Very slow week, schedule didn't allow for much running, and it's Christmas! Numbers are a bit skewed as I was supposed to do 60k on Sunday, but had a conflict and couldn't so I'll run it on the following Tuesday instead. That means next week will be way higher.
Mon - 1hr ebike, core workout
Tues - upper body workout
Wed - 30min ebike
Thurs - off
Fri - 10k trail
Sat - Christmas!
Sun - off
Total: 10k plus 1.5hr ebike
So I guess I pretty much took the week off, it was just too hectic between kids and Christmas shopping.
Monday, December 27, 2010
Monday, December 20, 2010
Week in Review: Dec 13th - Dec 19th (4 Weeks to HURT)
Only 4 weeks to go! I'm scared! This week again didn't have mileage as high as I'd like, but I did what I could. I've had my eye on the calendar for Sunday's run for quite some time. I'd planned for awhile now that I'll use this run to make a final 100% decision on whether I would be ok for HURT or not. Good news is, after running for 10 and a half hours, ZERO shin pain! This KT tape is working like magic! Looks like it might be almost healed before Hawaii, way better than expected. So, that's that, I'm Hawaii bound for sure!
Mon - upper body workout
Tues - 10k trail, 30min stairs
Wed - 9k trail
Thurs - 10k trail, 30min stairs
Fri - 30min ebike
Sat - off
Sun - 60k trail
Total: 89k trail / 1hr stairs / 30min ebike
I wasn't able to get a longer run in mid-week, schedule sucked this week. I was also a little under the weather (maybe from 40k in the rain last Sunday?), so I skipped doing many workouts this week. I have started carrying a couple of 10 lb dumbbells during my stair climbs, makes it tougher but also strengthening my forearms which usually cramp on me during very long runs. Usually I'll put down the dumbbells for my final ascent/decent and sprint it up and down, the sudden loss of weight makes me feel light as a feather.
Sunday was nuts. I got up at 3am, out the door at 4:45am (apparently I had a lot to do still that I hadn't though of the night before). I didn't get a lot of sleep Friday night as I had my company Christmas Party, then slept about 5hrs Sat night so forcing myself to get up at 3am knowing what I was about to do was not fun.
I did my usual drive thru McDonalds for some pre-run breakfast, but they were still serving dinner! WTF? Who has dinner at 4:45am? So it was burger and fries for breakfast, should've known I was in for a weird day at that point. I drove up to Durham Forest and Walker Woods, hoping to get a long run in on a hilly trail. Well, I didn't realize that Durham Region is actually located in Siberia! There was WAY more snow than I expected. The trails at home are almost snow-free, just hard frozen dirt. Not here! By the time I got there and started to run, it was 6:30am. After about 2 minutes I was wondering what the hell I was thinking and considered abandoning the whole thing as my feet kept plunging through the snow. Originally, I was hoping to do 80km, but I'd started a hour and a half later than planned; and now running through the snow I knew there was no way that was going to happen. I was thinking 40k would be a challenge at this point.
Walker Woods and Durham Forest are located across the road from each other. I had a map of each, along with a planned 20k route for each that someone designed for the Eat Dirt run which I had to skip last month due to my shin. I did Walker Woods first, simply because it has numbered signposts along the trail, which you'd think would lessen the chances of me getting lost in the dark.....but my natural ability for getting lost trumped the signposts! I got lost countless times.
It was very slow in the beginning in the dark, I tried to follow the signposts but wasn't sure which way was which at some of the intersections. Whenever I realized I was going the wrong way, I'd just follow my own footprints back. Mine were obviously the only fresh prints to be seen, so that was easy. Later on when I was back on track, I'd come across my own footprints from when I was lost earlier! The top of each signpost is angled, but eventually I noticed that there was something on it. I wiped the snow off and realized that each numbered signpost also has a map on top of it, even showing which way you're facing! Crap, I wish I knew that earlier, but the tops of each post were covered in snow so I never noticed. This should stop me from getting lost, right? Wrong, just made it less frequent. I really didn't mind getting lost, as long as I kept moving I was achieving what I came for.
Some parts of the snow were packed down pretty good from all the cross country skiers, but mostly my feet would sink. Sometimes just a bit, sometimes up to my knee! I tried to follow the course maps for Eat Dirt, but a lot of the trails I was supposed to follow were not skier friendly, which meant deep, unpacked fresh snow. I also forgot my gaiters, which go on top my shoe to keep dirt or snow out. Oops, might have come in handy here.
By the time I eventually got back to the car, I'd run 24km in this crap. I started the car for a few minutes to warm up. There were now a bunch of other cars in the lot from all the skiers. I was the only dork running around out there. I ate a slice of pizza, a Mr. Noodles (still hot in a thermos, yum),a lot of chips and drank some Eload. I also changed all my shirts as they were soaked though. My feet were freezing, but changing to dry socks would be useless after a few minutes of running.
I headed across the street into Durham Forest this time. I wasn't sure about this as there's no signposts, and if I can get lost with numbered, mapped signposts then I'm going to be screwed without them. I figured I'll give it a try then turn around if it's a problem. Yup, it was a problem pretty quick, but I kept going anyway. There were more people in Durham Forest, along with hikers and even some mountain bikers. The main wide trials were packed down so people could almost bike on them (didn't look like it was working very well to me).
Back to the car again, now at 43km. Same meal as last time, then I headed out again, back to Walker Woods and the life saving signposts. The battery in my Garmin GPS watch only lasts 10 hours, so I also started the timer on another watch, just in case. I also brought along my headlamp in my pack, knowing it would be dark before I'm back again.
I just did my own crazy route this time, then was back at the car at 55km. I grabbed my flashlight and went back out in the dark for a final 5km. There were still 2 cars other than mine in the parking lot. I came upon a couple with a child in a sled about 500 metres from the parking lot. I insisted they take my flashlight (I also had my headlamp), I told them to just leave it by my car but they refused. There was only one more turn and it was straight back to the lot, so they said they didn't need it. I then came upon another couple on skis who had headlamps, so they would pass the other couple soon anyway so I'm pretty sure everyone lived.
So, long story short, 10hrs 25minutes of stomping through this crap, I covered a measly 60km. The sun came up, the sun went down, I was still running. As a comparison, less than 2 months ago when I ran Horror Hill trail race, that was 60km in 6 hours on a trail with no snow and less hills. So this was now the 2nd longest run I've ever done time-wise, but distance-wise not so much.
I checked my time after 32km, which will be the distance of one of the five loops at HURT, and it took 5hrs 30 minutes. That's about the same pace I'd figured for HURT, for the first loop anyway. The next 4 loops will increase in time, with last one taking 8 or 9 hrs likely.
I felt great after the run (ok, maybe a little tired!), and absolutely no shin pain whatsoever. That was quite a surprise! My first pain free run in a long time. I think running in the snow and my feet sliding with every step was some good training for all of the running in mud I'll be doing in Hawaii. Hopefully the mud is warmer! I did somehow manage to step on a twig that actually pierced right through the bottom of my shoe! I'm not sure how this happened, these shoes have a stone shield in the bottom, just not a twig shield! Obviously some form of super-twig. I had to use pliers to pull it out, now there's a hole right through the bottom of my shoe.
Next week will be messed up. Got the kids most of the week, but when I do get free time I'll need to Christmas shop so this will most likely be a low-mileage week (even though my mileage is already way lower than it should be). As always, I'll do my best and see what happens. I'll get more workouts in next week, as this week I skipped all core and leg workouts. I'm now tightening up the diet until HURT, good timing as Christmas approaches! I'll just try to avoid too much crap. I'll need to start gathering what I need for HURT also. I ordered 2 boxes of gels and a box of single pack Eload from running room, should be here this week. Time to make a list. I also bought a new bathing suit today, I'll check that off the list!
Mon - upper body workout
Tues - 10k trail, 30min stairs
Wed - 9k trail
Thurs - 10k trail, 30min stairs
Fri - 30min ebike
Sat - off
Sun - 60k trail
Total: 89k trail / 1hr stairs / 30min ebike
I wasn't able to get a longer run in mid-week, schedule sucked this week. I was also a little under the weather (maybe from 40k in the rain last Sunday?), so I skipped doing many workouts this week. I have started carrying a couple of 10 lb dumbbells during my stair climbs, makes it tougher but also strengthening my forearms which usually cramp on me during very long runs. Usually I'll put down the dumbbells for my final ascent/decent and sprint it up and down, the sudden loss of weight makes me feel light as a feather.
Sunday was nuts. I got up at 3am, out the door at 4:45am (apparently I had a lot to do still that I hadn't though of the night before). I didn't get a lot of sleep Friday night as I had my company Christmas Party, then slept about 5hrs Sat night so forcing myself to get up at 3am knowing what I was about to do was not fun.
I did my usual drive thru McDonalds for some pre-run breakfast, but they were still serving dinner! WTF? Who has dinner at 4:45am? So it was burger and fries for breakfast, should've known I was in for a weird day at that point. I drove up to Durham Forest and Walker Woods, hoping to get a long run in on a hilly trail. Well, I didn't realize that Durham Region is actually located in Siberia! There was WAY more snow than I expected. The trails at home are almost snow-free, just hard frozen dirt. Not here! By the time I got there and started to run, it was 6:30am. After about 2 minutes I was wondering what the hell I was thinking and considered abandoning the whole thing as my feet kept plunging through the snow. Originally, I was hoping to do 80km, but I'd started a hour and a half later than planned; and now running through the snow I knew there was no way that was going to happen. I was thinking 40k would be a challenge at this point.
Walker Woods and Durham Forest are located across the road from each other. I had a map of each, along with a planned 20k route for each that someone designed for the Eat Dirt run which I had to skip last month due to my shin. I did Walker Woods first, simply because it has numbered signposts along the trail, which you'd think would lessen the chances of me getting lost in the dark.....but my natural ability for getting lost trumped the signposts! I got lost countless times.
It was very slow in the beginning in the dark, I tried to follow the signposts but wasn't sure which way was which at some of the intersections. Whenever I realized I was going the wrong way, I'd just follow my own footprints back. Mine were obviously the only fresh prints to be seen, so that was easy. Later on when I was back on track, I'd come across my own footprints from when I was lost earlier! The top of each signpost is angled, but eventually I noticed that there was something on it. I wiped the snow off and realized that each numbered signpost also has a map on top of it, even showing which way you're facing! Crap, I wish I knew that earlier, but the tops of each post were covered in snow so I never noticed. This should stop me from getting lost, right? Wrong, just made it less frequent. I really didn't mind getting lost, as long as I kept moving I was achieving what I came for.
Some parts of the snow were packed down pretty good from all the cross country skiers, but mostly my feet would sink. Sometimes just a bit, sometimes up to my knee! I tried to follow the course maps for Eat Dirt, but a lot of the trails I was supposed to follow were not skier friendly, which meant deep, unpacked fresh snow. I also forgot my gaiters, which go on top my shoe to keep dirt or snow out. Oops, might have come in handy here.
By the time I eventually got back to the car, I'd run 24km in this crap. I started the car for a few minutes to warm up. There were now a bunch of other cars in the lot from all the skiers. I was the only dork running around out there. I ate a slice of pizza, a Mr. Noodles (still hot in a thermos, yum),a lot of chips and drank some Eload. I also changed all my shirts as they were soaked though. My feet were freezing, but changing to dry socks would be useless after a few minutes of running.
I headed across the street into Durham Forest this time. I wasn't sure about this as there's no signposts, and if I can get lost with numbered, mapped signposts then I'm going to be screwed without them. I figured I'll give it a try then turn around if it's a problem. Yup, it was a problem pretty quick, but I kept going anyway. There were more people in Durham Forest, along with hikers and even some mountain bikers. The main wide trials were packed down so people could almost bike on them (didn't look like it was working very well to me).
Back to the car again, now at 43km. Same meal as last time, then I headed out again, back to Walker Woods and the life saving signposts. The battery in my Garmin GPS watch only lasts 10 hours, so I also started the timer on another watch, just in case. I also brought along my headlamp in my pack, knowing it would be dark before I'm back again.
I just did my own crazy route this time, then was back at the car at 55km. I grabbed my flashlight and went back out in the dark for a final 5km. There were still 2 cars other than mine in the parking lot. I came upon a couple with a child in a sled about 500 metres from the parking lot. I insisted they take my flashlight (I also had my headlamp), I told them to just leave it by my car but they refused. There was only one more turn and it was straight back to the lot, so they said they didn't need it. I then came upon another couple on skis who had headlamps, so they would pass the other couple soon anyway so I'm pretty sure everyone lived.
