bumpity bump bump...bump

The road has been bumpy! What a december, between the exams, getting sick, going home(and nearly dying on the drive), december has been a rough one for training. I suspected this would be the case and didn't fight it! I have one week before school starts and I have virtually no responsibilities so if this isnt the key to a proper start to training, i don't know what is. Unfortunately the weather is pretty crap, well actually its the leftover snow that is making the running a bit difficult. Since when are the running conditions worse in Vancouver than in Kitimat? Hopefully we'll get more rain and wash all this away, I really want to get training again here, full tilt. I am definitely ready to get healthy, fit, and feeling like a specialized animal again, its about damn time.

I finally have my class schedule and it isnt too bad, but will force me to workout on tuesday mornings, so I might try to tie in with the SFU group again, which is alright, hopefully Dylan will be there. Thursday is open and I will be able to meet up with someone to do thursday's focus session. So its really not too bad, other than my 830 am class on wednesday which is horrific, I don't even want to think about it right now aaah. The good thing about the schedule is it leaves a few evenings open so i'll be able to work a bit more, and attend functions in the community and what not. All in all, it is not an ideal schedule but I think it will work out fine. I am a bit nervous about my classes but excited as well. It is going to be a great semester and a great year I am certain of it, virtually everything in life is on the up and up, so here's hoping I can keep a good balance.

mmmm Soda Crackers

Pretty solid week last week. I would call last week the first official week of training. I ran 65miles in 6 runs: 4 - 10milers, one workout of 8k in 26:04, and a solid long run of 15miles. My calf problem is slowing going away and I am feeling OK. Right now I am just focusing on studying but as of today classes are over and it should be easy enough to get into things running wise. Unfortunately i won't know my class schedule for next semester until I get my marks from this semester and get admitted to the classes I need next semester and so I don't know who I will be training with during the week come January, if anyone at all.

This week I'll continue to do easy 10milers in the mornings, however I am going to do a workout Richard prescribed tomorrow and the same on saturday after my first exam, and again another long run, but probably bump it up to 18miles, so the structure is slowly forming. I think it is going to be very important for me to slowly work in more structure because in the past I have often gone from no structure to highly structured and had to sacrifice many things in the rest of my life, so a low integration is probably the best plan to increase the chances of consistency and success. The next race will be an 8k in Saanich on January 11th I think, and it will for the most part be a barometer on the way to the "First Half" which I am really excited about. It is 10 or 11 weeks away, just enough time to get in real good shape I figure. Not sure what i'll run but if the conditions are good I expect to run a PB, it can be a very fast course if the conditions are good.

Well, back to the books.

Feel like the weather...

The rain is really coming down out there, and has been all day, not helping the motivation to run or study thats for sure. I headed out for an easy 10miles this morning as I did mon, tues, wed, but today I had a net gain of 6-8lbs! I actually didn't weigh myself before my run but afterward, with shoes in hand I weighed in at 162lbs. It was actually a pretty decent run other than feeling heavy in the last part of it, and being frozen from my elbows down. I came to a couple of important conclusions at the end of my run too: 1) don't tie your house key in your laces if your hands are going to be too cold to untie them and 2) take the front door key because the lock on the back door is too hard if your hands are too cold to turn the key. Luckily I was able to get in my place this time but any colder and I would have been in trouble. This week I have been struggling a bit with my lower right leg, the mild injury that had gone away in october but was awakened with the rediculously hilly 10k the other weekend. I am not too concerned about it, its just an annoyance that will have to be dealt with. Tomorrow I have an 8k in Stanley Park scheduled which I think i'll be doing by myself since Steve, Richard, and Dylan are off to nationals, it should be pretty relaxed as tempo runs are my forte. Sunday will be my first long run in a very long time, I haven't quite decided on the route i'll do, i'm thinking up to SFU and back though will be good, nice and relaxed. I opted to only do the one workout this week because I was very sore from last saturday's workout and the sore lower leg, however I should wind up with about 65-70miles this week which is a substantial increase in and of itself, so one workout is probably a safe plan.

I am not sure what my problem is lately, but I have had a really hard time studying consistently, maybe I have overtrained my brain! This semester has been a massive shock it I am sure, forcing so much knowledge acquisition. Luckily I have studied a lot so I don't need to cram for finals, just brush up and do practice problems. I am still a little bit concerned about the overall sense of somewhat lower motivation in general. I think part of the problem is my atrocious diet, not so much that I have been eating foods that are bad for me, just not eating enough food in general, but foods that are not packed with nutrients. Although I am completely sick of reading, I am going to take my Chris Charmicheal book home for Xmas and get back into eating well like I did last spring. I know it will make a huge difference in energy levels and probably my ability to study as well. This holiday break is much anticipated and will be the perfect prelude to the build up to the 'first half', Ottawa, upper division courseload, and some other goals I have in the spring, like becoming more involved in my community again, and putting some more focus into work, now that I am settled into the swing of school. Despite my current state, my general feeling is that I have 'settled in', I am feeling more like myself in that the massive transition I was experiencing in the summer has officially passed and I am getting into a new long term groove, which, thankfully, has running competitively involved in it.

Ok, so here we go.

Took a week off as the break between seasons if you will. It has been a really great fall season for running. I really didn't train much, doing some solid workouts but my volume was extraordinarily low (74.5, 78.5, 18.5, 29.5, 62, 53.5, 43, 26, 26.5, 29), with a half marathon of 1:08:50, 13.08k race of 42:08, and a 10k of 34:38, all first place in strong efforts. I really enjoyed running this fall, more than I have in a couple years. I put no pressure on myself, taking days off when I didn't have time to run because of school, or if I didn't feel like it. I focused on developing hill strength and speed which again was a lot of fun. I feel like I have renewed my love and enjoyment of running which was very much needed after a summer where I was questioning whether I would continue running competitively. As life tends to go with me, everything has worked out well and this renewal came at the best time possible. Looking forward, I am ready to start training consistently again and set some goals for the winter and spring. Once I know my class schedule I will hopefully plan my training with Richard and train smarter and more consistently than I have before, and realize some of my potential that I haven't in the past. For the time being I am going to start with a steady diet of 10mi runs in the morning on non workout days and 90min - 120min long runs. 2009 is looking very promising and exciting!

Ow, Ow, Ow

Oh Man, what a brutal course. I figured I wasn't going to be racing, or even training a whole lot over the next couple of week so I didn't think there was any sense in holding back in this race. So even though there were some really steep downhills I just rolled down them and pounded the crap out of my legs, and boy am I feeling it today. I can walk properly but its not easy by any means. I actually went out pretty relaxed in the race letting Jason Louttit take the lead but less than a K in i was out front and we headed up the long one mile first hill, he passed me a gain but at the crest of the hill I took to the front and that was it till the end. I ran fairly even but hard through the first 5k then grinded out the rest of the run. It was extremely hilly and always turning, so it was completely impossible to get any kind of rythm. I just pumped the arms and lifted the knees an by 7k I was keeping a close eye on Jason and another guy just so I could make sure I had the race in hand. It was so tough that I couldnt be bothered to try and run a fast time or anything, I was suffering so I just ran for the win. There really isnt a whole lot else to say about it, the race was brutal, I was happy to win but I am paying for it in spades. Thanks to Nick and Mark for putting on a great event though, i'm not so sure i'll be back to do it again but you never know!

Livin' on the Edge

Well maybe not as dramatic as the Aerosmith song, but I feel like I am walking the very fine line the last couple days, of getting sick again. The aftermath of the Haney festivities. The last couple of days I have opted to only run for 30-40mins at a medium pace because my throat has been a bit sore. Not really the soreness that you get when you are about to get sick though, more like a 'got punched in the throat an hour ago' sore. Not that I have ever been punched in the throat but I recall some kind of 'blunt force trauma' to the throat at some point in my life. Either way, I have been taking it easy, sleeping and eating lots, and dropping oregano(yuck!) to lower the odds of getting sick. I hope to run well this weekend at the Bear Mountain 10k, being that it is likely my last race of the fall and it is very fitting seeing as this fall has been defined by hill running and this course is quite hilly. Richard said to treat it like a cross race with good footing, and I think he hit the nail on the head there, because not only is it hilly but it is very windy(read: wind-e).

