What's next?

That I’m not sure of, because after doing some trail marking for a 5 Peaks race at Rattlesnake Point in early June, I rolled my ankle pretty bad and needed to take a few weeks off for recovery.

The hardest part now is getting started again, and passing that fear of re-injury.  I am fearful that I am going to misstep and roll the ankle again, and then set myself back even further. I don’t have a goal race set yet, but still have at least 2 more 5 Peaks Ontario races (I will miss Albion Hills due to travel plans) but am looking for something in the fall to redeem this year plagued by injury.

The first step for recovery was taking 2 weeks off doing no running and forcing myself to take longer than I may have needed before lacing them up.

The second step was to slowly return to running, and right now that is where I’m at… This morning I went out and did a trail run at a moderate pace (around 5:40/km) and the ankle felt great – if anything I could tell I hadn’t run in a few weeks because the issues were more around my overall stamina, than anything with my ankle.

The last step will be to keep easing back into a routine, and gradually building back to where I was with 4-5 runs per week, and then setting some long-term goals.

I think I will register for the Oasis Canada Zoo Run in Toronto for late Sept, as this has become an annual run with my son, and now 2 more of my kids have expressed interest to run as well. The summer will be spent getting them ready to complete the 10k distance, and that should also keep me motivated to run and hold me back enough to ensure proper recovery.

I’ll let you know how it goes…

5 Peaks Ontario - Race 1 - Terra Cotta

The first event in the 2017 5 Peak Ontario Trail Series was held, April 22, in Terra Cotta and it was an amazing event, even though it was unseasonably cold that morning.

I was a volunteer that morning, so arrived at the park at 7:45am to assist with set up and to meet the race crew, as I had not been able to attend previous get-together runs for the Trail Crew team. When I got there, I immediately met up with Eric, the Series Director, and asked him what was needed, and went to work helping set up tables, and the inflatable Start/Finish line.

I’m glad that I was kept somewhat busy as it was very cold when the sun was behind the clouds and I was worried that my planned attire for the event was too light (shorts and long sleeve t-shirt). The 5 Peaks events are so well run, with tons of volunteers and helpers, and are great for runners of all ages and abilities. There are kids 1k fun runs, a youth 3k distance, as well as both a Sport (1 lap) and Enduro (2 laps) events so there is something for everyone.

The weather was sunny, and we had just come off a few days of rain, so the participants were all warned about safety as the first half of the course resembled a mud bog, which made for plenty of action, hilarity, and dirty runners. I decided to follow the mantra of enjoy the mud, and ran right through the middle of all the mud patches as we made our way through the first loop, and everyone was very careful to keep upright and also aware of the other runners to avoid slipping and taking out a whole bunch of people. It became very clear that the easiest path was the muddiest path and the sooner you came to terms with this, the better.

The trail was in good shape, and the terrain was challenging with elevation changes, bridges, and narrow paths but also had the wide areas to allow for runners to pass with ease. Having looked at the elevation map early, I was aware that there were some hills, and that meant both ups and downs, and remembered that keeping a consistent pace and muddy outlook would suit me well coming up on the second lap.

The crowd of runners thinned out for the second lap, which was good, because after 500 runners had passed though at least once, by the time I hit the mud the second time, it was even more glorious.

Again deciding to embrace the “get muddy” mentality meant straight into it, and through it, and I loved every second.

I took in the beauty of nature, listened to the sound of the trails, and lost myself in the joy of trail running and couldn’t wait to cross the finish line tired but feeling accomplished. The festive nature of this event series is amazing – from the lively crowds, playful volunteers and crew, and just the relaxed atmosphere of the trail community, it is something to be witnessed.

If you have never run a trail race, try a 5 Peaks event, they are not intimidating, and the experience is different at each location as each park offers different terrain and scenery.

Try it, you’ll love it - especially if you don’t mind getting a little dirty.

NEWS - 5 Peaks Trail Crew

I am excited to have been chosen as a member of the 2017 5 Peaks Ontario Trail Crew, which means I will be promoting the events, providing updates, race discounts and attending all of the various trail race events in the region.

 

I am super excited, because it was this series that I was introduced to in the winter of 2014 by one of the local co-ordinators and friend Rob Scheifley, and I have fallen in love with trail running. Running trails is so much more rewarding than running on the roads, with nature, challenging terrain, beautiful views and lack of motor vehicle traffic. I often lose track of time on the trails, and find longer runs so much more relaxing and enjoyable, and even when doing loops I don’t mind seeing the same spots more than once (try saying that about running on the road).