So, long story short, 10hrs 25minutes of stomping through this crap, I covered a measly 60km. The sun came up, the sun went down, I was still running. As a comparison, less than 2 months ago when I ran Horror Hill trail race, that was 60km in 6 hours on a trail with no snow and less hills. So this was now the 2nd longest run I've ever done time-wise, but distance-wise not so much.
I checked my time after 32km, which will be the distance of one of the five loops at HURT, and it took 5hrs 30 minutes. That's about the same pace I'd figured for HURT, for the first loop anyway. The next 4 loops will increase in time, with last one taking 8 or 9 hrs likely.
I felt great after the run (ok, maybe a little tired!), and absolutely no shin pain whatsoever. That was quite a surprise! My first pain free run in a long time. I think running in the snow and my feet sliding with every step was some good training for all of the running in mud I'll be doing in Hawaii. Hopefully the mud is warmer! I did somehow manage to step on a twig that actually pierced right through the bottom of my shoe! I'm not sure how this happened, these shoes have a stone shield in the bottom, just not a twig shield! Obviously some form of super-twig. I had to use pliers to pull it out, now there's a hole right through the bottom of my shoe.
Next week will be messed up. Got the kids most of the week, but when I do get free time I'll need to Christmas shop so this will most likely be a low-mileage week (even though my mileage is already way lower than it should be). As always, I'll do my best and see what happens. I'll get more workouts in next week, as this week I skipped all core and leg workouts. I'm now tightening up the diet until HURT, good timing as Christmas approaches! I'll just try to avoid too much crap. I'll need to start gathering what I need for HURT also. I ordered 2 boxes of gels and a box of single pack Eload from running room, should be here this week. Time to make a list. I also bought a new bathing suit today, I'll check that off the list!
Monday, December 13, 2010
Week in Review: Dec 6th - Dec 12th (5 Weeks to HURT)
This week was crazy. I though it would be really low mileage, but I ended up having a chance to run on the weekend so it wasn't too bad. I finally found some tape called 'Rocktape', which is basically a different brand of KT tape, worked great and my shin felt pretty good after a 40k.
Mon - off
Tues - 17k trail, 30min stairs, 30min ebike, core workout
Wed - 30min ebike, upper body workout
Thurs - leg workout, core workout
Fri - 20k trail, 30 min stairs, 30 min ebike
Sat - off
Sun - 40k trail
Total: 77k trail / 1 hr stairs / 1.5hr ebike
I only had a few chances to run this week as I had the kids most mornings and evenings. I was supposed to have them all weekend, so I actually took a vacation day on Thursday just so I could run. Next week I plan to do a long run in Durham Forest which will start early and in the dark, but I've never been there so I really wanted to run there in the daylight first. The plan was to get in 40k there on Thursday, but my daughter threw up in the morning so I ended up using my vacation day to cuddle and watch Family Channel with her all day. At this point I though this was my only chance to run and so I'd finish the week with 17k from Tuesday, but then it turned out I didn't have the kids Friday evening (got in a 20k) and Sunday.
Sunday was stupid. I knew a snowstorm was on the way, so I got up at 5am hoping to beat the worst of it. I was out late and didn't get to sleep until 2am, so I only got 3hrs sleep. When I left the house it was pouring rain, just above freezing. As I headed north away from the lake, it got colder and it all turned to snow. LOTS of snow. They were saying on the radio that Durham Region would get dumped on, which was evident when I got there. I made it to a few hundred metres away from the trail entrance, but there was too much snow to turn onto the last road, and it was only 8am! Even if I was able to make my way down to it and park, it was supposed to snow all day so there's no way I'd get my crappy Kia out of there. I was pissed, I got up early and drove for an hour and 15 minutes and I had to turn around!
I decided to make the best of it, I drove all the way out to Ancaster back to the Sulpher Springs course I ran last week. I figured this was more south and close to the lake. Even if it was cold enough to snow, it's just off a major road so driving won't be a problem. Turns out it was just above freezing, so there was no snow, just pouring rain all day! I got there at 10:40am, after driving for almost 4 friggin hours. I ran a 20k loop, and got drenched. When I got back to the car, I changed into dry shirts and then did another 20k loop. I had been planning for 60k today (shin permitting), but I was out of time. After 40k it was now getting dark, I hadn't counted on driving 4hrs this morning so I didn't bring a light with me to run in the dark. I felt great though (although very cold and wet now), could have kept going.
Now, my shin. I had been wearing my white athletic tape all week during runs, this shit is really starting to irritate my skin though. On Saturday I found some Rocktape which Running Room just started carrying. It's much more comfortable, doesn't irritate the skin, has some stretch to it and you can wear it for a few days including showering (20 bucks a roll, compared to the white shit at 5 bucks a roll). I put it on for the first time on Sunday morning before the 40k. When I put it on, I thought it had too much stretch to it and I really didn't think it would do anything. Wow, was I wrong. My shin felt GREAT. It got a little sore at one point at about 25k but then the feeling went away. I can't even feel this tape, whereas the white shit pulls at my skin. I still need to learn how to apply it properly, but it was fantastic. We'll see how it handles a longer run next weekend.
So next week I can't get too many decent runs in during the week due to a crappy schedule, but that's ok as next Sunday I'm planning for an 80k out in Durham Forest. This trail is supposed to be much rougher and hillier than trails like Sulpher, so this won't be an easy run. I'll have to start in the dark on a trail I've never been on, this could be good. Hopefully the weather co-operates this time, along with my shin.
Mon - off
Tues - 17k trail, 30min stairs, 30min ebike, core workout
Wed - 30min ebike, upper body workout
Thurs - leg workout, core workout
Fri - 20k trail, 30 min stairs, 30 min ebike
Sat - off
Sun - 40k trail
Total: 77k trail / 1 hr stairs / 1.5hr ebike
I only had a few chances to run this week as I had the kids most mornings and evenings. I was supposed to have them all weekend, so I actually took a vacation day on Thursday just so I could run. Next week I plan to do a long run in Durham Forest which will start early and in the dark, but I've never been there so I really wanted to run there in the daylight first. The plan was to get in 40k there on Thursday, but my daughter threw up in the morning so I ended up using my vacation day to cuddle and watch Family Channel with her all day. At this point I though this was my only chance to run and so I'd finish the week with 17k from Tuesday, but then it turned out I didn't have the kids Friday evening (got in a 20k) and Sunday.
Sunday was stupid. I knew a snowstorm was on the way, so I got up at 5am hoping to beat the worst of it. I was out late and didn't get to sleep until 2am, so I only got 3hrs sleep. When I left the house it was pouring rain, just above freezing. As I headed north away from the lake, it got colder and it all turned to snow. LOTS of snow. They were saying on the radio that Durham Region would get dumped on, which was evident when I got there. I made it to a few hundred metres away from the trail entrance, but there was too much snow to turn onto the last road, and it was only 8am! Even if I was able to make my way down to it and park, it was supposed to snow all day so there's no way I'd get my crappy Kia out of there. I was pissed, I got up early and drove for an hour and 15 minutes and I had to turn around!
I decided to make the best of it, I drove all the way out to Ancaster back to the Sulpher Springs course I ran last week. I figured this was more south and close to the lake. Even if it was cold enough to snow, it's just off a major road so driving won't be a problem. Turns out it was just above freezing, so there was no snow, just pouring rain all day! I got there at 10:40am, after driving for almost 4 friggin hours. I ran a 20k loop, and got drenched. When I got back to the car, I changed into dry shirts and then did another 20k loop. I had been planning for 60k today (shin permitting), but I was out of time. After 40k it was now getting dark, I hadn't counted on driving 4hrs this morning so I didn't bring a light with me to run in the dark. I felt great though (although very cold and wet now), could have kept going.
Now, my shin. I had been wearing my white athletic tape all week during runs, this shit is really starting to irritate my skin though. On Saturday I found some Rocktape which Running Room just started carrying. It's much more comfortable, doesn't irritate the skin, has some stretch to it and you can wear it for a few days including showering (20 bucks a roll, compared to the white shit at 5 bucks a roll). I put it on for the first time on Sunday morning before the 40k. When I put it on, I thought it had too much stretch to it and I really didn't think it would do anything. Wow, was I wrong. My shin felt GREAT. It got a little sore at one point at about 25k but then the feeling went away. I can't even feel this tape, whereas the white shit pulls at my skin. I still need to learn how to apply it properly, but it was fantastic. We'll see how it handles a longer run next weekend.
So next week I can't get too many decent runs in during the week due to a crappy schedule, but that's ok as next Sunday I'm planning for an 80k out in Durham Forest. This trail is supposed to be much rougher and hillier than trails like Sulpher, so this won't be an easy run. I'll have to start in the dark on a trail I've never been on, this could be good. Hopefully the weather co-operates this time, along with my shin.
Monday, December 6, 2010
Week in Review: Nov 29th - Dec 5th (6 Weeks to HURT)
Ouch. Shin still sore, I'm just getting used to running in pain now. Pretty good week, finished off with a great run on Sunday with some other runners.
Mon - off
Tues - 9k trial, 45min stairs, upper body workout, core workout
Wed - 30min ebike
Thurs - 22k trail, 30min stairs, 30min ebike
Fri - 30min ebike
Sat - 10k trail
Sun - 39k trail
Total: 80k trail / 1h 15min stairs / 1.5hr ebike
My shin was starting to feel pretty good until Sunday's run. After watching about 1000 instructional youtube videos, I finally figured out a way to tape my lower leg that helps relieve pressure from my shin. I'm using athletic tape for now, but I need to find some kinesio tape which has a little stretch to it. The first time I taped it this way, it felt MUCH better right away. So now I have to tape my leg before every run until this gets better. Even taped up, after 30k on Sunday it still got really bad. So after 30k and it starts killing me at HURT, I'll just have another 130k to go to the finish, no problem.
Most of my runs are in the dark now, so it's much slower. I'm getting used to seeing so many eyes staring back at me in the dark. Thursday night I saw at least 10 deer. Sometimes they don't move away much from the trail, they're used to people I guess. I make some noise and scare them off, I don't like to get too close in case I come across a mother with young around. Would be a good fight though.
Sunday was great. I was invited along for one Monica's fun runs. Monica Scholz hosts a fun run once a month over the winter at the Sulpher Springs race course in Ancaster. If you don't know Monica, she holds the record for the most 100 mile races in one year at 25, which she just set last weekend. The previous record was 23, which she also set back in 2001. Last week was the 111th 100 mile race she's done. She's also done HURT more times than anyone, she's finished it the last 10 years in a row and she'll be back when I go in January. Here's an article from last week: Hamilton Spectator Scholz Article
Most of the people at the run have done 100 milers, a few had done HURT also. I bugged Monica and some others for more info and tips, it's so helpful to talk to people who've done it.
The run started at 6am, which means I had to leave my house by 5am, so I had to get up at 3:30am. I think I slept about 4hrs. There were about 8 of us running at 6am to do a 20k loop. More people showed up at 9am for the next loop if they only wanted to do 20km, maybe 15 people or so total now. Monica's dad even sets up an aid station 'Scholzy's Deli' every few km. He pulls up in his SUV, then had a table waiting for us with a propane heater, hot apple cider, various drinks and all sorts of munchies, a full table! After we leave he packs it all up and meets us again later on the course. I think it was 5 times per 20k loop. Very nice of him to do this, I'm sure he's got better things to do at 6am on Sunday (like sleeping)!
It was very casual and slow, which is good for my shin. After the first 20k, my shin was aching but not too bad. The 2nd loop was a little faster, so at about 35km it was the worst, very very painful. I can't imagine 100 miles on it the way it is now. I found a way to run landing on my toes which felt much better after this. Wound up being 39k according to my GPS, but took just under 6hrs, not exactly a record. Had a great time chatting with all the other runners though.
After the run, Monica has everyone over to her house for a meal, she just lives a few minutes down the road. About 8 people or so came back to her place, some hot chili really hit the spot! Her hospitality to everyone was great along with her family. Her parents also came and visited with everyone. Very, very nice people.
So, my shin is FUBAR and doesn't seem to be getting better. The taping definitely helps, but I was hoping it would have felt better than it did after a slow 39k. This coming week will be low mileage as I've got the kids all weekend. My shin will thank me though. I'm going to try to get my hands on some kinesio tape, see if I can tape this thing properly.