It seems as though I have been going to victoria every other weekend this fall, which is a bit funny because I nearly moved there in the late spring early summer, it really is a nice place and I enjoy visiting. Hopefully there are as many races to go to in the spring, although it appears as though my class schedule will be less accomodating as this semester. I can't believe it, I am taking less classes but I will likely be at school monday thru friday, bah! I suppose that means I will have more time during the day to run doubles, workout, do yoga, therapy etc. So not all bad. Well i'd better get eating and head to school, I'll have a race report up saturday hopefully. Can't wait to lace up the T5s again!

Another Epic Haney

Well the race wasn't so competitive but the rest of the day got pretty rediculous. I"ll just comment on the race though. By the time the race reached my leg we were already out front by quite a distance so my motivation was mainly to win my leg so I could get the timex watch. I headed out pretty quick and really didn't feel good till about 7k (same as vic, hmmm) but was rolling pretty good on a great course of medium rolling hills. I didn't wear my watch and there are no distance markers so I had no clue what pace I was running and just ran hard assuming the leg was 13k(I didn't even check the distance before I ran!) Turns out it was 13.1 or something like that. Anywho, I felt strong and smooth and just hammered away until my guts turned and it was a sufferefest for the last 3k. I defintely shouldn't have had mexican the night before....who knew? Turned out I won my leg by 3 mins but my average pace was only 3:14/km, I guess the hills and slowing down in the last mile becuase of my guts resulted in being a bit slower than I would have thought. It was fun though, of course, unfortunately it wasn't terribly competitive and we won by 15mins, regardless it was an epic H2H as per usual, looking forward to next year! I have decided on going to Bear Mountain this weekend too, I don't have quite as much schoolwork this week as I thought, so I'll go try and bust a good 10k even if it is super hilly.

HANEY!!!!!!!!

Well its that time of the year, the unofficial peak of the year, the race everyone gears up for, the extravaganza that is the Haney to Harrison Relay Race. People come from far and wide to start in the dark and usually pouring rain to run relay style for 100k through beautiful farm land, up and down and up and down, winding, dodging dogs, trains and cars, while engaging in friendly(and sometimes not so friendly) competition. Eventually ending the day off with a party to be talked about for years.

I haven't run Haney for a few years now and I am glad to be back at it. It is a fun event and a good reason to go hammer out a 8-15k on a slow course where you don't worry about running a personal best, just about opening up a bigger gap or closing one on the competition. There is always drama and often anticipation leading up to your leg of the race so it makes for a great experience. I have been slotted for leg 6 which is, I think, 13k of up and down. I have never done that leg, Bomba usually does that one I think, so it will be nice to run where I haven't before. Hopefully the race is still reasonably close at that point, but either way I will likely go to the well on this run because I am considering staying home and not running Bear Mountain on the island next weekend. I have exams coming up and a lot riding on my first semester back at school. We will see though. Nevertheless, I am going to wear my ST Racer Flats, which are the Brooks marathon flats because I want to save my T5s and my legs on a hilly course. The ST Racers are my second favorite flat now that I have run a half marathon in my T5s, they are a great shoe and I ran in last years model for most of my workouts in TO, perfect shoe for my foot. I'll write a report on sunday hopefully!

What now?

Hmmm, well, although I have a plan to make a plan, right now I am not feeling terribly motivated because I don't have any real concrete goals within reaching distance. I had a great run last night and a really good workout this morning, keeping up with Dylan, but with the pressure of school I am finding it hard to get excited about training and just seeming to get out there once a day. Don't get me wrong, I am still really enjoying training, but don't have much inspiration if you will, to start doubling more than is convenient. In thinking about the future, I will likely opt to only do 3 classes next semester (even though two or all three will be 4 credit courses) so that I will be able to train at a higher level for Ottawa and the spring campaign......Perhaps I am just feeling unmotivated because it is absolutely pouring rain outside at the moment.......

mmmm Sleeeep

Wow, total 180. I had been feeling a bit ambitious after the race and hoped to up the volume a bit this week but my body had other plans. I could not drag myself out of bed in the mornings this week so I didn't fight it and I think I averaged 9 or 10 hours a night, it was glorious. So, an impromtu recovery week, other than the excellent workout on tuesday. I am heading off to victoria for the weekend and likely wont get much running in so the plan will be to front-load next week then back off for Haney, do a medium workout the following tuesday and head to vic again for the Bear Mountain 10k on the 15th. Although that course is not fast I am looking forward to lacing up the T5s and laying it all out on a 10k. In another vein(is that a saying?) I am amazed at how quickly the last few weeks have gone, I expected it, with being so busy at school, but time is passing quickly which makes me excited for the spring racing season. I know it is far away but it will be here before I know it, and I look forward to sitting down after my exams and planning it out. I suspect we are going to throw down some fast times out west here this spring. Happy Halloween! Have a safe weekend.

Who needs XC anyway...

Oh man, rough day at the office. Saturday was BC Cross and I was quite excited about it until about half a kilometer into the race and I realized how specialized I have become. I haven't been in a cross race since NAIA nationals 2003 I believe. The uneven ground and short hills, and soft ground were really unpleasant. That is cross though. So anyway I wasn't feeling too good and given the conditions things went south in a big hurry and I found myself going backwards after 4k, and there was no where to hide! At least in a road race you can fake it on a bad day to a certain extent but the choppy hills and uneven ground etc doesn't give you that luxury in cross. Rather than struggle through the race and have my ass handed to me I opted to save it for the roads and pull out. Generally I don't like to pull out of races but it didn't seem like a bad option seeing as I am not a cross runner. Anyway, crappy day for me but thats how it is, i'll try and find a road race soon to get that out of my system. In the meantime I am going to inject some mileage into the program. And National cross is now out, no more cross for this guy unless it is just for fun. Looking forward to hitting the pavement tomorrow morn.

Mundy Morning

Solid workout this morning. On tuesday mornings I head out to Coquitlam to train with the SFU group and a couple post-collegiate guys at Mundy Park. It is for the most part bark-mulch and gravelish trails, and we sometimes to shorter loops on asphalt. Today I did a 4 x 2k workout off about 3:30 jog. It isnt actually 2k, and has one pretty big hill in it, and a nice long-flat-straight where you can really stride out. Now that I am getting stronger on hills I am really starting to enjoy this workout and really appreciate having the group to train with who pushes me to run faster. If I didn't train with the group I would probably not be able to run the reps as intensely and probably opt to just do more volume. This way I can work on my speed more which is really important. So today my times were 5:50, 5:47, 5:44, 5:39, again it is not really 2k! I wish I could pull off those times for 2k! Either way I am really happy with the workout because I am feeling very fluid and my stride is very strong and efficient, not to mention cutting down the time each consecutive loop, that always feels good. All in all it was a great day, good workout, good group, great weather, I am looking forward to BC cross on saturday more every day.

It's All Good!

This was one of those weeks where in the past I would probably be displeased that things didn't go quite as planned but given my relaxed approach to this season I am actually quite happy with the way it went. As in the last post my hill reps on thursday were awesome, but Friday night I was up very late so I bailed on the practice in stanley park on saturday morning and opted to just do an easy hour run and then hammer today. In the end it was a good compromise because I felt great today and really pounded out a great hill farlek. I might have mentioned it before, but I run from my place at Nanaimo and Hastings down to the Trans-Canada Trail, then head east, ending on a huge downhill shortly before reaching SFU. There is every type of hill you can imagine on this route and the idea is just to go hard on the uphills and easy on the downhills and flats....it is one helluva workout! 90 mins round trip with a 3 min steep hill at halfway. I continue to feel really strong on hills and like I am floating on flats, which is such a great feeling. I totaled 53.5 miles for the week which I think is good for the week following a half marathon, with two solid workouts. I can't say enough about how much I am enjoying running right now, I really can't wait until the race on sunday. Oh! and the big news of the week is that Bob Reid asked me if I would like to join the Prairie Inn Harriers Racing Team, and I said yes, which is great. I have never been in a club other than the Brooks Marathon Project which was different. The PIH team looks really good and I am happy to be on it. Well I better hit the books. Happy trails.

Ironworkers Hills: awesome!

