Just got back from my last run of 2008, so can put the year to rest now.
Have been pretty sick the past week, so was good therapy looking back through my log over the year and totalling things up. I was very pleased with 2008 training and races.
2008 Training totals...
Total # of hours = 624 hrs & 33 minutes of running
Average per day = 1 hr and 42 mins of running
Total # of runs = 553
~ all totals are my highest ever.
Running Steak = Christmas Day 2008 marked my 19 consecutive year of running every day without taking a day off (6,946 days in a row as of today).
Looking forward to 2009, with key races at this point being Rock and Ice Ultra and Haliburton 100miler.
Happy New Year Everyone!
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Snowshoe Mag: 19 years and still streakin'
I have always enjoyed Christmas. Not only is it a great time to spend with family and friends, it’s also the day each year that I celebrate my secret life as a streaker. Yes, you heard me right, as of Christmas Day, I have been streaking for 19 years and still going strong....(Click here to read full blog)
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Pulk Running
Before the recent meltdown, I was getting in some great pulk runs. This is the pulk and design that I'm planning to use for Rock and Ice. The more time I can spend running with it the better. As you can see, we've lost quite a bit of snow and a lot more in the past few days, so I may be back pulling 'Bubba the tire' again soon.
Here are a few pics and videos of a recent pulk run.
Going grocery shopping with the pulk....
Running through Downtown Yarker...
On the road before hitting the trails...
Ah...this is better. Back in our natural environment...
This run was a little different than most and a strange way to get groceries, but was fun just the same. Even with all the funny looks.
Here are a few pics and videos of a recent pulk run.
Going grocery shopping with the pulk....
Running through Downtown Yarker...
On the road before hitting the trails...
Ah...this is better. Back in our natural environment...
This run was a little different than most and a strange way to get groceries, but was fun just the same. Even with all the funny looks.
Monday, December 29, 2008
Training Log: Dec 22 - 28 (8:06)
Good start to the week and feeling great, then came down pretty sick. Will have to probably take it pretty easy for the next week to recover. Frustrating timing, but better than if it had happened in a couple of months from now. The new prescription dr gave me didn't help this time, so will switch back and be good for next time.
Week Ending total = 8:06
Mon/22 (2:32)
am (1:58) Crosslites/Dions. Ran with pulk to Paudyns and did one loop on snowshoes with pulk, then a second loop without pulk, then ran with pulk home. Very tough pulling, but great to get the trail packed down a little. A little tired from yesterday.
pm (:34) RAceblades/Dions. Easy snowshoe run on Paudyn loop with Sara. Nice night out.
Tue/23 (2:19)
am (1:34) Crosslites/Dions. Ran with pulk to Paudyn loop, one loop without pulk, then ran home with pulk along Cat trail to Boundary Road. Trail is in great shape now. Good run.
pm (:45) Crosslites/Dions. Beautiful night out. Snowshoe run with Sara on Paudyn loop. Opened up the upper loop to get a few more minutes. Almost didn't run tonight, but couldn't resist. Eye infection and on drops.
Wed/24 (1:54)
am (1:54) Crosslites/Dions. Fun run. Ran with pulk to store to get groceries. A few funny looks from people in the village. Then ran up to Paudyn loop and did two loops on snowshoes before heading home. Got another big snowfall and had to break trails again for a bit. Getting warm and snow quite heavy and wet.
Thu/25
pm (:20) Crosslites. Very easy on Cat East. Started feeling sick yesterday. Eye infection and running a bit of a fever.
Fri/26
pm (:20) Crosslites. Very easy run again. Feeling worse today, so will have to take it easy for a bit.
Sat/27
pm (:20) Crosslites. Very easy on road. Still very sick.
Sun/28
pm (:21) Crosslites. Very easy on Cat Trail. No better yet.
Week Ending total = 8:06
Mon/22 (2:32)
am (1:58) Crosslites/Dions. Ran with pulk to Paudyns and did one loop on snowshoes with pulk, then a second loop without pulk, then ran with pulk home. Very tough pulling, but great to get the trail packed down a little. A little tired from yesterday.
pm (:34) RAceblades/Dions. Easy snowshoe run on Paudyn loop with Sara. Nice night out.
Tue/23 (2:19)
am (1:34) Crosslites/Dions. Ran with pulk to Paudyn loop, one loop without pulk, then ran home with pulk along Cat trail to Boundary Road. Trail is in great shape now. Good run.
pm (:45) Crosslites/Dions. Beautiful night out. Snowshoe run with Sara on Paudyn loop. Opened up the upper loop to get a few more minutes. Almost didn't run tonight, but couldn't resist. Eye infection and on drops.
Wed/24 (1:54)
am (1:54) Crosslites/Dions. Fun run. Ran with pulk to store to get groceries. A few funny looks from people in the village. Then ran up to Paudyn loop and did two loops on snowshoes before heading home. Got another big snowfall and had to break trails again for a bit. Getting warm and snow quite heavy and wet.
