Friday, September 30, 2011

Wow

Tomorrow is the Toad 50K. Its dark , damp, cold and I am going to run around the forest for hours on end. I just finished eating a mountain of Pasta and now I am at work trying to stay awake. I am at work until 11:00 pm and the alarm is set for 4:30 am.

Sometimes I really wonder WHY?

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

September Totals

Posting a couple of days before the end of the month. I am trying and I do mean trying to take two full days off running until I do 50K at the Toad on Saturday. So here is goes.....


September 2011 - 287.4K
YTD 2011 - 2,663.6K

Strangely enough 2 of my 3 LSD runs were on the treadmill and I ran 15 times on the treadmill and 9 times outdoors. This is so different then in previous years but I do see a huge value in the treadmill running and its all about pace. Guess I will find out over the next couple of weeks.

Last year I ran 80K Hali Sept 11 then 42.2 STWM Sept 26 and my my 2010 YTD#s were very similar to Sept 2011 but the monthly total was significantly lower.

September 2010 - 227.1K
YTD Sept 2010 - 2,565.1K

and now I rest



Hit the trail today , originally thinking 11.1K then I did some hill repeats , then I turned left instead of going straight. It was just one of those perfect running days ... almost too warm. Logged 19.5K in 2hrs13min averaging a 6:50 pace. Toad is on Saturday so I figured if I went a little longer today I would be more inclined to rest Thurs / Fir before the 50Ker on Saturday. I feel strong , ready to go long but there is the big ? not going Ultra long since the 90Ker in early August. I have been doing the weekly long runs 30K +/- a few but I have been doing way more speed work on the treadmill then other years getting ready for the STWM. Originally I was planning on cruising the Toad , not any more. Going to try for a 7:00 pace letting slide to 7:30 if needed. Nutrition will be an important ingredient at the Toad. I will have a much better idea where I stand after Saturdays race.

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Tempo Tuesday

7K 4:30 pace Tempo run with a 0.5K cooldown for a total of 7.5K logged on the treadmill thsi evening.

Monday, September 26, 2011

Back at it

Great thing about a little 10K is no need for a recovery. Just an ever so slight hint of muscle pain and a wee bit tired today but heck its is Monday! Jumped on the treadmill at lunch and did a 5K run at a mostly 5:00 pace.

Sunday, September 25, 2011

Run For Health 10K - Walkerton Ontario - September 25, 2011



Did the Run For Health 10K in Walkerton this morning. The day didn't start so great. I was feeling quite tired not really feeling like running let alone race today. Some of my better race days have started this way so I went through my usual routines arriving at the race an hour before it started. Before I knew it I was running down Grey Rd 4 heading East out of Walkerton. The 1st K of the race was dead flat and I did it in 4min19 seconds , sort of holding back a bit. The next K was a 50m gain in elevation as we left town. I concentrated on keeping the breathing in check and didn't bother to check pace and managed to complete the climb in 5mins4seconds much better then I expected. In the third K there was a couple of out and backs before we headed North out of town. I concentrated on picked up the pace and recovering my breathing finishing the third one in 4min31 seconds. Going into the 4th K I looked at my Garmin for the first time and saw an average 4:36 pace. My goal today was to get it under 45minutes so I had a little work to do but with what goes up comes down so I felt confident that I would be successful. The 4th K was pretty flat and I completed it in 4min30sec knocking the avg pace back to 4:35 ...heading int he right direction. The 5th K finished with a small climb and I logged a slightly faster time finishing it in 4:27. With a 5K race to go I was starting to feel pretty hot as we turned West heading back towards town. I was slowly closing on another fellow that was fading a bit. When I passed him he challenged me for 20 or so meters before giving up the position. Following this guy for a bit hurt me a little and I logged a 4:32K. With 4K to go , 4:35 avg on the Garmin I knew it was time to dig a little harder and pick it up. I didn't want to get to the final K and have to make up all the time on 50 meter drop in elevation. It was getting really hot at this point but still manageable. I finished the 7th K in 4min20 sec and the avg pace had ticked down to 4:33. I finally felt like I was on track and continued to push hard logging 4min19sec and 4min21sec in the 8th and 9th K. Going into the lst K the avg pace had ticked down well under my minimum 4:30 and I knew I was going to achieve my goal. After dropping back into town we headed West on Grey Rd 4 again for the last few hundred meters. I was closing in on a fellow about 10 meters in front and started to make a push but then I felt really nauseous so I decided I wanted to finish the race standing up instead of down on all 4s so I backed off and cruised in finishing my last K in 3min52sec.