After a few days recovery from the half on sunday I decided to get back at it since my legs were feeling recovered and I was actually bouncing like Bekele on my run last night. This morning I set out to do some hill repeats I have started the last couple weeks. The workout is approximately 90secon hill repeats off 90seconds jog. It starts at a fire hydrant and heads up a 3 switchback paved hill and ends at a post at the start of the south end of the Ironworkers Memorial, or Second Narrows Bridge heading over to North Van. There is a trail that cuts through the switchback so I am able to get back down to the start of the hill in 90seconds. So thats the workout, and today it was great! I am really getting strong on hills and learning to run the workout right getting stronger as I go, today I did 8 repeats at: 93, 91, 90, 88, 86, 86, 84, 82. Not bad, if I do say so myself. It actually reminds me of a log by Greg Meyer(2:09:00-Boston), he used to do 'Pump House Hills' that were around 90 seconds as a staple workout. I have always found hill repeats of 60 to 90 seconds off approximately equal rest to be the best type of hill strength workout for me, and it will definitely help me to be strong in cross. I am continually more excited about running and really enjoying the relaxed lower mileage approach of this cross country season. Oh and as an update, my calf/shin problem has really gotten much better and is only sore once in a while, so that is great news. I am looking forward to the workout on the BC Cross course this saturday and long run or perhaps another relaxed hill fartlek on sunday. Keep runnin'!

RVM Half-Marathon

Well I was very pleasantly surprised with the race this morning. At least I was after 7k, it took me that long to get warmed up. It wasn't as cold as it had been the last few days, but my legs took about 7k to come around so I was a bit concerned before that point, running with Jason Warick, and Jim Finlayson. Shortly after when my legs felt better I picked up the pace and it was Jim and myself out front with Jason not far behind and maintaining the distance. Jim and I would trade off leading each other until about 3k to go. Up until this point I was feeling pretty good but still not THAT confident in my fitness level so I was content with just sticking with Jim and running a slower pace. I knew that Jason and Jim had been training for and ran the Scotiabank Toronto Marathon two weeks ago so it was likely I would be faster over the last K with all the hill sprints I have been doing. In the end it didn't matter and I felt great and smoothly picked up the pace with 3k to go, gaining some solid ground on Jim and cruised it in for the win. I am not sure what my time was at this poing since I didnt wear a watch or look at the clock, but i'm told it was under 69mins, which I am quite happy with. It was an absolutley perfect day for distance running and I am super excited to getting fit and racing again, it was the perfect return to racing! Well i'm off to take a nap. Happy Trails!

Back in the saddle

Whew, for 10 days there I was fighting a sinus and chest cold but I seem to be almost at 100%. At least my ability to run is not impeded anymore. Yesterday I was still feeling some minor effects but managed to do a 90 min hill fartlek which was pretty great. I ran three 90 sec hill repeats the day before and 5 hill sprints in my run the day before that but I took an entire week off prior to that. I have a long standing policy to not even bother running until I am definitely on the mend. This morning I went out for an easy run at 5 hill sprints, which felt great despite the cold morning air so things are looking up. Furthermore, in the hill farlek yesterday I felt very strong on the uphills, which is encouraging. With less than a week to go now until the Vic half-marathon I am feeling quite optimistic that I will be able to run a decent time and look forward to hitting the pavement in flats and pinning a number on my shirt for the first time since June. The comback road is always bumpy but i'm enjoying it!

blargh!

No sooner did I accept the invitation to run the half marathon in Victoria on Oct 12 do I get sick! Just when things are going great I come down with a cold. I'm not going to lie but this doesn't surprise me one bit. I have been burning the candle at both ends lately and its that time of year as well. I do recall that last year I got sick not 6 days before the Scotiabank Waterfront Marathon, which was this past weekend so I was off by only a couple of days this year! Speaking of which, turns out it was a humid day and we didn't get many quick times at Scotiabank, so things are looking pretty wide open for the Berlin team, unless of course you are pessimistic and don't think we will get 5 guys and so no one will go! So in a selfish sense I have no complaints about the times, and I am looking foward to Ottawa 09. I am still sick and less than two weeks from the Vic half so I am a bit worried, because I had made a promise to myself that I wouldn't race until I am fit, but sure enough I commited to this race thinking I could get in decent shape. This just aint gonna happen...I suspect I will be well in another day or two so i'm going to hit the ground running on thursday or friday and get 7 crazy days in so I can put in a decent showing. My goal will be to run under 70. Thats all for now, i'm off to bed.

Busy Busy Busy

Evidently i've been quite busy and have completely forgotten about the blog. Things have been busy but right now busy is good! School is going great and running is following right along. I've been keeping in conservative and only running 75-80miles, however I went from one workout a week to one workout and a long run, to this past week where i went two workouts, a long run, and two easy runs that had 5 X hill sprint in them. I also ran a few doubles and in general am feeling quite efficient. Not to mention my base morning weight has dropped 4 lbs in the last 3 weeks! AND my calf/shin injury is slowly getting better, so all things are positive and I am really happy. This past weekend I worked out in Stanley park with SteveO, Mosley, Geoff Reid and Matt Johnston which was good, I did 2 X 3 mi @ <5:20/mi and could have done a third but my calf thing was feeling the volume of the workout. Anyway it was a good workout and I am looking forward to meeting those guys this week. My workout this morning with the SFU crowd was also great, fast and consistent. I have decided I will do the half marathon in Victoria on Oct 12 since things are coming along so well, so i'm excited about that too. Anyway thats the update, I can't even think of anything negative to say about training so lets hope this ball keeps on rolling right up to BC Cross and beyond! Happy trails!

The Grind

Whew, tough week, I only did one workout, the 4 X 2k on tuesday which went well, and I just finished a 2 hour run at about 7min/mi from my house down the trans canada trail up to SFU, so it was rolling, and some massive hills the entire way, no flat whatsoever. I am still in awful shape but for me the 2hr run, no matter what shape i'm in means i'm on the comeback trail. The 2h run has been a benchmark for me for a long time, perhaps its mostly mental, but I never felt like a long distance runner till I started doing 2 hour long runs. So i'm pleased to say the least, 75 miles this week is respectable considering I ran about half that last week. For the next 6 weeks leading to BC Cross, I am not even worrying about mileage I am just going to get FAST, so i'm doing some 200m pick ups on my monday morning recovery run, tuesday long intervals, wednesday hill strides, thursday 60-90sec hill repeats, friday easy/off, saturday threshold stuff in stanley park, and sunday will be like today at a pace that is not hard but not easy. I am going to keep the volume pretty low since the intensity is high, and so yoga in the evenings, and perhaps some easy jogs in the evenings to shake things out. I"M EXCITED, YEAH RUNNING!

Comin around...Comin around...

Well I did a bit of running over the last week and things are feeling a bit better. Ran with the SFU group again today and did the full workout...still got my ass beat, but not so bad this time around. My legs and lungs and everything definitely felt better today however I am still feeling quite heavy and sluggish. Over the next week I am going to try and run for at least an hour a day and do a longish run on sunday. I am pretty sure I won't be training with the older guys in stanley park this weekend since I am not ready for that yet, but perhaps the following saturday i'll be there. I am looking forward to shedding some weight and running faster that is for sure. Other than that, life is feeling pretty good, school is interesting and exciting and so is running right now, I can't ask for much more at this point.

My...oh...my

I suspected Tuesday's workout with the SFU group would be ugly and boy was it ever. Had my ass handed to me, how embarrassing. Two 2k reps in and I was sucking wind. It is exactly what I wanted and needed so at least that is good. Hopefully next week I will fare better, I know I will, those young punks will get theirs. It is definitely nice to be back to running even if it is slow and painful. Unfortunately my calf injury is still bothering me and I am not quite sure what to do with it. I am going to have to get into the yoga again and hit it with the massag stick and keep stretching it all the time since at the moment I can't afford to get any kind of treatment on it. I am applying for funding fromt the Aboriginal Sport Circle but I don't know when that will come through since I missed the deadline and there probably won't be another round of funding for a few months. Anyway, it is manageable so thats what I will do. As for plans...I was thinking...ok dreaming...about the Victoria marathon but there is obviously no time to get in shape for that and my calf wouldn't be able to handle it so I am just going to try and get fast on singles, and try and make the bc team for National Cross. The tentative plan is to do the half marathon in victoria on I thinnk October 12th, then BC Cross and Nationals, and perhaps i'll jump into a roadrace or something to keep it interesting. I am pretty excited to get training and really excited about school so i'm pretty happy in general which is a great thing with the weather getting colder and the immenent rain. Well i'll try and update each week again, can't wait for my Brooks order to come through, maybe it'll come on my birthday on friday! happy trails, hope you all had a great summer.

Back from the Brink!