Thu/25
pm (:20) Crosslites. Very easy on Cat East. Started feeling sick yesterday. Eye infection and running a bit of a fever.
Fri/26
pm (:20) Crosslites. Very easy run again. Feeling worse today, so will have to take it easy for a bit.
Sat/27
pm (:20) Crosslites. Very easy on road. Still very sick.
Sun/28
pm (:21) Crosslites. Very easy on Cat Trail. No better yet.
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
All I want for Christmas is a......
Stanley Cup!!!I have been a die-hard Boston Bruins fan ever since I started playing hockey at the age of 5 or 6. All through my hockey years, I wore #4, knew all of Bobby Orr's stats, collected Boston Bruins hockey cards and watched every game when possible. I do remember the last time the Bruins won the Cup in 1972, but there have been a number of heartbreaking misses since then (note: I have never forgiven Don Cherry and his coaching blunder that essentially cost the Bruins the cup one year).
While I quit playing hockey and took up running in 1982, I have still followed the Bruins quite closely. There have been some good teams since those early days with players like Cam Neely, Ray Bourque and Joe Thornton, but not a team like the Bobby Orr days of the early to mid 1970's. Although this could be the year.
The talent the current Bruins have in their lineup, combined with the way they are playing make them legitimate contenders for this years Stanley Cup. 37 years is a long time, but this might be the year.
Go Bruins!!!!
Monday, December 22, 2008
Training Log: Dec 15 - 21 (15:43)
Solid week of running including some good runs with the pulk and lots of snow later on in the week. Looking forward to getting some trails packed down now and spending some long days in the woods.
Week Ending Total = 15:43
Mon/15 (2:02)
am (1:22) Crosslite4. Easy run on Cataraqui Trail West. Icy in places. A little tired. Ankle not as stiff as it has been.
pm (:40) Skylite2. Easy again on Cat West. Legs felt a little better tonight. Ankle improving.
Tue/16 (2:28)
am (1:28) Crosslite4. Easy to Steady on K&P from Sydenham Road. Started in Rideau Trail uphill, but was floaded and not crazy about getting my feet soaked on a cold day. Came back and continued up to Unity Road, before turning back. Nice morning and felt good to run on something different.
pm (1:00) Skylite2. Tempo run. Warmup on Cat trail, then 30' tempo run past Curl Road and back. Footing was pretty good. Felt strong, but not fast. No real desire to push it harder. Ankle felt pretty good.
Wed/17 (2:44)
am (2:04) Crosslite/MicroSpikes. Tough run pulling pulk on Cat Trail West to Grass hill, then back to Boundary Road and home. Trail was fresh snow. Running with pulk was pretty hard with the drag on the soft powder. Pack was loaded in pulk with snowshoes, clothing, water and a little extra weight. Had to do a couple of quick repairs on pulk poles as rope that I fed through was cut from the edges of pole. Ended up having to just pull with a rope attached to sled for the last km or so. Will fix this by feeding a lightweight cable or coated clothesline cable through pole for next time. Run felt pretty good though. Got pretty tired by the end of the run and very hungry. Had a bottle of gatorade and a gel flask that helped a little.
pm (:40) Raceblades/Mspikes. Easy run on Cat West Trail w/Sara. Nice night.
Thu/18 (2:08)
am (1:29) Crosslite/Mspikes. Steady trail run with Taylor. Legs a little tired at start from yesterday, but loosened up. Ran Sandpit and along east shore of Varty Lake. Snow deep in places, but not enough that we needed snowshoes. Came back through Paudyn loop. Good run.
pm (:39) Dions. Nice snowshoe run on Paudyn loop with Sara. Just enough snow for snowshoe running. Beautiful night out. The calm before the storm.
Fri/19 (2:11)
am (1:30) Crosslite screwshoes. Nice run on Sandpit loop, then back through Paudyn's. Strong wind and snow storm is starting. Very cold on way back towards house. Snow starting to get deep.
pm (:41) Dions. Tough snowshoe run with Sara on Paudyn trails during snowstorm. Crazy wind and a ton of snow made it tough finding loop after dark. Was beautiful in the sheltered wooded sections.
Sat/20 (1:06)
am (1:06) Crosslites. Nice easy run with Sara on Petworth Road loop with rolling hills. Cold wind, but sunny. Decided to run on good footing this morning after storm, then hit the trails this afternoon. Ran with snowshoes in pack.
Sun/21 (3:04)
pm (3:04) Crosslites/Dions. Tough, tough run. Ran pulling pulk from the house in Crosslites, then switched to snowshoes on Cat Trail. Ran almost to Curl Road, then decided to turn back and head up to Paudyns. Hoping to get the loop packed down a little and get some good footing. Snow was pretty soft and deep, so slow going. Broke a good trail in Paudyns. Ran first loop with pulk, then second loop without. Nasty storm brewed up again, just as I was heading home. Felt good to get back on the road and have some more solid footing.
