I don't really think I was smiling

Running today should have been a good thing. Finally the weather was good, warm enough for short sleeve and no gloves or hat. There was little wind, a rare event but I felt strange. My back has been aching and I almost skipped today because of it but after I had warmed up it wasn't too bad at all. I don't know what was wrong with me but I just wasn't feeling it. Tired and somewhat preoccupied, thinking about other things that got in my way today. On Tuesday I am going to try to run as even a pace as I can for the first 25k, something like a 5:30/5:45 pace, then come back faster on the last few km, but not too much provided my body will hold up. Despite the nice weather I just didn't have the juice to go the full ten so I ended up just a little short. No biggie. Just working through the miles. 44:14 ~ 9.1km, 4:52 per km.

Out too fast and beware the FOP's

First off I just don't like old people. At all. I have many reasons but their constant ignorance bewilders me. Me, a big 200lb monster running at them, obviously on one side of the sidewalk, these fuckers have the indecency to not move, or worse, provoke me by moving into my "lane". If I ran any of them over, I would break all their bones. Jesus I tell you, one day I am not going to move out of the way and just keep running hard.
Now that that is out of the way, I got home from work and was ready to run. My back/hip issue was calmer today and I was looking forward to it. I laced up and headed out in some pretty nice weather considering the shit we have had lately, it was 6C and sunny. I started off real well, comfortable and fast. My second km was even faster and I was noticing that I was already labouring with a long way and some serious hills still to go. I laid off a bit and tried to calm down some. I felt great physically but my HR was up and I could feel it. I worked the first hill best I could and took the downhill easy to try and recover. My pacing was good over the next 3k until the last set of hills and the early pace caught up with me. I just muscled my way through it. The last km in site I was tired, pissed off and just wanted to finish, so I hurried up and put the hammer down. No FOP's in my way so I was able to run a 4:22km after all the crazyness before. Felt good today because all my pacing was done under 5 minute kilometers which is a first for me. 47:45 ~ 10 km, 4:47 per km.

I couldn't decide which was worse...

The weather or the pain in my legs. I watched the storm roll in and I hesitated waiting it out but I had to get going or I wasn't going at all. It started to rain as I waited for my GPS to catch its satalites and it got real cold and windy. I dressed well enough but god, then it started to snow a little bit and it was freaking cold. I pressed on slowly, my hip hurting as I loosened up, trying to get warm. At around 5km I almost turned for home but decided I would cut the run short instead. As I passed the turn off which would have cut the run down by 4km, I started to feel a little better. So I stuck to my route and my plan and kept going. Sitting here now I wish I hadn't but then it seemed important. I finished up, greatfully not too worse for wear. I certainly could feel all of yesterday in my legs. Similar plan next week too. Good times. 1:05:44 ~ 12.1km, 5:26 per km.

What do you mean that is only halfway?

OMG! I mean I knew going in that it was going to be a long way but really now, I have to run twice as far as I did today?
I got off the bus before 9am out in Sidney and was actually pretty excited about this, as I had had an hour to psyche myself up about it. My goal today was to run slower for longer. I wore too many clothes and had to stop at 5k to peel off my top layer. I cruised along, very conscious of stride and pacing. I didn't care if I ran 5:10's or 5:50's but I needed to run slower than last week. Everything was going along well, I ate my powerbar, 2 gels and half a banana (I know, I am not fond of them either but they go down real easy and give me alot of what I need.) At around 20km my right hip, not the usual left one, started to hurt. I attribute this to lazy running, not keeping good form. At 23km, my right foot started to go numb. This has happened before but not this badly. It felt almost like my sock had bunched up under the ball of my foot behind my big toe. It felt hot and something like a blister. It went away about 10 minutes later and further review has the beginning of a blister starting, so I will have to vaseline my feet next time as a precaution. At the end of the run I was pretty spent but feeling very good about making the whole distance. 2:17:46 ~ 26.1 km, 5:16 per km.

Half marathon split: 1:51:11
25km split: 2:12:14

It's a two-fer

10km, chilliwack (3/22/08)
Nice day to run, weather was cool but sunny. Got off to a bit of a slow start after a weekend of exhausting, well, you know. Around 3km, I picked it up and didn't back down. Ran solid pacing from km 4 to 8, virtually even. Finished up strong, albiet mighty tired. 47:51 ~ 10km, 4:48 per km.

11km, victoria (3/23/08)
I watched as the weather took a turn for the worst after I got off work. I waited it out until the heavy rains stopped and only had to deal with the wind. 40km/h wind. I laced up and headed out. It was rough going for the first 15 minutes until I got some cover from the wind. I stayed very even working on my stride, paying attention best I could to my extention and footfall. My pacing today was as good as I have had in some time. All eleven km were within 14 seconds of one another, without the usual hills and valleys I seem to run with. Glad I wore a jacket today as the wind would have been too much to bare. 55:36 ~ 11.1 km, 5:01 per km.