I finished the 10K in 44min14sec finishing 10th out of 53 participants, 9th out of 24 Men and 3rd in the 50+ AG. There was a cute moment when I received my 3 in AG Metal. The Announcer declared that he was going to take up running because I looked like I was 25 years old!

Friday, September 23, 2011

3rd consecutive lousy LSD

I kind of had a feeling today's LSD would be a little tough and I wasn't disappointed. Tried to go yesterday but I couldn't get the afternoon off work. Today the weather is rainy , cooler and dark. I was going to head out the door and hit the trail for 20 or so K then finish off on the treadmill. Heading out the door I had some GI issues that said stay home. So I grabbed a couple of fans , cranked the home theater , laid out Gels and 3 bottles of water. If I wasn't going to take it outside then I would at least practice gelling on my Marathon Schedule. The first half of the run was miserable , had to make a couple of emergency bathroom breaks...something didn't agree with me. Gelled at 7K , 11K and felt like shit at 13k, almost called it a day after starting again and again. Managed to get it back together and started to move along again, gelled at 15K then did 4 eload caps at 17K the another gel at 19K.... washed them down with plenty of water! Logged 20K in the first 2 hours , not great. I was feeling reasonable and with the calories I had been taking I managed to pick it up to a 5:00 pace . I was planning on going an hour at that pace and felt like I had lots of get up and go but 2hrs30min 26K logged I decided to call it a day and then walked a k to cool down logging a total of 27K in 2hrs40min.

Thursday, September 22, 2011

More Lunch

Tried to book the afternoon off to go for a long run but it didn't work out. No big deal the weather has changed a bit , it was sunny but is now overcast now. So I did a 5K lunch Run at a 5:00 pace. Long run on the books for tomorrow.

Run Clinic last night

2nd night of the Fleshertron Run Clinic last night . A few new faces and 1 returning. Headed out on the trails behind Grey Highlands then looped around town logging a 4.4K run.

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Tempo Tuesday

7.5K logged today , 7K of it at my 4:30 tempo pace. Running faster wasnt all that more taxing O2 wise but boy oh boy talke about turning up the heat!!!! 5K the usual way + run clinic tomorrow then LSD on Friday.

Monday, September 19, 2011

Sunday, September 18, 2011

The prep continues....

Another Marathon pace run today , this time I cover 1/3 of the Full distance logging 14.5 K , 14K at a 5:00 pace followed by a 0.5K cool down. Physically its easy , mentally it can be a little tough. Short one tomorrow at the same pace then its Tempo Tuesday, planned 7K at a 4:30 pace.

Saturday, September 17, 2011

12.5K today

Working 12 hour days today. Managed a 12.5 K run , one hour at a 5:00 pace followed by a a 5:00 cooldown.

Thursday, September 15, 2011

Running on empty

Been delaying this weeks long run. It took a couple of days to turn around after working nights and there has been allot on the go so the long one got shelved. I am running out of days off and tomorrow was filling fast so I managed to do an unexpected long one today. The weather was really lousy. I returned from Owen Sound at noon and was thinking of taking it outside but the 6C and wind driven rain sucked so I decided to dust off the treadmill. I started thinking I would go for and hour or so then first thing tomorrow I would get the long one in. An hour into the run the more I thought about things tomorrow the less likely it would be to get the long one in so I decided to keep going. So I held my 5:30 pace through 2 hours then without nutrition or hydration I was starting to slow. Paused the treadmill for a minute and grabbed an Ice Cold Bottle of GU2O .... it was heaven. Geared it back to a 6:00 pace for the last hour and with my cool down I managed 30K in 3hrs. Got it done!!!!!!

Run Clinic

As short 2.6K jaunt with the Flesherton Run Clinic last night. There was only 3 participants but it was still a ton of fun. Look forward to the next 7 weeks.