Week Ending Total = 15:43
Mon/15 (2:02)
am (1:22) Crosslite4. Easy run on Cataraqui Trail West. Icy in places. A little tired. Ankle not as stiff as it has been.
pm (:40) Skylite2. Easy again on Cat West. Legs felt a little better tonight. Ankle improving.
Tue/16 (2:28)
am (1:28) Crosslite4. Easy to Steady on K&P from Sydenham Road. Started in Rideau Trail uphill, but was floaded and not crazy about getting my feet soaked on a cold day. Came back and continued up to Unity Road, before turning back. Nice morning and felt good to run on something different.
pm (1:00) Skylite2. Tempo run. Warmup on Cat trail, then 30' tempo run past Curl Road and back. Footing was pretty good. Felt strong, but not fast. No real desire to push it harder. Ankle felt pretty good.
Wed/17 (2:44)
am (2:04) Crosslite/MicroSpikes. Tough run pulling pulk on Cat Trail West to Grass hill, then back to Boundary Road and home. Trail was fresh snow. Running with pulk was pretty hard with the drag on the soft powder. Pack was loaded in pulk with snowshoes, clothing, water and a little extra weight. Had to do a couple of quick repairs on pulk poles as rope that I fed through was cut from the edges of pole. Ended up having to just pull with a rope attached to sled for the last km or so. Will fix this by feeding a lightweight cable or coated clothesline cable through pole for next time. Run felt pretty good though. Got pretty tired by the end of the run and very hungry. Had a bottle of gatorade and a gel flask that helped a little.
pm (:40) Raceblades/Mspikes. Easy run on Cat West Trail w/Sara. Nice night.
Thu/18 (2:08)
am (1:29) Crosslite/Mspikes. Steady trail run with Taylor. Legs a little tired at start from yesterday, but loosened up. Ran Sandpit and along east shore of Varty Lake. Snow deep in places, but not enough that we needed snowshoes. Came back through Paudyn loop. Good run.
pm (:39) Dions. Nice snowshoe run on Paudyn loop with Sara. Just enough snow for snowshoe running. Beautiful night out. The calm before the storm.
Fri/19 (2:11)
am (1:30) Crosslite screwshoes. Nice run on Sandpit loop, then back through Paudyn's. Strong wind and snow storm is starting. Very cold on way back towards house. Snow starting to get deep.
pm (:41) Dions. Tough snowshoe run with Sara on Paudyn trails during snowstorm. Crazy wind and a ton of snow made it tough finding loop after dark. Was beautiful in the sheltered wooded sections.
Sat/20 (1:06)
am (1:06) Crosslites. Nice easy run with Sara on Petworth Road loop with rolling hills. Cold wind, but sunny. Decided to run on good footing this morning after storm, then hit the trails this afternoon. Ran with snowshoes in pack.
Sun/21 (3:04)
pm (3:04) Crosslites/Dions. Tough, tough run. Ran pulling pulk from the house in Crosslites, then switched to snowshoes on Cat Trail. Ran almost to Curl Road, then decided to turn back and head up to Paudyns. Hoping to get the loop packed down a little and get some good footing. Snow was pretty soft and deep, so slow going. Broke a good trail in Paudyns. Ran first loop with pulk, then second loop without. Nasty storm brewed up again, just as I was heading home. Felt good to get back on the road and have some more solid footing.
Friday, December 19, 2008
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Snowshoe Magazine and Sara's Blog
Here is a blog that Sara recently posted in the Athletes Blog section of Snowshoe Magazine...Last March, Derrick took part in the BHP Billiton Rock and Ice Ultra in Yellowknife, Canada. He had an amazing time doing the three-day K-Rock race, and came home inspired to return in 2009 and take on the six-day Diamond Ultra. The Diamond race involves running with a pulk (sled) full of all your food and gear.
He will be bringing along one additional thing this year that he had to leave home last time: Me. I’m going to be taking part in the K-Rock to experience it myself. I’m really looking forward to visiting Yellowknife, as northern culture has always intrigued me.
(click here to read full blog).
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Sara's New Blog...
Sara has also started her own blog to share her training and preparations for Rock and Ice. Check it out at http://www.saratraining.blogspot.com/
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Rock and Ice on TriRudy
I will be posting regular updates on the TriRudy.com e-newsletter. Below was my initial post...
______________________________________________________
(Trirudy.com) The third annual BHP Billiton Rock and Ice Ultra will be held in Yellowknife beginning March 21, 2009.
In a recent climate study of Canada's 100 largest cities, Yellowknife ranked first in: Coldest Winter, Coldest Spring, Coldest Year-Round, Most Cold Days, Most Deep Snow Cover Days, Extreme Wind Chill, Most High Wind Chill Days, Driest Winter Air. With these claims, this is definitely no ordinary race.
