Friday, August 20, 2010
Attempting sub 3 hour
I have not blogged for a while and I am ready to put a good effort into my races again. I did race in Boston in the spring of 2009 and was somewhat discouraged by my result. I started cycling and I really enjoy it. However, even though I have placed really well in the 2 sprint duathlons that I completed, I want to try and better my 3:02 marathon. Yeah, I want bragging rights for a sub 3. The training will be difficult. I have gained about 10 to 15 pounds since that 3:02.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
1st indoor track race - 3000m
I was looking for a short race 5k or so that I could do over the winter, but didn't really want to do a race in the cold and possibly be snowed out. So I hooked up Ontario Masters Athletics and registered for my very first ever indoor track race.
I looked at the registration on Saturday and thought that I would be starting in 5th, based on the estimated and posted times. When I started out they put me at 7th or 8th way at the outside lane of the track. I was a little surprised and thought no problem I'll just go at my pace and see how it goes. Once I saw everyone go around the first bend I started to think wow they are moving fast, I must be going slow here. I picked it up and passed about 3 on the first straight away, 37 seconds in the 200m. Then passed a one or two more on the next laps. One was on the inside on the straight away and one that I can remember on the bend. I thought that there was only one person that was estimating a sub 10:00. I wanted to push my self and see if I could win or get at least 2nd. Around 1.5k I was breathing really hard and was starting to feel my form drop. I wanted to quit but held on and just tried to keep form and push hard. I checked my watch at the start/finish after pressing the lap button. I was still at 42 seconds a lap (pace for goal of 10:30). Three laps to go and puked just a bit, but sucked it back and just kept motoring. 1 lap to go and the clock was around 9 something. I just went as hard as I could on the last straight away and concentrated on extending my legs.
3:15, 3:28, 3:31 for a 10:14. I am happy with that!
I checked the entry list later when I got home and there were more that had entered the race. Everyone else in my heat except 1 had estimated a faster time than I. I placed 5th overall.
It was a blast and I can't wait until the fall. I think I want to concentrate on the shorter races for a bit after Boston.
Thursday, January 01, 2009
Boxing 10miler #2
The soup wasn't so good this year, but the footing along the trail was better. My intention in this race was not to get a great time, it was more to get familiar with the principle of starting out easy and increasing my pace at the end. I wanted to negative split the race.
Before the race even started I went over on my ankle. This is a common occurrence for me. After the first mile I didn't feel any pain any more. I also wore my orthotics for this race. Until this year I did not wear the orthotics for anything less in millage than the marathon. I found the following online to strengthen my ankles:
The Rehabilitation Program
1. Initially: Decrease inflammation with ice (20
minutes on/40 minutes off, then repeat), and elevation.
Aim for three to four times a day until
it doesn’t make it feel better (three to seven
days).
2. Range of motion exercises as able: Start with
moving toes up and down, then advance to
drawing the upper case alphabet with your toes,
two repetitions, three times a day.
3. Balance training: When able to bear weight,
stand in a doorway on one foot and balance for
as long as possible. When able to do for 60 seconds,
close eyes and hold for as long as possible,
if not the full 60 seconds, then continue on with
eyes open. Perform three to five times a day.
4. Backward walking: Once walking becomes
pain free, begin walking backwards. This will
help reintegrate some of the muscle affected by
the injury. Work on smoothing out your backward
gait.
5. Lateral walking: Walk side to side, bringing
your feet together with every step. As this becomes
stronger and more comfortable, work towards
crossing over the other foot and speeding
up as able.
6. Return to running: Running on grass with
shoes on/off and trail running (with shoes
please!) increases the ability of your muscles to
stabilize the ankle and respond quicker to unforeseen
surface alterations.
Such cross training will help prevent
an acute ankle sprain from becoming a chronic
or recurring problem. Incorporating these exercises
may be easier this time of year as we finish
our racing season and prepare for next year.
My first mile was a 6:45, then I pushed and got a 6:08. That was a little too fast for a "progressive increase in speed" and I backed off to 6:15, then 6:08. Soon after that I hit the hills and was not really paying too much attention. Up until after the last hill at the golf course I was passing people. I tried to pass on the gravel/ice trail. There was only enough good footing for a single file line, so I backed off to wait and pass later. I tried again on a road but there was ice there too. However, there two lines made from car tracks, but I had to get back in to get around a walker up ahead. There was a group that was running together for what seemed forever, I passed them on the downhills and they passed my on the uphills. On the last down hill near the YMCA I passed them and tried to pull away. I could hear them, they were still there. One guy wearing a full beard and Peterborough triathlon long sleeve cotton shirt passed me and continued to pull ahead about 300m away from the finish line. I tried to keep up with him but couldn't muster the speed. Within the last 2km my pace was as fast as 3:26 and as slow as 4:34 going up the smaller hills. My heart rate was fairly steady at an average of 171 beats for the entire race.
My final time was still a 3 minute something PB of 1:04:05. It is about on par for a VDOT of 55 if you take out the hills, which means I am starting to plateau.
Before the race even started I went over on my ankle. This is a common occurrence for me. After the first mile I didn't feel any pain any more. I also wore my orthotics for this race. Until this year I did not wear the orthotics for anything less in millage than the marathon. I found the following online to strengthen my ankles:
The Rehabilitation Program
1. Initially: Decrease inflammation with ice (20
minutes on/40 minutes off, then repeat), and elevation.
Aim for three to four times a day until
it doesn’t make it feel better (three to seven
days).
2. Range of motion exercises as able: Start with
moving toes up and down, then advance to
drawing the upper case alphabet with your toes,
two repetitions, three times a day.
3. Balance training: When able to bear weight,
stand in a doorway on one foot and balance for
as long as possible. When able to do for 60 seconds,
close eyes and hold for as long as possible,
if not the full 60 seconds, then continue on with
eyes open. Perform three to five times a day.
4. Backward walking: Once walking becomes
pain free, begin walking backwards. This will
help reintegrate some of the muscle affected by
the injury. Work on smoothing out your backward
gait.
5. Lateral walking: Walk side to side, bringing
your feet together with every step. As this becomes
stronger and more comfortable, work towards
crossing over the other foot and speeding
up as able.
6. Return to running: Running on grass with
shoes on/off and trail running (with shoes
please!) increases the ability of your muscles to
stabilize the ankle and respond quicker to unforeseen
surface alterations.
Such cross training will help prevent
an acute ankle sprain from becoming a chronic
or recurring problem. Incorporating these exercises
may be easier this time of year as we finish
our racing season and prepare for next year.
My first mile was a 6:45, then I pushed and got a 6:08. That was a little too fast for a "progressive increase in speed" and I backed off to 6:15, then 6:08. Soon after that I hit the hills and was not really paying too much attention. Up until after the last hill at the golf course I was passing people. I tried to pass on the gravel/ice trail. There was only enough good footing for a single file line, so I backed off to wait and pass later. I tried again on a road but there was ice there too. However, there two lines made from car tracks, but I had to get back in to get around a walker up ahead. There was a group that was running together for what seemed forever, I passed them on the downhills and they passed my on the uphills. On the last down hill near the YMCA I passed them and tried to pull away. I could hear them, they were still there. One guy wearing a full beard and Peterborough triathlon long sleeve cotton shirt passed me and continued to pull ahead about 300m away from the finish line. I tried to keep up with him but couldn't muster the speed. Within the last 2km my pace was as fast as 3:26 and as slow as 4:34 going up the smaller hills. My heart rate was fairly steady at an average of 171 beats for the entire race.