Holy moly. It has been quite the summer...of not running. I had come so close to deciding not to run anymore and get a life, ie go back to school, put my energies elsewhere but everything has come around and i'm back to training. I'm terribly out of shape and 10 pounds heavier than i was in May but my motivation is back to full. I am returning to SFU as a full time student to get my degree in Economics and i'm super excited about it. I had resolved to never go back to university but I started reading the newspaper for the first time in my life and got to reading the business section in the globe on a daily basis and have found an intense interest in the business world. So anyway my brain is working again from the 4 year hibernation and I can't wait to get into it. Running is painful since i'm a fatass but i'm sure that will come around soon enough, i'll be training with the SFU group on tuesdays then with another group on the weekend in stanley park which will provide me with some stability since I don't care to train solo anymore. So thats it, no races planned just yet other than BC Cross and hopefully Nationals, I want to finally put together a kick ass cross season so i'm really excited about that, gotta get light and strong again.

Ugh, ongoing theme...

Well I dropped out of the half on the weekend at 7k. I felt ok starting out but progressively felt worse and worse after about 3k. I don't really know what it is, a combination of being worn out mentally I suppose, and my lower legs just being beat up. The lower leg problems have been ongoing since training on the indoor track in Toronto, it started with some seemingly minor pains in my inside edge midway down my shin, and that and other minor pains were exacerbated by the brutal half marathon course in Gibsons in early April. After this showing and my general feelings towards running i've decided it would be prudent to take a step back and just relax for a while. So I wont be racing in the coming weeks and probably just try and maintain a basic level of fitness until the fire can build back up. It has always been difficult for me to train hard in the summer and I think this summer I will just try to maintain fitness and try to enjoy running again before I set another big goal, or even minor goal for that matter. I may look for a fun trail race to do this summer as a minor-just for fun goal and build up for a good cross season, which I have never had. So I suppose I have already set some minor goals, to have fun and stay fit. I'll keep writing with developments. I hope all your training is going well, happy trails.

Scotiabank Van. Half-Thon PREVIEW

Hey why not a preview(men), looks like a good race:
1 Kasime Adillo Roba Ethiopia
2 Moses Macharia Kenyan
3 Danny Kassap Toronto ON Canada
5 Ryan Day Richmond BC Canada
6 Amor Dehbi Montreal QC Canada
7 Jim Finlayson Victoria BC Canada
8 Josephat Ongeri Milton ON Canada
9 Todd Howard Victoria BC Canada
10 Paul Chafe Toronto ON Canada
11 Benard Onsare Calgary AB Canada
12 Steve Mureenbeeld Victoria BC Canada
16 Graeme Wilson Vancouver BC Canada
17 Mark Bomba Coquitlam BC Canada
20 Norman Tinkham Maple Ridge BC Canada
21 Louis-Philippe Garnier Montreal QC Canada
22 Kevin O'Connor Vancouver BC Canada
23 Art Boileau Vancouver BC Canada
24 Dave Stephens Burnaby BC Canada
25 Neil Holm Courtenay BC Canada

Thats the elite list, I don't know too much about the african guys or even the guys from out east(Ontario) but in my race it looks to be Jim Finn, Bomba, Todd Howard, Paul Chafe(not sure what he's done?), Amor Dehbi looks to be someone who will be in our pack, but perhaps go out faster and come back to us, I suppose if I'm going to mention Chafe, i'll mention Murenbeeld however I suspect he wont go out with our group but who knows, I don't know what kind of shape he is in, hopefully pulls out a big one.

So anyway, I know Finn is in good 10k/half shape, and I know Bomba is in good shape(if his mechanics are ok that day! hehe that ones for you Mark), Todd Howard is tough I think he'll be in there based on his Van half in may. Going on faint recollection I think Chafe ran around 69 in Montreal but a younger guy and came out all this way so hopefully he gets in it, like I said above hopefully Steve is ready for a good one, I think he too has run around 69. Anyway it looks to be a decent race, I could see Bomba, Myself and Fin battling it out but we'll have to wait and see, i'm feeling a bit on a roll here and i've got some brand spankin new T5s to race in not to mention a little redemption to back me up, and the weather looks pretty bon so hopefully I can 'git 'er dun.'

The Red Road

...continued from last post...

During this run to Alaska we would be hosted by many communities and do ceremony every morning and evening. I won't go into details but the entirety of the run was a very spiritual experience. Running with the Eagle staff was ceremony itself, suffering while carrying all of the prayers for World Peace, Healing of Sacred Mother Earth, Healing of all our brothers and sisters who are suffering, and many others, was an experience like no other and would change my life forever. From then on running for me has not been about beating other people, or becoming the best, or becoming an Olympian. These things are secondary. As a spiritual indigenous man I run because I have been blessed with the ability to suffer willingly and pray to the creator that that suffering eases that of those who cannot help themselves. And as a healthy indigenous man I run to be a strong role model for young men and women who are striving to be strong and healthy role models and leaders.

The reason I have told this story is because today I had a profound experience, a small one but profound, no less. Throughout my build up to Ottawa I had severe motivational problems, where I did not have the fire I have had in the past but for the most part I persevered because the goal of making the Olympics was so close. Although the outcome in Ottawa was poor I was more relieved that the race was over so that I could get on with life and since then have been reflective. With this Olympic cycle coming to a close I was starting to think about if I would continue to run competitively or throw in the towel and focus on other parts of my life and in the last couple of days was severely tormented. Even though I know better than to allow this torment to happen it came an there was nothing I could do, today being the worst of it. Lucky for me whenever I feel confused or frustrated with life and its big decisions I am guided or sent a message in one way or another that helps me make my decisions. On my evening run was one such occurrence. This morning I had come so close to quitting altogether after walking nearly 5km back to my house and the rest of the day was seriously considering quitting, but nevertheless headed out for an evening run hoping for something better out of my body. Not 3 minutes into my run I was feeling ok but also thinking that I really need to treat my body with more respect(as I have been enjoying the off season quite a bit) so that I can feel good running again. Not a moment later I looked down and sure enough at my feet lay an Eagle Feather! In native culture this is a very significant event as Eagles are revered and carry great wisdom, power, and strength. To be offered this great gift at this time is a great honour and is not to be taken lightly. Being a spiritual person I do not see this as a coincidence and accept the feather as symbol of guidance to continue with running, and strength to persevere through this time and continue to self actualize. I have truly been blessed in my life to be given such guidance so that I can continue my life's path along the Red Road.

All My Relations

The Journey Continues

I believe I have been a runner all my life. As a young boy I was very active and have memories of early school years in gym class playing roller derby(without rollerskates, just running in circles) and always being the last person on my team left with one other guy on the other team left who incidentally was a year older. Throughout my younger years and through to my university years I carried on with running because I enjoyed the direct benefits to working hard, the lack of reliance on team mates, and the competition within myself and against others, and as well the camaraderie between distance runners before, after and sometimes during races. As my training and career became more developed and running took up a vast majority of my time and energies I increasingly became weary of the one sided way my life had become which had cost me a wonderful companion, but had also brought me some great success in the first half of 2005. Following this success the scales tipped and I lost my motivation to train with as much vigor as I did before, not necessarily because I had burned myself out physically but because my life was extremely unbalanced. I virtually stopped running altogether and instead of balancing my life out I just tipped the balance to working very hard in the social services sector and taking an interest in my own spirituality and culture. Of course this imbalance eventually made me unhappy because I was too busy to train, and the intensity of the work burnt me out no less than twice in 6 months. At the end of this 6 months I was presented with the opportunity to join a group of native youth from South Dakota and Minnesota who were running from Vancouver to Anchorage Alaska. This group had organized a run called a Prayer Run for World Peace(details at www.wolakota.org) I joined the group near my hometown in Kitwanaga and ran with them to Anchorage to arrive for World Peace Prayer Day on the Summer Solstice June 21. The significance of this run for me was a complete change in my reasons for running. I had been tired of competing and training as an individual, I felt my life as a runner was very self centered and was helping no one but myself. From as far back as I can remember I have felt as though my life is meant to give to some greater good. Because of this belief and how I viewed my choice of being a runner I was ready to quit running altogether so that my energies could be expended on more honorable means. This Prayer Run would save me as a runner...

Ottawa Marathon(DNF), wk11

Well i'm just going to write a quick note here, I have made it a rule not to evaluate a bad race until 2 or 3 days has passed so I aim to do just that. But here is how it played out for me. I decided the morning of the race that I would go with the 2:17 pace group because I was still having breathing problems in Ottawa, so I thought it wise to go out conservatively. I also decided that since i was going out with the slower group(the other group was going at 2:15 pace, which is actually a big difference believe it or not) that I would get rolling at 10miles after we had gone through all the hills. I stuck to this plan and sped up at about 10 miles but after a couple of kms felt aweful and by 20k I realized it was not going to be my day and I would likely struggle in and run somewhere around 2:22-2:24 which to me is not acceptable. I mean no disrespect to the guys that ran in that range but at this point in my career it does not do me any good to run that kind of time. As I stated after the race "you've got to know when to fold 'em." Anyhow, that is the nature of marathoning, on race day, anything can happen, given the way training went, I felt there was an equal chance of me running well or running poorly, and unfortunately things didn't work out.