Mon - off
Tues - 9k trial, 45min stairs, upper body workout, core workout
Wed - 30min ebike
Thurs - 22k trail, 30min stairs, 30min ebike
Fri - 30min ebike
Sat - 10k trail
Sun - 39k trail
Total: 80k trail / 1h 15min stairs / 1.5hr ebike
My shin was starting to feel pretty good until Sunday's run. After watching about 1000 instructional youtube videos, I finally figured out a way to tape my lower leg that helps relieve pressure from my shin. I'm using athletic tape for now, but I need to find some kinesio tape which has a little stretch to it. The first time I taped it this way, it felt MUCH better right away. So now I have to tape my leg before every run until this gets better. Even taped up, after 30k on Sunday it still got really bad. So after 30k and it starts killing me at HURT, I'll just have another 130k to go to the finish, no problem.
Most of my runs are in the dark now, so it's much slower. I'm getting used to seeing so many eyes staring back at me in the dark. Thursday night I saw at least 10 deer. Sometimes they don't move away much from the trail, they're used to people I guess. I make some noise and scare them off, I don't like to get too close in case I come across a mother with young around. Would be a good fight though.
Sunday was great. I was invited along for one Monica's fun runs. Monica Scholz hosts a fun run once a month over the winter at the Sulpher Springs race course in Ancaster. If you don't know Monica, she holds the record for the most 100 mile races in one year at 25, which she just set last weekend. The previous record was 23, which she also set back in 2001. Last week was the 111th 100 mile race she's done. She's also done HURT more times than anyone, she's finished it the last 10 years in a row and she'll be back when I go in January. Here's an article from last week: Hamilton Spectator Scholz Article
Most of the people at the run have done 100 milers, a few had done HURT also. I bugged Monica and some others for more info and tips, it's so helpful to talk to people who've done it.
The run started at 6am, which means I had to leave my house by 5am, so I had to get up at 3:30am. I think I slept about 4hrs. There were about 8 of us running at 6am to do a 20k loop. More people showed up at 9am for the next loop if they only wanted to do 20km, maybe 15 people or so total now. Monica's dad even sets up an aid station 'Scholzy's Deli' every few km. He pulls up in his SUV, then had a table waiting for us with a propane heater, hot apple cider, various drinks and all sorts of munchies, a full table! After we leave he packs it all up and meets us again later on the course. I think it was 5 times per 20k loop. Very nice of him to do this, I'm sure he's got better things to do at 6am on Sunday (like sleeping)!
It was very casual and slow, which is good for my shin. After the first 20k, my shin was aching but not too bad. The 2nd loop was a little faster, so at about 35km it was the worst, very very painful. I can't imagine 100 miles on it the way it is now. I found a way to run landing on my toes which felt much better after this. Wound up being 39k according to my GPS, but took just under 6hrs, not exactly a record. Had a great time chatting with all the other runners though.
After the run, Monica has everyone over to her house for a meal, she just lives a few minutes down the road. About 8 people or so came back to her place, some hot chili really hit the spot! Her hospitality to everyone was great along with her family. Her parents also came and visited with everyone. Very, very nice people.
So, my shin is FUBAR and doesn't seem to be getting better. The taping definitely helps, but I was hoping it would have felt better than it did after a slow 39k. This coming week will be low mileage as I've got the kids all weekend. My shin will thank me though. I'm going to try to get my hands on some kinesio tape, see if I can tape this thing properly.
Monday, November 29, 2010
Week in Review: Nov 22nd - Nov 28th (7 Weeks to HURT)
Not a good week running-wise. I had the kids most of the week so it was a challenge to get runs in, but I managed. I was away in Pittsburgh for the weekend, managed to get running in there but it sucked and I'm in pain now.
Mon - 30min ebike, upper body workout
Tues - 17k trail, 30min ebike, 30min stairs
Wed - 9k trail
Thurs - 30min ebike
Fri - 30min ebike
Sat - 31k road/trail
Sun - 8k treadmill
Total: 65k (37k trail, 20k road, 8k treadmill)
Tuesday's 17k was a night run, I need to get more of these in so I'm more accustomed to trail running in the dark. I got home at 830pm, then got up at 4am Wed morning to a do morning run in the dark (I had to be at work early for a client event, bad timing). Saw some raccoons and a few deer out there, the eyes light up in dark when the light hits them so they really stand out.
My office went to Pittsburgh for the weekend, we got there Fri night and stayed out late consuming much alcohol, I was in no condition to get up in the morning to run. I headed out in the afternoon, but the nearest park with trails, Schenley Park, was about 5k away (I made a detour to stop at a running store and added a few more kms). I ran around the trails for awhile then headed east to Frick Park. I was feeling like shit, I almost puked a few times, maybe from the festivities the night before. I didn't wear enough and I was shivering at this point. My shin was absolutely killing me now. Way to much road (should've planned this a little better), plus the higher heel in my road shoes made it worse. I started running all of the downhills backwards, but eventually this hurt like hell too. All in all a horrible experience. I had planned to go longer but I felt sick, my shin was ready to be amputated, I kept getting lost, and I had to be back to the hotel soon as we were going out to dinner. A very slow, crappy run, took almost 4hrs to do 31km. Probably 20k road and 11k trail. Stupid.
The next morning I got up early before our bus home and tried a treadmill for the first time EVER. Hopefully the last time EVER. I hated it. As soon as I started I was waiting for it to end. It had a little TV mounted on it, but you can't focus on anything while bouncing up and down. Again, went crazy with shin pain. I set it on incline the whole time to alleviate some of the pain, but the heel is way too high in my road shoes and this didn't help much. I dropped my towel almost wiped out trying to pick it up. I had a cup of water, tried to drink it while running, I just spilled it all over the controls. Did 8km, was supposed to do 10 but I started late and was hating it so I cut it short.
So, here we are. Shin is feeling like crap again, this is not going well. Absolutely NO more road running, I'd be better served to find stairs than do that again, I've set back shin healing. Numbers should have been higher this week, but I had the kids every night and morning during the week except for Tues night and Wed morning, so I ran then. Was supposed to get a few more in at lunch on Thurs, but had meetings most of the day and couldn't get out. Sat run in Pittsburgh should have been longer, but that hell had to stop early. Not sure what this coming week will be like, but I'm looking forward to some trail shoes and hills!
Mon - 30min ebike, upper body workout
Tues - 17k trail, 30min ebike, 30min stairs
Wed - 9k trail
Thurs - 30min ebike
Fri - 30min ebike
Sat - 31k road/trail
Sun - 8k treadmill
Total: 65k (37k trail, 20k road, 8k treadmill)
Tuesday's 17k was a night run, I need to get more of these in so I'm more accustomed to trail running in the dark. I got home at 830pm, then got up at 4am Wed morning to a do morning run in the dark (I had to be at work early for a client event, bad timing). Saw some raccoons and a few deer out there, the eyes light up in dark when the light hits them so they really stand out.
My office went to Pittsburgh for the weekend, we got there Fri night and stayed out late consuming much alcohol, I was in no condition to get up in the morning to run. I headed out in the afternoon, but the nearest park with trails, Schenley Park, was about 5k away (I made a detour to stop at a running store and added a few more kms). I ran around the trails for awhile then headed east to Frick Park. I was feeling like shit, I almost puked a few times, maybe from the festivities the night before. I didn't wear enough and I was shivering at this point. My shin was absolutely killing me now. Way to much road (should've planned this a little better), plus the higher heel in my road shoes made it worse. I started running all of the downhills backwards, but eventually this hurt like hell too. All in all a horrible experience. I had planned to go longer but I felt sick, my shin was ready to be amputated, I kept getting lost, and I had to be back to the hotel soon as we were going out to dinner. A very slow, crappy run, took almost 4hrs to do 31km. Probably 20k road and 11k trail. Stupid.
The next morning I got up early before our bus home and tried a treadmill for the first time EVER. Hopefully the last time EVER. I hated it. As soon as I started I was waiting for it to end. It had a little TV mounted on it, but you can't focus on anything while bouncing up and down. Again, went crazy with shin pain. I set it on incline the whole time to alleviate some of the pain, but the heel is way too high in my road shoes and this didn't help much. I dropped my towel almost wiped out trying to pick it up. I had a cup of water, tried to drink it while running, I just spilled it all over the controls. Did 8km, was supposed to do 10 but I started late and was hating it so I cut it short.
So, here we are. Shin is feeling like crap again, this is not going well. Absolutely NO more road running, I'd be better served to find stairs than do that again, I've set back shin healing. Numbers should have been higher this week, but I had the kids every night and morning during the week except for Tues night and Wed morning, so I ran then. Was supposed to get a few more in at lunch on Thurs, but had meetings most of the day and couldn't get out. Sat run in Pittsburgh should have been longer, but that hell had to stop early. Not sure what this coming week will be like, but I'm looking forward to some trail shoes and hills!
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Week in Review: Nov 15th - Nov 21st (8 Weeks to HURT)
Good week, I finally ran again! Got a little carried away on Sunday though and did 31k instead of my planned 20k. Shin was sore near the end, but not too bad.
Mon - 8k trail, 30 min stairs, upper body workout
Tues - 30 min ebike, 45 min stairs, leg workout
Wed - 30 min ebike, upper body workout, core workout
Thurs - 10k trail, 45min stairs, 30 min ebike
Fri - 30 min ebike
Sat - 12k trail
Sun - 31k trail
Total: 61k trail, plus 2hrs stairs, plus 2hrs bike
Monday's 8k run my first in 2 weeks. When I land on my heel and my foot smacks down, that;s what hurts the tendons. Taking long strides makes my foot do this when landing, as does running downhill (not steps, just steep angled hills). So, to alleviate this, I ran on my toes and some midfoot so that my heels don't land first. I also took short strides. The combination of these made for a very slow run, but pretty much pain free.
On Thurs, I increased to 10k and did the same thing, but I also ran downhills backwards so that I'm on my toes. After this run , my calves and Achilles was getting sore from all the use (including a few sessions on the stairs), but at least my shins were getting a rest. I did pretty much the same thing for my 12k on Saturday. At this point I was very happy my shins weren't throbbing after the run, things were going well.
On Sunday, I headed up to Silvercreek Conservation Area. I brought a map of the trails along, but that didn't stop me from getting lost numerous times. I'm getting lost in Hawaii for sure. When I started out, I wound up at back at my car after 9k, I thought I was heading north for the last few km but was actually retracing most of the route in the opposite direction and didn't even notice. Coming form the opposite way I didn't recognize the same trail I'd run a little while earlier! It snowed a bit in the last hour, so it covered the trail and that's my excuse. When I suddenly appeared at the car (thinking I was an hour away from it), then it all made sense. I didn't even stop at the car, I was mad at myself and turned right around to run back to where I should've turned awhile earlier. Trails were great, some very technical and rock parts.
I did a big loop on the Bruce trail and a side trail, came back to the car after 20k. I had some munchies and then headed east along the Bruce and over to Terra Cotta Conservation Area. I didn't like running here, the trials a big, wide, smooth and people friendly. Much more used than the more remote rocky trails at Silvercreek, I won't be coming back to Terra Cotta. After 26k, my shin started throbbing. When my mind drifts I forget to run on my toes, plus Terra Cotta had some long gradual downhills that were hurting my shin. I started running most of them backwards, that felt much better on my shin.
All in all a very productive week. I was able to run (there's a positive!) and get more mileage than I'd planned. Looks like my shin will be sore for awhile longer, but it's definitely better than before and I can't wait any longer to get on with some proper training and get the mileage up. So I'll keep running on my toes, taking short strides and running backwards downhill. At least this way I can keep running, and my calves should be killer strong after all this.
Next week will be a challenge, I have the kids most of the week so it will be hard to fit runs in, then my office is off to Pittsburgh for the weekend so I'm not sure how much running I can get in there either.
Mon - 8k trail, 30 min stairs, upper body workout
Tues - 30 min ebike, 45 min stairs, leg workout
Wed - 30 min ebike, upper body workout, core workout
Thurs - 10k trail, 45min stairs, 30 min ebike
Fri - 30 min ebike
Sat - 12k trail
Sun - 31k trail
Total: 61k trail, plus 2hrs stairs, plus 2hrs bike
Monday's 8k run my first in 2 weeks. When I land on my heel and my foot smacks down, that;s what hurts the tendons. Taking long strides makes my foot do this when landing, as does running downhill (not steps, just steep angled hills). So, to alleviate this, I ran on my toes and some midfoot so that my heels don't land first. I also took short strides. The combination of these made for a very slow run, but pretty much pain free.
On Thurs, I increased to 10k and did the same thing, but I also ran downhills backwards so that I'm on my toes. After this run , my calves and Achilles was getting sore from all the use (including a few sessions on the stairs), but at least my shins were getting a rest. I did pretty much the same thing for my 12k on Saturday. At this point I was very happy my shins weren't throbbing after the run, things were going well.