My final time was still a 3 minute something PB of 1:04:05. It is about on par for a VDOT of 55 if you take out the hills, which means I am starting to plateau.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Toronto Goodlife Marathon Lessons
I came up to the starting line early enough to get a good position. I asked a guy next to me what time he was trying for. He said 3:20. When he said that, the first thing that came to mind was the thought that I may not be close enough to the start. My goal for this race was 2:56. This time was based on the 8k result from a race in June after the May marathon. The time was without any training for short races. I used that to determine my training paces and trained as best as I could to Interval, Threshold and Marathon paces, with getting my peak mileage up to 132k. He asked me what time I was trying for and I said sub 3 hour. 5 minutes before the race was to start I stripped down to my shorts, singlet, hat and gloves. I then wrapped myself in the silver blanket that I kept from last year and waited for the start. We moved up to the front, with the crowd and then in a short bit the horn went off.
I had preset my garmin to track a 2:58 marathon with the running buddy. Hit the done and I thought I was done. After running for about 300m I realised it was not done. I had to press the start button again. The first k was really fast, because the timer didn't start until later, right. The second k was sub 4:00. oops. next 4:02.... many sub 4:10's. Then the garmin started telling me to slow down, and was beeping at me. It never stopped doing that until the last 3k. Early on it seemed like a couple of runners were testing me, especially up the Hogs Hollow hill. I kept to what I thought was an easy pace. Around 10k I started to second guess my pace. However, I kept going. It is downhill after all. At 15k I took my first gel. I kept checking my k times, a 4:18 appeared around 17k. I picked the pace back up after that, but I knew I wasn't as light and free flowing. I had set out a pace and plan for my wife, kids and mother in-law to cheer me on at different points in the race and was looking forward to seeing them. I got a big surprise from Kelly, who I started running with at the running room store at York Mills running room. She screamed like crazy when she saw me. Jesse and Laurie were there too, just before the half way point cheering me on. It was great to see the people you know. At the half way point the half marathoners and the full marathoners split. One guy almost went the wrong way, and I yelled out this way! I was hoping he would pull me forward, but he seemed to slow down. I could feel the legs getting tired not much later, but said to myself "this is what champions are made of" gotta keep going, so I did. I took another gel around 24k. A little later Chris yelled out that I was doing well and cheered me on. Around the 30k, I knew one of the guys from work would be there waiting for me at the time I set out. Right on the 30k mat I caught up to and passed the first female in the race. I knew this because someone yelled out your the third female around the time I passed her a while back. I passed the turn on the gravel, then all of the sudden the legs just started to get really tight. I took a gel, but it didn't seem to help. I was disappointed and I gave up. I started to walk. I really thought I couldn't keep going. This is at 34k. I thought I was done. Then all of the sudden, like in London a volunteer on her bike was helping me out. Telling me what I already knew, but was still helpful, I was ahead of a lot of people. Top 20. But the legs were just hurting on every step! A spectator, someone by looking at him you would never think he would understand, but he said something, can't remember what the hell it was but it was good. With a pat on the back it caused me to think "mind over matter" and got running again! The legs were hurting big time! I stopped again, walked by a cheering station were I saw Chris again. He said common' dig deep! I said that I was spent, and walked for another minute or so. Then for some reason, I thought I could still get a sub 3 or PB. Started running, the pain was still there, but I was able to ignore it. I have no idea how. I dropped the jaw in a realaxed sort of sick state. I didn't care how I looked, or how I ran, just did it. I caught up and passed some people and just kept going, up the damn hill to Queens park and just kept going. More passed me closer to the end. One guy with 3 others pulling him along beat me, but that's ok. I finished in 3:02, with 3 PB's in 1/2 marathon, 30k and full marathon times!
What are the lessons that I think I can pick up from this? The threshold pace training and interval training were completed at pace or faster. I never went slower for those paces. However, my marathon pace runs were a different story. I could never start slow and finish fast. One of the runs was in high humidity and heat and I still tried to go at 4:10. I need to train like I want to finish; finish at pace or faster!
I will get that sub 3:00 hour, but that may need to wait for a while.
I had preset my garmin to track a 2:58 marathon with the running buddy. Hit the done and I thought I was done. After running for about 300m I realised it was not done. I had to press the start button again. The first k was really fast, because the timer didn't start until later, right. The second k was sub 4:00. oops. next 4:02.... many sub 4:10's. Then the garmin started telling me to slow down, and was beeping at me. It never stopped doing that until the last 3k. Early on it seemed like a couple of runners were testing me, especially up the Hogs Hollow hill. I kept to what I thought was an easy pace. Around 10k I started to second guess my pace. However, I kept going. It is downhill after all. At 15k I took my first gel. I kept checking my k times, a 4:18 appeared around 17k. I picked the pace back up after that, but I knew I wasn't as light and free flowing. I had set out a pace and plan for my wife, kids and mother in-law to cheer me on at different points in the race and was looking forward to seeing them. I got a big surprise from Kelly, who I started running with at the running room store at York Mills running room. She screamed like crazy when she saw me. Jesse and Laurie were there too, just before the half way point cheering me on. It was great to see the people you know. At the half way point the half marathoners and the full marathoners split. One guy almost went the wrong way, and I yelled out this way! I was hoping he would pull me forward, but he seemed to slow down. I could feel the legs getting tired not much later, but said to myself "this is what champions are made of" gotta keep going, so I did. I took another gel around 24k. A little later Chris yelled out that I was doing well and cheered me on. Around the 30k, I knew one of the guys from work would be there waiting for me at the time I set out. Right on the 30k mat I caught up to and passed the first female in the race. I knew this because someone yelled out your the third female around the time I passed her a while back. I passed the turn on the gravel, then all of the sudden the legs just started to get really tight. I took a gel, but it didn't seem to help. I was disappointed and I gave up. I started to walk. I really thought I couldn't keep going. This is at 34k. I thought I was done. Then all of the sudden, like in London a volunteer on her bike was helping me out. Telling me what I already knew, but was still helpful, I was ahead of a lot of people. Top 20. But the legs were just hurting on every step! A spectator, someone by looking at him you would never think he would understand, but he said something, can't remember what the hell it was but it was good. With a pat on the back it caused me to think "mind over matter" and got running again! The legs were hurting big time! I stopped again, walked by a cheering station were I saw Chris again. He said common' dig deep! I said that I was spent, and walked for another minute or so. Then for some reason, I thought I could still get a sub 3 or PB. Started running, the pain was still there, but I was able to ignore it. I have no idea how. I dropped the jaw in a realaxed sort of sick state. I didn't care how I looked, or how I ran, just did it. I caught up and passed some people and just kept going, up the damn hill to Queens park and just kept going. More passed me closer to the end. One guy with 3 others pulling him along beat me, but that's ok. I finished in 3:02, with 3 PB's in 1/2 marathon, 30k and full marathon times!
What are the lessons that I think I can pick up from this? The threshold pace training and interval training were completed at pace or faster. I never went slower for those paces. However, my marathon pace runs were a different story. I could never start slow and finish fast. One of the runs was in high humidity and heat and I still tried to go at 4:10. I need to train like I want to finish; finish at pace or faster!
I will get that sub 3:00 hour, but that may need to wait for a while.
Monday, August 11, 2008
South Huron Trail Run - 08
This race has been running every year since 2004. I have run in it every year. This year I tried running in this race with my orthotics. Here is a little history of why.
