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.

Mississauga Half Marathon

On May 4th I raced the Recharge with Milk Half Marathon (for the 3^rd time in the last 4 years) feeling somewhat confident that it would be a good race. The key was if the weather would co-operate as we have seen some pretty inconsistent weather so far… and Sunday was no different.

Prerace preparation included tons of water, pasta the night before, extra RECOVERYbits before bed, and then 2 bowls of crockpot steelcut oatmeal and maple syrup for breakfast, and extra ENERGYbits in the morning.

Sun morning it was just above freezing at 5am and the wind was expecting to be gusting up to 50km/hr from the west… We arrived at the starting line WAY too early – like 6:15am for a 7:30 start and it was cold… windy and cold, but we stayed warm and kept each other upbeat as we waited for the start.

The Smooth Running group consisted of a few veterans of the race, a few running this race for the first time but not their first half, and one newbie… and the support we had for each other was incredible!

The prerace events were normal … we managed to huddle around a store front and kept ourselves as warm as could be before heading to the chute to start. I took another serving of ENERGYbits and a banana before heading to the starting line to ensure that I would have enough fuel for the race.

My running buddy and I decided in advance to try to place ourselves ahead of the 1:45 pace bunny so as to not have to try to track it down, but the crowd towards the front was pretty packed so we found a spot in front of the 1:50 pacer and waited for the start.

We took off at a decent pace – and headed into the wind for the first 5k – pacing around 5:00/km which would hit the 1:45 goal I had set for myself. I kept Kerry in sight but let him move ahead and felt great heading into the U of T Mississauga campus and ran my best at the 6k mark posting a 4:44/km pace.

Heading towards the lake I kept running strong and was averaging around 4:57/km factoring in the slow wind start and kept going feeling great. I took only sips of water from my bottle, avoiding the chaos of water stops and took some more ENERGYbits as fuel at the top of the hill at the 12k mark and felt the best I had ever felt on this course – and looked forward to a strong finish.

Before I knew it, I was running towards the lake and approaching the 17k trail when I ran through a cloud of midges (bugs) and increased my protein intake with a mouthful of them requiring another swig on the waterbottle…

At this point there was just around 3k left and I knew I had more in the tank so I started to increase my turnover rate and proceeded to power through to the finish feeling tired but so excited to cross the line with my first sub-1:45 time(1:44.01)! It felt great to have set a goal of beating my PB (1:47.47 at that race) and trying to achieve a specific time and doing it! To tell you the truth I never even saw the 1:45 pace bunny and felt so in control that I never even worried about it…

The race went perfectly – it wasn’t too hot or cold, though the wind picked up after and made it very blustery watching everyone else finish. The crowds along the route were great – they’re cheering and signs always uplifting and amusing and having the bands playing is also a welcome addition.

The Mississauga race is a top notch event – the coordination is smooth and the event is always enjoyable which makes it a must on my race calendar.

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….

What's Next?

What’s next?

That’s a question that some runners face almost immediately after completing a race…

No sooner has the accomplishment been realized and the next goal is in question… Do I try to better my time, or is it a longer distance, or where do I race next?

It’s been a week since the Detroit marathon, and my thoughts have gone to will I race it again next year, or will I go after Chicago the week before (or try both?), or what is the next big one?

I took the entire work week off from “training runs” but did manage to drag my butt out of bed Sat. at 5am for a training run with my “half marathon” training group as they are tapering for a race next weekend. The distance was 12k, and the weather was less than accommodating as we faced a significant wind and the first “snow storm” of the fall season. It had started snowing/sleeting around 5am so by the time we hit the road at 7am there was accumulation and a biting headwind but we managed to get in 13+k as my training partner and I doubled back to make sure that the only other runner to brave the conditions was still in good shape.

It is runs like this that makes me realize that I love pushing myself, sometimes for no real reason other than the challenge to step outside the comfortable and do what many others won’t.

My next race is in Dec, the 10.8k Egg Nog Jog, a local favourite with rolling hills and scenic views and warm soup and egg nog post race… and this is a very comfortable distance so weather conditions are virtually irrelevant (I say virtually because it is Dec. in Canada so there is always the threat of bad weather – but that’s the challenge).

After this my calendar is open but will quickly fill with the March 2014 Around the Bay 30k in Hamilton, for my 4^th time, and then the decision will be - which spring race do I want to do? Mississauga, Toronto, or Ottawa? Half of full? And what other events are there that I am interested in doing – my hope is that there will be at least 3 half marathons and a full…

The most important question is…. Who wants to run with 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.