The BHP Billiton Rock and Ice Ultra consists of three separate distances including the one-day 55km Cold Foot Classic, the three-day 135km K-Rock Ultra and the six-day 225km Diamond Ultra. Participants can choose to race by ski or by foot/snowshoe. Over $37,000 in diamonds will be awarded to race winners in the K-Rock and Diamond races.
Those participating in the Cold Foot Classic must carry all of their supplies for the day in a backpack, K-Rock Competitors must also carry their supplies in a backpack, but have their overnight gear shuttled to stage camps at the end of the day, while Diamond Ultra racers, must pull a pulk (sled) with all of their supplies for the six days.
K-Rock and Diamond Ultra participants will sleep in teepees and tents at the stage camps each night along the trail. With the harsh climate, challenging conditions and long days of racing, this race almost takes on more of an expedition type atmosphere as opposed to a normal race.
Having participated in the K-Rock Ultra in 2008, I am pleased that I will be moving up in distance and running in the 2009 Diamond Ultra.
In the upcoming months I will be doing regular updates to share my experience with Trirudy.com readers. Archived updates will be posted on my website at http://www.HealthandAdventure.com/; in addition to my training log and other preparations.
I am also thrilled that my wife, Sara Montgomery, will be competing in the K-Rock Ultra. Sara will also be posting updates on her blog at http://www.saratraining.blogspot.com/ .
For more information on the BHP Rock and Ice Ultra, please visit http://www.rockandiceultra.com/ .
(Trirudy.com) The third annual BHP Billiton Rock and Ice Ultra will be held in Yellowknife beginning March 21, 2009.
In a recent climate study of Canada's 100 largest cities, Yellowknife ranked first in: Coldest Winter, Coldest Spring, Coldest Year-Round, Most Cold Days, Most Deep Snow Cover Days, Extreme Wind Chill, Most High Wind Chill Days, Driest Winter Air. With these claims, this is definitely no ordinary race.
The BHP Billiton Rock and Ice Ultra consists of three separate distances including the one-day 55km Cold Foot Classic, the three-day 135km K-Rock Ultra and the six-day 225km Diamond Ultra. Participants can choose to race by ski or by foot/snowshoe. Over $37,000 in diamonds will be awarded to race winners in the K-Rock and Diamond races.
Those participating in the Cold Foot Classic must carry all of their supplies for the day in a backpack, K-Rock Competitors must also carry their supplies in a backpack, but have their overnight gear shuttled to stage camps at the end of the day, while Diamond Ultra racers, must pull a pulk (sled) with all of their supplies for the six days.
K-Rock and Diamond Ultra participants will sleep in teepees and tents at the stage camps each night along the trail. With the harsh climate, challenging conditions and long days of racing, this race almost takes on more of an expedition type atmosphere as opposed to a normal race.
Having participated in the K-Rock Ultra in 2008, I am pleased that I will be moving up in distance and running in the 2009 Diamond Ultra.
In the upcoming months I will be doing regular updates to share my experience with Trirudy.com readers. Archived updates will be posted on my website at http://www.HealthandAdventure.com/; in addition to my training log and other preparations.
I am also thrilled that my wife, Sara Montgomery, will be competing in the K-Rock Ultra. Sara will also be posting updates on her blog at http://www.saratraining.blogspot.com/ .
For more information on the BHP Rock and Ice Ultra, please visit http://www.rockandiceultra.com/ .
Dec 8 - 14 (14:32)
Wasn't quite the week that I wanted. Turned ankle pretty hard on Tuesday and has been sore, stiff and weak since then. Didn't run any hard workouts this week or a longer run, but pleased I was still able to get decent volume in otherwise. Poor footing most of the week too with melt and then a freezeup again which didn't help ankle. Should be able to build up again next week with higher mileage.
Week Ending Total = 14:32
Mon/8 (2:40)
am (1:56) Crosslite4. Easy run on Hare trail, then Cat Trail west and Paudyn loop. Cold morning, but felt pretty good. Footing tough through Hare Trail going towards the west, but the east side was good.
pm (:44) Crosslite4. Easy on Cat Trail West with Sara.
Tue/9 (2:13)
am (1:12) Crosslite4. Easy at Lemoines. Was hoping to be running on snowshoes, but not enough snow in Kingston. Turned my ankle pretty hard near the end of run.
pm (1:01) Raceblades/Microspikes. Ankle pretty sore from standing on it all day. May have strained plantar fascia at the same time. Ran Cat Trail West. Footing not great from slush freezing up.
Wed/10 (2:32)
am (1:57) Crosslite2 screwshoes. Easy to Camden East on Cat trail west and a loop through village. Footing not great and ankle pretty sore.
pm (:35) Raceblades/Microspikes. Easy run pulling pulk (20lbs). Ankle still feel pretty weak, but ok.
Thu/11 (1:35)
am (1:05) Crosslite2 screwshoes. Easy run up north trail. Snowmobiles had packed down trail, so not bad footing.
pm (:30) Crosslite4. Easy run on Cat Trail West with Sara.