In 2005 I ran without orthotics. I did well that year, getting my 10k time below 40 minutes. However, mys shins would get really sore. The long story can be found in earlier posts. Eventually I got them. I would train in the orthotics and then race upto 1/2 marathon distance without them. My marathon training was related so much to the actual race conditions and I did not want to make any changes so I ran with them for the two marathons I have run so far. The last few months I wanted to train for the marathon without them. I thought that they may help by lightning up the shoe. My calf locked up a few weeks ago, so I went back to wearing them. In doing so I found that the general running flow seemed easier. After 2 days of rest I started wearing them and the calf has been fine since.
I started the race off close to the lead pack. Christian who has recently started to run again entered the race was also in front of me until about 600m into the race. This is were a really skinny tall girl (Lydia Willemse) started to pass me. I tried to keep with her for a bit, but decided when I hit the boardwalk to just stick to the plan. The shoes felt a little heavier but I don't think that they were slowing me down. I didn't get that great of a flow feeling though either. It started to rain before the race start but it was getting heavier as the race went on. One or 2 more guys passed me and I passed the young guy (Patrick Hartman) I think who beat me last year. Between the 4 and 5k mark I passed a young teenager(Jeremy Walsh), but couldn't keep with him for more than a k. He pulled ahead and I just couldn't get going. The legs felt good. I am sure that the speed was there but my lungs just wouldn't give me more oxygen. Probably has something to do with the interval training I did for the last month. I kept trying to catch up with the blue and red shirts, but just couldn't do it. I saw Ken ahead of me when I was over the bridge and he was back on the way down the trail. Ausome! I had bad thoughts of not getting my time, not sure exactly why. May have something to do with being a home town race. I also looked back and saw another girl. What the heck. hahaha... good for them.. I am glad to see them doing so well. I held on and just tried to concentrate on the running, trying to keep my pace below 3:55. On the way up the little hill, just before the end of the race, I went over on my ankle when my foot landed on a rock. I did the exact same thing last week, but at the start of my long run. It was much worse then though. It took about 50m to shake off a limp, while running. I ran as hard as I could as soon as I saw the finish line. I crossed it at 31:22.
The trail run is harder so my time is expected to be slower that on the road. I should be happy with the result, but for some reason I am just satisfied or re leaved. I am happy because it is a personal record, but I am not because I was truly hoping to get under the 31 minutes. Maybe next year. The ankle feels ok, but I gotta start doing some strength training on it.
In 2005 I ran without orthotics. I did well that year, getting my 10k time below 40 minutes. However, mys shins would get really sore. The long story can be found in earlier posts. Eventually I got them. I would train in the orthotics and then race upto 1/2 marathon distance without them. My marathon training was related so much to the actual race conditions and I did not want to make any changes so I ran with them for the two marathons I have run so far. The last few months I wanted to train for the marathon without them. I thought that they may help by lightning up the shoe. My calf locked up a few weeks ago, so I went back to wearing them. In doing so I found that the general running flow seemed easier. After 2 days of rest I started wearing them and the calf has been fine since.
I started the race off close to the lead pack. Christian who has recently started to run again entered the race was also in front of me until about 600m into the race. This is were a really skinny tall girl (Lydia Willemse) started to pass me. I tried to keep with her for a bit, but decided when I hit the boardwalk to just stick to the plan. The shoes felt a little heavier but I don't think that they were slowing me down. I didn't get that great of a flow feeling though either. It started to rain before the race start but it was getting heavier as the race went on. One or 2 more guys passed me and I passed the young guy (Patrick Hartman) I think who beat me last year. Between the 4 and 5k mark I passed a young teenager(Jeremy Walsh), but couldn't keep with him for more than a k. He pulled ahead and I just couldn't get going. The legs felt good. I am sure that the speed was there but my lungs just wouldn't give me more oxygen. Probably has something to do with the interval training I did for the last month. I kept trying to catch up with the blue and red shirts, but just couldn't do it. I saw Ken ahead of me when I was over the bridge and he was back on the way down the trail. Ausome! I had bad thoughts of not getting my time, not sure exactly why. May have something to do with being a home town race. I also looked back and saw another girl. What the heck. hahaha... good for them.. I am glad to see them doing so well. I held on and just tried to concentrate on the running, trying to keep my pace below 3:55. On the way up the little hill, just before the end of the race, I went over on my ankle when my foot landed on a rock. I did the exact same thing last week, but at the start of my long run. It was much worse then though. It took about 50m to shake off a limp, while running. I ran as hard as I could as soon as I saw the finish line. I crossed it at 31:22.
The trail run is harder so my time is expected to be slower that on the road. I should be happy with the result, but for some reason I am just satisfied or re leaved. I am happy because it is a personal record, but I am not because I was truly hoping to get under the 31 minutes. Maybe next year. The ankle feels ok, but I gotta start doing some strength training on it.
Sunday, July 06, 2008
Peterborough Half Tri - Relay Run
Very exciting! Seeing all the swimmers take off in the water. It was also a strange feeling to be a spectator of a race and then be part of it. I was part of a relay team. There were about 5 Whitby Tiger teams. I was on the "Whitby Tiger Shark" team. Our team came in at 4:55. I think there were about 20 teams a together and over 400 tri-athletes.
I was waiting for Brenda at her bike transfer area. It is difficult to stay warmed up when you aren't sure of exactly the time that she will be in. But the weather really helped in that area. It was hot and sunny. She arrived, hung the bike put her foot out, I ripped the time chip off and wrapped it on my leg. I took a relaxing breath and bolted off.
Through the gate and to the left, I started passing people right away. Then all of the sudden a lady passed me, I think it was someone else doing a relay. I didn't want to go out to fast, stayed back for about 300 m and ended up passing her. I did the first k in 3:50... ooops. I slowed down a little for the next one, but I was passing a lot of people. I felt kind of sorry for them, but I was on a training mission; 4:10/km. I knew it may be too difficult, but I was going to try it out. The first few kilometers were on grass in an odd loop. Ang (Angela) must have been already out of that area because I saw Amanda, who was out of the transition area later. I was hoping that I might be able to catch them, but they were too far ahead.
I got out onto the road, man it was hot I could feel it coming through my racing flats! Just before the race, a couple of the guys said something about hills. I asked there's hills? Pat said, you just wait! Now I could see this really steep hill in front of me. Just before the bottom we turned and I thought oh that's good. Looked further up, oh no where is the turn around? All I see are rolling hills. But kept on motoring, not really paying too much attention to keeping the 4:10 pace. People were saying good run as I passed them by. I wonder what they said to themselves if they realized I was relay.
Even at 8k I was feeling the heat and a little winded. The legs were ok. I made it up a few hills and saw Ange and Amanda on the way back. I thought the turn around can't be that much further. It was just after the 10k, duh! It was neat at the top of the hill, looking down I could see a huge crowd of runners, lined up and then up ahead a little was some good distance between runners, about 1 to 2 km away from my position. It kind of gave me some motivation to pass them to get to the open space. I kept going by feel and tried to keep a good effort going, not worrying too much about the times.
I could also see the front of Chris' green singlet, way back.. :-). Down the hills, up the hills, it was hard work. I was dying asking for gel's as I passed by the stands, they stared at me in this glazed look. At the bottom of the hill it was getting more difficult to pass the other racer's. A number of them were doing very well! It was very impressive, knowing they swam and then biked already for 3 or so hours and were still running at such a good pace! It was just ausome. I finally got a gel and I had trouble opening it. I ripped it off with my teeth and got a very small hole open. It was not easy getting the stuff out.