That special time of year, wk10

It only comes but once or twice a year, where you rest and your body starts to heal up and get ready for the big one. It is another one of those truths about marathon training. You are never fresh, you are always sore, tired, and beat up, at least in my experience. Until of course you back off for the marathon race, the taper. The purpose of the taper is to recover from the weeks of hard training, and I mean completely recover to the point where you are fully healed up and your body has time to supercompensate. Supercompensation is basically the result of the training effect. You tear your body down, and it rebuilds to a stronger state than it was before the teardown. Supercompensation, with regards to your marathon macrocycle is this rebuild to a stronger state on a massive scale. If your taper is designed perfectly race day will come when your supercompensation is at its highest point before it settles into your new baseline fitness level. As I say this I realize it is hard to picture without a graph. Basically you back off and you begin to feel like a wild caged animal and you hope that at the height of your caginess is when race day comes and you are ready to bust out a supreme effort.

Peaking is often called the 'art' in sport, I suppose if you were to do a great deal of scientific tests you could take the art and guessing out of it, but for the vast majority who don't have their own personal lab the ability to bring the body around to peak on just the right day is truly a work of art. To be perfectly honest I'm a crumby artist, however I am definitely feeling rested and healing up nicely so I feel like things should come around nicely for the race. I am on a daily basis, feeling better all around, psychologically I am feeling better than I have in weeks, months even, which is very exciting. Things are looking good, the excitement is mounting, here is how the week played out.

Early in the week I could still barely breathe and was very frustrated, but come Tuesday I woke up to pouring rain and was uplifted! I decided I would do along run if my breathing was improved and sure enough the rain must have knocked the pollen out of the air so I did a 22mile progression run but pretty relaxed and averaged just over six minute miles. The rain continued into Wednesday so I did a medium long run with a 5mile pick up at 5:20/mile pace which felt great. The rest of the week I just did easy 10mile runs with 1k pick ups to sub 3min pace to open up the legs and as a result I am feeling better every day, I will likely do one medium workout tomorrow morning.
Breakdown:
LR - 22mi @ 6:02/mi
MdL - 15mi w/ 5mi @ 5:20/mi
Supp - 1 - Strength Session
- 1 - Yoga Session
- 8 - 1k pick ups at <3:00/km
Volume - 80mi

Oh the Anticipation, wk9

The last time I raced a full marathon, I mean really 'raced' a marathon was back in 2005 in Ottawa. It was my first competitive one and there were really only 3 main Canadian guys in it, myself, Jim Finlayson, and Matt McInnes. It's hard to believe it has been three years, and even harder to believe I am saying that at only 25years of age. That race was awesome for many reasons, mainly because I had never been fitter and when you are really fit the marathon is a really fun event. The nature of the marathon, because the distance and duration is so much more of a challenge than shorter events you get to run the first half and then some at a comfortable pace. For those who aren't competitive runners or have not run a marathon when very fit it is hard to imagine I suppose. Because of this fact, a great deal of the race is very enjoyable, you are running fast, taking turns leading and even chatting sometimes, while anticipating the second portion of the marathon, the racing part. At least that is how Ottawa is likely to play out for myself anyway. Some marathoners, Bill Rogers for instance, was someone who actually liked to get out and run hard through the middle of the race and put the competition away so that he could relax through the latter part of the race, so he would push from around 6 to 10 miles, and wouldn't necessarily experience the race as I have said above. I suspect the race in Ottawa will not be like that for me, and that the top Canadian pack will go out and run together at an even pace through halfway. This year there are going to be more than 3 guys which is awesome and I am really excited about it. To be out there rolling with a pack of guys who are all striving for a similar goal is going to be a really great experience.

Despite having a lackluster couple of weeks recently I have let go of my panic and relaxed. One of the things with marathon training in particular, is that you put in a lot of work over a long period of time. There are ups and downs, but because this work has been over a period of months come race day, if you prepare in the few days prior to the race and are rested, that fitness will come forth. Part of training full time, and in my position, not having a coach, provides you the time to analyze everything, and in my case too much, which has led to getting worked up about things in the present and immediate future which is foolish, but a natural consequence. I am confident in my training. Over the last 9 months I have trained more consistently than any time in my life, and I know that come race day, excluding any circumstances I cannot control, my body, mind, heart, and spirit will be ready to put forth a supreme effort, and I could ask for nothing more. These are exciting times in Canadian Marathoning and I am glad to be a part of it. 12 days 15hours and some odd minutes to go.
Breakdown:
LR - 22mi @ Relaxed Pace
MdL - 15mi w/ 11mi @ 5:35/mi
Supp - 2 - Strength Session
- 2 - Yoga Session
- 10 - 1k pick up in off day runs @ ~3:05/km
Volume - 84mi

Despair, 11.2mi @ 5:35/mi, full tilt

For all intensive purposes, excuse my language, I am totally and completely fucked. Today, after a day off, I go out and run and my breathing is so restricted that I quit my run at 11.2 miles because I was running pretty much balls to the wall. I just looked back on my log and I've done the latter 14miles of 22 mile long runs at a faster pace than I did this 11miles. That is atrocious. I am disheartened to say the least. My legs actually didn't feel too bad, but I was seriously breathing like I was running a 1500m race and by 8 miles my chest was actually aching. I wish I could stay positive but I am having a really hard time, things feel like they are unraveling in a big fuckin hurry. I can let a couple of bad workouts go but now I'm in full panic mode. I don't think I can handle any more mental beatings from here on out so I've decided(and this could change) that I am going to do a relaxed long run on Sunday, then do a gradual two week taper, problem is the last couple weeks have been shit anyway. Ugh. Well to end this on a semi positive note, my ipod earphones crapped out the other day and I picked up some new ones yesterday, and they kick pretty good.

Day Off

It's early, and I've already been up for quite a while. Crawled out of bed at 5 am today, well actually I just sat up and started eating cold, plain whole wheat spaghetti I had left next to my bed to replace the glycogen emptied out of my liver while I slept. Not the most appetizing breakfast. I have been preparing for today's workout for a few days now, doing 1k pick ups in my easy runs to get the legs moving, eating massive amounts of quality carbs, accompanied by quality proteins and fats yesterday, keeping hydrated and topping up the tank this morning at the crack of dawn. Good practice but when I looked out the window and see that the wind is a good 25km/hr and I have about 50 laps of alternating 3:06 and 3:17 kilometers, I am more than a little deflated. This is where having a group to train with is really nice. Anyhow, I'm not feeling up to the task today and haven't for a few days so I am taking a day off, completely, aside from the massage this evening. Looking back at my log, it turns out I haven't taken a full day off training in 63 days, not since I was still in Toronto and took a day off because I didn't feel like fighting the snow with the knowledge I would be running in balmy westcoast weather in a matter of days. What on earth am I going to do with myself? I suspect my day will consist of a lot of walking, maybe go to the grocery store for the 4th consecutive day. I have a new found interest or hobby if you will, a good one. The other day I stopped into chapters and picked up Chris Carmichael's Food for Fitness book and have improved my diet considerably. Even he says you should not make broad sweeping changes to your diet because it takes your body time to adjust but over the last week I have been eating way more quality foods and have felt the difference, in energy levels in particular right away. It is kind of sad that I have left it until this point in my life and career to really put any amount of effort into my diet but it is just one of many things I have learned or come to realize in the last year that I will need to do to reach another level in my training and competitions. I am actually beginning to enjoy going to the store and finding new foods I have not eaten before, and I never thought I'd say it but I am actually enjoying preparing them as well, something about the anticipation of how they are going to make me feel once they are absorbed into my body(I still don't get excited about taste, maybe that will come in time.) Well my morning coffee is wearing off here so I'm heading back to bed, oh glorious day off!

