R'n'R, and it's not cool kind...

I don't mean rock'n'roll, but rather the much more geriatric rest'n'recuperation, and that's what I am continuing to do as I await the healing of the foot to run its course. It's actually quite pathetic the pain that this seemingly simple 10k has left me with, and I can't even begin to imagine what it feels like after running a marathon. I am not yet bouncing off the walls, but I sure am starting to itch to start running again. I am not interested in speed or anything, but rather the slow buildup of mileage that I am looking forward to.

I figure that the winter will be taken up with adding one kilometre per week starting at something fairly short and manageable. This strategy, coupled with maintaining strict heart rate and pacing in the nice'n'easy range (we really should use 'n' more often, don't you think?), promises to keep me on my feet while minimizing the chance of any overuse injuries.

So, I will try and relax and keep this foot on the healing path. I did manage another swim this afternoon, and that is helping to keep me sane. 2000m in 29 minutes. No weights tonight, though, partly because I am writing this week off, and mostly because it is Owen's

7th BIRTHDAY!

... and that kept me busy for the evening, as you can imagine. Now it is late, and I am still to do some stretching and some foot maintenance stuff, so it's time to sign off. I've been so busy this week that I haven't really had a chance to catch up on all of the blogs out there, but things should get back to normal after this week at work, or at least I really really hope that they do!

Is this normal?

It's been a few days now since my first ever race, and I am still more sore than I thought I would be. I suppose that's what happens when you spend three quarters of an hour with your heart rate up in the 90-100% of max zone, essentially turning your body into a lactic acid factory!

On the foot front, I am not too worried. Yes, it is sore, but I have another treatment tomorrow morning and I am not planning on running until I am totally pain free. The quads are just starting to feel better, and I no longer have to clutch at the railing when walking down stairs, which is a relief. It's still a slow way down, and I can't really attempt to carry anything heavy while doing this, but at least I am moving in the right direction.

However, the subject of this post is something completely different: the post race blues. I am itching to get back out there and run, but as mentioned above I am not going to until I am OK foot wise. It's the feelings of "can I do this again, and if so will I be able to push myself as hard?" that have me a little confused. The longer races I am planning on entering (Boxing Day 10 miler and the Around the Bay 30K) are so long that I am NOT going to actually race them, choosing rather to simply complete them at a decent pace that will allow me to keep training and won't leave me hobbling for a week afterward. How do you prepare mentally for another race (I'm referring to another event where you push yourself to the limit) when you now understand the pain that will be involved? Do the memories of pain fade with time to allow you to go hard again, only to be left with the same things to contemplate?

Anyway, it's heavy emotional stuff, and perhaps too deep for one of my shallow mental capabilities. Or maybe I am just having a tough time verbalizing the post race blues, but I've read about this phenomenon and I guess that's what's happening here. Some people take a long time off after a race (I know, I only did a 10k and not a marathon, but it still hurts!) and others like to get right back into training. If it wasn't for the foot I'd be running again already to work the kinks out for sure. Whatever the case, is there an inevitable letdown after every race, or only after those that you enter with a specific time goal? I can't imagine being too down after an event that you ran easy just to finish, but I'll find out soon enough.

And lastly, official race photos have just been posted from the Niagara Falls race. Here's a decent one - all the others make me look like I'm malnurished below the waist...


And oh yeah, an interesting article in todays NYT about what partners of marathoners have to deal with. I especially like one guy who purchased electrode therapy thingamajigs for $900, and justified the expense to his wife after they both agreed on fiscal restraint! Marathoners are a strange breed to be sure...

And as I write this - THE PHILLIES HAVE JUST WON!!!

Contemplating the Future

Well, I couldn't get onto blogger.com yesterday for some reason, which I guess is just as well since I had a tonne of schoolwork to catch up on and didn't need to report on my "general body soreness", a favorite term in the NHL when the team doesn't want to let anyone know what the actual injury to a player is...

It seems that Blogger has been giving me issues when publishing posts for over a month, and I'm beginning to wonder how reliable this thing is. Perhaps I should switch to publishing straight to a blogspot.com account? If anyone has experience with publishing using ftp and a similar history of problems please let me know if switching is the right move, or if publishing to blogspot.com is also ripe with problems.

And yes, I am sore! My foot is definitely plantar fasciitising, and my quads are so stiff it is excruciating going up, and especially down, stairs. But it was definitely worth it, and in fact I'd probably be a little upset with myself if I wasn't sore.

This afternoon I went for a short and easy lunchtime swim and managed 1200m in about 18 minutes. I am not going to the gym tonight, instead choosing to rest my legs. I have another treatment scheduled for Thursday and I hope that the pain subsides by then since the treatment I received on Monday morning was super painful! (In a good kind of way, but pretty close to unbearable...)

However, the racing bug has got a good hold of me and I am already contemplating my next race. The one that seems like it will be a lot of fun, and far enough off in the future to allow for good recovery and a resumption of training, is the Hamilton Boxing Day 10 miler. This year will mark the 88th straight year for this event, put on exclusively by volunteers from the Hamilton Harriers Running Club. Apparently the route for the race has been the same since day one! Although I am not ready to run 16 kilometres, I think I will have enough time to prepare for the distance and I will not be running this as a race, but rather for fun and to finish. Also, one can register with the option to get some pretty good gear such as running tights and a jacket, two things I need anyway so this seems to be a perfect marriage of swag and racing fun!

The other one that also seems great, though a bit farther off in the future, is the Around the Bay race, also in Hamilton, at the end of March. That one is a 30km race, and is the oldest long distance race in North America. Yes, even older than the Boston Marathon!

In the spring I will be once again trying to go under 45 minutes in the 10k, most likely during the Ottawa Race Weekend events in May, but I figure getting some longer races under my belt, and running them to finish rather than to exhaustion, will be great motivation and training for a fast 10k. Sound good? It does to me, but I am tired and sore so who knows what this will feel like in the morning.

My Inaugural Race Report!

Boy oh boy, where to begin? I've never had to write one of these, and must admit to some writer's block - so much to say, don't want to overwhelm... (ie. This is not going to be short...)

I had turned off the TV after the first inning game 3 of the World Series, and I probably passed out within minutes last night. We made sure to set the alarm and arrange for a wake up call, for obvious reasons, and I actually woke up on my own at about 6:20am, twenty minutes before the above "went off".