I was going through the parking lot near tiger island. Jesse yelled out here comes Rob, that gave me a great boost! I waved at everyone as I passed by, but I was going too fast for them(:-), they were busy setting things up. I passed the finish line to do the final quick loop of about 4k. On the cool grass near some trees. I was still passing people on the grass, I was coming up to the last turn. This guy just in front of me took off like a bullet, I was shocked. How could he be doing this after all, I was a relay guy. I tried to give it, but I was out of gas.
I finished with a PR of 1:29:22. Sub 3 hour marathon, in better weather, here I come and the hard training begins!
Break down of the run:
5k splits: 20:22,21:00, 21:12, 22:08, 4:45 for the last 1.1k
I was waiting for Brenda at her bike transfer area. It is difficult to stay warmed up when you aren't sure of exactly the time that she will be in. But the weather really helped in that area. It was hot and sunny. She arrived, hung the bike put her foot out, I ripped the time chip off and wrapped it on my leg. I took a relaxing breath and bolted off.
Through the gate and to the left, I started passing people right away. Then all of the sudden a lady passed me, I think it was someone else doing a relay. I didn't want to go out to fast, stayed back for about 300 m and ended up passing her. I did the first k in 3:50... ooops. I slowed down a little for the next one, but I was passing a lot of people. I felt kind of sorry for them, but I was on a training mission; 4:10/km. I knew it may be too difficult, but I was going to try it out. The first few kilometers were on grass in an odd loop. Ang (Angela) must have been already out of that area because I saw Amanda, who was out of the transition area later. I was hoping that I might be able to catch them, but they were too far ahead.
I got out onto the road, man it was hot I could feel it coming through my racing flats! Just before the race, a couple of the guys said something about hills. I asked there's hills? Pat said, you just wait! Now I could see this really steep hill in front of me. Just before the bottom we turned and I thought oh that's good. Looked further up, oh no where is the turn around? All I see are rolling hills. But kept on motoring, not really paying too much attention to keeping the 4:10 pace. People were saying good run as I passed them by. I wonder what they said to themselves if they realized I was relay.
Even at 8k I was feeling the heat and a little winded. The legs were ok. I made it up a few hills and saw Ange and Amanda on the way back. I thought the turn around can't be that much further. It was just after the 10k, duh! It was neat at the top of the hill, looking down I could see a huge crowd of runners, lined up and then up ahead a little was some good distance between runners, about 1 to 2 km away from my position. It kind of gave me some motivation to pass them to get to the open space. I kept going by feel and tried to keep a good effort going, not worrying too much about the times.
I could also see the front of Chris' green singlet, way back.. :-). Down the hills, up the hills, it was hard work. I was dying asking for gel's as I passed by the stands, they stared at me in this glazed look. At the bottom of the hill it was getting more difficult to pass the other racer's. A number of them were doing very well! It was very impressive, knowing they swam and then biked already for 3 or so hours and were still running at such a good pace! It was just ausome. I finally got a gel and I had trouble opening it. I ripped it off with my teeth and got a very small hole open. It was not easy getting the stuff out.
I was going through the parking lot near tiger island. Jesse yelled out here comes Rob, that gave me a great boost! I waved at everyone as I passed by, but I was going too fast for them(:-), they were busy setting things up. I passed the finish line to do the final quick loop of about 4k. On the cool grass near some trees. I was still passing people on the grass, I was coming up to the last turn. This guy just in front of me took off like a bullet, I was shocked. How could he be doing this after all, I was a relay guy. I tried to give it, but I was out of gas.
I finished with a PR of 1:29:22. Sub 3 hour marathon, in better weather, here I come and the hard training begins!
Break down of the run:
5k splits: 20:22,21:00, 21:12, 22:08, 4:45 for the last 1.1k
Sunday, June 01, 2008
Alfie Shrubb
The result of this race was a very pleasant surprise. In the morning I was thinking about just running it. My legs were feeling tight and the back of the calves a little weird. However, as the morning progressed I started to feel better. I had a real hard time staying positive. I think I was a little worried about how the results would turn out. It is only 3 weeks after my last marathon. I met the Whitby Tigers at the school, we chatted for a bit and then I went with my wife and kids to the start line. I don't know what the heck I was thinking leaving for a 4km warmup with just over 25 minutes to go before the race... I got back and barely had time to stretch. I would have preferred to have done some strides, but oops.
Jessie came up to me to wish me good luck just before the race was to get started. That was so cool! Thanks. I get into a mode where I just concentrate on the race sometimes and today was it. For the first km I felt OK. There were about 15 people out in front of me. Johny the jogger passed me and I thought OK, just settle in here don't get too worked up. 3:25 at the first k marker, ooops way too fast? I kept going at what seemed a reasonable pace by feel. Then a few people started to drop off, I thought OK with these short races I find I finish in a relative position to where I am at early in the race. I was happy with where I was. Then the hill at 2.5km, it slowed me down a little. Over the hill and down the other side, at this point we caught up to a number of walkers. It was difficult to pass Johnny, I tried a couple times. I felt strong but didn't want to push too hard, so I backed off so I didn't knock anyone over. Just before the half way point I passed him. I was starting to feel the legs now, but I thought I can still keep going. Now came the really fun part. All the Whitby tigers that were in the race could see me coming back, everyone of them cheered me on. I wanted to say thanks, but I kept my concentration focused. THANK YOU all for your support. I had to keep going now, I had to do the best I could in this race. That hill though really got to me coming back. I was breathing fairly hard at the top. On the way down, I concentrated on my stride making sure that I was landing with my feet beneath me not in front. My breath seemed to come back a little and I just tried to hang in there. I actually thought "my it's going to be tough to break 32 minutes". About 300 meters or so from the finish Rob and Amanda were cheering me on. Rob said the closest guy is about 25yards back. I actually slowed down thinking I was ahead enough, just ride it in. I was starting to hurt pretty bad. I heard some footsteps and just pushed as hard as I could, about 10m out from the finish line I gaged, I was trying to hold back the puke! Then just at the finish line I actually puked, but kept it in and swallowed it! I had no idea what my time was!
I went to my wife got my training shoes on, then went back to meet the gang near the finish. They congratulated me and asked about my time. Chris thought I may have been under 30 minutes, but the chip time was 30:11. I am very happy with that. I met Ed Whitlock, the famous runner that ran a 2:54 marathon at age 73! What a treat. Thanks to Chris for letting me know that he was there.
Now what does this mean for future training... I think more of the same, increasing distance, marathon pace (according to Jack Daniels' VDOT ) and then some thresholds. I didn't loose speed, I've gained it back and then some.
Jessie came up to me to wish me good luck just before the race was to get started. That was so cool! Thanks. I get into a mode where I just concentrate on the race sometimes and today was it. For the first km I felt OK. There were about 15 people out in front of me. Johny the jogger passed me and I thought OK, just settle in here don't get too worked up. 3:25 at the first k marker, ooops way too fast? I kept going at what seemed a reasonable pace by feel. Then a few people started to drop off, I thought OK with these short races I find I finish in a relative position to where I am at early in the race. I was happy with where I was. Then the hill at 2.5km, it slowed me down a little. Over the hill and down the other side, at this point we caught up to a number of walkers. It was difficult to pass Johnny, I tried a couple times. I felt strong but didn't want to push too hard, so I backed off so I didn't knock anyone over. Just before the half way point I passed him. I was starting to feel the legs now, but I thought I can still keep going. Now came the really fun part. All the Whitby tigers that were in the race could see me coming back, everyone of them cheered me on. I wanted to say thanks, but I kept my concentration focused. THANK YOU all for your support. I had to keep going now, I had to do the best I could in this race. That hill though really got to me coming back. I was breathing fairly hard at the top. On the way down, I concentrated on my stride making sure that I was landing with my feet beneath me not in front. My breath seemed to come back a little and I just tried to hang in there. I actually thought "my it's going to be tough to break 32 minutes". About 300 meters or so from the finish Rob and Amanda were cheering me on. Rob said the closest guy is about 25yards back. I actually slowed down thinking I was ahead enough, just ride it in. I was starting to hurt pretty bad. I heard some footsteps and just pushed as hard as I could, about 10m out from the finish line I gaged, I was trying to hold back the puke! Then just at the finish line I actually puked, but kept it in and swallowed it! I had no idea what my time was!