On Sunday, I headed up to Silvercreek Conservation Area. I brought a map of the trails along, but that didn't stop me from getting lost numerous times. I'm getting lost in Hawaii for sure. When I started out, I wound up at back at my car after 9k, I thought I was heading north for the last few km but was actually retracing most of the route in the opposite direction and didn't even notice. Coming form the opposite way I didn't recognize the same trail I'd run a little while earlier! It snowed a bit in the last hour, so it covered the trail and that's my excuse. When I suddenly appeared at the car (thinking I was an hour away from it), then it all made sense. I didn't even stop at the car, I was mad at myself and turned right around to run back to where I should've turned awhile earlier. Trails were great, some very technical and rock parts.
I did a big loop on the Bruce trail and a side trail, came back to the car after 20k. I had some munchies and then headed east along the Bruce and over to Terra Cotta Conservation Area. I didn't like running here, the trials a big, wide, smooth and people friendly. Much more used than the more remote rocky trails at Silvercreek, I won't be coming back to Terra Cotta. After 26k, my shin started throbbing. When my mind drifts I forget to run on my toes, plus Terra Cotta had some long gradual downhills that were hurting my shin. I started running most of them backwards, that felt much better on my shin.
All in all a very productive week. I was able to run (there's a positive!) and get more mileage than I'd planned. Looks like my shin will be sore for awhile longer, but it's definitely better than before and I can't wait any longer to get on with some proper training and get the mileage up. So I'll keep running on my toes, taking short strides and running backwards downhill. At least this way I can keep running, and my calves should be killer strong after all this.
Next week will be a challenge, I have the kids most of the week so it will be hard to fit runs in, then my office is off to Pittsburgh for the weekend so I'm not sure how much running I can get in there either.
Monday, November 15, 2010
Week in Review: Nov 8th - Nov 14th (9 Weeks to HURT)
This was my 2nd week in a row with no running, but I did get plenty of biking, stepping and a hike which I ran a little on. Shin is improving, but everything is still up in the air, and I'm running out of time!
Mon - 30 min ebike, light leg workout
Tues - 45 min ebike, 30 min stairs
Wed - 30 min ebike
Thurs - 1hr ebike, core workout
Fri - 45min stairs, 50 min mountain bike
Sat - 10k hike
Sun - 1hr ebike, core workout
Total: 10k hike, 4hr 35min biking, 1hr 15min stairs
Well I biked everyday in some form except for Sat. On Saturday, I headed up to Silvercreek Conservation area. I was hoping that I could use these trails for some night runs, so I thought I'd check them out in daylight first. It was much rockier and more technical at times than I was expecting. This is great for some technical trail, but I really shouldn't be running out here at night by myself, I'd be asking for trouble. I also couldn't get cell phone reception, so wouldn't be a good idea. I'll head up here during the day though, some nice trails.
I hiked for 10k, even mixed in a few short running spurts. This didn't feel good on my shin though, so I kept it the running to a minimum, not even enough to count this as a run.
I went to 'The Steps' a couple times, just walked up and down the 97 steps for 30min and another day 45min. I plan to increase this as it doesn't hurt my shin and it's great training for the hills in Hawaii.
This coming week I'll try some short runs, hopefully everything will feel ok and I can increase to longer runs by the weekend. 2 months to go! I need about 6....
Mon - 30 min ebike, light leg workout
Tues - 45 min ebike, 30 min stairs
Wed - 30 min ebike
Thurs - 1hr ebike, core workout
Fri - 45min stairs, 50 min mountain bike
Sat - 10k hike
Sun - 1hr ebike, core workout
Total: 10k hike, 4hr 35min biking, 1hr 15min stairs
Well I biked everyday in some form except for Sat. On Saturday, I headed up to Silvercreek Conservation area. I was hoping that I could use these trails for some night runs, so I thought I'd check them out in daylight first. It was much rockier and more technical at times than I was expecting. This is great for some technical trail, but I really shouldn't be running out here at night by myself, I'd be asking for trouble. I also couldn't get cell phone reception, so wouldn't be a good idea. I'll head up here during the day though, some nice trails.
I hiked for 10k, even mixed in a few short running spurts. This didn't feel good on my shin though, so I kept it the running to a minimum, not even enough to count this as a run.
I went to 'The Steps' a couple times, just walked up and down the 97 steps for 30min and another day 45min. I plan to increase this as it doesn't hurt my shin and it's great training for the hills in Hawaii.
This coming week I'll try some short runs, hopefully everything will feel ok and I can increase to longer runs by the weekend. 2 months to go! I need about 6....
Monday, November 8, 2010
Week in Review: Nov 1st - Nov 7th (10 Weeks to HURT)
Not much to say about this week, no running involved. My shin still hurts, but it's getting better. I'm fairly certain it's tendonitis at the bottom of my Anterior Tibialis muscle. I'm icing it a few times a day, wearing compression socks 24/7, wearing a brace or band to keep it stabilized and stretching my calf plenty. If it doesn't get better soon, this whole thing is shot.
Mon - off
Tues - Upper body workout, core workout
Wed - off
Thurs - leg workout (1hr of chair step-ups)
Fri - 30min ebike
Sat - off
Sun - 1hr mtn bike, upper body workout, core workout
Total: big fat zero
I was going to bike more this week, but I thought I'd give my shin some rest. It actually doesn't hurt when I bike, but there are a few times I twist weird or put my foot down to avoid a wipeout on the trails, those didn't feel good. Step-ups feel ok, but again I wanted to get one week of resting it so I only did them once.
I was supposed to go for a night trail run on Wed, obviously didn't happen. I was also supposed to do 80k trail run on Sunday with some people, that's not happening anytime soon. This is going to set me way back. I'm going to start doing more step-ups to simulate some steep hill climbing. There's a nasty steep 97 step rocky stairway just off a trail I run, I plan to head there and do some climbing this week. Stepping up or down doesn't seem to bother my shin, but walking downhill does hurt as I bend my foot downward.
On Sunday, I used the time I would usually run to go check out some trials. I need to find some more rough and technical trails around here. Rattlesnake is great, but the gates close at dusk and there's no parking on any streets in the area, so I'll never be able to go there during the week. So I drove up to Terra Cotta Conservation Area and Silver Creek Conservation Area. These are also along the escarpment, so hopefully there'll be some rocky and technical trails I can try out. I went for a short walk along one of the trails to have a look, but it wasn't what I was looking for. The 2 conservation areas are adjacent to each other, and I can park on the street between them day or night, so I'll head up there for some runs once I'm feeling better. About a 40 minute drive, not too bad.
The plan is now to rest another week, ZERO running whether I want to or not (I'm fine with NOT right now). After next week I'll decide whether to try some light runs or keep resting it. Any rest beyond that and I'm screwed. This week I'll do more biking and stair climbs. Still icing and stretching.....loads of fun.
Mon - off
Tues - Upper body workout, core workout
Wed - off
Thurs - leg workout (1hr of chair step-ups)
Fri - 30min ebike
Sat - off
Sun - 1hr mtn bike, upper body workout, core workout
Total: big fat zero
I was going to bike more this week, but I thought I'd give my shin some rest. It actually doesn't hurt when I bike, but there are a few times I twist weird or put my foot down to avoid a wipeout on the trails, those didn't feel good. Step-ups feel ok, but again I wanted to get one week of resting it so I only did them once.
I was supposed to go for a night trail run on Wed, obviously didn't happen. I was also supposed to do 80k trail run on Sunday with some people, that's not happening anytime soon. This is going to set me way back. I'm going to start doing more step-ups to simulate some steep hill climbing. There's a nasty steep 97 step rocky stairway just off a trail I run, I plan to head there and do some climbing this week. Stepping up or down doesn't seem to bother my shin, but walking downhill does hurt as I bend my foot downward.
On Sunday, I used the time I would usually run to go check out some trials. I need to find some more rough and technical trails around here. Rattlesnake is great, but the gates close at dusk and there's no parking on any streets in the area, so I'll never be able to go there during the week. So I drove up to Terra Cotta Conservation Area and Silver Creek Conservation Area. These are also along the escarpment, so hopefully there'll be some rocky and technical trails I can try out. I went for a short walk along one of the trails to have a look, but it wasn't what I was looking for. The 2 conservation areas are adjacent to each other, and I can park on the street between them day or night, so I'll head up there for some runs once I'm feeling better. About a 40 minute drive, not too bad.
The plan is now to rest another week, ZERO running whether I want to or not (I'm fine with NOT right now). After next week I'll decide whether to try some light runs or keep resting it. Any rest beyond that and I'm screwed. This week I'll do more biking and stair climbs. Still icing and stretching.....loads of fun.
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Horror Hill
Horror Hill was last Saturday, Oct 30th at Camp Heidleberg, just NE of Waterloo. It's a 6hr trail race around a 2.5km loop. Only 47 runners, but there's always people around with such a small loop. A few short steep hills and lots of twists and turns. You get to pass by your drop bag with any change of clothing or food every lap, which was convenient. Actually, I barely went to my bag so I guess it didn't really matter. I wasn't sure how my shin would hold up, so I didn't want to go too hard, plus I knew I was supposed to do another 40km the next morning, but once the race starts it's kind of hard to hold back.
I just kept a steady pace, after an hour I was still within 100 metres or so of the leaders. At this point most people were just cruising along, the people who wanted to push it would do so soon. At this point my shin was a little sore, but not much. It was nice chatting with familiar faces. I ran for awhile with Paul, who blew past me at the last race, Vulture Bait. I ran for a bit with Charlotte, she's done HURT 4 times so got some good tips from her. She's been having back problems and was taking it easy. One guy got hauled off in an ambulance, but he was ok. He was having chest pain then when he sat down had some numbness in his arm, the didn't take any chances and called it in.
I continued to keep a steady pace most of the race, my shin hurt more and more after a few hours. I had brought single pouches of Eload to drink, but I had to stop at my bag and get a pouch, then get my bottle filled with water then pour in and mix. Screw that, I did it once then it was too much of a hassle to do again. I was thinking of doing this at HURT, I may have to rethink my hydration strategy. For today, I just stuck to water. It wasn't hot so I wasn't sweating too much, plus I really wasn't going that hard so I was ok without the extra electrolytes. Jen had told me to have a gel every 40 minutes, but I lost track after the first 2. So much for that. I just had one every hour or so, along with a salt pill every hour.
For the first 3 hrs or so I stopped at the aid station every lap to grab bananas, pretzels, apples and oranges, but eventually I was eating too much so I started to skip it. We kept passing by a BBQ that was cooking food for later, that was making me hungry for some real food though.
After 5hrs or so my shin was in a lot of pain. Now I'm just waiting for the race to end so I can ice my shin and eat some lunch! After lap 23, it looked like I might have enough time to get 1 more lap in if I hurried (current time is 5h 45min 25sec). I turned it on and did a light sprint for the final 2.5k, going faster than I'd gone all day. I also noticed that while I did this, I couldn't feel my shin pain anymore, maybe it was the adrenalin. The last lap was fun, everyone saw me booting it and was cheering me on as I passed. My 24th lap turned out to be my fastest lap of the day (11min 56 sec). When I passed the start/finish, I had more time left than I'd expected so I kept going and got in an extra 500 metres, finished with 60.5km. After 5.5hrs, they hand you a flag with your number on it, so at 6hrs when a horn blows you stop and stab your flag in the ground where you are, then they measure that and add it to you lap total.
If my shin was feeling better I would have pushed it harder. If I can run my fastest lap at the 5h45min mark, then I haven't exactly paced myself properly....again. Had a great time though. I finished 10th overall, 1st for males under 40 (out of a whopping 9 guys), so won a $25 gift certificate. The post race meal was great, I had a burger and some lasagna, that really hit the spot. Got to chat with lots of people, some know I'm doing HURT and were asking how the training is going. Got some more info out of Charlotte, I also met another guy there who got into HURT through the lottery. Like me, he's never done a 100 miler, but he only plans to to do 100k any HURT. I think the only way you should do 100k is if you go for 100 miles and don't make it, but he seems content with setting his sights on 100k (am I crazy or is he? I don't know). I also got a free massage, the girl doing it told me my calves are extremely tight and I should think about seeing a specialist. That was great though, I wasn't sore at all the next few days (not including the shin), I think the massage really helped.
All in all a fun race. I actually like the little 2.5km course, will probably be back next year.