Monica did not have a great night of sleep, though I didn't know until she said so since I slept OK. We got up, got dressed, I scarfed down a piece of bread with some peanut butter, and we headed out shortly after 7am to pick up our race kits.

The weather was not too cold, and the rain that had been forecasted was nowhere in sight. I grabbed our race stuff while Mon waited in the car for lack of parking, and we headed back to the hotel to get ready.

We got all the gear we needed, strapped on the Bibs and I almost left without the Garmin! Luckily I remembered. I was decked out in the second-hand clothes Mon had picked up at the local thrift store, and we were off. Here's me with the Sally Anne attire, and apparently the angle of the shot was intentional!


Then, we headed back out to jog towards the starting area. In the lobby we were met with a great surprise - my Dad had arrived with his partner and our boys! Hugs all around, and we were off! My poor little Malcolm looked comatose - I guess he got a dose of his own medicine for a change since he's the own who typically wakes US up way too early! The other bonus of this chance encounter was that they were able to carry our after-race stuff down to the Finish area for us and we didn't have to jog with the bag in hand.

Here's a picture of the Start/Finish area that I took later in the day from a window in the restaurant where we ate lunch, but it seems to fit here as far as the post goes:


As we were running we came across another runner from Toronto who was also running her first ever race. Nancy, wherever you are, I hope you had a great race since we didn't see you afterwards!

Then, a quick porta-potty stop, and it was to the starting area. I shed the cheap-ass clothes (though we ended up finding them after the race and I kept the pants for future cold-weather races), and bounced around in the crowd of runners waiting for the horn. I lined up near the front, about five rows of people back from the front, not wanting to be caught up in the crowd mostly for fear of tripping - I am prone to accidents at most unfortunate times, and I figured this was the best strategy to minimize the chances of an occurrence.

Then the horn went off, and I was running!!!

It was chilly at the beginning, and although the running felt easy my lungs started to hurt a bit right from the start. I glanced down and the Garmin after about 300m and noticed my pace was below 4:00/km! Yikes! I immediately slowed down, for this is territory I cannot traverse as of yet. The first kilometre was finished in 4:32, 8 seconds faster than intended, but pretty well right on pace all things considered.

I don't think that this quick start hurt me much, but I sure started to wonder if I made the right choice running the 10k and not the 5k once I got about 2k into the race. My second split was still on target (4:38), but I was already labouring, and my heart rate was way higher than I thought it would be. I could tell this race would be a test of will as much as endurance, and I still had 8k to go!

The 3rd and 4th kilometres I was able to maintain my projected pace (4:36 and 4:40 respectively), but I knew that the dream goal of running under 45:00 was not going to happen. Not only was I already in the 90-100% of max HR zone, but the wind was very gusty and right in my face. At certain points it was hard just maintaining stride, and I was chilled right to the core whenever I was blasted. At least coming back I'd have the wind somewhat at my back...

The fifth kilometre was a struggle for me. The course took us over a little bridge that forced us to do a 180 degree turn on the other side of a small part of the river (looking at the satellite image I now realize this bridge goes over the beginning of a canal), and that hurt. My fifth split was the slowest yet: 4:51. A little before the turnaround point there was a decent group of folks on either side of the road cheering on the runners, and I must admit that this helped a great deal to push me toward the 5k mark. I also knew that they'd be there on my way back, and it was somehow reassuring to have total strangers clap and cheer for us runners.

Anyway, by now I was just thinking of at least breaking my "optimistic" goal of 47:30 for the race, and I figured this was doable as long as I didn't think about how tired I was feeling, and how heavy my legs felt. I had been running alone since about the 3k mark, with nobody passing me and I not passing anyone, and all I could see was a guy about half a K or more in front of me. The knowledge that I was now more than half-way there gave me a bit of a boost and I managed the sixth kilometre in 4:44, right on pace for my secondary goal.

The seventh kilometre brought me back over the little bridge, where I had a bit of an altercation with a spectator. As I rounded the corner to get up onto the bridge this older lady, looking only to her right to make sure that she was clear of the runners still heading towards the turnaround point, stepped right out in front of me without looking right! I nearly crashed right into her, and I think she felt quite badly for her oversight. Although we did collide, I held up enough and didn't hurt her. That would not have been a good scene. I wonder if I had ended up hurting her would I have stopped to help or would I have kept on running? I'm glad I didn't have to make the decision...

The 7th kilometre slowed me down and I managed only 4:49 for the split. By now I was in a world of hurt, and my foot flared up something fierce right about at this point. Not only that, but my right calf felt like it was about to cramp up, something I had not anticipated since I have not been prone to cramping at all in training!

As I kept on running, trying to keep some sort of form that would minimize the pain in my foot and the potential cramp lingering in the shadows of my cramp, I consciously decided to focus on something else: the guy with the blue shirt that I could still see about 500m ahead of me. I wanted to try and reel him in since we'd been running at about the same pace since the second or third kilometre, and I was hoping that he'd start to labour a bit from his fast start. Unfortunately, the eighth kilometre split was another 4:49 and I started to feel like I had nothing left in the tank. At one point the Garmin read that my average pace was 5:10/km and it was a small victory just to bring the split back DOWN to 4:49!

With 2K left to go, the wind died down a bit, or at least it was more at my back than before, with sideways gusts not bothering me too often. As I continued along I noticed that indeed I was reeling the blue guy in. He looked around now and then to check on me, which was both good and bad: I sort of wished he'd been too tired to be aware of his surroundings!

Anyway, I just thought "one step at a time" and kept on getting closer. By the time I hit the 9K mark I was within a hundred metres of him. My ninth split, though, was just a hair faster at 4:45, and I was really hurting.

But boy is that last kilometre easy on the brain, if not on the body! With about 700M to go I could see the Finish area coming in and out of view as I headed down the winding road. Blue guy was getting closer, but he kept on looking back and I could tell that he probably had enough gas to hold me off. I tried my best, but he too was able to pick up his pace. My last kilometre was the fastest of the entire race, not surprisingly I suppose: 4:27.