Fri/12 (1:42)
am (1:01) Crosslite2 screwshoes. Easy run on north trail. Footing ok in places. Ankle still pretty sore, so took it easy.
pm (:41) Crosslite4. Easy on north trail with Sara.
Sat/13 (1:50)
am (1:10) Crosslite4. Steady on Cat West trail past Curl Road. We got a little more snow, so footing slightly better. Easier on ankle, but still pretty weak.
pm (:40) Crosslite4. Easy on Cat West trail with Sara.
Sun/14 (2:00)
pm (2:00) Crosslite4. Easy run with Sara on north trail to Sandpit, then add-on on Cat Trail West. Felt a little sluggish,but not bad. Ankle seems to be improving. Hope to start increasing more again next week.
Week Ending Total = 14:32
Mon/8 (2:40)
am (1:56) Crosslite4. Easy run on Hare trail, then Cat Trail west and Paudyn loop. Cold morning, but felt pretty good. Footing tough through Hare Trail going towards the west, but the east side was good.
pm (:44) Crosslite4. Easy on Cat Trail West with Sara.
Tue/9 (2:13)
am (1:12) Crosslite4. Easy at Lemoines. Was hoping to be running on snowshoes, but not enough snow in Kingston. Turned my ankle pretty hard near the end of run.
pm (1:01) Raceblades/Microspikes. Ankle pretty sore from standing on it all day. May have strained plantar fascia at the same time. Ran Cat Trail West. Footing not great from slush freezing up.
Wed/10 (2:32)
am (1:57) Crosslite2 screwshoes. Easy to Camden East on Cat trail west and a loop through village. Footing not great and ankle pretty sore.
pm (:35) Raceblades/Microspikes. Easy run pulling pulk (20lbs). Ankle still feel pretty weak, but ok.
Thu/11 (1:35)
am (1:05) Crosslite2 screwshoes. Easy run up north trail. Snowmobiles had packed down trail, so not bad footing.
pm (:30) Crosslite4. Easy run on Cat Trail West with Sara.
Fri/12 (1:42)
am (1:01) Crosslite2 screwshoes. Easy run on north trail. Footing ok in places. Ankle still pretty sore, so took it easy.
pm (:41) Crosslite4. Easy on north trail with Sara.
Sat/13 (1:50)
am (1:10) Crosslite4. Steady on Cat West trail past Curl Road. We got a little more snow, so footing slightly better. Easier on ankle, but still pretty weak.
pm (:40) Crosslite4. Easy on Cat West trail with Sara.
Sun/14 (2:00)
pm (2:00) Crosslite4. Easy run with Sara on north trail to Sandpit, then add-on on Cat Trail West. Felt a little sluggish,but not bad. Ankle seems to be improving. Hope to start increasing more again next week.
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Snowshoe Magazine
The latest issue issue of Snowshoe Magazine was sent out recently.
Sara and I contributed the following articles...
Snowshoe Magazine Interview: Keri Nelson (Nov 23, 2008):
This is the second in a series of interviews with notable snowshoe personalities that we will be presenting throughout the season.
Keri Nelson of Gunnison, Colorado was second at the 2007 USSSA Snowshoe Running Championships and then came back to win the 2008 race. (read full interview)
Gear Review: Moving Comfort Sports Bras (Nov 23, 2008):
Moving Comfort was established in 1977 when its founders wanted to make a line of workout clothing designed specifically for women’s bodies and movement. Since then, the company has stayed true to that vision, with their motto “A fit woman is a powerful woman." (read full gear review)
Gear Review: Petzl Ultra Belt Headlamp (Nov 23, 2008):
“Holy Smokes, that’s bright!” Those were the first words to come out of my mouth the first time I took the new Petzl Ultra Belt headlamp out for a test run. Well, okay, those weren’t actually the ‘exact’ words I said, but you get the idea. (read full gear review)
To receive a free monthly newsletter from Snowshoe Magazine, please click here.
Monday, December 8, 2008
Training Log: Dec 1 - 7 (18:40)
Great week of training. Some tough conditions, tough workouts, good pulling and a good long run. These are exactly the type of weeks that I'm going to have to keep stringing together before Rock and Ice. Was really great getting out for my first run with the pulk on snow and got me pretty excited thinking about the race...and it's still three months away.
Speaking of exciting...very thrilled that Sara has decided to run the K-Rock Ultra at Rock and Ice, so we'll be up there together. Our race course is the same for the first three days, then Sara will be able to come out on the course and volunteer for the last three days of my race. Will be very nice to be up there together this year.