Reality Check, wk8

Well, well, well. Tough week. This week was a bit of a mess, I found myself getting really stressed out about finding a place to live, not just finding a place but a city! When I was in Victoria last weekend I actually found a great place but during this week I spent some time in East Vancouver and realized that I really do belong there and it is where I am going to live. So even though I found a place and committed, I had to let some really nice people know I was bailing, which weighed on my mind a lot, and now I am looking for another place in East Van. So anyway, on Tuesday I had a good massage, but man the last 3 massages I have had have really taken a lot out of me which was a contributing factor to the disaster that was specific workout number one. I hate to complain or make excuses but the world was not allowing this workout to happen. Leading up to the workout I was still very sore from the massage, spent a long day in Vancouver the day before, got a short sleep the night before with a phone call in the middle of the night from a friend, it was windy, and if all this wasn't enough there was an elementary school track meet starting and I had to quit the workout at 7k because I had to dodge too many kids. Like I say, this workout was just not in the cards. I would have rescheduled it but I had a massage appointment that evening.

Workout number two. Luckily I got my shit together on Saturday and relaxed, fueled up and got a good rest the night before my Sunday morning workout. I had actually planned this one for Monday but because Thursday's workout didn't work-out I bumped it up. The planned workout was 10miles at moderate pace(6min/mi), 10miles at race pace(hoped for 5:05/mi)...no dice. For better or for worse these two workouts this week are meant to be very specific, and if you cannot complete them you have chosen a pace that is too fast for you. That is the bottom line. I can overlook the first workout because the circumstances did not allow for an accurate judgment but today's workout there was no excuse. The first 10miles of the run felt great right from the start, I figured I was going to have an excellent run. As I headed into the second 10miles I dropped the pace down to 5:11/mi, then down to 5:05/mi, then 5:06/mi, then during the next lap I slowed to 5:09/mi while I was taking a gel and it was game over, I ran the next lap at 5:14/pace and threw in the towel. As I was running I could tell that the 5:05/mi pace was going to be a little too hard but was too stubborn and tried to keep working for it but I was right on the edge, I mean so close to the edge that the few breaths I gave up in order to take down my gel were enough to send me over the edge of my LT. SO, what do you do? Although this is just one workout, it is a very, very important workout, and I need to be true to myself and decide if my goal pace of 3:10/km is a realistic and attainable goal. At this juncture I have to say that it is not necessarily realistic, it is possible that on race day with a taper and so on that this could happen BUT for training purposes, for the next specific workouts the goal pace must be adjusted. How much though? During the workout today, because those quick miles of 5:05/mi were just over the edge for me, the adjustment need not be drastic and I think 4-5 seconds per mile is about right, I will actually say more specifically a pace of 3:12/km, which is 2:15 flat for the marathon distance, unfortunately one minute outside of the Canadian Olympic B standard, but thats not to say something special can't happen on race day.
Breakdown:
Workout #1 - 7km(3:05.1, 3:12.7, 3:06.6, 3:16.4, 3:06.4, 3:14.9, 3:06.4)
Workout #2 - 10mi @ 6:00.2/mi + 5.3mi @ 5:09.4/mi
Supp - 2 - Strength Session
Volume - 96mi

Times Colonist 10k(30:41), wk7

Another week, another 10k. Not gonna lie here, I am glad I am done racing till Ottawa

Times Colonist 10k(30:41), wk7

Another week, another 10k. Not gonna lie here, I am glad I am done racing till Ottawa, it has been fun and i've learned a fair bit, and more or less accomplished what I hoped I would. I have canceled my plans to run the Vancouver Marathon as a workout mainly because I applied for an elite entry and did not even get so much as a response other than the bounce-back confirmation of application reception email. I have dealt with the Vancouver Marathon people in the past and should have expected such treatment, they are well known for poor management and poor treatment of elite athletes. Even if they didn't think I deserved a comp entry a response of any kind would have been nice. Anyhow, thats the way it is. Onto the race today:

I have always wanted to do the Times Colonist 10k but never managed to get over to the Island to do it. This year Bob Reid was kind enough to invite me over and have the race put me up in the Empress Hotel which was great, and in general I had a good experience at the race and will certainly come back. The race itself started out reasonably slow so I took to the front and led for the first 2.5, we went through in I think 3:12, 6:15, 9:15, with a few of us exchanging the lead of a group of nearly a dozen of us. I believe we went through 5k in 15:24 and I was concerned I wouldn't break 31mins today. Even though I went out in the lead, I didn't really feel good today, not rested like last week at the Sun run. So the race really felt like a hard training run. Not unlike the sun run a fell off the back a little bit a few times but fought back into the group and pushed the pace at times, so again I put in a really good 'race' effort and was very pleased. Coming into about 8.5k there were still 7-9 of us together but at that point things started to separate a bit and at 9k I found myself having a hard time in 7th but decided to hang on just behind Spencer Morrison and see what I could muster in the finishing straight. With about, I don't know-maybe 200m to go I went for it and managed to pick off Spencer and Steve Boyd, then had one last gear with about 75m to go and got past David Jackson again by one second. I have never in my life had a good finishing kick but it was the second week in a row I managed one, I don't know what to make of it but i'll take it. I really have no complaints about the race other than I didn't feel all that fresh, which is no surprise with all the races I have done. As for the breathing problems I have had lately, I can't say I noticed them during the race but have been really stuffed up and wheeze when I breathe out fast, so whether that effected my race performance I don't know, perhaps not making each breath more laborious but perhaps generating fatigue over time, which would explain the effects in my long run on thursday. But i'm not going to worry about it. 4 weeks to go!!!
Breakdown:
LR - 19 miles @ 5:44.8/mi
Race - 6.125mi @ 4:56.2/mi
Volume - 98mi

Trouble, Three weeks of training left

I suppose I have been in denial for about 2 weeks now, but after today's long run I am certain something is up. Over the last two weeks, starting with the medium long run I tried to do two Fridays ago where I ended up running 6:15/mi I have been struggling to breathe properly. I didn't really think it would affect me much but in retrospect it explains running slower than I expected in the last two 10k races, in addition to the reasons I gave before. The reason I have come to this conclusion is because on today's long run I was rested, my legs felt strong, but I had to breathe abnormally fast and actually quit the run at 19miles because I was struggling and didn't want to race the last 3 miles, which was what the run was turning into. I was able to keep a 5:45/mi average pace but it was much harder than it should have been given that I was rested. I always know for sure that something is wrong if I quit my long run. So what the hell is the problem? I don't recall ever having problems with my breathing before, other than some exercise induced asthma when I was a kid playing soccer, and only when I was sprinting. The only reason I can think of is that there has been little to no rain this spring where I'm living which perhaps has allowed more allergens to be floating around in the air than I am used to. This is purely speculation because I have no idea what the story is with allergies. So anyway, there's not much I can do except continue to train so I'll do that, but perhaps spot myself a few seconds per mile so I don't get in over my head early in workouts, and of course pray that things improve before May 25th.

Back to business. With three weeks of training to go I have hammered out the last details of training. Following recovery from the 10k this weekend I will have 5 focused workouts left: two 'over/under' workouts, two long run race simulation workouts, and one 30k run at 'speed 3.' I have picked these particular workouts for very specific reasons.
The over/under workout is just an easier term for a workout Renato Canova(Italian Coach of Qatari National Team I believe) calls a "specific intensive endurance" workout. Basically what this means is that it is a very marathon specific workout geared towards the athlete who has relatively greater development in the strength/endurance area rather than the speed/power/anaerobic resistance area. As I have noted previously, if there is one area I am weak in, it is faster paced work, and this type of workout is geared towards improving that in the final phase of training. The workouts consists of alternating over and under your goal marathon pace by about 3% with continuous intervals of 500m to 1000m. I will likely use a 1/2mile dirt track I have found, which I can only imagine was a dog track at one time.
The long run race simulation workout is a simple one where I will run 10-12 miles at a moderate effort and the final 10 miles close to goal marathon pace.
The final workout of the marathon build up will be a 30k run at 'speed 3.' The term 'speed 3' I have taken from an interview with Dieter Hogen, coach of the Kimbia-New Balance athletes. This term means a "hard mental effort," and will cap my preparations for Ottawa, save for recovery and supercompensation.
Because these workouts are very specific and very difficult I will be paying a lot of attention to recovery with three days following long runs, two days following over/unders, and massages following all workouts. Thats all for now.