It was really cool coming into the Finish pretty much alone since I got my own shout out from the announcer, name and all. I think he made a good natured crack about my long legs, but by then I was barely coherent and I may have only dreamt this. As I crossed the Finish line I saw my Dad, Taky, and the boys right there. That, more than anything else, made my day! Here's the picture my Dad took, with my finishing time in the frame (he made a crack that he cut the "1" off on purpose!):


Another highlight of the race for me was seeing Monica on her way to the half-way mark after I was already heading back. We slapped hands, and she said something about me not being allowed to kick her ass too much! We had made a decision that bragging rights would go to me if I managed a time ten minutes or more faster than hers, and she'd be able to claim that she "kicked my ass" if she finished within ten minutes of my final time. In the end she did awesome and finished with a PR of 59:23.4, so congrats, and I KICKED YOUR ASS!!!

We met up at the finish for some post-race pictures:




Then it was time for a Tim Horton's coffee for me, and a picture for posterity in front of the falls with the sweet caffeinated beverage (a bit dark, I know, but that's what the morning was like!):


We walked back to the hotel room for showers, to check our official times on SportStats.ca, and then it was off to lunch at the Keg. We lucked out with the best view of the Falls!


Now for the digits:

My official time was 47:16.9. I finished 17th overall, 14th in the mens category, and second in my age category by 4.5 seconds to that guy in the blue shirt! Man, I wish I could have reeled him in!

I will now end my ramblings by simply saying that I had a fantastic time, I met my optimistic goal, and shared a great experience with my family! I will be racing in 2009 for sure, with the 45 minute barrier squarely in my sights, but for now my foot needs rest and recuperation for I AM IN SERIOUS PAIN PEOPLE!!!

Although I normally say that "Garmin don't lie", you will see by clicking on this link that, in fact, Garmin doesn't always tell the whole truth. I figure the discrepancy (according to Garmin I did 10k in 46:56) is due to the fact that I didn't run the "blue line", but since there wasn't any actual blue line painted on the road what's a guy to do?


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The Wife says: How do you stop it?

I thought she meant, "How do you stop him?", referring to me of course, and my impending conquest of the 10k, now a mere 11 or so hours away. What precipitated this unusual, though simplistic, query? Was there a rodent in the hotel room of whose presence I was unaware? Nothing against the fine folks at Motel 6, but sometimes one just never knows what the "6" refers to now that it no longer refers to dollars-a-night. Was it the possibility of a cramp that she was readying for and needed my assistance and nutritional know how to curb should it come to pass?

No, none of the above. Instead, as I sit in a hot tub placed right beside the queen bed (strange? perhaps, but it is Niagara Falls. Oh why didn't we honeymoon at a Motel 6 dear???) my sweet bride was laughing at me as I turned the jets on and then proceeded to wonder how on earth to end the bubbles from attacking my legs.

Oh yeah, ... press the same button again.

Anyway, we made it, a little later than planned, and now we are getting psyched for the morning! A mere 2.5k from the start-finish area, we are planning to use that distance as our warm up jog. It kills me to admit that prior to this one of us will have to drive down to the same general area to pick up bibs and chips and such - racing accoutrement and swag - for I don't think running too much before the race will be too smart.

Now my legs are hot (in temperature only I'm certain) and my brow is sweat-infested. The wife is reading, and the Leafs just beat the Senators. All's good in the world, except the Series. Damn weather! Although the "fine" folks at Fox are now saying the boys of summer are about to take the field, so a game is in the offing!

And now the fine Phiily folks are playing some kids fish song in a derogatory fashion as they announce the Rays players - you gotta love Philly!!! No brotherly love on this night apparently.

And now look at the size of that flag they're unfurling during the anthem! Me thinks they're compensating for something...

Cheers y'all! Catch you on the other side of racing participaction, for tomorrow, no matter what, I will finally join the ranks of those that can lay claim to the all important "PR"!

Friday Night Carbs

Yes, tonight we are ordering pizza and it's all good! It's movie night for the boys, and pizza just seems like a good treat for them and us as well. I unfortunately will not be able to watch the movie since I absolutely must start on a paper that I have due next Tuesday, but I will definitely have my share of za! It's a good thing that this is a slow sports night, an off day for the World Series as well as for me, or I'd have real trouble with the whole schoolwork thing. Did anyone else do a "what the f$%k" on the home plate Umpire last night or what? Talk about stage fright-induced incompetence!

Today I saw the chiropractor again and my foot is feeling better. I am not pain free yet, but if bodies heal in spurts I seem to have spurted in the right direction. If things stay like this for Sunday, it's all systems go, and if they improve, even better. Whatever happens it's going to be so much fun running with all these other people around! I find it hard to hold back when someone passes me on a training run, so I can't imagine what it will feel like to have hundreds of runners all focused and jacked for a fast pace taking off and racing!

We are prepped (is that a word?) for the cold wet weather that is expected on Sunday morning too. My wife went to the local Thrift store and picked out for me just a lovely sweatshirt that I can wear prior to the race, and discard at the last minute. I don't have the energy to find the camera to take a picture of it now, but no doubt one with me wearing it prior to race time will find its way onto this blog at some point in the next few days...

Lastly, good luck to all who are racing this weekend! In particular I want to wish my fellow GTA runner Marci a terrific marathon at Niagara Falls!

I'll try and blog tomorrow night after we arrive in Niagara Falls, but I don't know how reliable the free "high speed Internet" is at this motel we're going to be staying at, and I don't think I'll have anything to post about during the day that can't be summarized with the words "school" and "work" and "crap".

Until then, let's just hope it's not THIS cold on Sunday:



Oh yeah, one last thing: yesterday's post marked the century mark for me, so that's something I guess. Who knew I'd still be running and blogging!

Easy Maintenance Day, Preparing to Pop the Cherry

As I prep for the 10k I am in uncharted territory as far as what I should be doing leading up to Sunday's start time. What to eat? How much to rest? How much should I be staying off my foot? Did that peanut butter cookie ruin everything? How many litres of water should I be chugging every hour? Do I have to obey the laws of thermodynamics?

Anyway, these things will fall into place I'm sure, and I am going to have a blast!

I swam again at lunch - 1500m in 22:30. Not bad, but the pool was super busy today. All the people in my lane were experienced swimmers and everything was cool as far as passing went, which was refreshing.

