.
This weeks plan:
S: 10k easy (51)
M: Off
T: 9k easy (47)
W: 13k L easy (some grass) (68)
T:9k easy (47)
F: off
S: 10k easy with strides (51)
I moved my long run to Wednesday. All the races I have ever run in have been on the weekends. Therefore, I thought that it would be a good idea to place a quality run on the Saturday. I think Ken mentioned this to me many months ago. Next week, I will run on the Monday instead of the Tuesday, so that my long run comes after a day off.
Saturday, July 22, 2006
The Fun Begins....
I've forgotten how hard it is to keep a fast pace over an extended period of time. Here is my pace of the race:
Way too fast at the beginning?
I am going to make an excuse here and say that the crowd was really pushy. I was around smaller and what appeared to be slower runners that were really pushing me around. I thought these people are just going out way too fast. For a split second I remembered the wrong thing. The first km in other races usually set up the finishing positions. Then I sped up to get into position and show these people that I am not to be pushed around. Oops... At the corner before a downhill portion, I saw Ken pass me. I knew then that I was going too fast for sure. I felt OK though, the legs were moving fast, the breathing was not yet heavy. Then, I was neck and neck with someone who I've always wanted to either beat or just race with. We were going down the final stretches of the downhill portion, about 480m of downhill in total, and entering into the park path. I passed him to get around some slower people and then he gave this burst of speed that I tried to keep with. I just couldn't match it. I tried to keep close to him. Some other people passed me and I lost it. At about the half way point, the race was an out and back, I started to have trouble with my stride. I could no longer keep it fast and short. I would slow down and realize it, try to pick it back up a little and couldn't keep it for long. A few people passed me up the hill on the way back, then I turned the corner for the final flat stretch to the finish line (about 250m). I ran faster, but I just couldn't dig deep. I may have passed one or 2 and one or 2 passed me. I was breathing very heavy and feeling faint at the finish line.
Then I look at this (in mile pace) my last 250m was fast. Could I have tried a little harder from the half way point? I hate second guessing myself like this.
My official time was 19:29. Not bad considering that last year I ran it 20:31 with more preparation. I.e. No injury recovery period.
Was it above my lactate threshold at the beginning and I was doomed from then on? Would I have run a better time if I would have run a 3:35 or 3:40 /km at the start? Could this be an indication of where I could get to? Could I get to sub 18 by September?
I think it is best to continue with the remaining 6 weeks of my training plan. At the end of that period I need to figure out a goal to set. When, where and at what distance. The fall season is fast approaching and I can't fit a full 24 week period of training in before any of those races. Around the Bay 30k could be it. Those are my thoughts for now.
Way too fast at the beginning?I am going to make an excuse here and say that the crowd was really pushy. I was around smaller and what appeared to be slower runners that were really pushing me around. I thought these people are just going out way too fast. For a split second I remembered the wrong thing. The first km in other races usually set up the finishing positions. Then I sped up to get into position and show these people that I am not to be pushed around. Oops... At the corner before a downhill portion, I saw Ken pass me. I knew then that I was going too fast for sure. I felt OK though, the legs were moving fast, the breathing was not yet heavy. Then, I was neck and neck with someone who I've always wanted to either beat or just race with. We were going down the final stretches of the downhill portion, about 480m of downhill in total, and entering into the park path. I passed him to get around some slower people and then he gave this burst of speed that I tried to keep with. I just couldn't match it. I tried to keep close to him. Some other people passed me and I lost it. At about the half way point, the race was an out and back, I started to have trouble with my stride. I could no longer keep it fast and short. I would slow down and realize it, try to pick it back up a little and couldn't keep it for long. A few people passed me up the hill on the way back, then I turned the corner for the final flat stretch to the finish line (about 250m). I ran faster, but I just couldn't dig deep. I may have passed one or 2 and one or 2 passed me. I was breathing very heavy and feeling faint at the finish line.
Then I look at this (in mile pace) my last 250m was fast. Could I have tried a little harder from the half way point? I hate second guessing myself like this.My official time was 19:29. Not bad considering that last year I ran it 20:31 with more preparation. I.e. No injury recovery period.