Vancouver Sun Run 10k(30:38.7), wk6

I decided before the race that I would really just try and compete rather than do what I have done in the past and time trial it. After the gun went off we headed down Georgia street for the first downhill km and as soon as we took the corner at 1200m I was already off the back of the chase pack and thought, great i'm off the back already for another sun run, but at 2.5k I made a quick surge and tucked in behind the group running comfortably until the hill heading up and over the Burrard street bridge where the chase group gapped me again by the better part of 50meters. Once I crested the hill I put in another surge and managed to tuck back into the pack and hang in with them for another km but then slowly they pulled away and themselves spread out. Over the next 2km I was running alone but staying pretty focused but again as I climbed the hill onto the Cambie street bridge I was passed by David Jackson and then Nathan Kendrick on the downhill but managed to muster a hard kick over the last 150m or so and finished up ahead of them. I have never really kicked down anyone before so I was quite pleased with that! Overall, I was disappointed with the resulting time however my current ability to run hills is atrocious and I decided to run in my old Brooks ST Racer marathon flats which are markedly slower than my new Adidas AdiZero Pro flats I have been racing in, so I am not too broken up about the slow time. The reason I chose the heavier flat for this race was mainly because my lower legs were finally feeling better and wanted to minimize the damage to them, and also for moral reasons because I am sponsored by Brooks Canada again, but haven't received any 10k flats just yet.

As for the week, well it was saved by running reasonably well at the Sun Run! I decided early on this week that I would have to take it easy because persistent aching of my lower legs was getting to me, so I just ran a medium long run and the rest of the week was easy jogging. I also felt like I needed a bit of a mental regroup since I was feeling a bit flat in that area. The good news is now I feel fresh and the next three and a half weeks are going to be focused and strong, and I am feeling confident I will be well prepared for Ottawa.
Breakdown:
MdL - 16mi @ No Time
Race - 6.125mi @ 4:55.8/mi
Supp - 2 - Strength Session
Volume - 80mi

Training Evolution, wk5(pt2)

I have been running for the better part of 13 years now and from day one I have been a student of the sport. I don't remember exactly when it was, around age 13, I picked up my first running book at the library, Running to the Top by Arthur Lydiard. From then I never stopped learning about the sport of long distance running, over time picking up books by Martin & Coe, Pfitzinger & Douglas, Joe Vigil, Tim Noakes, Jack Daniels, Bill Rodgers, Rob de Castella, as well as articles online by Renato Canova and a plethora of articles on Peak Performance Online, and I am certain I am forgetting a ton of resources. In addition to reading I have talked to lots of people and learned from many coaches over the years, and equally as important if not more importantly I have learned through trial and error, testing the limits of my own body specifically. I will never go as far as saying I know all there is to know about long distance running, nor will I say that having a great deal of knowledge about yourself and the sport is better than having a very good coach, but I will say that being a student of the sport allows me to be confident in my training when I do not have a coach.

Over the years I have tried many different ways to train and always reverted back to running really long hard workouts and enormous amounts of volume, but rarely running really high intensity workouts, and so I am underdeveloped when it comes to 5 or 10k type 'speed.' I still believe and always will believe that to be able to run well in the marathon I have to run a lot of volume, however in the future it will be limited to specific periods because I really need to develop the faster component of training if I am to ever achieve my long term, even short term goals. This is actually somewhat contrary to the philosophy I have grown into over the years, where I believe you should work all systems at all times and run a large volume at the same time, but this idea assumes each component of training - VO2, LT, Long run, overall Volume - are at least somewhat equally developed.

The reason I have brought this up is because I have made a big step this past week from a mental standpoint if you will. With three weekends of 10k races, I have decided to take the opportunity to work on my 'speed' by cutting out my medium long run so that I am more fresh for the 10k races, and shortening up my Intervals to 1/2mile with 1:1 rest. By doing this I hope to more easily run a fast pace at Lactate threshold and Marathon Pace. Naturally you cannot expect much of a training effect in two weeks but I hope that the races and faster paced workouts will 'unlock,' if you will, speed that is buried by volume. It is difficult to explain, but I am confident it is what I need to do. And this is why I say it is a big step, because I have never had the confidence to come down from really big mileage. The reason this has come about at this time is because when I was in Toronto, Coach Hugh gave me a mileage cap so I didn't really have a choice, and subsequently started enjoying being fresh and running faster in all my runs. Now I am cutting back even more(from volume and strength) because I am confident I am more than strong enough for the marathon after doing a 30mile run at sub 6min/mi easily, 2days after running a hard half marathon. So now I have two high quality 10k races, with workouts to prime my legs for them, which will be, in my opinion, the best possible training stimuli to work my biggest weakness. It appears as tho I will be neglecting any specific marathon work however I will be modifying my long runs from being progression runs to running them at a base speed of 6min/mi and dropping down to 5:00-5:10min/mi for 3 long intervals(~10mi total) within the run to stimulate LT and simulate MP. Well this entry didn't really come out like I thought but I hope it was interesting!

Sooke River 10k(31:39), wk5

Sooke is a small community about a 40minute drive or so northwest of Victoria BC, a beautiful area for a low key race/hard workout, and the course was a stones throw from my Uncle's home. I would say the course was moderate to hard because there were no flat sections, with one or two big hills and the rest rolling hills. I have always been a poor hill runner and with my lower legs still damaged from last week this run was really tough. At first reaction I was disappointed because the time was slow but decided to cut myself some slack after looking at the week as a whole.

The week started out with an easy day of 6miles to recover from the Sunday half-marathon effort, which energetically turned out not really being a problem, however my lower legs were beat to dog-sh!t and I realized doing any amount of intensity this week was going to be too risky. Tuesday was a bit of a difficult call due to the sore legs. I wanted to do one over-distance run in my marathon build up and had scheduled it for this week for two reasons: the progressive long run and half-marathon are fairly similar training stimuli(running 5:20/mi for 7 miles after running progression for 15mi as opposed to running 5:00-5:10/mi relatively fresh), and being as the race this weekend was a lower-key one I could risk being even less sharp than usual. Doing an over-distance run two days after a hard half-marathon effort isn't the best training tool but is a good confidence booster mentally and tells me my body will hold up well in the latter stages of the marathon despite running what I would consider relatively low mileage. The rest of the week I continued to run the volume planned but cut the interval workout to just two 1/2miles, and the medium long run to 6:15/mi pace with a 2 mile pick up, both of these to keep a little bit of weekly consistency and keep the legs moving while still allowing them to heal up. The week on the whole was satisfactory, and I am excited to see how I fare in the Sun Run and Times Colonist races over the next two weekends.
I will write again this afternoon about my training philosophy and such, as I have made some adjustments/refinements/finishing touches on the program recently.
Breakdown:
LR - 30mi @ 5:58.7/mi
Int - 2 x 1/2mi @ 2:17
MdL - 15mi @ 6:15.0/mi
Race - 6.125mi @ 5:05.5/mi
Supp - 2 - Strength Session
Volume - 108mi

Sunshine Coast Half(1:06:23), wk4

The Sunshine Coast is about a 40minute ferry ride from just outside of West Vancouver, and the race took place between the two main towns there. Starting in Gibsons the race headed towards Sechelt, ending in Davis Bay, a small village. The area is very beautiful and a great place to go for a race.

The race was a net downhill by just over 400ft and was also a point to point course, with a tailwind of about 10km/hr at the time I believe. I was aware of this prior to the race and expected to be able to run fairly fast but was surprised at how difficult it turned out to be. The hills were really tough and often too steep to run really fast down without thrashing your legs, and the wind didn't seem significant, being as the road was lined with big coniferous trees. Given the course and conditions I really don't know what to make of the time, so I will say that I am very pleased with the even effort I put forth and I'm certain the hills will give me a lot of strength. The race played out with me heading to the front with Mark Bomba and Jason Loutitt in tow, fully expecting them to go with me at least for the first mile since there was a $50 bonus for the first person to the one mile marker. They stuck shortly behind me and at the one mile(4:55) Jason rode up on my shoulder and more or less stayed on me till we reached mile 2 at 9:50. From then on I was on my own and passed 3mi in 15:06, 10k in 30:37, 10mi in 50:42. I didn't really keep track of the splits since they were more or less meaningless due to the never ending small and large hills. Between miles 8 and 10 I took a few looks over my shoulder to see how far back Bomba and Loutitt were and came to the conclusion I was going to finish up on top so I cruised in the last couple of miles, however in a lot of gut discomfort. All in all it was a very good day of training/racing.