With running trails, sometimes the wetter (muddier) the better, and taking a spill can be dangerous with roots, rocks, and branches, but again the trail is more forgiving than concrete or asphalt, and the bumps, scratches, cuts and bruises are often worn as badges of honour, more than scars of shame.

I encourage everyone to try running a local trail, and you will find them of varying skills level almost everywhere, and please check out www.5peaks.com for events in your area and stay tuned for discount codes where you can save 10% on future races.

I look forward to seeing you #runwild and challenge you to #getofftheroad.

2017 - time to kick things off

I can’t believe I stopped writing this blog 2 and half years ago – right after finishing the Chicago Marathon. It’s not that I stopped running, it is that I got lazy and busy, but mainly lazy…

But, it’s a new year, and I am making some major changes in my life, which I will share in good time. 

So, because of this, I have decided that I will get back on the blogging and post weekly my musings – not just about running, but about life.

Here's to new beginnings and continued relationships, let’s kick off this year with some updates for the next 12 months: 

-a career change

- a renewed focus on things that make a difference

- registered for Around The Bay 30k and 2017 Ottawa Marathon 

- signed up for the complete 5 Peaks Ontario trail race series

Feel free to read along and share with me your thoughts comments, successes and struggles and together, as I chronicle what I hope will be an amazing year…

North Face Endurance Challenge Ontario half marathon review

I heard about this event on Twitter and decided to enter this to provide a challenge and change it up from just road running. My training partner and I accepted the challenge and began to work on mileage training.

We have both run numerous half marathons but this would not only be our first trail race, but on what is listed as one of the most challenging courses in Canada. Just what were we getting ourselves into? We were soon to find out…

The morning started out with showers as we drove the hour north to Blue Mountain and I knew it was going to be tough as I was running with traditional road shoes, the weather was only going to make it tougher.

The run started with a quick dash across a few slopes and it became obvious that we were going to be battling showers all morning and dealing with mud and slick conditions. As we made our way across the slopes we encountered a few bottlenecks and the crowd kept moving and warnings were shouted to keep runners behind aware of mud, water, and dangerous footing.

Kerry and I kept a good pace for the first few KM with the constant climbs and narrow passages in the trees it was important to keep moving and my first break was once we hit an open area with a bit of road on the downhill portion of the first part.

The climb approaching the first aid station was long and challenging but I walked when I needed to so that I had the energy to carry on. At the first station (5.5km) I caught back up to Kerry and we carried on now that I had recovered and again we ran on this second section feeling strong.

The views were spectacular and the trail was in good shape considering the rain we had. This second section was not as challenging as the first but it had sections once we crossed the second ladder that worked through the hills with a few series of switchbacks and single paths that were slippery and made everyone cautious about footing and grabbing the small trees for balance and support. It was during this portion that Kerry pulled away in traffic as I struggled in spots with footing but kept on determined to run strong heading towards the second aid station.

Knowing that the major climbs had passed was relieving, but having seen the elevation map, I also knew that the next 10km was going to be a constant series of ups and downs as we headed into the loop sections that brought us back and forth across Blue Mountain with gorgeous views of Georgian Bay.

It was through this section that I carried on conversations with numerous people as we ran and walked along and began to enjoy more of the trail camaraderie that I would normally have missed by running with earbuds and music. Many were veterans of trail races or marathons, but we were all enjoying the challenge of this course and inaugural race as the first Canadian stop in the North Face Endurance series.

Mentally I was fine until around 16km at which point “Just. Keep. Moving. Forward” became my mantra. At some points the trails was hard to see in the trees especially if there was no one else around so it forced me to pay attention to all possible paths which also kept my mind of the distance and fatigue that was settling in.

I had properly hydrated and fueled using both ENERGYbits and PocketFuel packets which kept me from “crashing” but the energy output definitely was high as this course  was way more challenging than the local trail I had run on for training.

My goal since registering was to finish the race – which meant I needed to stay ahead of the 4hr pace, which was never in doubt even with the much needed walk breaks. No matter how bad I felt, or tired I was, I was not going to stop or complain, and this was more a result of coming across a female running the 10k who was navigating the course with one prosthetic leg (a blade) and whose determination was incredibly inspiring.

As we made the final descent the course was again tricky and treacherous as evidenced by my wipeout going down a set of stairs. Thankfully I landed on my butt and avoided a major injury – only a few bruises and sore ankle…

As we cleared the downhill section and doubled back on the path we started the Village and crowd was audible in the distance and that motivated me to carry on strong and finish with a smile. Triumphant.