Was it above my lactate threshold at the beginning and I was doomed from then on? Would I have run a better time if I would have run a 3:35 or 3:40 /km at the start? Could this be an indication of where I could get to? Could I get to sub 18 by September?
I think it is best to continue with the remaining 6 weeks of my training plan. At the end of that period I need to figure out a goal to set. When, where and at what distance. The fall season is fast approaching and I can't fit a full 24 week period of training in before any of those races. Around the Bay 30k could be it. Those are my thoughts for now.
Tuesday, July 18, 2006
200m in 40 easy...
I had a little change in plans.
Yesterday, I took a last minute vacation day and went to the beach yesterday with Donna and the kids. I had to get into work early and left at 4:30AM this morning. Therefore, I did the workout last night around 7:30 in the hot sticky and humid weather.
Oh how it feels good to be running faster.
The marathon pace run was 3km in 13:38 or 4:32/km or 7:18/mile. There was a little more breathing than I would have liked, probably due to the humidity. I recovered quickly and got on to the 200m. The first one shows 41 seconds but I forgot to press the lap button until I was passed the marker, which is really at about 202m. The next one, after a 2 minute rest, went a little faster with less effort, the time showed 40. I tried to run fast but in control. I take this too mean that your close to max speed, but hold back and work on your form. The tables show that I should not have gone any faster than 42 seconds. I don't think that the 2 seconds will make that much of a difference, but I did try.
We'll see what I should really be training at after Friday.
What a blast! Loved it.
Yesterday, I took a last minute vacation day and went to the beach yesterday with Donna and the kids. I had to get into work early and left at 4:30AM this morning. Therefore, I did the workout last night around 7:30 in the hot sticky and humid weather.
Oh how it feels good to be running faster.
The marathon pace run was 3km in 13:38 or 4:32/km or 7:18/mile. There was a little more breathing than I would have liked, probably due to the humidity. I recovered quickly and got on to the 200m. The first one shows 41 seconds but I forgot to press the lap button until I was passed the marker, which is really at about 202m. The next one, after a 2 minute rest, went a little faster with less effort, the time showed 40. I tried to run fast but in control. I take this too mean that your close to max speed, but hold back and work on your form. The tables show that I should not have gone any faster than 42 seconds. I don't think that the 2 seconds will make that much of a difference, but I did try.
We'll see what I should really be training at after Friday.
What a blast! Loved it.
Sunday, July 16, 2006
Body Fat.. too high?
During the past few months I have gone from 152/154 lbs in weight up to 162/164 lbs. I think that it has been all body fat. Ken has a scale that measures body fat. This scale is programmable to keep information for a number of people, for me he set it to being athletic. It measured a reading of 13.4%. Ken has a reading around 10%. His scale read my weight as 163.8 lbs. Wowa. The Performance Nutrition for Runners book by Matt Fitzgerald states that this range is 6 to 13% for athletes. The book also states that if you are gaining weight and injury prone, then you could be eating too many carbs and not enough proteins. I have been trying to cut out (or back) on the nasty little habits like easting cakes, cookies, candy, bagels, toast (whole wheat), wine (yikes) and eating more fruits. I have been setting out 5 fruits/day. I have also been eating more beans within soups as well as anything with more protein in general.
This weeks running:
S: around 11k at 5:47/k pace, London
M:off
T: 8.92k at 5:11/k pace, Don River Trail
W: 10.5k at 5:35/k pace, Roads and Sidewalks with the RR
T: 6k at 5:13/k, Grass
F: Off
S: 8.2k in 40:51, 2.6k in 11:27, at 4:24/k pace track
It is that time to increase my distance to 51km/week, but I also registered for a race. The plan also called for some R pace stuff, which is anaerobic workouts. For me that would be now more than about 86 seconds around a 400m on the track. I was thinking of leaving this until the 3rd week of running at this new distance of 51km/week. The race is more than enough of workout that will put extra stress on me.
I changed my mind after talking to Ken though, he had a great suggestion. Wait a week too increase my distance and do a 3k marathon pace run on Tuesday and finish off with 2x200m R pace (no faster than 42 seconds). I think that this will provide me with a reasonable test of the legs before the race and kind of wake up my speed. I haven't run fast since March. I spoke to Ken on my long run which I had already extended to be 25% of the increase mileage.