I went to my wife got my training shoes on, then went back to meet the gang near the finish. They congratulated me and asked about my time. Chris thought I may have been under 30 minutes, but the chip time was 30:11. I am very happy with that. I met Ed Whitlock, the famous runner that ran a 2:54 marathon at age 73! What a treat. Thanks to Chris for letting me know that he was there.
Now what does this mean for future training... I think more of the same, increasing distance, marathon pace (according to Jack Daniels' VDOT ) and then some thresholds. I didn't loose speed, I've gained it back and then some.
Monday, May 12, 2008
Forest City Marathon
This race, I was told was flat. Yesterday, before the race started I met an old friend from High School that runs a number of marathons. He has run this race before and told me there are some rolling hills. They weren't very big, but at the beginning they seemed to help me gain positions. I started back about 10 to 15 lines from the start. I did not want to get pulled in with the 1/2 marathon group that was starting at the same time. The plan was to go about 4:45 or so for the first kilometer. My garmin was set with the little running partner, so it could show me how far ahead or behind I was. I was only behind for about 2 minutes. I saw a km marker up ahead so I hit the lap button as I passed. 3:20 came up, ya right I thought there is no way, and really there wasn't! Then I saw another 1k. It took me until the second red km marker to realize, hey those are the ones I should be tracking from, not the blue.
For this race, being local and being a boston qualifier hopeful, a lot of family members came out. My brother, mother and step father, mother in-law and boyfriend, sister in-law and husband, and my wifes aunt. That was great. I made a plan for them, thanks to forest city for putting the map on pedometer.gmaps.com I was able to figure out exactly were they could be in the race. I planned it out so they didn't have to drive for the first half. It was just a 15 minute walk to see me at 8k and a 15 minute walk to see me at the half way mark. That was ausome. As I passed my kids I put my hand out to give them "five". I was going faster than my planned pace, but I was constantly telling myself to back off, save it for the end, wait and see how you feel at 30k. For the first half I was constantly passing people. A great feeling, this is another reason why I like sitting at the back at the start. It really gives me something to focus on, the trick is to focus on catching them at pace.
I passed through the half way point and passed this guy right afterwards. He yelled out, someone lost their chip. I looked down and had to really look to see if it was still there. I wonder if he just said that or what the deal was. Then I caught up to another guy who asked me something, but I was focused and didn't hear him. Then he asked me what my goal was. I said "3:10, but I am ahead of that" and pulled away from him without pushing hard. There were a number of spectator's watching and cheering from the streets for the first half, but on the way to springbank park it was a lonely run. I passed about three more runners. Then there was this little tiny loop, that was really confusing. I got a glimpse of the next group to catch. I thought, hell there is no way I'll catch them, but I kept on going. This was around the 26km mark. From about 26k to about 29k, I saw no one in front of me. That is about where I saw the Kenyans on their way back too. I was getting tired and it was getting more and more difficult to stay focused on the task. I kept trying. Around 32km I saw someone with a Saugeen running club shirt on. I thought oh my god, I am catching them. Then I saw him walking, oh ya..then I passed him. What a boost. I had the next one targeted and slowly caught her.
Now though, again there was no one else in visual range in front of me. It was getting really hard now. The wind was in my face, it seemed like I was going up hill all the way back. I knew that there was a long distance between me and the next guy when a volunteer was leading me in with his bike. This was a first for me. He was really helpful with his words of encouragement, things like this is the toughest part of the race, your lookin' strong and so on. I new I had slowed down as well, my km splits were now at 4:39 to 5:05. I kept pushin' though, thinking I am not running next week, keep it going, you just need to hang on now. Then about 2k to go I saw the next guy. I thought, there is no way I can catch him, just hang on though. Then I saw him walking. Oh that is ausome, you just keep walking, but he started up again and I never caught him. I got to about the spot were I saw him walking and my damn garmin beeps at me and says "you're workouts done"! I ignored it and kept going. It had me a little worried that I was not as far ahead as I thought. I turn the corner, family is now cheering me in and the clock shows 3:08 something. Holy crap, I gave it hell with the legs feeling like a ton of bricks. I did it! 3:08:54 clock time, 3:08:34 chip time!
For this race, being local and being a boston qualifier hopeful, a lot of family members came out. My brother, mother and step father, mother in-law and boyfriend, sister in-law and husband, and my wifes aunt. That was great. I made a plan for them, thanks to forest city for putting the map on pedometer.gmaps.com I was able to figure out exactly were they could be in the race. I planned it out so they didn't have to drive for the first half. It was just a 15 minute walk to see me at 8k and a 15 minute walk to see me at the half way mark. That was ausome. As I passed my kids I put my hand out to give them "five". I was going faster than my planned pace, but I was constantly telling myself to back off, save it for the end, wait and see how you feel at 30k. For the first half I was constantly passing people. A great feeling, this is another reason why I like sitting at the back at the start. It really gives me something to focus on, the trick is to focus on catching them at pace.
I passed through the half way point and passed this guy right afterwards. He yelled out, someone lost their chip. I looked down and had to really look to see if it was still there. I wonder if he just said that or what the deal was. Then I caught up to another guy who asked me something, but I was focused and didn't hear him. Then he asked me what my goal was. I said "3:10, but I am ahead of that" and pulled away from him without pushing hard. There were a number of spectator's watching and cheering from the streets for the first half, but on the way to springbank park it was a lonely run. I passed about three more runners. Then there was this little tiny loop, that was really confusing. I got a glimpse of the next group to catch. I thought, hell there is no way I'll catch them, but I kept on going. This was around the 26km mark. From about 26k to about 29k, I saw no one in front of me. That is about where I saw the Kenyans on their way back too. I was getting tired and it was getting more and more difficult to stay focused on the task. I kept trying. Around 32km I saw someone with a Saugeen running club shirt on. I thought oh my god, I am catching them. Then I saw him walking, oh ya..then I passed him. What a boost. I had the next one targeted and slowly caught her.
Now though, again there was no one else in visual range in front of me. It was getting really hard now. The wind was in my face, it seemed like I was going up hill all the way back. I knew that there was a long distance between me and the next guy when a volunteer was leading me in with his bike. This was a first for me. He was really helpful with his words of encouragement, things like this is the toughest part of the race, your lookin' strong and so on. I new I had slowed down as well, my km splits were now at 4:39 to 5:05. I kept pushin' though, thinking I am not running next week, keep it going, you just need to hang on now. Then about 2k to go I saw the next guy. I thought, there is no way I can catch him, just hang on though. Then I saw him walking. Oh that is ausome, you just keep walking, but he started up again and I never caught him. I got to about the spot were I saw him walking and my damn garmin beeps at me and says "you're workouts done"! I ignored it and kept going. It had me a little worried that I was not as far ahead as I thought. I turn the corner, family is now cheering me in and the clock shows 3:08 something. Holy crap, I gave it hell with the legs feeling like a ton of bricks. I did it! 3:08:54 clock time, 3:08:34 chip time!