I just kept a steady pace, after an hour I was still within 100 metres or so of the leaders. At this point most people were just cruising along, the people who wanted to push it would do so soon. At this point my shin was a little sore, but not much. It was nice chatting with familiar faces. I ran for awhile with Paul, who blew past me at the last race, Vulture Bait. I ran for a bit with Charlotte, she's done HURT 4 times so got some good tips from her. She's been having back problems and was taking it easy. One guy got hauled off in an ambulance, but he was ok. He was having chest pain then when he sat down had some numbness in his arm, the didn't take any chances and called it in.
I continued to keep a steady pace most of the race, my shin hurt more and more after a few hours. I had brought single pouches of Eload to drink, but I had to stop at my bag and get a pouch, then get my bottle filled with water then pour in and mix. Screw that, I did it once then it was too much of a hassle to do again. I was thinking of doing this at HURT, I may have to rethink my hydration strategy. For today, I just stuck to water. It wasn't hot so I wasn't sweating too much, plus I really wasn't going that hard so I was ok without the extra electrolytes. Jen had told me to have a gel every 40 minutes, but I lost track after the first 2. So much for that. I just had one every hour or so, along with a salt pill every hour.
For the first 3 hrs or so I stopped at the aid station every lap to grab bananas, pretzels, apples and oranges, but eventually I was eating too much so I started to skip it. We kept passing by a BBQ that was cooking food for later, that was making me hungry for some real food though.
After 5hrs or so my shin was in a lot of pain. Now I'm just waiting for the race to end so I can ice my shin and eat some lunch! After lap 23, it looked like I might have enough time to get 1 more lap in if I hurried (current time is 5h 45min 25sec). I turned it on and did a light sprint for the final 2.5k, going faster than I'd gone all day. I also noticed that while I did this, I couldn't feel my shin pain anymore, maybe it was the adrenalin. The last lap was fun, everyone saw me booting it and was cheering me on as I passed. My 24th lap turned out to be my fastest lap of the day (11min 56 sec). When I passed the start/finish, I had more time left than I'd expected so I kept going and got in an extra 500 metres, finished with 60.5km. After 5.5hrs, they hand you a flag with your number on it, so at 6hrs when a horn blows you stop and stab your flag in the ground where you are, then they measure that and add it to you lap total.
If my shin was feeling better I would have pushed it harder. If I can run my fastest lap at the 5h45min mark, then I haven't exactly paced myself properly....again. Had a great time though. I finished 10th overall, 1st for males under 40 (out of a whopping 9 guys), so won a $25 gift certificate. The post race meal was great, I had a burger and some lasagna, that really hit the spot. Got to chat with lots of people, some know I'm doing HURT and were asking how the training is going. Got some more info out of Charlotte, I also met another guy there who got into HURT through the lottery. Like me, he's never done a 100 miler, but he only plans to to do 100k any HURT. I think the only way you should do 100k is if you go for 100 miles and don't make it, but he seems content with setting his sights on 100k (am I crazy or is he? I don't know). I also got a free massage, the girl doing it told me my calves are extremely tight and I should think about seeing a specialist. That was great though, I wasn't sore at all the next few days (not including the shin), I think the massage really helped.
All in all a fun race. I actually like the little 2.5km course, will probably be back next year.
Monday, November 1, 2010
Week in Review: Oct 25th - Oct 31st (11 Weeks to HURT)
Well this week has it's high points, and it's very, very, low points. Got lots of running in, did 6hr Horror Hill trail race, and booked tickets to Hawaii. Bad news is my shin might be worse, so now I'm on 2 weeks of absoultely NO running to try and let it heal.
Mon - 1hr ebike, upper body workout
Tues - 10k gravel trail, leg workout, core workout
Wed - 45min ebike, upper body workout
Thurs - 10k trail, core workout
Fri - off
Sat - 60k trail race
Sun - 30k road
Total - 110km (70k trail/30k road/10k gravel trail) plus 1h 45min ebike
My shin was starting to feel better after almost no running last week, so on Tues I did a light 10k on gravel trail. I didn't want the pounding of a road or the roughness on a trail, so flat gravel was perfect. It was a little sore but not bad. On Thursday I did another light 10k on a trail this time. I wore an ankle support which I thought felt ok, but when I took it off later it was leaving nasty marks soon to be blisters, so I'm not running in that again. This run let me think I'd be ok to run 6hr Horror Hill on Saturday, I'll do a seperate post for the race.
On Saturday, my shin started to hurt mid-race, but it wasn't too bad. I managed to get in 60.5k at the race. I put ice on my shin immediately after and then got a massage at the post race festivities, that seemed to help. The masseuse told me my right calf was extremely tight, this is probably the cause of my shin trouble as the tight calf puts strain on the muscles in front of my shin trying to lift the foot up.
The next morning at I met some other runners for a run on some country roads at 5 friggin 30 am. This was actually the first time I've ever run with others, not including races. I had to get used to the format, every 20 minutes they walk for a minute and have water, after next 20 a gel, next 20 is water, and so on. After 2hrs it's food. Usually, I just drink when I want , eat when I'm hungry and have a gel every now and then. I don't walk until an hour or 2 into the run. It took some getting used to, but the format was working well. I didn't wait 2hrs for my PB Nutella banana wraps though! During the run my shin really started bothering me. This was my first road run in about 2 months, not a good idea after doing 60k the day before. Someone noticed me limping about 40 minutes in (damn walking breaks), and suggested I stop 30k, was supposed to do 40.
We got back to the cars at 30k and a few people were done. I was going to be stupid and push through another 10k, but I came to my senses. I was actually in a lot of pain and shouldn't have even done the previous 30, so good thing I stopped. A couple of runners headed out for another 10k, I headed home already dreading the walk around the neighbourhood taking the kids trick or treating later.
So, lesson learned, when something hurts you don't run 90k over the weekend. It's now the day after and my upper foot and lower shin are swollen and huge. Whatever healing I had going on for the last 2 weeks has been erased. Yes, I am an idiot. So, I am now on ZERO running for the next 2 weeks minimum. I now HAVE to let this heal so I can resume training, otherwise there's no way I can be ready for HURT.
This is quite a setback, as I should be increasing my mileage right now. I was looking forward to this week. I was supposed to meet someone on Wed evening for a night run on some wicked trail. He actually designs courses for races so it would have been a great experience. We'll try and do it again once I've healed. Next Sunday I was suppsed to do 80k trail with some people at EAT DIRT, an unofficial race/fun run. I'm out for that too.
So the next 2 weeks will be a lot of icing my shin and stretching my calves. I'll be wearing compression socks and keeping my shin and ankle wrapped and supported the whole time. I'll hit the bike and excersise bike, along with the usual workouts, just NO running. I better cut down my eating a little for the next 2 weeks too! After 2 weeks, I'll see where I'm at and whether I need any more time off. There's not that much time left really. Figures I booked my tickets this week, no going back now! I'm confident this will heal if I take care of it properly, but right now it hurts like a bitch!
Mon - 1hr ebike, upper body workout
Tues - 10k gravel trail, leg workout, core workout
Wed - 45min ebike, upper body workout
Thurs - 10k trail, core workout
Fri - off
Sat - 60k trail race
Sun - 30k road
Total - 110km (70k trail/30k road/10k gravel trail) plus 1h 45min ebike
My shin was starting to feel better after almost no running last week, so on Tues I did a light 10k on gravel trail. I didn't want the pounding of a road or the roughness on a trail, so flat gravel was perfect. It was a little sore but not bad. On Thursday I did another light 10k on a trail this time. I wore an ankle support which I thought felt ok, but when I took it off later it was leaving nasty marks soon to be blisters, so I'm not running in that again. This run let me think I'd be ok to run 6hr Horror Hill on Saturday, I'll do a seperate post for the race.
On Saturday, my shin started to hurt mid-race, but it wasn't too bad. I managed to get in 60.5k at the race. I put ice on my shin immediately after and then got a massage at the post race festivities, that seemed to help. The masseuse told me my right calf was extremely tight, this is probably the cause of my shin trouble as the tight calf puts strain on the muscles in front of my shin trying to lift the foot up.
The next morning at I met some other runners for a run on some country roads at 5 friggin 30 am. This was actually the first time I've ever run with others, not including races. I had to get used to the format, every 20 minutes they walk for a minute and have water, after next 20 a gel, next 20 is water, and so on. After 2hrs it's food. Usually, I just drink when I want , eat when I'm hungry and have a gel every now and then. I don't walk until an hour or 2 into the run. It took some getting used to, but the format was working well. I didn't wait 2hrs for my PB Nutella banana wraps though! During the run my shin really started bothering me. This was my first road run in about 2 months, not a good idea after doing 60k the day before. Someone noticed me limping about 40 minutes in (damn walking breaks), and suggested I stop 30k, was supposed to do 40.
We got back to the cars at 30k and a few people were done. I was going to be stupid and push through another 10k, but I came to my senses. I was actually in a lot of pain and shouldn't have even done the previous 30, so good thing I stopped. A couple of runners headed out for another 10k, I headed home already dreading the walk around the neighbourhood taking the kids trick or treating later.
So, lesson learned, when something hurts you don't run 90k over the weekend. It's now the day after and my upper foot and lower shin are swollen and huge. Whatever healing I had going on for the last 2 weeks has been erased. Yes, I am an idiot. So, I am now on ZERO running for the next 2 weeks minimum. I now HAVE to let this heal so I can resume training, otherwise there's no way I can be ready for HURT.
This is quite a setback, as I should be increasing my mileage right now. I was looking forward to this week. I was supposed to meet someone on Wed evening for a night run on some wicked trail. He actually designs courses for races so it would have been a great experience. We'll try and do it again once I've healed. Next Sunday I was suppsed to do 80k trail with some people at EAT DIRT, an unofficial race/fun run. I'm out for that too.
So the next 2 weeks will be a lot of icing my shin and stretching my calves. I'll be wearing compression socks and keeping my shin and ankle wrapped and supported the whole time. I'll hit the bike and excersise bike, along with the usual workouts, just NO running. I better cut down my eating a little for the next 2 weeks too! After 2 weeks, I'll see where I'm at and whether I need any more time off. There's not that much time left really. Figures I booked my tickets this week, no going back now! I'm confident this will heal if I take care of it properly, but right now it hurts like a bitch!
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Week in Review: Oct 18th - Oct 24th (12 Weeks to HURT)
This week sucked, big time. After feeling pain in my shin which started during Vulture Bait, I didn't ice or wrap it the next day, then on Monday I thought I'd try a 10k run to see how it felt. Bad move, I think I made it worse and it swelled up after the run. This would be my only run this week. I started icing it numerous times a day and wrapped a bandage around my lower shin and ankle. The bandage hurt too much so I switched to wearing compression socks 24hrs a day mid-week. I've ruled out stress fracture, looks like I've hurt the tendons connecting my tibialis anterior to the top of my foot, or I've damaged the muscle itself. That's my best guess anyway. 8 days later and it still hurts, but it's been getting better each day.
Mon - 10k trail, upper body workout
Tues - Mtn bike 40 min, light leg workout, core workout
Wed - Ebike 45min, upper body workout
Thurs - Mtn bike 40min, light leg workout, core workout
Fri - upper body workout
Sat - Mtn bike 45min
Sun - off
Total - 10k (trail), plus 2hr 50min bike
This was supposed to be a recovery week with lower mileage, but not 10k! I dusted off my mountain bike and hit the trails a few times, this didn't hurt my leg at all. I'm planning to try a run this Tuesday, we'll see how it feels. I'm supposed to do 6hr Horror Hill on Saturday, hopefully it's feeling better by then.
Mon - 10k trail, upper body workout
Tues - Mtn bike 40 min, light leg workout, core workout
Wed - Ebike 45min, upper body workout
Thurs - Mtn bike 40min, light leg workout, core workout
Fri - upper body workout
Sat - Mtn bike 45min
Sun - off
Total - 10k (trail), plus 2hr 50min bike
This was supposed to be a recovery week with lower mileage, but not 10k! I dusted off my mountain bike and hit the trails a few times, this didn't hurt my leg at all. I'm planning to try a run this Tuesday, we'll see how it feels. I'm supposed to do 6hr Horror Hill on Saturday, hopefully it's feeling better by then.
Monday, October 18, 2010
Vulture Bait
Last year, Vulture Bait 50km was my first trail race, so I was excited to go back to the race that got me hooked. It was on Sat Oct 16th, great weather. It was a little warmer than last year, started at about 5 degrees then climbed to 13 degrees or so by noon, very comfortable for running. I was a little worried about my legs tiring out, I'd done a 60km run 5 days prior to this. When I did a 10k run 2 days prior, legs were still sore and tired. VB has some hills but overall it's a relatively flat course compared to most.