Week Ending Total = 18:40
Mon/Dec 1 (2:51)
am (1:52) Crosslite2. Good run at Frontenac Park with Aaron. Lots of snow on the ground, but pretty wet underneath. Ran from Trail Centre along north Shore of Big Salmon Lake to Little Clear Lake and back the same way. Pretty slow going in places. Cold and a rainy at times, but sun came out on the way back, so warmed up a bit. Felt better today than the last few days.
pm (:59) Crosslite4. Soggy run on Cat Trail West w/Sara. Took it pretty easy. Felt good after morning run, but pretty hungry.
Tue/2 (2:34)
am (1:13) Raceblade Screwshoes. Early morning run at 6am before work. Started out with Sara, then ran to Curl Road on Cataraqui Trail West. Trail and road was quite icy, so glad to be wearing screwshoes. Woke up a bit on the way back and started to feel better. Nice to get out early for a change.
pm (1:21) Raceblade screwshoes. Tempo run. Warmup on Cat Trail West. 40min tempo run to Camden East and back. Footing very icy, but got into a groove and felt pretty good. Ankles felt a little wobbly from the poor footing, but ok.
Wed/3 (2:30)
am (2:00) Raceblade screwshoes. Started in Yarker and ran Cataraqui Trail to Crazy dog trail and along the west side of Varty Lake until marsh. Added on Paudyn loop to get in time once I got back to Yarker. Felt quite good.
pm (:30) Frees. Bubba run. Ran pulling Bubba the tire on our dirt road, down the hill into Colebrooke. Coming back was a real treat as there is close to a mile of uphill running before getting to the top of Boon hill. Legs were pretty pooched by the end of the run.
Thu/4 (2:25)
am (1:11) Skylite2. Ran Cat Trail West past Curl Road. Legs very tired at the start from pulling yesterday, but just took it pretty relaxed and felt quite good by the end. Even though I forced myself to slow down a couple of times because I thought I was tired, but times along the trail were about normal.
pm (1:14) Gazelle2. Hill Repeats. Warmed up in Newburgh. Then 30 minutes of Upper Newburgh hill (about 2mins each uphill). Legs pretty tired from yesterday. Solid workout though. Beautiful night.
Fri/5 (1:40)
am (:54) Skylite2. Ran with Eliza in Sydenham during her workout on Cataraqui Trail and Clearwater Road. Eliza is running very well and looked strong.
pm (:46) Raceblade screwshoes. Easy run with Sara on Paudyn Loop. Took it very easy as a recovery day. Felt pretty good.
Sat/6 (4:31)
am (4:31) Crosslite2 screwshoes. Ran at Frontenac Park with Sara. From Trail Centre, ran out on north shore of Big Salmon Lake, then up northeast end of park before coming back through 'Portage from Hell' and Arkon East. Had to add on some on Big Salmon Road to get in 4.5 hrs. Felt pretty good. Took plenty of fuel in hydration pack. Footing was pretty tough in places with quite a bit of crusty snow. Slow going and had to work pretty hard.
Sun/7 (2:09)
am (1:18) Crosslite4. Easy run on soft powder snow on the Cataraqui Trail West with Sara. Cool breeze. We both wanted to take it easy and run on a flat surface after yesterdays tough footing.
pm (:51) Crosslite2 screwshoes. First run while pulling Bubba the Pulk (sled). Ran Cat Trail West again. Felt great. Pulk was very comfortable with Nathan pack and rope fed through ski poles to pulk. Loaded a 20lb dumbell for an extra bit of resistance. Was really nice to not be pulling a tire for once, but be hooked up to the pulk. I think the training runs with the tire have helped a lot. Beautiful night out and felt like I could have run for a long time. Looking forward to it!
Speaking of exciting...very thrilled that Sara has decided to run the K-Rock Ultra at Rock and Ice, so we'll be up there together. Our race course is the same for the first three days, then Sara will be able to come out on the course and volunteer for the last three days of my race. Will be very nice to be up there together this year.
Week Ending Total = 18:40
Mon/Dec 1 (2:51)
am (1:52) Crosslite2. Good run at Frontenac Park with Aaron. Lots of snow on the ground, but pretty wet underneath. Ran from Trail Centre along north Shore of Big Salmon Lake to Little Clear Lake and back the same way. Pretty slow going in places. Cold and a rainy at times, but sun came out on the way back, so warmed up a bit. Felt better today than the last few days.
pm (:59) Crosslite4. Soggy run on Cat Trail West w/Sara. Took it pretty easy. Felt good after morning run, but pretty hungry.
Tue/2 (2:34)
am (1:13) Raceblade Screwshoes. Early morning run at 6am before work. Started out with Sara, then ran to Curl Road on Cataraqui Trail West. Trail and road was quite icy, so glad to be wearing screwshoes. Woke up a bit on the way back and started to feel better. Nice to get out early for a change.
pm (1:21) Raceblade screwshoes. Tempo run. Warmup on Cat Trail West. 40min tempo run to Camden East and back. Footing very icy, but got into a groove and felt pretty good. Ankles felt a little wobbly from the poor footing, but ok.