Saturday, April 05, 2008
Around The Bay Race '08
I have recently been training at about 100km to 110km /week. On my long runs of 30km I have been running the last half at marathon pace or doing some threshold pace (5 x 1 mile). I have been getting some help from a coach over e-mails. I am going to be meeting this coach in Pickering on the 15th. I originally was going to keep my mileage for training at the same level and start doing some more speed work. I was told that I should do the above because my shorter races are fast and I should be able to do the marathon at my goal of 3:10. (i.e. Vdot table of 10k at 40 minutes indicates an expected race time of the marathon at around 3:10.)
I think that this training is working! I ran the around the bay race at 2:12:02. The start was terrible, just like the 5k race 2 years ago. So many people. However, this time it was mostly my fault for not going out early to get a good spot. I didn't cross the start until about a minute and half. My chip time was about 2:10:34. I started out just jogging with the slower group at the back, but quickly realized that I had better get going a little bit more. The crowd was just not thinning out fast enough for me. So I ended up running on the side walk for about 2k passing people. I thought I was running too slow. I didn't see the kilometer markings until about 3k into the race. I pressed the lap button on my old heart rate monitor watch. I decided to try that one again instead of my garmin. I remember a number of times seeing 4:12, 4:17, 4:20...yada yada. Never 4:25, which was my original goal pace. The crowd was starting to thin out, but I was still passing people. There was one point where I thought this one lady would be running at about the same pace. This was just past half way through the race. I checked my watch at the next k and it was around 4:32. I motored on, then got a stomach cramp at about the 21st kilometer through the rolling hills. I skipped the next water station and the cramp went away. I was feeling good, and starting to feel the pace a bit, but it really wasn't that bad. I got another cramp just before the big hill. It was really starting to peeve me off. It went away finally. I just ran at a respectable pace the rest of the way in. I am not really sure what it was but less than a kilometer away from the finish, I see this lady I mentioned above pass me. That's OK I thought this is just a training run for May 11 in London, just save it baby!
The legs felt really good afterwards, nothing like what they were at the Toronto Marathon. I also ran about 90k this week and feel like have recovered.
I think that this training is working! I ran the around the bay race at 2:12:02. The start was terrible, just like the 5k race 2 years ago. So many people. However, this time it was mostly my fault for not going out early to get a good spot. I didn't cross the start until about a minute and half. My chip time was about 2:10:34. I started out just jogging with the slower group at the back, but quickly realized that I had better get going a little bit more. The crowd was just not thinning out fast enough for me. So I ended up running on the side walk for about 2k passing people. I thought I was running too slow. I didn't see the kilometer markings until about 3k into the race. I pressed the lap button on my old heart rate monitor watch. I decided to try that one again instead of my garmin. I remember a number of times seeing 4:12, 4:17, 4:20...yada yada. Never 4:25, which was my original goal pace. The crowd was starting to thin out, but I was still passing people. There was one point where I thought this one lady would be running at about the same pace. This was just past half way through the race. I checked my watch at the next k and it was around 4:32. I motored on, then got a stomach cramp at about the 21st kilometer through the rolling hills. I skipped the next water station and the cramp went away. I was feeling good, and starting to feel the pace a bit, but it really wasn't that bad. I got another cramp just before the big hill. It was really starting to peeve me off. It went away finally. I just ran at a respectable pace the rest of the way in. I am not really sure what it was but less than a kilometer away from the finish, I see this lady I mentioned above pass me. That's OK I thought this is just a training run for May 11 in London, just save it baby!
The legs felt really good afterwards, nothing like what they were at the Toronto Marathon. I also ran about 90k this week and feel like have recovered.
Saturday, January 05, 2008
Boxing Day 10Miles
There is a 10 mile boxing day race in Hamilton. It is held at the YMCA. A nice and warm place to get your kit and on the day of the race (very nice). You can take a shower afterwards, also very nice.
The race itself started off without a bang, literally. I was about 20 feet or so from the start. The front lines just started moving. It was a shock to the Jesse, Chris and Pat of the Whitby Tigers as well. I should have lined up closer to the start, because there were a number of people I had to dive around before settling at a pace with others at the same around me. There were a few turns and a slight downhill to a paved trail along the bay. Then my damn shoelace came undone. I quickly told myself don't fret, just get it tied up and get going. I think I lost about 15 to 20 seconds. As I got going again Jesse yelled out, "did you get your shoes tied up", b@st@$d guy! It was about 2ºC outside with overcast. I took my gloves off at about this point, somewhere around 3 miles. My pace was a good, not much ahead of target, but just right for this race. The hills came next around 4 miles, then a small bit of flat, then another hill at 7 miles. One that seemed steep and long, but I passed instead of being passed. At the top of the hill was a trail covered in hard packed snow. It had a number of grooves and dips, I thought for sure my foot would have twisted, but it didn't. Then a good downhill. I went too fast down the hill. I had to catch my breath at the bottom. Then a couple little bumps around 9miles. Near the end I could hear some people catching up, I kept the same pace until they passed me. I went too hard to catch them, I got a feeling like I was going to puke so I backed off, then gave it when I saw the finish line. If I would have had another 10 to 20 ft I think I could have caught them. It worked that my chip time was faster anyways..hehehe. My chip time 1:07:13.
I would definitely enter this race again, especially for the soup after the race. yum!
The race itself started off without a bang, literally. I was about 20 feet or so from the start. The front lines just started moving. It was a shock to the Jesse, Chris and Pat of the Whitby Tigers as well. I should have lined up closer to the start, because there were a number of people I had to dive around before settling at a pace with others at the same around me. There were a few turns and a slight downhill to a paved trail along the bay. Then my damn shoelace came undone. I quickly told myself don't fret, just get it tied up and get going. I think I lost about 15 to 20 seconds. As I got going again Jesse yelled out, "did you get your shoes tied up", b@st@$d guy! It was about 2ºC outside with overcast. I took my gloves off at about this point, somewhere around 3 miles. My pace was a good, not much ahead of target, but just right for this race. The hills came next around 4 miles, then a small bit of flat, then another hill at 7 miles. One that seemed steep and long, but I passed instead of being passed. At the top of the hill was a trail covered in hard packed snow. It had a number of grooves and dips, I thought for sure my foot would have twisted, but it didn't. Then a good downhill. I went too fast down the hill. I had to catch my breath at the bottom. Then a couple little bumps around 9miles. Near the end I could hear some people catching up, I kept the same pace until they passed me. I went too hard to catch them, I got a feeling like I was going to puke so I backed off, then gave it when I saw the finish line. If I would have had another 10 to 20 ft I think I could have caught them. It worked that my chip time was faster anyways..hehehe. My chip time 1:07:13.
I would definitely enter this race again, especially for the soup after the race. yum!
Friday, October 19, 2007
Toronto International Marathon Complete
I completed my first marathon. It was Oct.14 in Toronto. It was a blast! The number of people that lined the streets to cheer the runners on, the subway so that my wife and kids could go to different spots within the race to cheer me on, the school and rock bands, all the great volunteers.