Then after work I went out for a real easy 5k mostly because I felt it was prudent to get a short run in and avoid five full days of no running leading into Sunday. I really held back and went slow, trying my best to minimize the pounding on the foot. It still feels tight, which is not surprising, but I want to let it heal as much as possible before running hard. One more treatment with the doctor awaits tomorrow morning, and then I am on my own for the weekend.

Garmin don't lie.


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Considering a Pacing Strategy

Although I haven't left much time for comments on my last post, I have consulted some more with other runners I know and with various Internet articles on 10K strategies (thanks Marcy!), and will strap on the good ship Garmin for the race. I think this will be the only way that I will be able to gauge my effort and speed given that I am a total novice and don't have the years and miles in the bag to guide me.

That being said, at this point in time I am shooting for the moon: 45:00 or less! What the hell, it's my first race, I might as well try my best to set a benchmark. If I die and finish slower than this I will have metrics for training toward my next 10k. And if I do manage to reach my 2009 goal now, then I can re-evaluate and come up with another goal for next year.

As such, I have come up with the following race strategy and am open to all feedback from everyone, good, bad, ugly, ... whatever! "Hit me with your best shot", as the song goes.

Here are my planned splits by kilometre and the total time:

1k 4:40
2k 4:40 (9:20)
3k 4:35 (13:55)
4k 4:35 (18:30)
5k 4:30 (23:00) I managed a 22:28 in a 5k training run, so I think this is doable.
6k 4:30 (27:30)
7k 4:25 (31:55)
8k 4:25 (36:20)
9k 4:25 (40:45)
10k 4:15 (45:00!) I figure that I can shave another ten seconds if I just giv'r, eh?

So, that's where my head's at right now. It may change as the race gets closer, and I will continue to tell myself that I will be satisfied with any time as long as I cross the finish line completely spent. I think the above is reasonable, with the caveat that I don't have past race experience to draw upon to come up with that conclusion, nor have I trained long enough to be confident of my predictions that I will be able to stay in the 85%-90% range of Max HR for the first half to two-thirds of the race while maintaining these pace goals.

Anyway, there she is - out in the vast open space of the Interweblogosphere, for all to ignore, dissect, digest, piss on, or revel in, whatever the case may be. I've exposed my brain to you, now it's your turn to tear me down or build me up. No pressure or anything!

I should also mention that my Dad thinks I will go under 45:00 (he's just being fatherly, but it's nice to hear), and my doctor, who's known me for all of five days, predicts a finish in the 42:00 range (which makes me question his qualifications somewhat, but it's also nice to hear). Based on the fact that HE doesn't know me at all, and neither do any of you other than in electronic text form, feel free to make your own predictions! Maybe I will come up with a prize or something for the one who comes closest? Hmmmmmmm...

Pacing vs. Racing

Just to start, I think that I may have unintentionally given some the impression that I am fast or something when I listed the splits for the "slow and steady" 6K I did yesterday. Just so we are all clear, my splits are based on kilometres and not miles, and no, I CANNOT do repeat miles in and around 6 minutes!

OK, now that we've established that my pacing for "slow and steady" is somewhere in the 9:30/mile range (using my somewhat unscientific, but reasonably accurate pace converter on the right hand side of the blog... scroll a little down, and BANG, there it is!) I am soliciting help with how I should prepare for my first ever race this coming weekend. Let me say that again: FIRST EVER RACE this coming weekend.

I am coming into this thing with no experience running with/against other people, and I have only my imagination to guide me. Specifically I am wondering about how to pace myself. Do I go blind and just run on feel, or do I strap on the Garmin and come up with a goal pace and try and hold it as long as possible? This is only a 10k mind you, and for a longer race I think the answer might be more clear to me. Also, I am getting advice from other runners I know, and those who used to run, to do it one way or the other and am a bit confused. Also, if Garmin is the way should the heart rate monitor be brought along for the ride?

My tendency is to use the Garmin since I have been training with it and am comfortable with glancing at it now and then, adjusting my pace, etc... However, I am concerned that it may be a source of negative thoughts if I fail to hold the pace I set for myself, or if I realize that my goal pace is too easy and I start kicking myself for not going out harder.

As far as how my day went, I pretty much was too busy to do much of anything other than work today. I did sneak out for a lunchtime swim, though I cut it down to 1500m partly because of time and partly because I am trying to save energy this week. It took me 23:00 to finish, and I am not doing weights tonight.

And lastly, it is SNOWING here! Not much, but definitely white stuff falling from the sky. It was so cold this morning that my fingers froze inside my biking gloves on the way down to work, and the wind was so strong it nearly blew me off my bike at one point. Either it was that strong, or I've lost too much weight... The weather forecast said it would be windy, but nothing about snow.
I fired up the furnace tonight...

Summer is officially over...

Slow and Steady 6k

I had another treatment with the good doctor this afternoon, after spending the entire day in meetings, which meant dress shoes. Whenever possible, I try to avoid wearing these things and you'll normally find me roving around the office in socks, but when meetings are in store I have to put on an air of professionalism, or some such thing.

Anyway, the treatment was good, and by that I mean painful. Although I can't notice a difference, he says my hip flexibility has already improved. I hope that this leads to less pain in the foot, especially by Sunday.

As far as running goes I have decided to really scale it back this week and ran a short and slow 6k tonight. I will probably not run again until Thursday, moving my reagular Wednesday 5k to that evening given that I won't be running on Saturday before the race. Although I am not deluding myself into thinking that I have trained nearly enough to require a taper, I am going to do some taper-like things anyway. My swims I think I will cut down, and perhaps will not do weights at all, or maybe just once. This way I should have lots of energy on Sunday.

The run was super easy, with my average HR at 133bpm, max drift to 144. I didn't look at the Garmin as often as I usually do, but was pleasantly surprised that my pacing was pretty steady, even with navigating sidewalk traffic through much of my route.

1. 6:04
2. 5:54
3. 6:04
4. 5:58
5. 5:55
6. 6:01

Total time: 35:58
Average pace: 5:59

Garmin don't lie.


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What to do? What to do?

Sunday finds me resting from all exercise, and doing the whole ice water - hot water thing for my foot. I hate to admit it, but will do it anyway: the foot feels worse today than I'd hoped it would, and now it's just a matter of making it to the race, running hard and preparing mentally for the pain that will likely set in afterward. My mantra will be "ignore the pain" for this first ever race.