The plan is as follows:
S: 13km in aprox 78 minutes
M: off
T: 8km in aprox 58 minutes
W:6km in aprox 37 minutes with strides
T: off
F: 5k race, 4k warmup and cool down
S: 5
42k in total.
This weeks running:
S: around 11k at 5:47/k pace, London
M:off
T: 8.92k at 5:11/k pace, Don River Trail
W: 10.5k at 5:35/k pace, Roads and Sidewalks with the RR
T: 6k at 5:13/k, Grass
F: Off
S: 8.2k in 40:51, 2.6k in 11:27, at 4:24/k pace track
It is that time to increase my distance to 51km/week, but I also registered for a race. The plan also called for some R pace stuff, which is anaerobic workouts. For me that would be now more than about 86 seconds around a 400m on the track. I was thinking of leaving this until the 3rd week of running at this new distance of 51km/week. The race is more than enough of workout that will put extra stress on me.
I changed my mind after talking to Ken though, he had a great suggestion. Wait a week too increase my distance and do a 3k marathon pace run on Tuesday and finish off with 2x200m R pace (no faster than 42 seconds). I think that this will provide me with a reasonable test of the legs before the race and kind of wake up my speed. I haven't run fast since March. I spoke to Ken on my long run which I had already extended to be 25% of the increase mileage.
The plan is as follows:
S: 13km in aprox 78 minutes
M: off
T: 8km in aprox 58 minutes
W:6km in aprox 37 minutes with strides
T: off
F: 5k race, 4k warmup and cool down
S: 5
42k in total.
Monday, July 10, 2006
Race #2 - Signed Up
This week has been working out really well. The strides have done wonders to bring something more exciting than just easy running. The break down went like this:
S: 10.5km in 56:36, (156BPM) at 5:23/km South Huron Trail
M: Off
T: 8.32 in 44:55, at 5:23/km (stides) Shouth Huron Trail
W: 5.8 in 29:52, 5.08/km South Huron Trail
T: aprox 8.75 in 45:33, 5:12/km, Pinery trails
F: off
S: 8.76 44:55, with 3km in 14:02, 4:40/km
Total: 42.13km in 3:41:51 5:15/km
Saturday was a little different than planned, but it was enjoyable. The 3km was done on a local dirt track and was suppose to be done at my estimated marathon pace from the VDOT tables, with a VDOT of 51. This was no where near that. This is because the garmin sucks on the track, somehow it was measuring the track as being 430m instead of 404 or so. The thing was telling me that my pace was faster than what it really was. The idea of the M pace is to give me a little taste of running at a high aerobic level without doing too much of it. The 4:40 pace increased my breathing but I could have kept going and going. The idea came from Ken who received an e-mail from Jack Daniels about phase 4, but we applied it here as well.
I will repeat the same for next week, even though it has started off a little differently. Yesterday Ken and I went to a track where he wanted to do a time trial. He ran with me for a warmup, and then I kept running while he did some stretching. After he was finished with his strides, I hopped the fence to time his run. I would be happy with the results, but it was not a PB for him, which he had hoped to do becuase he expected to be peaking right now. His time for the 5000m was 17:14 (3:27/km). I ran with him for a lap, about 3/4 of the way through, to help encourage him to pick up the pace. That was cool! Race pace for a short distance, ahhh.
Yesterday morning, I signed up for a 5km race in London that I ran last year in 20:31. It is an evening run at 7:10 on the 21st of July. The day after our 10th Wedding anniversary. It should be fun.
S: 10.5km in 56:36, (156BPM) at 5:23/km South Huron Trail
M: Off
T: 8.32 in 44:55, at 5:23/km (stides) Shouth Huron Trail
W: 5.8 in 29:52, 5.08/km South Huron Trail
T: aprox 8.75 in 45:33, 5:12/km, Pinery trails
F: off
S: 8.76 44:55, with 3km in 14:02, 4:40/km
Total: 42.13km in 3:41:51 5:15/km
Saturday was a little different than planned, but it was enjoyable. The 3km was done on a local dirt track and was suppose to be done at my estimated marathon pace from the VDOT tables, with a VDOT of 51. This was no where near that. This is because the garmin sucks on the track, somehow it was measuring the track as being 430m instead of 404 or so. The thing was telling me that my pace was faster than what it really was. The idea of the M pace is to give me a little taste of running at a high aerobic level without doing too much of it. The 4:40 pace increased my breathing but I could have kept going and going. The idea came from Ken who received an e-mail from Jack Daniels about phase 4, but we applied it here as well.