As I came to the line there was Kerry to cheer me on and the rest of the crowd at the finish line was inspiring and realizing that I had completed this course intact and with little energy left meant that I had left it all out on the slopes.

With many refills of water bottles, a quick spray of the hoses, a stop at the Clif tent for fuel we headed to the ice bath to soak the aching legs and change into dry clothes. The weather by then had cleared and warmed up significantly so the atmosphere was just one big party – a great reception to end a great day.

The event staff are to be congratulated for an amazing event, one that I will definitely be back for… next time I will train for the hills and will then focus on running a stronger race.

The goal was to finish. I did. That was a victory and I can’t wait to get back out there again – but I will take some time off to rest the aching legs… they earned it.

Summer running

Now that the days are longer, and supposedly warmer, my training program will focus on morning runs to avoid the humidity and late day sun and heat… and even at 5am it is light enough that I don’t have to carry a light (but do to be safe).

My morning run consists of a simple 6+km loop down the hill, and through town, returning uphill to finish off… from here I can add a small paved path run to add on 2km or depending on time of day and add significantly more distance as required.  Ideally I like to run the loop 3x a week and then at least one long weekend run.

I have recently begun running around the lake on a trail and if running this as part of a loop I can significantly add both mileage and difficulty to a simple road run…and if I drop the boys off at the skate park I can do an “out and back” on the trail as part of a 15+km run in under 90min.

The addition of the trail run has been great as it has helped me to train for The North Face Endurance Challenge Half Marathon trail run in July. This race is taking place at Blue Mountain, near Collingwood ON, and I am so looking forward to the experience. This event sounds more fun than Warrior Dash and Tough Mudder, both of which I have previously run. I love the idea of trail runs and am looking at making them a staple in my annual running calendar.

The training plan has merely been a continuation of the half marathon training I did for Mississauga in May, with the trail runs added on to give me more of a feel for what is in store in a couple of weeks. The thought of running up the ski hill is still daunting, but having completed a few obstacle races I am sure it is something that I can handle…

This year my race calendar is full – 7 planned races with the gem being the Chicago Marathon in Oct, but the actual highlight has been my 13yr old son asking to run with me, and to date he has completed a 15k race and today we signed up to run the Oasis Zoo Run 10k at the Toronto Zoo in Sept. He has trained with me in Florida over the holidays and has run with me in evenings and on weekends and his desire to spend time with me and keep active is what is keeping me going.

Having a training buddy is great, it motivates me, and hopefully inspires both of us to remain active and healthy. We are working on healthy eating – gluten-free where possible and have eliminated most processed foods to keep clean. We also fuel our runs with ENERGYbits and PocketFuel as needed. I am beginning to think that Kris runs just so he can have a smoothie to recover when we get home… but I am not going to argue….

So as the summer begins and kids are out of school, I hope to keep going – I set a goal for 1500km in 2014 and am almost halfway there, so with the marathon training kicking into gear, it should be achievable and having my son there to run with me and cheer me on, I am looking forward to the next run….

13yr old training and race recap

This past Christmas while we were in Florida, my son decided that he wanted to start running with me, and began to come with me on my morning 5k runs. Once we got home, we signed him up for a local 10k clinic and began to find a goal race.

We ran in the cold and snow and over time managed to get his mileage up to the required distances for the 10k race, but his basketball season kept interfering with goal races.

He was flying through the weekly long runs and after consulting the coach we decided that we would extend the training and set the Mississauga Bread and Honey 15k as the goal race. Every week we added 1km to his distance and over the last few weeks added in multiple runs to improve his conditioning and push him to stretch in his running.

We found a local trail around the lake and began to add in variety to the traditional road training. As the mileage increased Kris began to ask about fuel for running and has taken to ENERGYbits as his energy source.

The increased running program paid off for him during the final weeks of basketball season as he had not only more stamina, but a shorter recovery period, and his desire to run with me made for more time together doing something we both like to do.

But now on to today’s race… 

  We met the Smooth Running team at 6:30am and drove to Mississauga for the 8am starting time, and he seemed a bit nervous but claimed he was fine. Right before the start he downed his 10 “bits” and we headed to the starting line. My goal was to pace him and encourage him through this his first race and to try to eliminate any fears or doubts…

The race started and the start line was very crowded which meant a slow start. I wanted to avoid jostling for position to ensure he had room to run, so we stayed back and found a comfortable pace and worked our way along. We ran without music and I kept checking in with him to make sure that he was in good shape.