As far as what I SHOULD be doing today, schoolwork schoolwork and more schoolwork. If procrastination was a sport I'd definitely compete, but alas it is not. I suspect many out there could give me a run for my money in that department, but I am still proud of my abilities in this area, which I've been cultivating for many many years.

So far today I've folded four loads of laundry, have a fifth in the dryer and a sixth in the wash (don't ask why so many if you don't have two kids, and if you do you know what I'm talking about), driven the boys across town to my Dad's place for the afternoon, dodged the Toronto marathon on the way there and back, picked up some awesome food in the Polish part of town, iced/heated the foot, listened (and continue to listen to) the Bills game, played some guitar, and am now blogging... I have to go back to my Dad's for dinner and to get the boys in an hour and I guess I should TRY and do some work now... blah!

Hope the weekend finds you all well, and have a great start to the new week tomorrow!

UPDATE: My wife just got back from her training run, and I am proud to report that her goal for next weekend's 10k (sub 60 minutes) has been attained today! She managed a 59:56, and I wasn't even there to push her or anything. She did admit to the value of Garmin as a motivational feature in training though. Get your own now that you too are addicted!

Her Garmin stats are here.

10K on a Chilly Morning

I woke up at about 5am, thanks to my 4 year-old, and lay in bed unable to fall back asleep until my alarm went off at 6:40. Although this normally would not be a very cool thing to have to endure, at least it did allow me to get my run in during the morning before the day got taken over with kid related activities.

It was still dark out, and cold cold cold when I left the house. I guess it's all relative since 1 degree Celsius will feel nice and warm in mid February, but today is still chills the hell out of me. Frost on windshields everywhere!

I worried about how many layers to put on because I wanted to avoid overheating at the end of the run, but also didn't want to freeze during my ten minute warm up walk. I wore three layers on top, a running t-shirt, a "technical" long sleeve, and then a fleece jacket on top, and this seems to have worked well enough for the temperature.

As I started into my run I was definitely feeling a bit stiff, and my legs felt heavy and tired. I don't know why this is since my weekly mileage is not very high, and I haven't done anything extra to tire my legs out, like walking up tonnes of stairs or biking more than my usual 20k a day to work and back home. Perhaps the chiro treatments have something to do with this...

I changed my Garmin setup finally to beep at me each 1km lap, and I started off nice and (what I thought was) slow. The first lap was faster than I thought I was going, and it felt really easy despite the heavy legs. As I continued on I noticed that I was moving pretty well, though I also knew I'd have to drop down into Riverdale West and then climb back out of the Don Valley during the run. As expected the downhill slowed me down (shouldn't it do the opposite???), and the uphill kicked my ass! I'm glad the 10k course at Niagara Falls is flat, and based on today's run I think breaking 50:00 is a realistic goal, though the dream goal of 45:00 is at this point not in danger of being attained. My kilometre lap splits are as follows:

1. 5:28
2. 4:59
3. 4:53
4. 4:50
5. 5:12 (this is where I dropped down into Riverdale Park)
6. 4:56
7. 4:58
8. 4:59
9. 5:49 (this is where I got killed climbing out of the Don Valley)
10. 5:16 (just couldn't recover enough to get close to 5:00/km pace)

Total time for the 10k: 51:24, at an average pace of 5:08/km.

This was a good test for me, and based on the results I should be able to go under 50:00, as mentioned above. Of course, it all depends on how I feel day of, and race conditions, that will determine just how far under 50 minutes I can go. The foot is still tight, but at least I don't feel like I am doing any more damage to it. I have three treatments set up for next week and I am hoping those will loosen things up enough to minimize the pain on race day. After that I am fully intending to take a week off, or maybe even two to let the foot recover completely.

Garmin don't lie.


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TGIF

What a week... Other than the computer issues, the loooooong trip back from Ottawa, feeling under the weather, and seeing a doctor about the foot it was pretty normal actually!

Today was a relatively quiet day at work, and I did have another treatment at the clinic. Let's just say that if one grades the value of physio or chiropractor treatments based on the amount of pain (in this case "good" pain) then I am getting my money's worth. He was working out some stuff in my quad today that was excruciating. The foot he did do some stuff on, but after the quad and hip treatment that was mild by comparison. I think it is helping in that I can localize the parts of my foot that are inflamed and no longer feel this overall pain whose origin I can't figure.

As far as running goes, today was an off day. I am planning a 10k tomorrow, hopefully in the morning although that depends on how early I can drag myself out of the house, and the outdoor temperature is sure to be icy. Biking with Owen on the way to school this morning I saw some people scraping ice off of their windshields, a sure sign of things to come. The forecast says tomorrow morning will be just above the freezing point. I guess I'd better get used to it, and Toronto is one of the warmest places to live in Canada. I love Vancouver, where it is pretty warm (relatively speaking) year round, but I'm not sure if I could handle all the rain. Toronto is usually pretty dry in the winter, with all the snow bypassing us just to the north, and temperatures jump around the freezing point sometimes to the point of frustration - like winter can't make up it's frggin' mind or something...

By hey, it's Canada and I love it!

Good luck to all running races this weekend. I apologize for not having the energy to list you here, but I am sure looking forward to reading all the race reports!

Hallelujah! Hallelujah!

Before I get to my day, doctor and all, I just want to report that I have slain the beast Microsoft! After three days of hell, I have worked out all the technical obstacles that Bill Gates has set in my way, like a mean father who moves around the furniture and waits in the dark until you come home past curfew and bash yourself all over the place... If anyone ever needs help embedding multiple audio clips, sent to you in a myriad of formats, into a PowerPoint presentation so that the whole damned .ppt file actually includes audio, just let me know... I will save you much stress.

Now, I get a glass of scotch and continue. (Sorry FrayedLaces, but my abstinence did not account for Microsloth issues...)

OK, big swig later, and ready to blog...

The doctor checked me out, poked and prodded, watched me walk, and stand on my toes. The verdict: plantar fasciitis, but not a bad case all things considered. Apparently it all goes back to my g'damn hips! Man, everything seems to go back to my hip flexors and weak ass muscles. In short, my range of motion in the hip and pelvic area has forced my body to adapt and push off too much from the big toe on my right foot. The big toe was overworked, and as a result inflamed my plantar fascia. I will have another treatment tomorrow, and a few next week leading into the race and then things should be Happy McHapsHaps...