It was a wonderful experience, even though I did not meet my goal of 3:10 and did not even come close. My time was 3:26 something. I am happy with this result because I know that with the training I had, I could not have run any harder then what I did. I may have gone out a little too fast at the beginning, but I don't think that it was the deciding factor. I started to slow down at the 24k mark from 4:30 to 4:45 /k. Then later on around the 32k to about 5:00 /k then 5:30 and for the very last 2k, something happened that I have never felt before. It wasn't my shins, nor my hamstring nor my head! The top of my legs were just screaming for me to stop, but I kept going, there was no bloody way I was going to stop until that finish line. I tried walking to get some gatoraide but it felt worse then the piddly jogging I was doing. When I got to the finish line I crossed it and could barely walk. I got the medal some food and found my wonderful wife and kids waiting for me. I tapped her on the shoulder and said "who are you looking for". She turned around and said you look like a dead guy, didn't even seem to get the joke! I must have looked pretty bad. I feel good now but for the first 2 days afterward I had to hold railings when walking down the stairs. I can't wait to do it again!
Here is the official breakdown
First 21k-> 1:34:18, 4:29/k
Last 21k-> 1:52:34, 5:21/k
Last 12k -> 1:09:19, 5:46/k
First 30k -> 2:17:33, 4:35/k
It was a wonderful experience, even though I did not meet my goal of 3:10 and did not even come close. My time was 3:26 something. I am happy with this result because I know that with the training I had, I could not have run any harder then what I did. I may have gone out a little too fast at the beginning, but I don't think that it was the deciding factor. I started to slow down at the 24k mark from 4:30 to 4:45 /k. Then later on around the 32k to about 5:00 /k then 5:30 and for the very last 2k, something happened that I have never felt before. It wasn't my shins, nor my hamstring nor my head! The top of my legs were just screaming for me to stop, but I kept going, there was no bloody way I was going to stop until that finish line. I tried walking to get some gatoraide but it felt worse then the piddly jogging I was doing. When I got to the finish line I crossed it and could barely walk. I got the medal some food and found my wonderful wife and kids waiting for me. I tapped her on the shoulder and said "who are you looking for". She turned around and said you look like a dead guy, didn't even seem to get the joke! I must have looked pretty bad. I feel good now but for the first 2 days afterward I had to hold railings when walking down the stairs. I can't wait to do it again!
Here is the official breakdown
First 21k-> 1:34:18, 4:29/k
Last 21k-> 1:52:34, 5:21/k
Last 12k -> 1:09:19, 5:46/k
First 30k -> 2:17:33, 4:35/k
Monday, July 30, 2007
Quarter Marathon Race ...
The only "quarter marathon" (10.549km) in Canada. I ran in this race and can see some improvement on my time. My average pace was 4:04. Considering the heat and how poorly my race result was in Waterloo, it is fairly good. The volunteers for this one did a really good job! The draw was done ahead of time and peoples numbers were posted on the board for them to come and get them. The amount food was good considering there was only 85 people that were registered online and over 370 ran in the race. The race was an out only race. It made it interesting. I thought that I was back at about 10th or 12th and ended up in 5th.
One of the differences I have seen here in the last 2 races is how people warm-up/cool down. The people that ran in the races in London would go for a short run and then stretches and strides. I did not see people go for a short jog before the run. Maybe I went off the wrong way or something. I did not even see people go for a cool down. Anyway here is the map of were the run was held:
One of the things I have been trying to do is go out easy/slower than my goal pace. In attempts to increase my overall pace for the rest of the race. I felt like I was going slower, but my first kilometer was 3:50. Here is a low down of the paces for the rest of the race:
34:52,3:53,3:56,4:00,4:16,4:05,4:27,4:19,4:08,1:56,
A lot faster for the first 5k then the second. A fairly large hill came around 8th km. I was passing people and I don't think anyone passed me. I hope that I can keep that faster pace, below the 3:56/km for the South Huron race in 2 weeks.
One of the differences I have seen here in the last 2 races is how people warm-up/cool down. The people that ran in the races in London would go for a short run and then stretches and strides. I did not see people go for a short jog before the run. Maybe I went off the wrong way or something. I did not even see people go for a cool down. Anyway here is the map of were the run was held:
One of the things I have been trying to do is go out easy/slower than my goal pace. In attempts to increase my overall pace for the rest of the race. I felt like I was going slower, but my first kilometer was 3:50. Here is a low down of the paces for the rest of the race:
34:52,3:53,3:56,4:00,4:16,4:05,4:27,4:19,4:08,1:56,
A lot faster for the first 5k then the second. A fairly large hill came around 8th km. I was passing people and I don't think anyone passed me. I hope that I can keep that faster pace, below the 3:56/km for the South Huron race in 2 weeks.
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Darlington Nuclear Park
Sounds like a scary title for a running blog, but I think this area is great for running. I would go back again. It is not as long as the South Huron trail, but it is wide and allows for multiple use. The trail is a chip trail, some with open spots and some with trees shading the area. I ran this on Sunday afternoon (big breakfast a couple of hours before) 23km (7 laps) and I felt great! In 1:58. I did not feel like I was pushing myself. That's 5:02/km!
Here is where it is and the loop:
It was not level. If you go one way there is a long slow hill to run up. If you go the other way there is a shorter steeper hill. Here is an elevation plot:
I turned around after the 4th time around. The elevation plot is not very consistent. 20m?
Here is where it is and the loop:
It was not level. If you go one way there is a long slow hill to run up. If you go the other way there is a shorter steeper hill. Here is an elevation plot:
I turned around after the 4th time around. The elevation plot is not very consistent. 20m?
Saturday, July 07, 2007
To Marathon or not to?
I am struggling with this question: Should I wait another year to try and run a good marathon and see if I can get my 10k times back down to a sub 40, or should I train to run a marathon thinking that the result may not be a great time? But, if I don't do one soon, and if I get injured again I am afraid I may just get frustrated and never run one ever.
I am currently running around 55 to 60k/week over 6 days. 2 Quality work outs / week. For the last 2 months a long run of 16 to 20k/week. Now my long runs are 23k. I also bike with the family about once a week for a couple of hours. I feel good, other then the extra 15 pounds that I have been carrying since my best weight.
I have run two 10k races. One in Whitby and placed 3rd overall (hehehehe sounds good) my time was only 41:23, still not too bad considering. Another in Waterloo, with a not so good time of 43:26. It was warm and humid and mentally challenging to finish the last half. I was hoping to have the first time around 20 minutes, but it was over 21, from then on it was really difficult to keep going.
The day before the race Ken took a video of my stride. It looks like I am still overstriding:
After that race, I realized that I want to run well and I better start concentrating on eating and training properly. I have to admit that I had a few too many coolers the week before.
I have mostly been doing easy runs, strides and some ABC's. I did a T-Pace of 15 minutes on a rubberized track. Thanks to Jessie from the Whitby Tigers running club for letting me know about the track.
If I use my VDOT from my best resent race, it comes out to be 50. My T-pace should be about 1:42/400m. I was running a little faster per lap, in the range of 1:38 to 1:41. The breathing was a little heavy and it was difficult to keep my form. This Thursday I will work on running slower for my tempo run.
I hope to keep the postings coming, not just about my running and training, but add a little twist about running in Ontario. Write about some of the best places where I have run for training and races. Also places where I would like to run races.
I am currently running around 55 to 60k/week over 6 days. 2 Quality work outs / week. For the last 2 months a long run of 16 to 20k/week. Now my long runs are 23k. I also bike with the family about once a week for a couple of hours. I feel good, other then the extra 15 pounds that I have been carrying since my best weight.
I have run two 10k races. One in Whitby and placed 3rd overall (hehehehe sounds good) my time was only 41:23, still not too bad considering. Another in Waterloo, with a not so good time of 43:26. It was warm and humid and mentally challenging to finish the last half. I was hoping to have the first time around 20 minutes, but it was over 21, from then on it was really difficult to keep going.