The crowd was big and it wasn’t until the 4k mark when the 5k runners headed back to the finish line and we turned away to complete the longer portion of the course with a few small hills that we had more room to get into the groove. Kris cruised to the 6k mark and then had to stop to walk as he was struggling a bit but with a water break and gel he was fuelled for the rest of the way.

As the race went on he kept a solid pace and before we knew it, he was past the halfway point and about to hit the turnaround point. He also had a chance to cheer on our running partner who was cruising along ahead of us and his words of encouragement and high-five seemed to energize Kris.

Once we cleared the last overpass, he was encouraged by some race volunteers as the first youth runner they had seen, and it was as if he was re-energized and continued to run strong, with only one quick stop to retie his shoes and grab a water break, he powered along Mississauga Road and turned for home.

He was smiling and looked at ease, but I knew he was tired but because there was 1k to go meant that he was determined to finish strong, and once the finish line was in sight, he kicked it into high gear and pulled away with me cheering him on. The whole Smooth Running group and his big sister were there to cheer him on just before crossing the finish line and that helped even more.

The entire race was so well organized and the weather was perfect – a bit sunny early and cool by the time we finished which made for perfect running conditions.

His first race was complete and successful -15km done in under 1:30:00 with a bit of room to improve. The smile on his face means that he will be back and running as often as he can.

Milestone

Today was a pretty cool day, in that today I had another great run, and crossed a threshold I had never really given a lot of thought to, but reflecting on it now, is quite an accomplishment.

First I’ll talk about today’s run in the Egg Nog Jog, a challenging 10.8k run through the rolling hills of Terra Cotta, ON. The first time I ran this a few years ago, I came into it thinking that 10.8k was nothing as I had run half marathons, 30k races and even one full…. but I took the course for granted and it humbled me. The event is a local running gem, a well-organized winter run limited to only 600 runners so it is not over-crowded. So this year, I feel my overall training was better and knowing what was in store for me also made it easier.

The challenge comes between the 4-6km marks as the incline is significant and the duration of it makes it even more intense. This year I powered up the hill and forced myself to maintain a steady pace and was surprised at how many people I passed with ease, and stayed behind me the rest of the way. I even had enough reserve energy to dial up the pace at the 8-9km mark to improve my chances to finish strong with a very respectable time. The last 1km is mostly downhill (after all the climbing you do have to come back to the starting point in this loop race) and I turned it on and ran across the finish line with a sub 1-hr time for the 10.8km distance.

It was during this race, the milestone occurred, in that I crossed the 1000km mark for the year, and given the spotty routine from previous years this was a major accomplishment. Even this year there were a few very light months – most recently November, as I took a few weeks off after the Detroit Marathon to rest and lost my motivation to run in the dark, cold, late fall mornings. My heaviest workload was August as I was in full training mode and ran over 250km but also had 3 other months of 100km+.

So as the year winds down, I will be heading south for the holidays and plan to run every day when not driving and should be able to record another 100km+ month. This sets up the goal of 1600km (1000 miles) for 2014 and one that is firmly within reach.

Back at it...

I’m back – not only writing but running again. In the past few weeks it has been only a couple of runs – including a much deserved 10k after a busy week of business travel.

It is difficult some mornings to get up and run, knowing that I have a full morning ahead, and need to be in the office before 8am a half hour run at 5am sometimes just didn’t happen… but it needs to

I like the feeling of accomplishment after having dragged myself out of bed and onto the road, and maybe because there hasn’t been a “goal race” ahead that I have let it slide… so I have 2 so far…

The Egg Nog Jog is 2 weeks away so the 10.8k distance is not daunting, but I want to feel good about this run, so I need to dial up the training before next weekend. Discipline will be key and that often wanes in the cold and dark of Canadian fall and winter months.

The big race is the Around the Bay 30k in Hamilton at the end of March – this will mean weekly training runs with the Smooth Running group – my training team as this event is a group favourite event and the distance sets up well for a Spring full marathon – maybe Ottawa this year, if I can work on a few fellow runners.

Diet wise – I don’t go crazy in monitoring intake, but the switch to EnergyBits and RecoveryBits to fuel instead of gels and other items has been great, and I will continued to be #PoweredByBits in hopes of demolishing previous PB times and just an overall improvement on health. It has been over 3 years since I last had carbonated beverages (pop/soda) and my only true vice is coffee – and since starting a regular EnergyBits intake I have been able to reduce coffee consumption by at least one cup a day and find that on weekends it is almost non-existent.