I managed a lunchtime swim today as well. 2000m in 30:55, and my arms felt like lead. I must admit that at the 500m mark I was having real trouble convincing myself that it was possible to not stop for another 1500m, but I persevered. My arms are likely tired because I've taken to doing sets of 30 push ups every evening: my own 100 push up challenge so to speak...

Tonight, after getting home and getting dinner started, I even managed a short weight workout. My wife had somewhere else to be at 7:30, so that didn't leave me much time, but I managed a decent quickie anyway. I didn't get any abs in, but I will maybe try to get some crunches done later on...

• Bench Press 12-12-12 135lbs
• Chin Ups 8-6-5-4
• Dumbell Military Press 12-12 40lbs
• Biceps Curls 12-12 60lbs
• Triceps Extensions 12-12 60lbs

6km, Foot Doctors, and Ultramarathonman

After a most frustrating day at the computer, where I was forced to miss both my regular swim at lunchtime, and my weights, I am back and ready to go for the week and a half heading into my cherry popping race. On top of the above, I seem to have had a recurrence of the cold that jumped me two weekends ago, and then kind of hit me again over the Thanksgiving weekend. I wanted to go swim in the evening, but crashed hard and just couldn't manage the energy to bike downtown.

My foot, as I mentioned before, is tight on the bottom and it sure feels like something that only major rest will solve. Therefore, I decided to see what an expert can do for me and will be seeing a foot specialist tomorrow morning. I hope that this Doctor can get me through the race and onto a recovery plan. I dread him telling me to stop running all together and miss the race!

Also, I finished Dean Karnazes Ultramarathon Man in about a day, and haven't talked about my impressions yet. This book, ironically, is more of a sprint than a marathon, isn't it? I am a sllllooooowwww reader, but I had this thing done by Saturday evening, having picked it up Friday after work and only reading a couple of pages once I arrived in Ottawa after midnight. In any case, I very much enjoyed this book. It did not preach to me to choose a more endurance oriented lifestyle, which I kind of expected. Instead, it was a great confession on Dean's part and definitely served to motivate me to keep running, no matter what. I know all the others who've read this have recommended it on their blogs, but I will do the same here. If you already haven't, READ IT!!! And try eating a pizza and a whole cheesecake while running - add that to my bucket list. Well, at least the cheesecake part...

Tonight I continued to deal with Microsoft issues, but have now entered that state of resignation that I figure a condemned man must experience on his way to the gallows. I simply don't care anymore and don't have the energy to care. I got home at 5:30 and started in on the project, neglecting my kids and wife terribly. Then, just as I came to some sort of compromise, I realized it was almost 8pm and I still hadn't eaten anything, and I hadn't gotten my run in.

So I headed out the door for a scheduled 5k. It had rained in the meantime, and the streets were nicely cleaned, the air was clean, everything seemed clean. I started off and quickly realized I'd forgotten my heart rate monitor strap. I said to hell with it and went on feel. This was definitely the right move. Sometimes running just seems like the most perfect thing one can do, and tonight, foot pain and all, it was one of those magnificent times. I loved running! I had so much fun just... running! A cyclist even shouted out to me at one point, asking me how far I was running, and I responded with a smile rather than the usual suspicious stare/glare that I am accustomed to as an urban dweller. The urge to say, "None of your business, shitbox!" didn't even surface! Amazing...

I ended up running 6k because it was so nice, and my pace was a decent 5:16/km. The foot may feel it tomorrow, but I figure the doctor wants to see me in pain and not miraculously healed overnight. (I think this was a topic of one of my other posts back in the month of knee issues...)

Garmin don't lie.

The google image of my run.

A Real Off Day

Short post, because I am so sick of looking at a computer screen. I spent the entire day mired in Microsoft hell, and as a result I missed swimming and weights. I sure felt like throwing something at something breakable, and more than a few expletives were uttered. I am calling this a total write-off and will get back on track tomorrow. The foot still hurts, but I think I can manage through the next two weeks heading into the race.

8km Around the Canal Again, Then Gridlock

This morning we had a bit of a late start, but decided to take advantage of the grandparents and went out for another run together, spousal style. The morning brought perfect weather, and if left until after our trip home who knows if either one of us would have the energy to get our runs in.

Perhaps this was the last shorts and t-shirt morning of the year, and it was so nice running around the canal again with all the trees in beautiful shades of red, orange, and yellow along the water. We followed the same route as on Saturday, but were aiming for 8k this time as long as my foot cooperated.

It felt tight and sore, but no more than on Saturday so I don't think I'm doing any more damage to it running this way. I will do as much as I can until the race, and after that stay off of it for a bit. Even though we were taking it easy today, and Monica was largely setting the pace, I was surprised to find that we actually improved on our average pace from Saturday's run. This time we managed the 8k in 49:27, which translates to a pace of 6:10/km. I think Monica will have no problem breaking 60 minutes in the 10k.

Garmin don't lie.

The google image of our run.

The rest of the day was less than spectacular. We left Ottawa at 1pm (did I mention we were slow getting out?) and set off on what normally is a 5 hour drive with the kids, and 4 and a half without. However, the traffic on the Monday of a long weekend just seems to get worse and worse each year. There were no accidents or construction to explain the gridlock, but with 200 kilometres left in the trip the highway became more of a parking lot. It was stop and go the rest of the way home. We did get off for a bit and took the old single lane highway, but it was more of a mental break than a time saving strategy and eventually we had to get back on the 401 and stumble home. Total time for the trip ended up being 7 and half hours, and now the boys need to be fed and put to bed. Then I have to start working on an assignment that is due tomorrow... Man I can't wait to graduate!!!

I also haven't had a chance to catch up on all the race reports from this weekend and am very much looking forward to doing so, but will have to wait for that until sometime tomorrow. Sorry!