Wed/3 (2:30)
am (2:00) Raceblade screwshoes. Started in Yarker and ran Cataraqui Trail to Crazy dog trail and along the west side of Varty Lake until marsh. Added on Paudyn loop to get in time once I got back to Yarker. Felt quite good.
pm (:30) Frees. Bubba run. Ran pulling Bubba the tire on our dirt road, down the hill into Colebrooke. Coming back was a real treat as there is close to a mile of uphill running before getting to the top of Boon hill. Legs were pretty pooched by the end of the run.
Thu/4 (2:25)
am (1:11) Skylite2. Ran Cat Trail West past Curl Road. Legs very tired at the start from pulling yesterday, but just took it pretty relaxed and felt quite good by the end. Even though I forced myself to slow down a couple of times because I thought I was tired, but times along the trail were about normal.
pm (1:14) Gazelle2. Hill Repeats. Warmed up in Newburgh. Then 30 minutes of Upper Newburgh hill (about 2mins each uphill). Legs pretty tired from yesterday. Solid workout though. Beautiful night.
Fri/5 (1:40)
am (:54) Skylite2. Ran with Eliza in Sydenham during her workout on Cataraqui Trail and Clearwater Road. Eliza is running very well and looked strong.
pm (:46) Raceblade screwshoes. Easy run with Sara on Paudyn Loop. Took it very easy as a recovery day. Felt pretty good.
Sat/6 (4:31)
am (4:31) Crosslite2 screwshoes. Ran at Frontenac Park with Sara. From Trail Centre, ran out on north shore of Big Salmon Lake, then up northeast end of park before coming back through 'Portage from Hell' and Arkon East. Had to add on some on Big Salmon Road to get in 4.5 hrs. Felt pretty good. Took plenty of fuel in hydration pack. Footing was pretty tough in places with quite a bit of crusty snow. Slow going and had to work pretty hard.
Sun/7 (2:09)
am (1:18) Crosslite4. Easy run on soft powder snow on the Cataraqui Trail West with Sara. Cool breeze. We both wanted to take it easy and run on a flat surface after yesterdays tough footing.
pm (:51) Crosslite2 screwshoes. First run while pulling Bubba the Pulk (sled). Ran Cat Trail West again. Felt great. Pulk was very comfortable with Nathan pack and rope fed through ski poles to pulk. Loaded a 20lb dumbell for an extra bit of resistance. Was really nice to not be pulling a tire for once, but be hooked up to the pulk. I think the training runs with the tire have helped a lot. Beautiful night out and felt like I could have run for a long time. Looking forward to it!
Sunday, November 30, 2008
First Snowfall
This past week was a nice little taste of winter, and it looks like there is much more on the way.
Winter is my favourite time of the year, but the only problem is there aren't enough hours in the day to fully appreciate it. This was evident last Wednesday with a full day consisting of a trail run in the morning, snowshoe run in the afternoon, dogsled run in the evening and some snowman building mixed in for good measure with Brennan and Heather.
Speaking of the dogsled run, it was our first time out this season and the dogs were all very excited. It was fun seeing our youngest dog, Siku dogsled for the first time. She is a natural and caught on very quickly. Veterans Meela and Cody ran lead, with Jesse and Willy in point. Siku ran single wheel and after the first 5 minutes of looking over her shoulder at me wondering if this was what she was supposed to be doing, she settled in and had a great 5km run. The trail was in great shape and was just beautiful as we ran at 8pm during a light snowfall. Below are a few pictures of our team before hooking up to the dogsled...... and then the chaos and excitement begins. Winter is my favourite time of the year, but the only problem is there aren't enough hours in the day to fully appreciate it. This was evident last Wednesday with a full day consisting of a trail run in the morning, snowshoe run in the afternoon, dogsled run in the evening and some snowman building mixed in for good measure with Brennan and Heather.
It's going to be a fun winter!Training Log: Nov 24 - 30 (10:32)
Planned on taking this as a recovery week. Felt pretty good cutting back and lots of energy later in the week, then started coming down with a cold. Cut the weekend very short to try to turn it around.
Week Ending Total = 10:32
Mon/24 (2:02)
am (1:17) Crosslite4. Nice run on some snow. Ran Sandpit/Paudyn loop. Felt a little tired, but loosened up and felt much better after about 45 mins.
pm (:45) Gazelle2. Nice easy run on Cat West with Sara. Felt much better tonight and felt like I could have run further.
Tue/25 (1:10)
am (1:10) Crosslite4. Easy run this morning at Lemoines before work in Kingston. Felt quite good once I got going. Bit of a recovery week, so just ran once today.
Wed/26 (1:52)
am (1:12) Crosslite4. Steady run with Taylor Murphy on Sandpit/Paudyn loop. We got quite a bit of snow, so was a little deep in places, but good traction with crosslite tread. Beautiful morning out.
pm (:40) Crosslite3. Nice run with Sara. Beautiful night. More snow coming down during run. Ran Cat Trail west with good footing on fresh snow. First dogsled run of the season later in the evening too.
