Hey, wasn't there a race today?

After getting home from work late and changing I had no idea of what route I would run. I had an idea of the distance and decided the I would parallel the TC 10k route that was run earlier today for a bit, perhaps picking up a little of the left over energy. The weather was nice and warm with a little sprinkle here and there. I started out slow and steady then as I warmed up, really got going. I felt free from time to time, running effortlessly, it was only when I thought about it that it went away. My pace wasn't important but I was feeling great. As I came to where the turnaround was for the race, I found it entertaining to see the collection of clothing that had been removed by runners during the race. All forms of cold weather gear, gloves, toques, long sleeve shirts and assorted other things. It really caught me as funny. I finished up shortly after that really strong. I visualized the last few km's of the race and tried to put that into my reality. We will see on Saturday. 1:07:22 ~ 13.8km, 4:52 per km.

Recovery run blues

Again the weather here in the later part of April has been crappy. I had to bundle up and almost wear a jacket to be comfortable. The wind combined with the cool temperatures really detract from the enjoyment of running. Perserverance I suppose. I laced up and headed out, my legs still a bit stiff from Tuesday but not so bad that I couldn't move. I planned a route with some hills late, forcing my hand to work when tired. Silly me. I started off cold and grumpy. Once I got moving I was fine but the wind, oh god the wind. Like I said, perserverance. I continued on playing the mind games that tire me, so I tried to shut them up but concentrating on each step, how my feet were striking the ground. It seemed to work as I ran the rest of the way without incident. It was a solid run with the exception of one slow km and the November like weather. 56:26 ~ 11.1km, 5:06 per km.
8 days and counting to my first Ultra.

I'm ready

Today was one of those days where I knew I had something to do and just went out and did it. No questions, no hesitation, just action. I started off slow not interested in making good time only in completion. I watched my HR and kept a pace that was well within my abilities. I focused on form and stride, especially when tired. Worked on correcting sloppy and lazy habits later in the run. I watched the mental aspect trying to trick me that I could get away with less distance than I needed. I avoided temptation to run fast when I felt good and to run slow when I felt like shit. I just didn't give in. I didn't fight about it either. I just ran smart. Finally. I finished up after almost three and a half hours and knew, just knew I was ready. I wiped the tears from my eyes cause I haven't felt this for a very long time. And it is oh so sweet. 3:29:05 ~ 38.1km, 5:30 per km.

Man what a difference a day makes

Yesterday snow and cold. Today, tanktop and shorts. Go figure. I have been nursing a couple of overuse type pains but letting them get the best of me. So today I decided that I would just get out there and run. If things hurt I would slow down or stop but if not I would just run fast. I picked a route with a couple of climbs but alot of wide open space as well. My first two km were good warmups and then I just let loose. Aside from one km with a brutal hill I ran my last 5 km's under 4:30. The warm sun helped keep me going. I was picking people off and passing them. I ran hard right to the end like I knew I could. I looked at my Garmin and was surprized at what I saw. I had beat the time I ran the same distance last month by almost tem minutes. I felt awesome. No pain in my hip or ankle. None. It is only in my head sometimes. Not to say it does not hurt sometimes but I want to think it is worse that it really is. Not today. This run came at the right time. 55:56 ~ 12.1km, 4:36 per km. This was my fastest run of any distance so far. My 10k split time was 47:02. Awesome.

The temperature says 5.

It is April 19th. The high today was 6C. I just reviewed some temperatures from the winter last year; January 10, 7C. February 17, 7C. February 18, 9C. February 20, 10C.
Now these are not the highs for the day, just a moment in time. Like I said the high today was 6C but when I was running it was 4C. I wasn't too excited about running today with the windchill and all but I got ready and headed out. It was cold and miserable enough but I got going fast and ran a quick first km. I ran comfortably for the next few km's but I was sweating and it was freezing. So I turned up the long hill and headed back home, wondering if it was really the Abominable Snowman that I had just passed. My hip and ankle tendon were hurting today as well but I chalk that up to the cold as they don't hurt now. I ran pretty well for being so bloody cold. 29:33 ~ 6.1km, 4:50 per km.

The biggest change I have made

Is the one where I stop second guessing myself. I used to over think my options and my inner monolouge would negotiate the pros and cons. By the time a decision was reached I was disinterested. Now, I am in total control and I just do things and skip the whole discussion process. Today was a perfect example of that where I came home, got changed and went running. I didn't think about the weather, how I felt, how much time I had, the things I had to do, my dishes, my laundry, on and on. By the time I had those considerations I was at km 8 and I had more interesting things to consider. My pacing today was faster than yesterday as I was mostly pain free today. It really makes a difference with my stride. I was on a 5 minute pace for the first 9k then backed off a bit for the rest. The wind today was harsh, cold and swirling. There were some very good moments today out there, I was very pleased with my ability to just keep going. 1:47:46 ~ 21.1 km, 5:06 per km.

The rest did me some good

I ran today feeling pretty well after a few days off. I was short on time so I opted for the lesser of two distances this week. I laced up and headed out into the impending wind storm. My first few km were easy running and quick, feeling as good as I did. By km 6 it was reality check time as my fitness isn't in top form currently and I felt heavy with the pain in my back hinting at making an appearance. I tried to adjust my posture to combat it to see if that would help but nothing so far. By 10k I had settled into a manageable pace and just kept strong to finish. Toward the end I felt better. My pacing was quite eratic today, and I didn't notice it too much, I suppose I was concentrating on my stride and trying to keep my back from hurting. But I had large fluctuations in time between km's especially in the last 4. I will stretch through the evening and see how I feel tomorrow. 1:13:26 ~ 14.3km, 5:08 per km.