So it is time to refocus – not only on the miles but also on writing… thanks for indulging me….

Detroit Free Press Marathon recap

The weekend started with a delayed drive down to Windsor/Detroit due to previous commitments but we managed to make the runner kit pick up at the Health and Fitness Expo before the 7pm cutoff. My wife dropped me off and circled the block a few times while I ran in to grab my bib. I did not walk the Expo as there was really nothing I needed prior to this race, and really wanted to get to my in-laws for the pre-race carb load pasta dinner.

The tunnel was backed up so we headed to the bridge and made it back home in just over an hour – including a chat with the Border guard who wished me luck in my quest of sub-4hrs. The funny thought that crossed my mind was that in less than 12hrs I would be back in almost the exact same spot but this time running with a pack of fellow “athletes” and weekend warriors.

After a few plates of pasta and tons of water, I settled in to an evening of relaxation, watching TV, and visiting with family. I excused myself, set up the crockpot for my pre-race oatmeal and headed to bed early – attempting to get 6hrs of sleep before the race.

4am came early, and after some fitfull sleep afraid I would oversleep, I woke up, dressed, ate and woke up my wife for the early morning trip to the Tunnel Bus. No need to fight traffic or find parking especially if that would mean waking everyone up to hang around in the cold…

The bus got me to the starting chute at 6:30 and the energy in the cold morning was contagious – with music blaring and the emcee pumping up the crowd before the National Anthems. Before I knew it, it was race time.

I took off with the 3:55 pace bunny and kept him and his spider hat in view as we approached the Ambassador Bridge 2 miles in. The sight from the bridge was spectacular, and many stopped to take pictures, but I kept on feeling very comfortable and looking forward to running in Windsor, where I had gone to University, and have not been back as often as I would like.

I kept my eyes open for my family, as I wasn’t sure if they were going to be roadside on the Windsor side or only near the finish line.  As I approached the first relay point, I saw my sister, who was a volunteer, and exchanged a high-five and felt energized by getting to see her if only for a few seconds. Within minutes we were around the corner and heading to the “underwater mile”.

The route travels through the Windsor-Detroit Tunnel and measures exactly one mile, and this was an eerie experience, mainly due to the fact that the temperature outside was around 40F yet in the tunnel with no breeze it felt like it was about 30 degrees warmer, and I started to sweat, as did many of the runners around me. Some even took their shirts off in the tunnel but quickly put them back on as we approached the Detroit opening as the cold air was like a deep freeze blast.

As we re-entered downtown Detroit the crowd was rabid, vocal and lined what looked like 10 deep everywhere – it was an amazing reception and one that I will not forget even as a Canadian runner. We now headed into the meat of the race – heading towards Mexicantown and Corktown punctuated with passing the now empty lot that was once the sight of Tiger Stadium, ominous in that the Tigers had been eliminated from the ALCS the night before. This area holds many memories for me, as growing up in the area I went to Tigers games and during my University years frequented Mexicantown after hours along with Lafayette Coney Island (I was tempted to stop for a ‘Heavy Heavy Chili Fries’ but knew that wouldn’t sit well with a half marathon still ahead of me).

The course was well marked and at the spot where the ½ Marathon turned to the Finish Line meant that more than half of my running mates were gone but that 3:55 pacer was still in view. I had crossed the halfway mark in 1:51 and change (gun time) so was feeling good – but that was about to change.

Over the next few miles, I lost sight of the pacer, and started to struggle mentally – as it seemed the slightest thing caused me to question everything and it was around this point that the variance between the posted mile makers and my Nike+ started to affect me – it appears that my system needs to be recalibrated as all my distances were off by almost 10%. This meant that my stretch goal of 3:45 based on the training pace was actually off by 10% and that did not sit well – almost immediately I started having to take walking breaks between hydration stops.

After a few more tough miles, I managed to get back on track and the run through Indian Village (miles 16-18) was better – if not for the scenery and the neighbourhood tents and encouragement (not to mention the Polka music and free beer offered by a few). By this time I had accepted that 3:45 was not going to happen but I had not seen any other pacers so was trying to stay positive and focus on my own pace and the music from my iPhone.

As I hit the 30k mark things started to crumble again, and my confidence was shaken and the turn onto Belle Isle (funny enough a spot I had never been to before) was going to challenge me more than anything else. I knew that once I finished the 3 mile loop it would mean only 4 miles until the Finish but no sooner would I get myself in the right frame of mind to push on, and my phone died. This meant no more annoying miscalculated distances, but also meant no more music and that meant listening to the voices in my mind and at times they were pretty loud.