I got there with just enough time to run to the bushes and pee, then checkin and grab my number. I had to pin my number on right at the starting line, got it pinned just in time and we were off! Last year I was fascinated by the aid stations (having never run an ultra before), I would spend way too much time at each one chowing down and drinking way too much. This year I just gabbed a few pieces of banana and a few chips while I kept moving. Didn't need any drinks, I had 2 10oz bottles of Eload on my belt so I'd rather drink that than the HEED drinks they were giving out. I also didn't want to drink too much and cramp up, so this worked out well. I took salt pills every 45min or so, plus at least 1 gel per hour so this was ample nutrition for me.
I forced myself to maintain a stready pace and not go too fast on the first 25km loop. Last year I went way too fast and started cramping up as soon as the 2nd loop started. I seemed to be running behind some older guy for a lot of the first loop (early 60s maybe?). For the last few kms I was ahead of him and he kept saying something about picking it up near the end. I told him a few times that I was doing 50k, not 25k like him, but each time he didn't hear me. He passed me at about 23km and he made some comment about me being passed by an old guy. He seemed excited by this so I didn't ruin his fun by letting him know I still had 27km to go, not 2. Finished the first loop in 2h 11min, I was feeling great.
I barely saw anyone on loop 2. At about 38km I passed a guy who was having issues and walking, this was the first person I'd seen on the entire 2nd loop. It felt like I was running all by myself. At about 40km, my right shin was really hurting, other than that I was feeling good. With about 5km to go, I caught up to 2 more runners and passed them. Just after this, I heard someone speeding up behind me, then I got passed by Paul C. He's out of my league, I cheered him on as he passed and I kept going. I picked up the pace at this point (Paul still kept getting smaller and smaller though). With 3k left I took it up a notch knowing I was almost done. When I got near the finish, I did my usual routine and broke into a full out sprint for the last 100 meters, the crowd was cheering like mad. Finished 4h 44min in 13th place, I was happy with that. Last year was 4h 58min.
I was extremely happy I didn't cramp up like usual, I'm getting much better with my nutrition and hydration. No knee issues at all, just a very sore right shin. VB is the last race of the Ontario Ultra Series, so after the race there's a big meal and they hand out the awards for the year. I got called up to accept my award for 3rd place Male Under 40 for the season. Got a plaque and a hat. I also chatted with a girl who did HURT this year and is going back next year, so I'll be in touch to get some info from her. Had a great time, looking forward to this one again next year!
I got there with just enough time to run to the bushes and pee, then checkin and grab my number. I had to pin my number on right at the starting line, got it pinned just in time and we were off! Last year I was fascinated by the aid stations (having never run an ultra before), I would spend way too much time at each one chowing down and drinking way too much. This year I just gabbed a few pieces of banana and a few chips while I kept moving. Didn't need any drinks, I had 2 10oz bottles of Eload on my belt so I'd rather drink that than the HEED drinks they were giving out. I also didn't want to drink too much and cramp up, so this worked out well. I took salt pills every 45min or so, plus at least 1 gel per hour so this was ample nutrition for me.
I forced myself to maintain a stready pace and not go too fast on the first 25km loop. Last year I went way too fast and started cramping up as soon as the 2nd loop started. I seemed to be running behind some older guy for a lot of the first loop (early 60s maybe?). For the last few kms I was ahead of him and he kept saying something about picking it up near the end. I told him a few times that I was doing 50k, not 25k like him, but each time he didn't hear me. He passed me at about 23km and he made some comment about me being passed by an old guy. He seemed excited by this so I didn't ruin his fun by letting him know I still had 27km to go, not 2. Finished the first loop in 2h 11min, I was feeling great.
I barely saw anyone on loop 2. At about 38km I passed a guy who was having issues and walking, this was the first person I'd seen on the entire 2nd loop. It felt like I was running all by myself. At about 40km, my right shin was really hurting, other than that I was feeling good. With about 5km to go, I caught up to 2 more runners and passed them. Just after this, I heard someone speeding up behind me, then I got passed by Paul C. He's out of my league, I cheered him on as he passed and I kept going. I picked up the pace at this point (Paul still kept getting smaller and smaller though). With 3k left I took it up a notch knowing I was almost done. When I got near the finish, I did my usual routine and broke into a full out sprint for the last 100 meters, the crowd was cheering like mad. Finished 4h 44min in 13th place, I was happy with that. Last year was 4h 58min.
I was extremely happy I didn't cramp up like usual, I'm getting much better with my nutrition and hydration. No knee issues at all, just a very sore right shin. VB is the last race of the Ontario Ultra Series, so after the race there's a big meal and they hand out the awards for the year. I got called up to accept my award for 3rd place Male Under 40 for the season. Got a plaque and a hat. I also chatted with a girl who did HURT this year and is going back next year, so I'll be in touch to get some info from her. Had a great time, looking forward to this one again next year!
Week in Review: Oct 11th - Oct 17th (13 Weeks to HURT)
This week was a little different. Only ran 3 times, but totalled 120km.
Mon - 60k trail
Tues - off
Wed - leg workout, core workout
Thurs - 10k trail
Fri - off
Sat - 50k trail race
Sun off
Total: 120k (trail)
Last weekend I didn't get to do a long run, so on Thanksgiving Monday I went out and did a 60km run at Sulpher Springs. It was miserable. I wasn't feeling well but I was mad that I didn't get a long run in on the weekend, so I went anyway. I was popping Halls the whole time and it rained ALL day. It started to rain right as I arrived. The first 20k loop was light rain, the sun even peeked through for some nice sun showers, so I changed out of my wet long sleeve into a dry tank top for loop 2. Bad move, it clouded over and a downpour started. Near the end of the loop, the temp felt like it dropped 10 degrees. It was thunder and lighting, I had to stop under trees a few times when the rain got too heavy. When I got back to the car after loop 2, I had some hot soup and changed into dry clothes, the rain looked like it would let up so I made myself go out for loop 3. Of course the downpours started again and I got drenched. Ran for almost 7hrs, froze my ass off and then was stuffed up all week with a cold.
I only did a 10k during the week, my legs were tired from the 60k and I had a 50k race coming up on Sat, Vulture Bait in London, ON. On Thursday I got my new Petzl MYO XP headlamp, MUCH brighter than my current Petzl Tikka XP. Haven't had a chance to test it on a trail yet, I'll get out there this upcoming week.
All in all a good week, didn't get many workouts in and no hill work while my legs recovered from the Monday run and I then I saved them for VB on Sat. I'm in good shape after VB, the only thing hurting is my right shin. I didn't hit it, I think the muscle is just exhausted, it was hurting bad for the last hour. I was actually a little worried it could be a stress fracture (it really hurt last night), but I've read that stress fractures hurt to the touch and this doesn't. I'm sure it will feel better in a few days. Next weekend will be a break with no really long run, so this will be a recovery week of sorts.
I'll post a race report for Vulture Bait separately.
Mon - 60k trail
Tues - off
Wed - leg workout, core workout
Thurs - 10k trail
Fri - off
Sat - 50k trail race
Sun off
Total: 120k (trail)
Last weekend I didn't get to do a long run, so on Thanksgiving Monday I went out and did a 60km run at Sulpher Springs. It was miserable. I wasn't feeling well but I was mad that I didn't get a long run in on the weekend, so I went anyway. I was popping Halls the whole time and it rained ALL day. It started to rain right as I arrived. The first 20k loop was light rain, the sun even peeked through for some nice sun showers, so I changed out of my wet long sleeve into a dry tank top for loop 2. Bad move, it clouded over and a downpour started. Near the end of the loop, the temp felt like it dropped 10 degrees. It was thunder and lighting, I had to stop under trees a few times when the rain got too heavy. When I got back to the car after loop 2, I had some hot soup and changed into dry clothes, the rain looked like it would let up so I made myself go out for loop 3. Of course the downpours started again and I got drenched. Ran for almost 7hrs, froze my ass off and then was stuffed up all week with a cold.
I only did a 10k during the week, my legs were tired from the 60k and I had a 50k race coming up on Sat, Vulture Bait in London, ON. On Thursday I got my new Petzl MYO XP headlamp, MUCH brighter than my current Petzl Tikka XP. Haven't had a chance to test it on a trail yet, I'll get out there this upcoming week.
All in all a good week, didn't get many workouts in and no hill work while my legs recovered from the Monday run and I then I saved them for VB on Sat. I'm in good shape after VB, the only thing hurting is my right shin. I didn't hit it, I think the muscle is just exhausted, it was hurting bad for the last hour. I was actually a little worried it could be a stress fracture (it really hurt last night), but I've read that stress fractures hurt to the touch and this doesn't. I'm sure it will feel better in a few days. Next weekend will be a break with no really long run, so this will be a recovery week of sorts.
I'll post a race report for Vulture Bait separately.
Monday, October 11, 2010
Week in Review: Oct 4th - Oct 10th (14 Weeks to HURT)
This week started off well, but then my weekend got messed up and I didn't get my long run in. Crap.
Mon - off
Tues - 10k trail (am), 10k trail (lunch), upper body workout
Wed - leg workout, core workout
Thurs - 10k trail w/ hills, upper body workout
Fri - off
Sat - 13k trail
Sun - off
Total : 43k (33k trail / 10k trail w/hills)
I was supposed to meet a buddy of mine Thursday night who works at MEC and upgrade my Petzl Tikka XP headlamp to the brighter Petzl MYO, but something came up for him so I went for an evening run instead. I was still running after dark (with my Tikka XP) and sure enough, I trip over a root I didn't see and wipe out. There's no way I could use my current light in Hawaii.
On Saturday I headed to Kelso instead of Rattlesnake to check out the trails, but it's not nearly as technical or hilly as Rattlesnake. Lots of trails to pick from, but most are pretty smooth. I thought it would have had more hills being along the top of the escarpment, but that's just what it is, the top of the escarpment. It never really goes up or down with the exception of one corner. Next time I'll drive the extra 5 minutes and go to Rattlesnake.
I was supposed head back to Sulpher for 40k on Sunday morning, but due to a mis-communication (on someone else's part), I had the kids Sunday and couldn't run. Had I known this in advance, I could've gone long on Saturday. So instead of an 83k week, I now have a 43k week. At least I'm free tomorrow (Monday) so I'll head back to Sulpher and do a long one then, but it will count toward's next weeks numbers. I didn't want to do a long one tomorrow as I've got a 50k race next Saturday, Vulture Bait in London. Last year, Vulture Bait was the first trail race or Ultra for me, so it will be fun to head back. It's the last race of the season for the Ontario Ultra Series so there's a big meal after, should be a good time. I was planning to take it easy during the race but I've been trash talking with a fellow runner, so now I'll actually have to run! I also signed up for Horror Hill which is in a few weeks. It's a 6hr race around a short 2.5km loop. A little mind numbing, but good mental traning and lots of good people will be there to run with.
Mon - off
Tues - 10k trail (am), 10k trail (lunch), upper body workout
Wed - leg workout, core workout
Thurs - 10k trail w/ hills, upper body workout
Fri - off
Sat - 13k trail
Sun - off
Total : 43k (33k trail / 10k trail w/hills)
I was supposed to meet a buddy of mine Thursday night who works at MEC and upgrade my Petzl Tikka XP headlamp to the brighter Petzl MYO, but something came up for him so I went for an evening run instead. I was still running after dark (with my Tikka XP) and sure enough, I trip over a root I didn't see and wipe out. There's no way I could use my current light in Hawaii.
On Saturday I headed to Kelso instead of Rattlesnake to check out the trails, but it's not nearly as technical or hilly as Rattlesnake. Lots of trails to pick from, but most are pretty smooth. I thought it would have had more hills being along the top of the escarpment, but that's just what it is, the top of the escarpment. It never really goes up or down with the exception of one corner. Next time I'll drive the extra 5 minutes and go to Rattlesnake.
I was supposed head back to Sulpher for 40k on Sunday morning, but due to a mis-communication (on someone else's part), I had the kids Sunday and couldn't run. Had I known this in advance, I could've gone long on Saturday. So instead of an 83k week, I now have a 43k week. At least I'm free tomorrow (Monday) so I'll head back to Sulpher and do a long one then, but it will count toward's next weeks numbers. I didn't want to do a long one tomorrow as I've got a 50k race next Saturday, Vulture Bait in London. Last year, Vulture Bait was the first trail race or Ultra for me, so it will be fun to head back. It's the last race of the season for the Ontario Ultra Series so there's a big meal after, should be a good time. I was planning to take it easy during the race but I've been trash talking with a fellow runner, so now I'll actually have to run! I also signed up for Horror Hill which is in a few weeks. It's a 6hr race around a short 2.5km loop. A little mind numbing, but good mental traning and lots of good people will be there to run with.