Well, that doesn't feel very good

Started out for my usual 10km and the pain in my hip/back announced that it isn't ready to give in just yet. So I tried and respectfully decided not to run today and get some more rest and attention to it. Shame too as it was a wonderful day here today. It would have bummed me out before but now I just know that hey, it's going to better. So no run, rest.

Tuesday plus Thursday equals 50

I ran 33km on Tuesday and 17km today, so that is my 50. Wow. Today I wasn't feeling all that shit hot but I was determined to get out there. The weather was great, a bit windy but not that cold death wind from two months ago, it was about 12C and the wind was out of the south so it was pleasant. Mostly sunny. I picked a route I haven't run for a while and headed out. I intended this to be a sort of tempo run, going out and holding pace as long as I could without blowing up. I kept about the same pace for 13km, at or just under 5 min km's. The hills in the last few km's slowed my pace a bit but I brought it home quick. My right foot is still tender from Tuesday but not so much so that it is a worry. I felt very comfortable the whole way round today, never got out of myself. My time for 50k is currently 4:24, so I estimate that my finish time at the race will be 4:42 to 4:48. Good run today, very happy indeed. 1:25:10 ~ 17.1km, 5:00 per km.

Three times around plus a little

Long run time again. I opted to run the Elk/Beaver trail this week as well to get the benefit of experience running the route. The weather cooperated as it was slated to rain but was actually quite pleasant, partly cloudy skies and around 6C. I headed out at 8:30 am and was off and running. My hip has been bothering me consistantly now for almost two weeks off and on, not so bad that I can't run but bad enough. This morning it was aching but not nearly a bad as it had been. The first 10k went by without incident, finding a comfortable pace and getting into the rythym of it. At the half marathon distance I was moving well but could feel some fatigue and my hip was a little sore. At 25km, I was 2:13:45, which is well ahead of my goal time but it is still only half way. It was about this time that my hip wasn't hurting so much but my right foot started to ache. I don't know if I was doing something or it was just the pounding but, it took all I could do to keep going over the next 5k or so. It finally eased up just before I was finished. I was good with my food choices today, breakfast was my Kashi cereal with chocolate milk, a powerbar and a banana. On the run I had 2 more bananas, another powerbar, 3 gels and 1.5 litres of gatorade/water mix. As I finished up my pace had slowed considerably. So I am not too sure if I am going out too fast and not able to hold the pace or if my fitness isn't quite deep enough to go that far just yet. Either way provided I am healthy, I am committed to going the distance May 3rd. Today was good, I felt sore and thirsty after but not brutalized thankfully. My back is quite alright now too. 2:59:01 ~ 33km, 5:25 per km.

If you know who has the voodoo doll of me ...

with pins in the back, please let me know cause enough is enough. My back hurts then doesn't. It hurts before and after running but not so much when I run but I know it effects me. I stretch, self massage, and do whatever I can to get some relief. It is bad but not that bad. I am going to go for a massage next week to see if that helps. So today I picked a hard hilly route to push my ebbing complacency out of the way. This route is a bit different than the one I normally do, one cause it is longer and two cause I ran the hills very hard. My HR was over 170 on both of the climbs and I wouldn't back down. As I recovered I did my best not to focus on the nagging pain in my hip. I couldn't get comfortable today, not only the hip thing but I just wasn't feeling it. I might take tomorrow off if the pain doesn't get any better. 51:19 ~ 10.2 km, 5:02 per km.

Glad I took yesterday off

Wow, as fit as I feel I am my body still takes a beating. My legs weren't as sore as last week but my hip has been nagging off and on. I don't think it is anything serious but annoying enough. I had a route predetermined and headed out slowly trying to find what pace was most comfortable, letting my hip be the guide. I found it was okay when moving but when I stop for lights (or retarded drivers) it would tighten up quick. At around 6k, it started to loosen up where I could move more freely. I was in a good headspace today thinking that I can hold the pace I was running today on the 3rd of May. I am really excited about it, provided I don't do anything silly like try to go out to fast and hang on, it's 50km for god sakes. I wrote on my entry form that I was shooting for 5 hours but I think I can do it somewhat faster than that. As I came up the final hill home I was feeling good and the run was easy now. I am sure happy I didn't run yesterday, I would have been fucked. I can't wait till August and September when I have the big back to back days. The worst comes in the third week of October actually when I go for 86km over two days, 40 then 46. WTF? All in all, I know this is crazy but it is very much me. 1:13:46 ~ 14.2km, 5:14 per km.

And then just like that it was over

Long run today, longest in recent memory or even ever perhaps. Got out to my designated starting spot, the 10k loop at Elk/Beaver where the race is next month. I headed out determined to not let my nagging back issue get the best of me. The trail was sloppy the first couple of km, muddying up my shoes and legs. I focused on easy pacing and concentrating on shortening my stide and keeping my speed down. Try as I might I still ran too quickly the first 10km, clocking a 52:30. The second loop was pretty much the same thing although I brought my pace closer to where I wanted it to be at 53:55. Then with the two loops down I had to figure on how I would get home. I opted for the third choice of tracking back along Quadra and stopping when I hit my distance. The transition from trail to pavement was quite noticeable. I could feel the fatigue setting in as the km's clicked by. I relaxed and found a manageable pace. My right foot started it's pins and needles again but not nearly as badly as it had last week. My back was sore but again, not nearly as bad. At the end I stopped and walked for three blocks before grabbing the bus home, the last 8 or so blocks. I was quite pleased with my performance but still realize that I have another half marathon to run before the real race is over. My consumption on the trail was 3 gels, 2 bananas and 1.5 liters of gatorade/H20 mixed. The weather was perfect, slightly overcast with good sunny breaks, 9C. 2:36:13 ~ 29km, 5:23 per km. Today was also the day where I went over 1000km running!!!