Owen's Turkey Trot Debut

Turkey Trot was a blast! This morning we headed out to Cumberland Village Heritage Museum so that Owen could pick up his timing chip and get ready for the 1k race. The weather was perfect, very sunny, not too cold. We set off at 8:15am for a 9:30 start, and by the time we arrived a little before nine the stream of cars getting into the main parking lot was very long. I couldn't believe the number of people coming to this event, and the fact that the marathon course was right along the main road with the pylons sitting about halfway into our lane. It was a bit harrowing driving half on the other side of the road as cars were speeding towards us, that's for sure.

We parked in the alternate parking lot (accross the road in somebody's field) since we figured that we'd be the first out, and it wasn't a very long walk to the starting line and tents anyway. After this, we picked up Owen's timing chip and made our way to the starting line for the Turkey Trot. I snapped a picture of Owen in front of the banner, with a new friend he made in the background:


Although a little apprehensive at first, Owen managed to find the courage to pat the horse and was very pleased to have done so. He spent the next half hour feeding it grass and hay:


Then it was time to line up at the start. The 10-12 kids went first, with the younger ones starting two minutes afterwards. There was some tension and confusion among the kids and parents, but everything was pretty cool. Here's Owen getting ready to run and listening to the instructions:


And they're off!!!


I ran across the field to catch Owen coming around the loop and to cheer him on (that's my shadow on the left, once again demonstrating that my camera skills are amateur at best):


And then I ran back across to the finishing area to do the same. Here's Owen running past me to the finish line:


And here's the little guy with his medal at the end:

I am very proud of him having run his first real "bibbed" race and all, and hope that he remembers this as a positive experience for the rest of his life. He's already confirmed that he wants to participate in this next year, and maybe his Dad will do one of the other distances too.

Update: I just checked the sportstats.ca website to see if Owen's results had been posted, and they finally made it on there! Now I am even more impressed with my little guy!!! (If that's possible.) His time for the 1k was 4:48!!! And he finished 22nd out of 108 boy participants and 30th overall out of 223! As far as 7 year-old boys go, and the way they were categorizing the kids in this race you just had to turn seven by the end of the year to be in that age group, Owen finished 3rd! He'll be 7 at the end of this month, so in my mind he's still 6... Amazing.

10k Along the Canal in Ottawa

The traffic leaving Toronto last night was absolutely nuts! It took us over an hour to travel to Whitby, a half-hour trip at most on a normal day, where we stopped for gas and some coffee. After that I took over the wheel and we didn't stop until we pulled into Monica's parent's driveway a little past midnight. The boys had slept in the car, but woke up just long enough for us to get them into their pj's, and then they were asleep again in minutes.

I headed off to bed as well, though couldn't resist reading a little bit first. I picked up Dean Karnaze's book "Ultramarathon Man" at the library earlier in the day and was excited to start reading it despite all the schoolwork that I needed to get done this weekend. Let's just say I am enjoying this book very much. My favorite quote so far is:

"Often we think we're moving in the right direction only to learn that the rules have changed."

This morning, upon waking up at about 8:35am, I was ready to get my 10k in and excited to be able to run with my wife. I think the last time that happened was right here in Ottawa when we completed a 5k together sometime back in the summer. Today, the weather could not have been nicer. Very sunny, nice and cool, and not windy. We walked down to Dows Lake and started off on our 10k at an easy pace, predicting that a loop around to Pretoria Street Bridge and then back towards home would be the right distance.

Tonnes of other runners were out there today, and it was nice to see. Everyone is so friendly when they pass, always with a smile or a wave, some sort of acknowledgement that makes one feel welcome. We continued along at about a 6:30/km pace for the first couple of kilometres, but slowly this pace started to speed up. I think for most of it the Garmin registered 6:21/km, and it was very nice and east. Monica is hoping to go somewhere in the 60 minute range for the 10k at Niagara Falls, and I think based on today's training run she can definitely do it. As we started on our way back, after crossing the canal at Pretoria, Monica actually picked up the pace. My foot was feeling OK, but if it had been up to me I would have stayed at the 6:20-ish pace. Nevertheless, as I called out "8k, just 2 to go!" Monica continued to push the pace. I switched the display on my watch to see what our current pace was (not the average for the entire run, which is normally what I am looking at) and it showed that we were now running at 5:47/km! As we neared the end, and I was calling out our distance periodically so Monica would know where we were at, I again switched the display and was pumped to see that she had us running at 5:35/km by the end!

The totals were 62:14, at an average pace of 6:13/km. I totally think she can get under an hour for the 10k, don't you?

Garmin don't lie.

The google image of our run.

The foot feels pretty OK, if that is a way one can describe it. I am not as concerned about missing the race, though I think I have to scale back my running a little. I had planned on 12k on Monday, but might make it a shorter 8k instead, especially since it will be after a day of driving as well.

Also, thank you Lily for your comment on my last post. I will definitely look for you at the Turkey Trot! I left a comment on your blog as per what I will be wearing, etc... See you then! I am off to get Owen registered right now!

Day-Off, Trippin'

We're off to Ottawa for the Thanksgiving weekend, Canadian style, this evening. A 4.5 hour drive after work awaits, with the boys in the back hopefully falling asleep so that I can listen to the baseball game in peace (no idea who I will end up rooting for - Red Sox aren't doormats anymore, Tampa Bay shouldn't be this good yet: I'm so confused!). I'm glad that I've made Friday an off-day for just such occasions, and hope that the foot will be good enough to go for a slow 10k run tomorrow by the canal. I will be running with my wife on this occasion, and that should not only be fun, but will also force me to chill and not push the pace the way I typically do with sometime less than happy results.

The foot is feeling a bit better, but not yet 100%. I am not sure if it is smart to start running until I am completely pain free (though it is worth stating here that I haven't been in that state for the better part of a decade, so it's all relative), but I also need to balance the fact that with each passing day I am losing conditioning. I figure that if I can run between now and the race and manage the pain, then push it during the race itself, I'll be able to take some time off if the foot issue continues to linger. It's just a case of plantar fasciitis, I'm sure of it, but I don't know if I can cause major injury if I continue on my plan for the next two weeks. Anybody have any advice? I don't want to risk too much, but I also don't want to have all my training go to waste.

See y'all on the weekend, and good luck to everyone running races! I am entering Owen in the Turkey Trot on Sunday, a 1k race for kids where they get to wear a chip timer and everything! Thanks to Nat for turning me onto this event - Owen's going to love it!