Monday, October 4, 2010
Week in Review: Sep 27th - Oct 3rd (15 Weeks to HURT)
Had a great week, more hills and legwork, really paying off:
Mon - 6k trail w/ hills, leg workout, core workout
Tues - 1hr ebike, upper body workout
Wed - leg workout, core workout
Thurs - 10k trail (am), upper body workout, 8k trail w/ hills (pm)
Fri - core workout
Sat - 10k trail
Sun - 60k trail
Total: 94k (80k trail / 16k trail w/hills)
All of the trails I run have hills, I just mark it as 'trail w/hills' if I do significant hill repeats with lots of extra hills on a trail.
I'm trying to add more hills into the mix, legs and knees are feeling great so it's time. I've started carrying my Nathan pack and filling it with 2 litres of water, even for short runs. I like the added weight and I want to be used to running with it on all the time. Some early morning runs now require me to bring my headlamp along, it's dark on the trails. I am upgrading to a brighter light, probably later this week.
Had a great run on Sunday. I went back to Sulpher Springs to do some 20k loops retracing the race properly this time. It was 5 degrees and raining when I started, but it cleared up later. I did the first loop by myself, but at the end of this loop I ran into 3 running veterans: John T, the race director for Sulpher Springs (who did HURT this year), Sharon (who also did HURT this year) and John R (who has done Badwater, the toughest race in the world). I chatted with them for a few minutes, John R was amused that I was going to do HURT for my first 100 miler, but he wished me luck (sarcastic maybe?).
John T was just heading out on his 2nd loop also, so we ran together for a few hours. This was fantastic for me, I got to pick his brain for all sorts of info about HURT and running in general.. I exchanged emails with him today, he's going to keep me in the loop for some fun runs Monica is putting on this winter (Monica is the only 10 time finisher at HURT).
The 2nd loop with John was slower as he had done a 50k race the day before (Run for the Toad). Now that I think of it, this was the first time I've ever run with someone (not including races). I 've always done all of training alone. I then did a 3rd loop by myself. Took almost 7hrs in the end, then I headed right to my son's hockey game and made it just time.
All in all a good week and a great day!
Mon - 6k trail w/ hills, leg workout, core workout
Tues - 1hr ebike, upper body workout
Wed - leg workout, core workout
Thurs - 10k trail (am), upper body workout, 8k trail w/ hills (pm)
Fri - core workout
Sat - 10k trail
Sun - 60k trail
Total: 94k (80k trail / 16k trail w/hills)
All of the trails I run have hills, I just mark it as 'trail w/hills' if I do significant hill repeats with lots of extra hills on a trail.
I'm trying to add more hills into the mix, legs and knees are feeling great so it's time. I've started carrying my Nathan pack and filling it with 2 litres of water, even for short runs. I like the added weight and I want to be used to running with it on all the time. Some early morning runs now require me to bring my headlamp along, it's dark on the trails. I am upgrading to a brighter light, probably later this week.
Had a great run on Sunday. I went back to Sulpher Springs to do some 20k loops retracing the race properly this time. It was 5 degrees and raining when I started, but it cleared up later. I did the first loop by myself, but at the end of this loop I ran into 3 running veterans: John T, the race director for Sulpher Springs (who did HURT this year), Sharon (who also did HURT this year) and John R (who has done Badwater, the toughest race in the world). I chatted with them for a few minutes, John R was amused that I was going to do HURT for my first 100 miler, but he wished me luck (sarcastic maybe?).
John T was just heading out on his 2nd loop also, so we ran together for a few hours. This was fantastic for me, I got to pick his brain for all sorts of info about HURT and running in general.. I exchanged emails with him today, he's going to keep me in the loop for some fun runs Monica is putting on this winter (Monica is the only 10 time finisher at HURT).
The 2nd loop with John was slower as he had done a 50k race the day before (Run for the Toad). Now that I think of it, this was the first time I've ever run with someone (not including races). I 've always done all of training alone. I then did a 3rd loop by myself. Took almost 7hrs in the end, then I headed right to my son's hockey game and made it just time.
All in all a good week and a great day!
Monday, September 27, 2010
Week in Review: Sep 20th - 26th (16 weeks to HURT)
This week was a bit of a write off, let's just put it down as a recovery week! Week was actually ok, but I had the kids all weekend and couldn't get my long run in Sat or Sun.. I've actually got the kids until late Wednesday night, so there will be very little running most of next week too, but I'll get a long one in next weekend. I did have my last soccer game of the season on Saturday, so at least that's out of the way.
Mon - 1hr Ebike, core workout
Tues - 15k road
Wed - 5k road, leg workout
Thurs - 10k trail (am), 8k trail w/ hills (pm)
Fri - off
Sat - Soccer
Sun - off
Total: 38k (20k road/ 18k trail), plus 1 hr ebike plus soccer
I bought a Garmin 305 GPS watch and used it a few times, works great. Even with lots of cloud cover and light rain on tree covered trails, it still worked. My Timex GPS will now be a paperweight, if it can even do that properly. Running the hills can be deceiving, which I learned while running with the Garmin. I ran on a very hilly trail for an hour on Thurs evening, only came to 8k. An hour on a more level trail would usually be 12k. This means when I cram runs into my lunch, the mileage won't look as high even though it's a lot more effort running the hills. Some people start running for time instead of distance on trails, maybe something to consider, but I'm used to keeping track of things with kms.
With soccer finished, I won't have anything to save my legs for so I can hit the hills more and increase my leg workouts next week. My knees enjoyed the light week, it will be awhile before one of these weeks again!
Mon - 1hr Ebike, core workout
Tues - 15k road
Wed - 5k road, leg workout
Thurs - 10k trail (am), 8k trail w/ hills (pm)
Fri - off
Sat - Soccer
Sun - off
Total: 38k (20k road/ 18k trail), plus 1 hr ebike plus soccer
I bought a Garmin 305 GPS watch and used it a few times, works great. Even with lots of cloud cover and light rain on tree covered trails, it still worked. My Timex GPS will now be a paperweight, if it can even do that properly. Running the hills can be deceiving, which I learned while running with the Garmin. I ran on a very hilly trail for an hour on Thurs evening, only came to 8k. An hour on a more level trail would usually be 12k. This means when I cram runs into my lunch, the mileage won't look as high even though it's a lot more effort running the hills. Some people start running for time instead of distance on trails, maybe something to consider, but I'm used to keeping track of things with kms.
With soccer finished, I won't have anything to save my legs for so I can hit the hills more and increase my leg workouts next week. My knees enjoyed the light week, it will be awhile before one of these weeks again!
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Week in Review: Sep 13th - 19th 2010 (17 weeks to H.U.R.T.)
This week went well, knees felt really good by the end of the week. No soccer this week, in fact only 1 game left at the end of next week, so it won't get in the way after that.
Mon - 1hr Ebike, light upper body, core
Tues - 8k road, 7k hills
Ran in the morning, then hit the hills at lunch for 7k
Wed - 1h Ebike, core
Slept in, skipped morning run
Thurs - 10k trail, leg workout
Pouring rain for 10k, half of the run was in deep water along flooded trails, but fun! Legs in the evening.
Fri - off
Sat - 17k trail (hills)
Went to Rattlesnake Point and hit the Bruce Trail. Finally wore my new shoes which I bought for HURT, Montrail Mountain Masochists, awesome shoes! Went golfing on a hilly course immediately after my run, walked about another 7k.
Sun - 32k trail
Went back Sulpher Springs, where I ran my first 50 miler back in May. Got lost everywhere.
Total: 74k (59k trail / 8k road / 7k hills) plus 2hr bike
Quads getting stronger, knees felling better. I was very happy to try my new shoes, they were great. I'll be heading back to the Bruce Trail near Rattlesnake and Crawford Lake often. Some parts are very rocky and pretty much unrunnable, lots of climbs, lots of roots. This area will be the most similar conditions I can get to Hawaii. I ran a race called the Iroquois Trail Test here 4 weeks ago, I followed some of the course.
Sulpher Springs on Sunday was an adventure. The race course I tried to re-trace is a 20km loop, but I managed to turn it into 32km. I even brought the race map with me, but I got lost numerous times regardless. I had planned to do 2 loops of 20km each, but I started a little late and after 32km (3h 30min), I had to head home to take the kids to a birthday party.
I attempted to give my piece of shit Timex GPS watch a final chance this weekend to prove that it can actually function, it failed miserably. It cut out on Sat at Rattlesnake, I tried it again on Sunday at Sulpher, lost the signal again with no clouds in the sky. Brand new batteries too. Time to upgrade to a Garmin, I want to be able to keep track of trail runs without guessing the distance.
Mon - 1hr Ebike, light upper body, core
Tues - 8k road, 7k hills
Ran in the morning, then hit the hills at lunch for 7k
Wed - 1h Ebike, core
Slept in, skipped morning run
Thurs - 10k trail, leg workout
Pouring rain for 10k, half of the run was in deep water along flooded trails, but fun! Legs in the evening.
Fri - off
Sat - 17k trail (hills)
Went to Rattlesnake Point and hit the Bruce Trail. Finally wore my new shoes which I bought for HURT, Montrail Mountain Masochists, awesome shoes! Went golfing on a hilly course immediately after my run, walked about another 7k.
Sun - 32k trail
Went back Sulpher Springs, where I ran my first 50 miler back in May. Got lost everywhere.
Total: 74k (59k trail / 8k road / 7k hills) plus 2hr bike
Quads getting stronger, knees felling better. I was very happy to try my new shoes, they were great. I'll be heading back to the Bruce Trail near Rattlesnake and Crawford Lake often. Some parts are very rocky and pretty much unrunnable, lots of climbs, lots of roots. This area will be the most similar conditions I can get to Hawaii. I ran a race called the Iroquois Trail Test here 4 weeks ago, I followed some of the course.
Sulpher Springs on Sunday was an adventure. The race course I tried to re-trace is a 20km loop, but I managed to turn it into 32km. I even brought the race map with me, but I got lost numerous times regardless. I had planned to do 2 loops of 20km each, but I started a little late and after 32km (3h 30min), I had to head home to take the kids to a birthday party.
I attempted to give my piece of shit Timex GPS watch a final chance this weekend to prove that it can actually function, it failed miserably. It cut out on Sat at Rattlesnake, I tried it again on Sunday at Sulpher, lost the signal again with no clouds in the sky. Brand new batteries too. Time to upgrade to a Garmin, I want to be able to keep track of trail runs without guessing the distance.
Week in Review: Sep 6th - 12th 2010 (18 weeks to H.U.R.T.)
This was actually my first official week of training for HURT. I decided at the beginning of the week that I would skip the 100 mile race at Haliburton on Sep 11th, so that means training for HURT is on. Knees are still sore and I've got 2 soccer games this week, so this week will be easing into it. I'm also starting workouts which I haven't done in awhile, so I'll ramp up the intensity after I'm used to things again. Training will keep getting tougher each week.
Mon - 10k road, light leg workout, light upper body workout, core workout
Tues - 8k road, 1 hour Ebike
Wed - soccer
Thurs - 10k trail, light upper body workout
Fri - off
Sat - soccer
Sun - 30k road
Total: 58k (48k road/10k trail), plus 1 hour bike, plus 2 soccer games
Knees sore but getting better, still wearing a brace for most runs and soccer. No hills yet, letting my knees feel better first and I didn't want to be useless for soccer. Pretty easy first week, as planned.
Mon - 10k road, light leg workout, light upper body workout, core workout
Tues - 8k road, 1 hour Ebike
Wed - soccer
Thurs - 10k trail, light upper body workout
Fri - off
Sat - soccer
Sun - 30k road
Total: 58k (48k road/10k trail), plus 1 hour bike, plus 2 soccer games
Knees sore but getting better, still wearing a brace for most runs and soccer. No hills yet, letting my knees feel better first and I didn't want to be useless for soccer. Pretty easy first week, as planned.
Friday, September 17, 2010
So it Begins....
Well, I've though about starting a blog about my running for awhile, now I'm currently training for my toughest race yet so why not get one going. Why 'Stupid Running'? Because I usually do things my own way (aka the stupid way), but it usually works for me. While training to qualify for Boston, I ran 140 days in a row with no rest day. Stupid, but it worked. I ran Boston with completely the wrong nutrition. Stupid, and it didn't work, cramped up huge at 30km. So it's really hit and miss. I should probably listen to other people who know what they're doing. This stupid blog will be a work in progress as I really don't know what I'm doing here either.