100 = 896.4

I did my 100th run today for a grand total of 896.4 km since August 14, 2007. And that is with 7 weeks off in Nov/Dec. Seems like a long way but I will run almost double that distance in 16 weeks from late July to early November this year. Funny.
Today was a day for me to see how well I could recover from a long one the day before. I warmed up easy for the first km then just opened it right up. Strange how I felt like I was dying but I actually got stronger and faster as I went further. My last 4 km were my fastest, the last two being almost as fast as I can run. I finished well and not sure how I managed to pull it off. Crazy. Day off tomorrow thankfully. 47:14 ~ 10.1 km, 4:42 per km.

Oh boy

Well I was on the bus at 9:05 this morning heading out to Saanichton Exchange to start my 22km run. I felt a little carsick on the bus which is very unlike me but it was nothing serious. When I got off the bus, I was glad that I had worn the right combination of clothing. I got myself organized and started off. It was in those first few steps that I knew I felt good to go. So I went for it. On long runs, I try to keep my pacing even but today I wanted to add some speed, as a test. I had packed some water/gatorade mix, a Clif bar and some ShotBloks to test to see how I tolerated them. By 5km I had a great pace going and had realized that the ShotBloks were not for me. They are like gummies and I'm not a fan. I started to feel a little crampy shortly after but I don't think the two were related. By 12km the cramps weren't abating but were not causing me discomfort, only concern. I turned over some really quick km's as even though I wasn't checking my pace per km I was glancing at my current pace and it was telling me good things. I pressed on feeling the pace starting to eat at my reserves. The Clif bar was another loser as it was too hard to eat and run with, very sticky and without LOTS of water was fucking near impossible to swallow. With 3km to go the cramps were getting the best of me and I suddenly realized that what I think I had known all along, runners trots. I pushed to run the half marathon distance (21.1km) and finished up just a little over that. I will leave the rest of the story for another time but suffice to say it all worked out well. I ran amazingly well and way fast. 1:45:39 ~ 21.5km, 4:55 per km. I ran a 1:43:43 half marathon which is only 6 minutes off my PR.

I didn't even notice it was raining

Well that isn't entirely true but it was catchy opening line. Hillwork on Sunday afternoon. Same route as usual but really decided to coast the inbetween parts before the hills, then hammer the hills best I could. The first one, short and steep, I pushed hard and crested it with only a small increase in heartrate then recovered well. The second, a long slow climb with a spike at the end, I just kept a quick turnover going and was up and over it before I realized it. Funny, I remember being fearful of that same hill several weeks ago. The final hill is midlength and steep all the way up. I drove myself to keep pace all the way to the top. If I didn't do that I was going to repeat it but I didn't want to do another one so I just ran hard. As I cruised on home, I realized that it was actually really raining now. Funny, I didn't even notice it was raining. 43:43 ~ 8.65km, 5:05 per km.

I ran along side the dead

The new route I have for runs in the 8/10 distance parallel the Ross Bay cemetary. Today I decided to run through it. It was quite pleasant, quiet and a really good road that cuts not all the way across but close enough. Some very old graves in there with some real famous folks. Aside from my graveyard run, the rest of it was AWESOME!!!! I was at an easy pace, low HR and turning over some really good km's. My last km I ran really hard and ended up with a 4 min km. HA!!! I love it. I was really moving, it felt really good. 39:25 ~ 8km, 4:52 per km.

Looking for new routes

I am at a point now where I need to find new routes to run. The long distance runs I have figured out, I will take the bus to a point and run back from there so I am not running around in circles but for all the other times I need to find new scenery. So I went to www.mapmyrun.com and with a little click here and there found a couple new ones. Today was a nicer day than yesterday, with little wind and about 9C. I headed out and just cruised along, letting my legs relax from yesterdays long one. I am really trying to focus on feeling my runs. By that I mean, associating my sense of how I feel at a certain pace or heartrate. So that I can take that as a given, that when I feel this way, I should be running this pace, that sort of thing. My left hip is sore now that I have finished, nothing serious. 41:44 ~ 8km, 5:12 per km.

A typical spring day in Victoria

Swirling winds, rain, sun, sideways rain, stillness, hail, more sun, 50km gusts and that is just in the first km. It was like that for most of my run this afternoon. I watched the weather change from 10am till 2pm constantly. It went from bright sun to dark rainy skies every twenty minutes, wild. So I sucked it up, laced up and headed out. I took my new hydration pack with me to test it out, worked like a charm. It will be good on those really long run days. I started out too quick, not that it affected me but I have to slow down my long runs to somewhere around 5:30+ a km or slower as the distance increases. So I just held a real good pace, and the two major climbs really didn't affect me as much as they might have in the past. It feels good to know that I can just go out and turn over 14km without as much as blinking. I have been concentrating on my stride alot lately, focusing on doriflexion and stride length, keeping my footfall under my body as much as possible. As soon as I become proficent with my new and improved stride, I will work on turnover rates. I still look after my ankle best I can, ice, cream and as much rest as I can. 1:17:17 ~ 14.3km, 5:24 per km.