I will repeat the same for next week, even though it has started off a little differently. Yesterday Ken and I went to a track where he wanted to do a time trial. He ran with me for a warmup, and then I kept running while he did some stretching. After he was finished with his strides, I hopped the fence to time his run. I would be happy with the results, but it was not a PB for him, which he had hoped to do becuase he expected to be peaking right now. His time for the 5000m was 17:14 (3:27/km). I ran with him for a lap, about 3/4 of the way through, to help encourage him to pick up the pace. That was cool! Race pace for a short distance, ahhh.
Yesterday morning, I signed up for a 5km race in London that I ran last year in 20:31. It is an evening run at 7:10 on the 21st of July. The day after our 10th Wedding anniversary. It should be fun.
Monday, July 03, 2006
Knees up!
This week was fairly good. The shins started to feel a little tender on Wednesday, but recovered before my run on Thursday morning. Even my upper legs were starting to feel "worked out", which is great. I love that feeling! I wandered why, though? In my mind, I have not really been doing that much running. So I took a look at my last post to see if I was running the correct mileage. I'm a little embarrassed. I was running for 46 minutes and not 41. So the week went like this:
Sunday: 10.3km in 56 minutes, trail
Monday: off
Tuesday: 9.05km in 46, road and track
Wednesday: 8.83 in 46, grass
Thursday: 8.63 in 46, paved trail and road
Friday: off
Saturday: 5.3km in 28, trail (damn garmin didn't work)
total 42.08 km in 3:42:14, (5:16/km)
The plan for this week is to do the same weekly mileage. I think I will do the same as last week, since things mistakenly worked out, but do the 5k on Wednesday instead of Saturday. I also mix in 3 or 4 strides somewhere in the middle of the run on Tuesday and Thursday.
I've had this nagging soreness in my right hamstring. I think that it has something to do with the short strides (to increase my cadence, spend less time in the air, less pounding, lighter step, less chance of shin splints). I found that my right foot sometimes hits the ground before I expect it to, when I am bringing my foot forward. So I started raising my knee up higher. However, this increases my chance of overstriding again. It's all about balance, right? Bringing the knees up just feels better. So I have to keep 2 thoughts in my head, "knees up but short stride". When I do this and count my stride rate, it is around 43 to 45 steps for one foot within 30 seconds. (172 to 180)
I am on vacation this week. The most often asked question people ask me is "so where are you going?". I always respond with Home. I am so glad to be home! I got a canoe and it has been a blast with the kids. We drove to a spot, that a neighbor told us about, and canoed along the river. Check out this old oak tree:
Sunday: 10.3km in 56 minutes, trail
Monday: off
Tuesday: 9.05km in 46, road and track
Wednesday: 8.83 in 46, grass
Thursday: 8.63 in 46, paved trail and road
Friday: off
Saturday: 5.3km in 28, trail (damn garmin didn't work)
total 42.08 km in 3:42:14, (5:16/km)
The plan for this week is to do the same weekly mileage. I think I will do the same as last week, since things mistakenly worked out, but do the 5k on Wednesday instead of Saturday. I also mix in 3 or 4 strides somewhere in the middle of the run on Tuesday and Thursday.
I've had this nagging soreness in my right hamstring. I think that it has something to do with the short strides (to increase my cadence, spend less time in the air, less pounding, lighter step, less chance of shin splints). I found that my right foot sometimes hits the ground before I expect it to, when I am bringing my foot forward. So I started raising my knee up higher. However, this increases my chance of overstriding again. It's all about balance, right? Bringing the knees up just feels better. So I have to keep 2 thoughts in my head, "knees up but short stride". When I do this and count my stride rate, it is around 43 to 45 steps for one foot within 30 seconds. (172 to 180)
I am on vacation this week. The most often asked question people ask me is "so where are you going?". I always respond with Home. I am so glad to be home! I got a canoe and it has been a blast with the kids. We drove to a spot, that a neighbor told us about, and canoed along the river. Check out this old oak tree:
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