Here's my brief running history: I'd always run a little here and there to stay in shape. In the fall of 2007, I ran my farthest run to date, 10km. I started to wonder how hard it would be to run much farther and how far I could go. The next day I did 12km, next week 15km and so on. I ran a lot in 2008 and did my first half marathon in Dec 2008. In spring 2009 I did my first marathon and qualified for Boston. Fall 2009 I did my first trail race which was 50km and loved it. I did Boston in April 2010 and haven't run a marathon since. After Boston I ran a 50 mile (80km) trail race, then did a few 50km races also over the summer. My first overnight was a 24hr race, I did 130km (6 weeks ago from this post). I have basically been planning to work up to a 100 miler in the spring of 2011, but then along came HURT, a race which I'm currently grossly under trained and under qualified for.
H.U.R.T. 100
H.U.R.T. 100 is a 100 mile (160km) trail race which takes place Jan 15th in Hawaii (currently 17 weeks away), and it's one of the toughest 100 mile races in the world. It has an elevation change of approx 27000 feet, it's hot, it's covered in roots, rocks and mud and there's pretty much no flat spots. The cutoff is 36 hours. Unlike other 100 mile races, at HURT the runners who go over 100km but don't finish the 100 miles in 36 hours are still credited with a 100km finish award. This is done because of the difficulty of the course. There are only 125 entrants allowed.
So what the hell am I doing on the entrants list at HURT you ask? One night while farting around on the computer, I noticed HURT has a lottery to get in and I had a brain cramp and threw my name in. I figured what are the odds anyway? They actually did the draw while I was out running the 24hr run 6 weeks ago, when I finished the run in the morning and checked my email, I'd been picked. Some people at the race had checked the list and actually knew I was in but didn't say anything! Apparently, HURT wants to let newer runners in for some diversity, so that's where I come in.
I had signed up and paid for my first 100 mile race which was to have taken place last weekend, but it ended up my kids had too much going on (both made it to their soccer final and I coach my son's team, plus he was starting hockey same day) and I was nursing a sore knee so I ended up skipping it. I really wanted to run this 100 so I could gauge where I'm at for HURT and base my training from there. With 17 weeks to go, it wouldn't be smart for me to attempt a 100 in the middle of training (next one in the area isn't until Nov 27th), so it looks like HURT will be my first attempt at a 100 miler. Brilliant.
The Plan
I basically need to run more hills, get my mileage up, run more hills, add some leg strength, run more hills, do some full body workouts, and most of all, run more hills. I'm still tinkering with some 100 mile training plans I've found. They all basically have medium distance runs Tues, Wed and Thurs, long runs on weekends with Mon and Fri as rest days. Each week adds a bit more mileage, then a down week every 4th week to recover. I'll pretty much follow this, but my schedule and kids mean some days will be switched around here and there. I'll have some days when I can't leave to run, I'll have to hit the stationary bike and weights in that case.
Mileage: Currently my mileage is way low, I'm sure I could have willed my way through a 100 miler last weekend, but it wouldn't have been pretty and I probably would've come out of it injured. My day to day schedule is all over the place and constantly changing, so I'll have to adapt and get the runs in when I can. This will probably mean a lot of night runs, and some shorter multi-run days to add up.
Leg strength: During the 130km run I did last month, the worst part was my exhausted quads on the downhills. I did a very rocky and hilly race 2 weeks later, after this I had major knee pain, I attribute this to running on weak and exhausted quads. I used to do more leg workouts, but after I started running more I pretty much abandoned working my legs. In addition to strength training for my legs, I'll have do most of my runs on hills. Long flat runs won't be a big help other than adding easy mileage.
Full body: I'm a firm believer in having full body strength to improve running. Core and back strength is essential, you also pump your arms as many times as your legs while running (just try running with your hands in your pockets). Arms and shoulders are necessary for momentum while scrambling up and down the technical hills. After my 130km my traps and upper back were killing me the next day, just from shrugging and lifting the weight of my arms while swinging them for momentum up hills. I already do a lot of push ups and chin ups everyday, I'll add in some more weights and extra core workouts. This also means cross training, which will mainly be mountain biking. Maybe some swimming on off days, not sure yet though. I suck at swimming.
Nutrition: I already eat well, I'll just be a bit more conscious of what I'm eating with my main goal being to maximize my body's ability to recover from training. I already eat lots of veggies and fruit and take a multivitamin, I'll now up my protein intake to help muscle repair. I don't drink much or eat crap (except during a long run), so not much will need to change here.
NEPA (Non-exercise physical activity): A bit of a lifestyle change here. For the next 4 months, this means less sitting around. Lots of time on my feet (not easy working in an office). I work from home a few days a week, these days are always easier to keep moving. When given the option of sitting or standing, this means a lots more standing. This also means no sitting around in front of the TV, I'll use this time to get in core and other workouts. This means doing things the hard way, taking the stairs, walking more, etc. A lot more time on my feet is essential. I'll sit around after HURT.
Other Factors to Consider:
Kids come first: The munchkins' needs come before mine. My son is 8 and my daughter is 6. They know all about the race, are very excited for me and are always asking questions about it. I can always find the time to train (even at crazy hours if needed), so I won't let my training get in the way of their needs or our time together.
Cold vs. heat: I'll be training over the winter, but running in the Hawaii heat. I have no idea if there's really any way to prepare for this, I'm going to ask some people who've done the race for any tips on this. I've heard of some people preparing for races in the heat who do crazy things like run on a treadmill in a sauna. I'm missing 2 things here, a sauna and a treadmill. Actually, I've never even run on a treadmill.
Injury: I'll need to be careful of increasing my mileage too fast. I'm still nursing sore knees from my last 2 races, so I've have to ease into it a little but they are slowly feeling better. I really don't have a lot of time, so any injury that pushes things back will be very detrimental.
So can I even do this? I'd like to think so! I'm completely confident I could finish a 100 miler, but this one? The odds are extremely against me, just the way I like it. Some people go to HURT with the intention of finishing the 100km, I'm going with the intention of 100 miles. The reason I got picked and other more experienced runners didn't is simply because I'm a newer less experienced runner. So the way I figure it, they picked me because they think I'm a weenie! Well screw them! I'm going for it!
"Only those who risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go" - T.S. Elliott
Let's do this!
Mo
Here's my brief running history: I'd always run a little here and there to stay in shape. In the fall of 2007, I ran my farthest run to date, 10km. I started to wonder how hard it would be to run much farther and how far I could go. The next day I did 12km, next week 15km and so on. I ran a lot in 2008 and did my first half marathon in Dec 2008. In spring 2009 I did my first marathon and qualified for Boston. Fall 2009 I did my first trail race which was 50km and loved it. I did Boston in April 2010 and haven't run a marathon since. After Boston I ran a 50 mile (80km) trail race, then did a few 50km races also over the summer. My first overnight was a 24hr race, I did 130km (6 weeks ago from this post). I have basically been planning to work up to a 100 miler in the spring of 2011, but then along came HURT, a race which I'm currently grossly under trained and under qualified for.
H.U.R.T. 100
H.U.R.T. 100 is a 100 mile (160km) trail race which takes place Jan 15th in Hawaii (currently 17 weeks away), and it's one of the toughest 100 mile races in the world. It has an elevation change of approx 27000 feet, it's hot, it's covered in roots, rocks and mud and there's pretty much no flat spots. The cutoff is 36 hours. Unlike other 100 mile races, at HURT the runners who go over 100km but don't finish the 100 miles in 36 hours are still credited with a 100km finish award. This is done because of the difficulty of the course. There are only 125 entrants allowed.
So what the hell am I doing on the entrants list at HURT you ask? One night while farting around on the computer, I noticed HURT has a lottery to get in and I had a brain cramp and threw my name in. I figured what are the odds anyway? They actually did the draw while I was out running the 24hr run 6 weeks ago, when I finished the run in the morning and checked my email, I'd been picked. Some people at the race had checked the list and actually knew I was in but didn't say anything! Apparently, HURT wants to let newer runners in for some diversity, so that's where I come in.
I had signed up and paid for my first 100 mile race which was to have taken place last weekend, but it ended up my kids had too much going on (both made it to their soccer final and I coach my son's team, plus he was starting hockey same day) and I was nursing a sore knee so I ended up skipping it. I really wanted to run this 100 so I could gauge where I'm at for HURT and base my training from there. With 17 weeks to go, it wouldn't be smart for me to attempt a 100 in the middle of training (next one in the area isn't until Nov 27th), so it looks like HURT will be my first attempt at a 100 miler. Brilliant.
The Plan
I basically need to run more hills, get my mileage up, run more hills, add some leg strength, run more hills, do some full body workouts, and most of all, run more hills. I'm still tinkering with some 100 mile training plans I've found. They all basically have medium distance runs Tues, Wed and Thurs, long runs on weekends with Mon and Fri as rest days. Each week adds a bit more mileage, then a down week every 4th week to recover. I'll pretty much follow this, but my schedule and kids mean some days will be switched around here and there. I'll have some days when I can't leave to run, I'll have to hit the stationary bike and weights in that case.
Mileage: Currently my mileage is way low, I'm sure I could have willed my way through a 100 miler last weekend, but it wouldn't have been pretty and I probably would've come out of it injured. My day to day schedule is all over the place and constantly changing, so I'll have to adapt and get the runs in when I can. This will probably mean a lot of night runs, and some shorter multi-run days to add up.
Leg strength: During the 130km run I did last month, the worst part was my exhausted quads on the downhills. I did a very rocky and hilly race 2 weeks later, after this I had major knee pain, I attribute this to running on weak and exhausted quads. I used to do more leg workouts, but after I started running more I pretty much abandoned working my legs. In addition to strength training for my legs, I'll have do most of my runs on hills. Long flat runs won't be a big help other than adding easy mileage.
Full body: I'm a firm believer in having full body strength to improve running. Core and back strength is essential, you also pump your arms as many times as your legs while running (just try running with your hands in your pockets). Arms and shoulders are necessary for momentum while scrambling up and down the technical hills. After my 130km my traps and upper back were killing me the next day, just from shrugging and lifting the weight of my arms while swinging them for momentum up hills. I already do a lot of push ups and chin ups everyday, I'll add in some more weights and extra core workouts. This also means cross training, which will mainly be mountain biking. Maybe some swimming on off days, not sure yet though. I suck at swimming.
Nutrition: I already eat well, I'll just be a bit more conscious of what I'm eating with my main goal being to maximize my body's ability to recover from training. I already eat lots of veggies and fruit and take a multivitamin, I'll now up my protein intake to help muscle repair. I don't drink much or eat crap (except during a long run), so not much will need to change here.
NEPA (Non-exercise physical activity): A bit of a lifestyle change here. For the next 4 months, this means less sitting around. Lots of time on my feet (not easy working in an office). I work from home a few days a week, these days are always easier to keep moving. When given the option of sitting or standing, this means a lots more standing. This also means no sitting around in front of the TV, I'll use this time to get in core and other workouts. This means doing things the hard way, taking the stairs, walking more, etc. A lot more time on my feet is essential. I'll sit around after HURT.
Other Factors to Consider:
Kids come first: The munchkins' needs come before mine. My son is 8 and my daughter is 6. They know all about the race, are very excited for me and are always asking questions about it. I can always find the time to train (even at crazy hours if needed), so I won't let my training get in the way of their needs or our time together.
Cold vs. heat: I'll be training over the winter, but running in the Hawaii heat. I have no idea if there's really any way to prepare for this, I'm going to ask some people who've done the race for any tips on this. I've heard of some people preparing for races in the heat who do crazy things like run on a treadmill in a sauna. I'm missing 2 things here, a sauna and a treadmill. Actually, I've never even run on a treadmill.
Injury: I'll need to be careful of increasing my mileage too fast. I'm still nursing sore knees from my last 2 races, so I've have to ease into it a little but they are slowly feeling better. I really don't have a lot of time, so any injury that pushes things back will be very detrimental.
So can I even do this? I'd like to think so! I'm completely confident I could finish a 100 miler, but this one? The odds are extremely against me, just the way I like it. Some people go to HURT with the intention of finishing the 100km, I'm going with the intention of 100 miles. The reason I got picked and other more experienced runners didn't is simply because I'm a newer less experienced runner. So the way I figure it, they picked me because they think I'm a weenie! Well screw them! I'm going for it!
"Only those who risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go" - T.S. Elliott
Let's do this!
Mo
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