The day before the race Ken took a video of my stride. It looks like I am still overstriding:
After that race, I realized that I want to run well and I better start concentrating on eating and training properly. I have to admit that I had a few too many coolers the week before.
I have mostly been doing easy runs, strides and some ABC's. I did a T-Pace of 15 minutes on a rubberized track. Thanks to Jessie from the Whitby Tigers running club for letting me know about the track.
If I use my VDOT from my best resent race, it comes out to be 50. My T-pace should be about 1:42/400m. I was running a little faster per lap, in the range of 1:38 to 1:41. The breathing was a little heavy and it was difficult to keep my form. This Thursday I will work on running slower for my tempo run.
I hope to keep the postings coming, not just about my running and training, but add a little twist about running in Ontario. Write about some of the best places where I have run for training and races. Also places where I would like to run races.
Monday, April 30, 2007
Moved!
We have moved to Whitby. I am now closer to work. My wife and kids are staying with the in law until the end of the school year. I was not running much during February. The move is my excuse and I'm sitckin to it!
Now, I would like to run the Toronto Marathon. I don't care if it is my best run or a qualifier for Boston. I just want to run a marathon. I think I have enough time to prepare. The marathon is October 14. Right now I am getting my base mileage up. This week I hope to hit a piddly 40km.
The plan is a Lydiard type training program. Base, Hills, some Tempo/Anaerobic and then sharpen/taper.
Now, I would like to run the Toronto Marathon. I don't care if it is my best run or a qualifier for Boston. I just want to run a marathon. I think I have enough time to prepare. The marathon is October 14. Right now I am getting my base mileage up. This week I hope to hit a piddly 40km.
The plan is a Lydiard type training program. Base, Hills, some Tempo/Anaerobic and then sharpen/taper.
Sunday, January 14, 2007
Flexible Ankles? Prevent Shin Splints?
Is it really that simple?
It seems every time I read from Arthur Lydiard's book, Running to the top, I pick something up that I either missed or didn't pay enough attention to the first time. My most read section, of course, is a really small section about shin splints. The best prevention is flexible ankles.
Tight ankle and calf muscles prevent flexible ankles. Massage therapy may loosen the muscles up, but once every 3 weeks is not enough and I can't afford to do that every day. So what can I do to keep those muscles relaxed and loose?
Stretching only after a run isn't enough. Calcium magnesium supplement doesn't seem to be enough. I finally dropped drinking coffee or anything with caffeine last week. That has helped too. I am going to do something else that Arthur mentions in his book every day; calf raises. I am also going to try and do some ankle exercises from my physio last summer. Some consistency in my running might also help.
As you can see I have been all over the map in mileage (in kilometers) for the last couple of months. This may also explain some of my weight gain.
It seems every time I read from Arthur Lydiard's book, Running to the top, I pick something up that I either missed or didn't pay enough attention to the first time. My most read section, of course, is a really small section about shin splints. The best prevention is flexible ankles.
Tight ankle and calf muscles prevent flexible ankles. Massage therapy may loosen the muscles up, but once every 3 weeks is not enough and I can't afford to do that every day. So what can I do to keep those muscles relaxed and loose?
Stretching only after a run isn't enough. Calcium magnesium supplement doesn't seem to be enough. I finally dropped drinking coffee or anything with caffeine last week. That has helped too. I am going to do something else that Arthur mentions in his book every day; calf raises. I am also going to try and do some ankle exercises from my physio last summer. Some consistency in my running might also help.
As you can see I have been all over the map in mileage (in kilometers) for the last couple of months. This may also explain some of my weight gain.
Saturday, January 06, 2007
Gotta get the train back on track
I have been really busy lately and a not very motivated. I think that the biggest reason has to do with me trying to sell my house. I rarely travel for work any more so my current arrangement (me staying in Toronto and then going home to Exeter on the weekends) no longer makes sense. I have a house in Whitby that is conditional upon the sale of my house in Exeter. It is a little stressful.
My legs have not improved to "perfection". I expected to have no pain or inflammation (or very little) in my shins after running. I am coming to the point of "not giving a shit" anymore and will train regardless. This doesn't mean I should be stupid about it. I will do a number of different things to reduce it:
- MSM supplement,
- Ice baths every once in a while, (not every run)
- Hot/Cold on the legs after some runs, (which I stopped because someone told me not to, but it works for me)
- Ice cubs on the shins,
- cross train
- slow doubles
I think I have enough of a routine down, now I just have to get consistent again.
That I think requires some goal setting.
I plan to run in the runner's choice runs next year even though I am planning on moving to Whitby, my family and wife's family live in the Exeter area.
The first race is April 6, 2006 which is a 5k.
I have put on some pounds (165) by not watching what I eat. I want to get that down to 155 by the spring. 4 months, 2.5lbs each month.
My legs have not improved to "perfection". I expected to have no pain or inflammation (or very little) in my shins after running. I am coming to the point of "not giving a shit" anymore and will train regardless. This doesn't mean I should be stupid about it. I will do a number of different things to reduce it:
- MSM supplement,
- Ice baths every once in a while, (not every run)
- Hot/Cold on the legs after some runs, (which I stopped because someone told me not to, but it works for me)
- Ice cubs on the shins,
- cross train
- slow doubles
I think I have enough of a routine down, now I just have to get consistent again.
That I think requires some goal setting.
I plan to run in the runner's choice runs next year even though I am planning on moving to Whitby, my family and wife's family live in the Exeter area.
The first race is April 6, 2006 which is a 5k.
I have put on some pounds (165) by not watching what I eat. I want to get that down to 155 by the spring. 4 months, 2.5lbs each month.
Wednesday, October 11, 2006
Long time no blog!
I have been running, but I have not had the chance to blog. OK, honestly I have not made it a priority. I just didn't feel comfortable trying to blog during my breaks at work, then early Monday mornings. I was a little down about the whole shin thing. I have still been running about 60km per week, however for the past 4, there were 2 were the mileage was reduced and I was either busy with re-insulating my attick or looking for a house in Pickering so that the whole family can be together.(just not going to happen)
This is what I found that helps:
- slow down, aprox. every other day, doubles 1/2 an hour in the morning and at night, stretch after each
- ice bath after long or fast runs
- 1000mg of MSM twice a day
- Custom orthotics ? Not so sure about these, but they don't seem to be causing any problems.
Tonight I ran 15km. The first 6.5 was at about the 6:00/km pace, the next 4 was at about the 5:00/km pace and the last was at about the 4:15/km pace. Damn it felt good!
In total it was about an hour and 21 minutes.
Yesterday I did some hill running at Hogs Hollow. Only 4, I think that I could have done some more because the legs felt really fresh tonight.
This is what I found that helps:
- slow down, aprox. every other day, doubles 1/2 an hour in the morning and at night, stretch after each
- ice bath after long or fast runs
- 1000mg of MSM twice a day
- Custom orthotics ? Not so sure about these, but they don't seem to be causing any problems.
Tonight I ran 15km. The first 6.5 was at about the 6:00/km pace, the next 4 was at about the 5:00/km pace and the last was at about the 4:15/km pace. Damn it felt good!
In total it was about an hour and 21 minutes.
Yesterday I did some hill running at Hogs Hollow. Only 4, I think that I could have done some more because the legs felt really fresh tonight.
Sunday, August 20, 2006
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.
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.
Sunday, August 06, 2006
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
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
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