10km PR Whoohoo!!!!

I seem to run better when I am tired. It is like I am reserved to being tired because I already am so I don't have to worry about it anymore. I felt great as I started off, my first km was my slowest by over 20 seconds. I got into a really good rythym early and just ran to see how long it would last. Well it seemed to last the whole way round. I peeled off two back to back sub 4:30km in the middle with several more at 4:40. IT was awesome! I finished up a long slow incline and just kept pushing until it was over. Fuck was I done when it was over. 47:34 ~ 10.1km, 4:42 per km. That is the fastest I've run that distance in many years.

I noticed something today

When I was out there, I noticed as I was running downhill that nothing jiggled. Not my belly, not my love handles or under my armpits, no where. What a strange sensation to have a feeling that I have been accustomed to for a long time now non existant. That is really hard to deal with cause it all has been so simple. So today as I laced up and felt my leg giving me no sign of pain, I headed out and just ran. Nothing special, just a short run for the love of it. The hills that used to mock me now seem easier as I am not trying to carry a 20 lb pack tied to my ass. I work as I run up them but I do not suffer nearly as much. I am getting ready to up the challenge and take on hills that I only looked at with awe. Now I will eat them up as well and I will do hill repeats on the ones that I now own. I ran a 4:33 on my last km and it felt easy. This is really fun. 42:42 ~ 8.62km, 5:01 per km.

Well I am over 800km now

I wasn't too sure about running today especially after the long one yesterday and all but I got ready to go and headed out anyway. It was really nice today, was supposedly 14C but I only saw it at 10. Either way, pleasant. I laced up and headed out feeling the fatigue immediately. I took it easy as I ran the familiar route not far from home. At around 4k, the ankle that was injured back in December started to tingle, not hurt so much. So I backed off and shortened my route a bit but the tingle never got any worse. When I finished up and walked home I didn't have the euphoric feeling like before, just tired, which in itself is good cause I am tired. Now I have two days off, sweet. 44:46 ~ 8.6km, 5:11 per km. Oh yeah, total distance is now 806km.

The time was just right

When I woke up this morning I just felt good. I had a 10k planned for later in the day but the weather was so nice, so nice that I decided I would run my long run today to take advantage of it. I am bored of the usual route along the waterfront, don't get me wrong, it is beautiful and convienient but now that my long runs are up around 20k I need some variety. So I decided that I would catch the bus out to Saanichton and run back in along the Lochside Trail. What a great idea and a perfect day for it. I was on the 10:30 bus and started my run at 11:15. I kept my pace easy only trying to keep consistent. The well marked trail is a combination of groomed gravel, hard packed and road use. I was running really well and realized that the distance was going to be a little more than the planned 18km. My pace over the run only varied 21 seconds from a 4:59 to a 5:20 per km. I cruised home feeling the last km like I had an anchor tied to my ass. But in the end I had run 22k. So there.
1:54:29 ~ 22.1km, 5:10 per km pace. AWESOME!!!
My half marathon (21.1km) time was 1:49:38 which equates to a 3:39 marathon. I might set a goal of 3:15 for Victoria in October.




I

Same route as yesterday, only in reverse

Strange how things seem when you see them from another perspective. I decided earlier today that I would run my usual 10k route but from back to front. It seemed as if it might be a little easier taking a couple of hills out of play or just shortening them up some. I really didn't feel like running fast but by the time 2km came around I was well on my way. I kept as quick a pace as I could handle as the km ticked by. The route familiar as it is was technically different as the rolling hills roll more in this direction and my course markers were a little different as well. At 9km, I opened everything up that I had left and ran full tilt, as hard as I could to the end. Hard, that is it. I was really moving. At the end, my pace per km had dropped by 4 seconds so I knew I had ripped. When I got home, that last km was clocked at 4:10. Holy shit, that is really fast. That is a sub 21 minute 5k. Or better yet, if I could hold that pace, a sub 3 hour marathon. Dare to dream right?
Anyway, it was awesome and fast but my legs feel like freshly setting concrete. Thank goodness for the day off tomorrow. 48:03 ~ 10km, 4:48 per km.

Something was up today

When I was out running around as I am apt to do often, I noticed that my HR monitor was telling me that I, even though my pace was quick, my heart rate was low. Strangely low. Not too sure what to make of it. I am guessing a glitch but it did register correctly in the hills later on, so perhaps it was only momentary. Either way, I ran a cold and windy 10km, in a short sleeve, where I should have opted for a long sleeve and gloves. But it was the quickest I have run that distance so I perhaps was moving faster cause I was cold. Regardless, my first km was slow as I warmed up, then I just got faster and stronger. I love that feeling, finishing strong. My quads are feeling the downhills since my run from Thursday but I was pushing them hard. 49:25 ~ 10.1km, 4:53 per km.