Swimming is good, Foot not as good, and E-mail woes

I managed another lunchtime swim, and it really should stop being a suprise now that I am consistently doing these every Tuesday and Thursday. The only hickup was trying to get my lock open so that I could secure my bike outside at the pool. This lock sucks major ass, and the only reason I bought it was because I needed something when I arrived at work one day and had forgotten my lock. I spent almost $60 on this thing, brand name "On Guard", and the actual locking mechanism is terrible. Stay away from this brand if you are considering replacing your lock. I just didn't want to spend $100 or more on a Kryptonite since my bike is a real commuter that I put together over the years, and it really isn't worth stealing - no gears, super big to fit my 6'4" self, and pretty heavy.

Anyway, I struggled to get this thing open for 10 minutes, all the while thinking that maybe even if I was successful in unlocking it would it be worth the risk to secure it onto my bike only to return and not be able to unlock it at all. In the end the thing miraculously opened, though my hand was cramping by then, and I was able to get into the pool.

I did a non-stop 2000m in 30 minutes and it was back to work...

Afterwards, the lock opened with merely a jiggle and I was very surprised, let me tell you. When I returned to work, however, I again struggled for 10 minutes to get the thing open again! And once more, my hand was in major crampy mode by the time the thing did decide to cooperate. After work it only took a couple of minutes to unlock it, and once I got home I lubed the hell out of that sucker and things seem to be better now.

As far as the foot is concerned, I think it feels a bit better today, but it's really hard to tell. Maybe it's just wishful thinking on my part. At work I have been rolling it by standing on a semi-hard ball, and that feels pretty good. I am hopeful that this issue doesn't keep me from running some more in preparation for the 10k on October 26th, that's for sure. If anything, I will run in pain and then take time off after the race. (Unless I think that major damage will occur, at which point the decision to pull out of the race will have to be made. I don't even want to think about that though!)

Tonight I was supposed to go weight train again, and since I missed Tuesday I am a little upset that this is not going to happen. I had agreed to share a presentation with a few people this evening and had emailed it to myself from work hoping to work on it a little more this evening. This usually works with no problems, but for some reason the email never arrived! My sent mail box shows that the attachment was sent at 4:42 in the afternoon, but nothing shows up in my inbox! Of course, I didn't check the option that would have stopped the program from stripping the attachment from the sent mail items. Damn it! Sometimes I just have to curse this technology! Now I have to start from scratch and redo the two hours of work I put into the damned presentation earlier in the day. Memory should help cut down some of the effort, but still - what a pain in the ass!

Foot Pain, and Running Offspring

The foot is still sore enough that I am not able to run my usual 5k tonight. This is rather depressing, but at least I feel a bit better about the whole thing because it is absolutely dreadful outside - cold and wet! Also, more rest can't hurt given I have a lot of catching up to do on my schoolwork, and am hopeful that four full days of rest will be enough to allow me to get back on the road this Saturday. We will be spending Canadian Thanksgiving in Ottawa, and I really want to run along the canal again.

Owen's first ever cross-country race went this morning, and although the result for him was a bit disappointing, I am very proud of the little guy for his perseverance in the face of adversity. First, Owen's school got the absolute worst starting position of all, and he was put at the worst spot of the worst position: the farthest at the back and to the right of a long line of hundreds of kids all ready to race towards a left hand turn! Here is the pic of the scene:



And here is Owen, stuck at the back of the pack:



And, oh yeah, here's the mayhem that ensued once the starting horn went off. Owen and his school is not even in the picture, way off to the left:


In the end, I found out much later that Owen fell about two-thirds of the way through the course, and he still made it to the finish, panting and out of breath. That is the most important thing, he did his best and you can't control your starting position, so I am very very proud of him.

Here's Owen nearing the end:


And the little guy, exhausted and disappointed, waiting in line in the "chute" to get his finishing number, giving his Dad the obligatory look so that I could snap a picture:


I think this experience was largely positive, and I would never complain about the way these races are organized because the volunteers work very hard to herd hundreds and hundreds of kids throughout the morning, but there was talk that the "better schools" got the better starting positions, so some suspicion may be warranted. I choose to believe that this did not occur and that Owen's starting spot, and that of his school mates, was just the luck of the draw.

A Little Worn Down

Yes, it's true. I am feeling worn down today, and as such am making the executive decision to not go to the gym for weights this evening. I spent the day at a privacy and access to information conference, but did manage to sneak out for a swim at lunch. I wasn't planning to do this, but just felt like it and took off, and boy am I glad that I did given how I am feeling tonight. It's awesome to have everything in a locker at the UofT pool so that I can make a spur of the moment decision like this and not have to plan to go and bring all the swimming stuff along with me all over the city.

The swim was great. I jumped in and swam 2000m non-stop in a little under 30 minutes. The shoulders are definitely stronger and I could have kept going for at least another kilometre, but had to get back to the conference.

Now, I am back home, kids are asleep, and the cold I caught this weekend is lingering. The foot is feeling tighter than I would like it to feel, and it definitely feels like plantar fasciitis. I've had it before and hope that rest, ice, heat, and some massage helps this to heal enough to let me train a bit more on the way to the 10k on October 26th. Anyone else dealt with this problem? I'll take all and any advice, home remedies, mysticism, prayers, whatever you've got to get this to get better fast.

In happy news, my manager (who is quite possibly the most normal, sane, and nice person I've ever had to work for) told me I could go watch Owen race tomorrow morning and show up at the conference a bit late! He watched his kids race this morning, and I'm so excited to see Owen race tomorrow morning. It should be awesome, and when I told him I'd be able to go he was very excited. I hope he has a great time and is left with many happy memories from his first running competition. I'll do the proud Dad report tomorrow on how it went, of course.

Treadmill Rears It's Ugly Head

Yes, tonight's scheduled run has yet to happen. Due to some family related duties, namely yet another curriculum night, I was unable to fit my run in before dinner. This is probably a blessing since I have eaten already, got some dishes done, and have had a chance to work on an assignment that I have to email off tonight. Now I thought I'd post a quick few words here prior to starting the bed time routine with the younger one. I am planning to run later tonight, but it looks like it will be treadmill for me for the first time in almost three months. I'll get to catch a bit of the Angels-Red Sox game at least, but I am not really looking forward to runnin