Once I left Belle Isle and turned towards downtown again, I vowed to keep moving no matter what, and that I would no longer “race” anyone but myself. Finishing was my goal, and given where I was in the run, I was already going to destroy my PB because this time I ran more and walked less and as painful as it was mentally and physically, it was better than the last time. This realization made the last few miles rewarding though not effortless.

I enjoyed the views along the river, the crowds and the volunteers and before I knew it I was on Atwater and heading into the chute – where the crowd reenergized me and gave me the boost to kick the final half mile.

I finished with arms raised, crossing the line 4:21 after the gun and with an official time of 4:17:23. Seeing my family after getting my medal was incredible – they had been worried because they had been tracking my iPhone and thought they had missed me or that something had happened once it died.

Post race was spent rehydrating , refueling and the race provided more nutrition and liquids than I could have expected. It was an amazing experience – one that I may even consider running again… I’m a runner – there is always a chance I’m going to do this again…

A special thanks to the race organizers, volunteers and the police and security that were present everywhere making this a truly amazing event, and to Energy Bits for the amazing fuel that kept me going.

Marathon Training

I started running a few years ago, at least in terms of running organized races. Since then it has become more of a lifestyle change than a habit, and more of an exercise routine, obsession, and challenge to myself to see how far I can go and how far I can push myself to perform.

I started with a few smaller runs, 5ks etc and then pushed to the 10k range, before challenging myself to run the half marathon distance. I would train with friends and started a morning run loop routine that started at around 2-3k daily and then participate in clinics and a long run on the weekend.

Over time that became a comfortable habit and then the thoughts of running longer distances crept in and before I knew it the annual “Around the Bay 30k” in Hamilton had become routine and the thought of the 42.2k distance did not seem that far off.

I trained with a running buddy, Kerry, and together we ran on weekends and enjoyed the bond of social running and pacing each other towards the goal of completing our first full… A toe injury put my plans on hold, and Kerry completed his first full while I could only wish that I would recover, and then planned to run my first in Hamilton for the Road 2 Hope.  We both entered the race and again a lack of preparation impacted my race, but I did manage to complete the distance, with a lot of walking in the last 12k in just over 5 hours.

All I can really remember was losing the 3:45 pace bunny at 28k as I hit the proverbial wall and lost my drive and energy and battled thoughts of quitting while I continued to walk angry at myself for a lack of proper training and nutrition. My crowning moment was my determination to run across the finish line, and mustered everything I had at 40k to run the rest and with my coach and training partner and their son cheering me on, I picked up the pace and crossed the line victorious but disappointed.

As only a distance runner will understand, within half an hour as I was settling into the passenger seat on the way home, the thought of running not only another marathon, but attempting an ultra-marathon distance of 50k crossed my mind.

This brings me to now – to two nights before I tackle the Detroit Free Press International Marathon, the distance that has challenged me to drag myself out of bed at 5am when it’s cold and dark outside, and my bed is warm…

This time it will be different because of a few things…

First – my training is better – since July I have logged well over 500km of training runs and I have listened to my body and pushed when I could and rested when I should as well. Most of these training runs have been solo – this time I was running the marathon alone – not with a group or even Kerry – this was for me, about me, and about not giving up.

Second, and most importantly, my nutrition is better – I have been eating better, hydrating more, and supplementing not with gels or other gummies like I did previously (I had at least 6 gels running a half marathon 2 years ago and paid dearly with digestion issues). This time my fuel is Energy Bits – a spirulina algae tablet that has changed the way I think and manage my hunger and energy supply. These bits are amazing – 100% natural, a high source of protein and low in calories. I take them every day, running or not, and have noticed a sustained energy level. When I run, I take more before heading out and have noticed that I don’t crash mid-run, nor do I feel hungry… about half way through my long run, I will take more – usually 10-15 tabs and I am able to maintain pace and activity. I have even noticed that my post run recovery is quicker; there are a lot less aches and even no real need for a nap. Even the morning loop runs have graduated to the 6-8k range and happen 3-4x a week.

As I think about the last minute details, my main concern is making sure that I have enough “bits” for race day and given the small size, it will be much easier to carry these than worry about numerous gels and then disposing of the garbage.

I can’t wait for Sunday – to complete the race – to beat my goal time of sub-4hr, and to be able to function the rest of the day because I have done what I needed to do to prepare.

Now it’s just up to me to put one foot in front of the other, repeatedly, to not stop running until I have crossed that Finish Line.