As for the week of training, it was pretty good, with a strong long run and medium long run. I took the Thursday interval workout off because I was feeling like taking a bit of a rest after three good weeks of training and three big weeks coming up. Friday I sat down for a few hours and made some changes to the program that I am excited about and will write about later in the week.
Breakdown:
LR - 22mi @ 5:42.6/mi
MdL - 15mi @ 5:49.4/mi
Race - 13.1mi @ 5:04.0/mi
Supp - 1 - Strength Session
Volume - 112mi

1 mile - 1609 meters of Agony, wk3

If long run day is my favorite day of the week then Thursday, mile repeat day, is my least favorite. Some might call me crazy but I would take the suffering of a marathon over the pain of a mile or 5k race, any day of the week. From day-one, I have found VO2 Max workouts(5k race pace intervals) to be the most mentally and physically difficult workouts for me. The feeling of that slowly accumulating oxygen debt is a discomfort I can tolerate far less than full out sprints, LT runs, even pounding out a 26.2miler.

I have picked mile repeats for this workout because it turns out my block is slightly over a mile in distance and the mile is mentally easier than a 2000m interval which for my level of fitness is probably ideal. I am not afraid to admit that I am mentally weak when it comes to this type of workout! This week however was a step in the right direction. Thursday morning I headed out for my run focused and determined to start the workout conservatively so that it wasn't a total death march like last week. I headed out and ran the first mile in 4:49, then the next 3 in 4:46, 4:44, 4:45. I was very pleased with the effort because the last 1/4 mile of each was into the wind, and the part of the loop that should have a tailwind was sheltered. Despite that, it was the even effort and strength I found in the latter part of the workout that made the session a success.

Well that's another week in the books and I am happy with it. I rearranged the distribution a bit which resulted in being a bit more rested for the workouts and cut the 200m strides to allow my calves to heal, which is coming along nicely. 8 weeks to go!
Breakdown:
LR - 22mi @ 5:41.7/mi
Int - 4mi @ 4:46.3/mi
MdL - 15mi @ 5:52.9/mi
LT - 10mi @ 5:10.3/mi
Supp - 2 - Strength Session
Volume - 112mi

Favorite Day of the Week

Long Run day is easily my favorite day of the week, and this week was no exception. I suppose one of the main reasons I have become a marathon runner is because I have always enjoyed my long runs a great deal. I have been doing 2hour+ long runs for about 6 years now and over that time have modified how I run them several times. At first it was of course just to get 2 hours worth of running in, then to run it at a decent pace of around 4mins/km, then running longer, up to 3 hours in duration. Eventually I started to run workouts in the long run, for example: 7x10mins hard 5mins medium, or 6x5mins hard off 2mins medium plus 3x10min hill, and other variations. When I joined the BCMP I started doing long runs at about 3:40/km, or 5:54/mi, which I didn't feel was quite challenging enough. Days before I moved back to BC, I was flipping through Pete Pfitzinger's book 'Advanced Marathoning,' which was one of the first books I had ever bought about running, and came across his method of running long runs. In this book Pete suggests running your long runs progressively from 20% slower than marathon goal pace to 10% slower than marathon goal pace. Running progression runs isn't a foreign concept to me but I decided I would finally implement this method and today was the first day of that plan.

For convenience I mapped out one mile, then split the run up into a 7 mile out and back, then 7 miles around my block which is 1.06mi. It broke down like this:
1mi - 5:53.2
7mi - 41:34.6(5:56.3/mi)
7mi - 39:56.6(5:42.3/mi)
7mi - 37:51.9(5:24.5/mi)
Total: 22mi - 2:05:18(5:41.7/mi)

Obviously this is a little faster than the guidelines in the book but the progression was very good and I will definitely continue to run my long runs this way. I believe the idea behind running faster as you continue the run is to simulate, in the latter part of the run, how you will feel in a race situation. It turned out to be a great workout, and I am very happy with it, however I really need to give my calves some care this week before they become a bigger problem. Anyhow, thats all for now, great start to the week.

Discipline, Lactate Threshold, wk2

Lactate Threshold is the point at which the body's ability to buffer Lactate in the blood is exceeded by the amount being produced by the muscles during a given activity. The faster pace you can run without breaking this threshold, the better marathon runner you will be. This pace is of course trainable by running, you guessed it, Lactate Threshold(LT) Runs. Achieving this training stimulus is effectively done by running 7-10miles at, or just above your current LT pace, which loosely correlates to your current 10mile to half marathon race pace. I scheduled this workout this week on Sunday(today) and failed miserably at executing it. After an easy 2mile warm up I headed out on my 10mile LT run passing the 1k marker at 3:00...knowing I was in trouble I eased off but by 5k was racing and by 8k threw my gloves on the ground and called it quits, furious. At 3mins/km or 4:48/mi I am well over my LT and thus the whole purpose of the workout was pretty well ruined in the first few minutes, and perhaps I should have just stopped, rested, and started over. The workout became a disaster for a number of reasons but it really boils down to not being disciplined in that first kilometer.

Discipline was an issue all week, beginning with the long run on Tuesday where I did not put near enough effort into recovering the rest of that day and the following day, resulting in an unsatisfactory Interval workout. In addition, I stayed in Vancouver to visit some friends one night and did not get adequate sleep or nutrition.

On a more positive note, the weather has been excellent, my long run and medium long run felt great, and I'm excited for a week of improved training, and for my calves to finally heal up. As well, when I was in Vancouver I attended an indigenous gathering and ceremony called 8000 drums which is always good medicine and one of the main reasons I am back out west.
I won't say I am happy with the training week but I won't say it was poor either.
Breakdown:
LR - 22mi @ 5:39.4/mi
Int - 4mi @ 4:48.2/mi
MdL - 15mi @ 5:56.3/mi
LT - 5mi @ 5:07.8/mi
Supp - 2 - 10x200m @ 32s
- 3 - Strength Session
Volume - 112mi

Comox Valley Half(1:07:59), wk1

This race was in Courtenay BC, which is located about halfway up the east side of Vancouver Island. The weather was perfect for running, probably around 5 degrees, no rain and no wind until about the last 2k. The course was fair, although from about 3.5k to half-way a pretty solid climb.

The plan was to run the race at a 'hard, controlled' effort not a race effort so that I can continue with training as usual and I executed that perfectly, however I hoped the resulting time would be a bit faster. I cruised through 5k in 15:50, then 10k in 32:32, and I think 15k in 48:18, finishing up in 1:07:59. It was a very good, disciplined effort where I focused on maintaining an even pace and good form, while not going to the well. All in all I am very happy with the run. I am planning to make a change in the racing schedule because it was a hassle to get up to Courtenay, and the Merville 15k is in the same area.

As for the week, I couldn't have asked for things to go better given the travel from Toronto to Richmond on tuesday then over to the island on saturday and up to the race sunday morning. Week One is in the books and a great start to the Ottawa build up.
Breakdown:
LR - 22mi @ 5:44.5/mi
Int - 3xmi @ 4:47.5/mi
MdL- 15mi @ 6:07.5/mi
Race - 13.1mi @ 5:11.3/mi
Supp - 2 - 10x200m @ 33s
- 3x strength session
Volume - 112mi

Great to be back (to Marathon Training)

Well due to inquiries regarding when I would have a webpage again about my training and my recent departure from the Brooks Marathon Project, I have decided to launch a Blog so my friends, family and anyone else interested can keep track of my training leading up to the Ottawa Marathon - Canadian Championships, and one might say...Olympic Trials...if only...

In a nutshell, over the last 6 months I had been living in Toronto training with the BCMP putting in some really solid miles and very good training, however I felt that my situation in Toronto was not ideal (on mental, emotional, physical and spiritual levels) and with the buildup to Ottawa looming I had to make a clutch decision to move back to BC. The decision was made, and here I am in Richmond, happy as I have ever been and my training is reflecting that. As with all experiences I am thankful that I went to Toronto, I wouldn't be where I am now without that chapter and I am grateful for the friendships, lessons learned, and knowledge acquired while out there.

So here we go, as I write this there are 71 days 11 hours and some-odd minutes until the gun goes off in Ottawa and I am very excited. Over the next 10 and a half weeks I will be doing 6 races, all of which will be during full training weeks so none of them will be at 100% rested state. The Vancouver Marathon will be a training run to practice gels and waterstations and is a perfect way to get my head ready for the marathon 3 weeks later. One of the very valuable things I have taken away from coach in Toronto was to ease off on the volume so I will be sticking to about 115miles/week, so that I can really hammer the workouts and get fast rather than just strong through logging big miles, as well I will be rolling my long runs at 5:45 mile pace. In addition to this i'll be doing some classic mile repeat workouts, LT runs, 200m strides, and medium long runs. Its a simple program, some might say old school, but its just running, to quote Bomba: "It's not rocket science"

Thats all for now, i'll post at least on a weekly basis, next post after the Comox Half-Marathon Sunday March 16.