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Trail Today, Run Clinic Tonight



Haven't recovered from mids very well so this was the first Run since the early hours run on Monday morning. Long one is still on the books for Thurs or Fri. I was thinking about doing it today but with the first Run Clinic in Flesherton tonight I thought I should delay a day or two. Managed to take it out on the trail with fresh legs today. Breezed through 11.1K at an avg 6:30 pace. The run was exactly what I need to get back on course today!

Monday, September 12, 2011

Last run of the +3 theme

17K done at my 5:00 Marathon pace. Mentally it was tough to get going , physically it was relatively easy but the cumulative affect of the +3 theme was starting to take its tole and that's a good thing. I am off now until Saturday , wanted to do the long one on Tues ...around 36K BUT the weather is warm and humid where Wed/Thur/Fri is much cooler and dryer. I have the first night of the Fall Run Clinic on Wed. which is my preference for going long. One thing I do know is that toady is turnaround day so no more running until Tues.

Sunday, September 11, 2011

+3 Day 3

14.4K done , 14k at my 5:00 Marathon Pace. Tomorrow its 17K at the same pace.

Friday, September 9, 2011

Perfect Weather, Chasing Turkeys and Long Shadows



It was too nice not to take it outside this evening. I was able to keep to my +3 theme completing and 11.4K trail run. It was a 6:30 pace , much slower then my planned run but you can't beat the workout! I wasn't far into my run when some Turkeys on the trail took off in front of me sticking to the trail ...chased them for a few hundred meters. The sun was getting low in the West and the Shadows were getting long, Fall is near. Thought lots about everyone running Haliburtoon this weekend. I really wished I could be there but I am working through the weekend. Now that I have my run in today I will do some core and upper body work.

+3

First night of +3 , 8K done at a 5:00 pace. Tomorrow its 11K!

Thursday, September 8, 2011

5@5@5

5k at a 5:00 pace at 5:00 am this morning. Next 4 night at work its going to be a +3 theme....Fri 8K, Sat 11K, Sun 14K and finally Monday 17K all at a 5:00 pace. Weather permitting Tuesday will be an LSD...maybe 5:30 pace , maybe 6:00 pace being that I am recovering from working nights.

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

5 at 4

5K done at 04:00 am , lunch run. Didn't feel the least little bit like going for a run so I rewarded myself by running a slower 5:30 pace just to get it done. Aug 28 I tuckered myself out running a fast 1/2 , a week and a day later it was a tough 30.6K LSD. Recovery from both runs was and is slow and working nights adds yet another stress. I will try to go longer and a little faster tomorrow if I sleep well today.

Monday, September 5, 2011

LSD Run



LSD, it was labour day and it was slow and distant but it wasn't fun. First cool running day in months, 10-12C with a strong N NW wind and misty rain here and there. Wore shorts , long sleeve tech T and tied off my Shell around my waist just in case! Heading South 5K on the 2nd the wind was at my back and there was no cooling and I was quickly over heating ...yup 12C and I was done! Heading West on the Edges Rd it was better with a strong breeze off my right shoulder , cooled down crossing Hwy 6 and heading to to the 2nd of Bentick. Once again heading South for nearly 6K wind at my back getting too hot. Gelled at 15K going up Hutton Hill. Headed East on the Trailer Park Rd heading towards the Beer Store in Durham. Going North on Hwy 6 it was a full blown head on into some really cool wind. Running North up Garfaxa or Hwy 6 its all a gradual uphill , hitting the conservation area it continues to climb until I hit the 2nd then there is a half K of flat before another gradual climb. Going up the 2nd was miserable , strong wind then a driving mist. I had Gelled in the park but it never felt like it kicked in and about 5K to go there was a pain in the stomach ... suspected I didn't do enough water with the Gel! Last 5K was running on empty , slow and low on Glycogen I was burning body mass and slowing down. Caught aw bit of a chill the last 5K , hat on hat off hat on. Finished and grabbed a beer and hit the hot tub very glad to be done. Managed 30.6K at an avg 6:00 pace ...it was slog today but I got it done.

Friday, September 2, 2011

Steamy Trail



HHH for sure today , mangaed a trail run/walk covering 11.6K today.

Thursday, September 1, 2011

First Sept Run



Temps were hovering around 20C with lots of humidity and no Sun so it was a pretty good day to take it outside. Did a 17.8K gravel road/tractor trail run at an avg 5:59 pace. It felt good today , a little hot with the nearly 100% humidity but overall pretty decent conditions.