Thu (2:06)
am (1:16) Crosslite4. First snowshoe run of the season. Ran carrying snowshoes for the first 10 mins to Cat Trail, then Snowshoe ran on Cat Trail to Curl Road and back, final 10mins running carrying snowshoes home. Felt pretty good. Beautiful day. Felt great to strap the snowshoes back on.
pm (:50) Crosslite4. Tempo Run. Warmup/Cooldown on Cat Trail. Ran 20' tempo on trail to Curl Road and back. Footing not great with deep snow, but good effort. Felt good.
Fri (1:37)
am (1:07) Crosslite4. Easy run at Lemoines before work on cinder trails. Just kind of poked along as legs a little tired from yesterday.
pm (:30) Crosslite4. Easy with Sara, Siku and Meela on Cat East. Footing not great with snow on trail.
Sat (:45)
pm (:45) Crosslite4. Easy with Siku and Sara on Cat West. Felt pretty good from recovery week. Getting a little more spring in the legs and looking to increase again next week. Have been feeling like I'm fighting a cold this week, but not bad. That's the problem with a recovery week!
Sun (1:00)
pm (1:00) Crosslite4. Took it pretty easy on north trail to Sandpit and back on Paudyns. Still feel like I'm fighting a bit of a cold, but felt ok while running. Just not much energy.
Week Ending Total = 10:32
Mon/24 (2:02)
am (1:17) Crosslite4. Nice run on some snow. Ran Sandpit/Paudyn loop. Felt a little tired, but loosened up and felt much better after about 45 mins.
pm (:45) Gazelle2. Nice easy run on Cat West with Sara. Felt much better tonight and felt like I could have run further.
Tue/25 (1:10)
am (1:10) Crosslite4. Easy run this morning at Lemoines before work in Kingston. Felt quite good once I got going. Bit of a recovery week, so just ran once today.
Wed/26 (1:52)
am (1:12) Crosslite4. Steady run with Taylor Murphy on Sandpit/Paudyn loop. We got quite a bit of snow, so was a little deep in places, but good traction with crosslite tread. Beautiful morning out.
pm (:40) Crosslite3. Nice run with Sara. Beautiful night. More snow coming down during run. Ran Cat Trail west with good footing on fresh snow. First dogsled run of the season later in the evening too.
Thu (2:06)
am (1:16) Crosslite4. First snowshoe run of the season. Ran carrying snowshoes for the first 10 mins to Cat Trail, then Snowshoe ran on Cat Trail to Curl Road and back, final 10mins running carrying snowshoes home. Felt pretty good. Beautiful day. Felt great to strap the snowshoes back on.
pm (:50) Crosslite4. Tempo Run. Warmup/Cooldown on Cat Trail. Ran 20' tempo on trail to Curl Road and back. Footing not great with deep snow, but good effort. Felt good.
Fri (1:37)
am (1:07) Crosslite4. Easy run at Lemoines before work on cinder trails. Just kind of poked along as legs a little tired from yesterday.
pm (:30) Crosslite4. Easy with Sara, Siku and Meela on Cat East. Footing not great with snow on trail.
Sat (:45)
pm (:45) Crosslite4. Easy with Siku and Sara on Cat West. Felt pretty good from recovery week. Getting a little more spring in the legs and looking to increase again next week. Have been feeling like I'm fighting a cold this week, but not bad. That's the problem with a recovery week!
Sun (1:00)
pm (1:00) Crosslite4. Took it pretty easy on north trail to Sandpit and back on Paudyns. Still feel like I'm fighting a bit of a cold, but felt ok while running. Just not much energy.
Friday, November 28, 2008
Dion snowshoes now available in Canada!
To coincide with the first significant snowfall of the season in Eastern Ontario, Dion snowshoes are now available in Canada and being distributed by Spafford Health and Adventure.
Sara and I both switched to Dion Snowshoes a number of years ago after running in other brands. We truly believe that they are the best on the market. Dions are super lightweight, durable, comfortable to run in and have the added benefit that the components can easily be changed and modified to suit snow conditions; while other brands can't.
Please visit http://www.healthandadventure.com/ for more details.
Monday, November 24, 2008
Training Log: Nov 17 - 23 (17:25)
Great week of training. Really starting to feel like strength is improving. Mileage, workouts, long run and pulling all felt easier than last week.Week Ending Total = 17:25
Mon/17 (2:03)
am (1:20) Crosslite3. Easy recovery run up to Sandpit and back through Paudyns. Nice to get back up that way now that hunting season is over.
pm (:43) Crosslite3. Easy run with Sara on Cat West. Legs feeling a little better tonight.
Tue/18 (2:20)
am (1:12) Crosslite2. Nice run at Little Cataraqui Cons. Area before work. Cool, crisp morning. Ran perimeter, plus added on to check out options for a 5 Peaks race. Wore Suunto GPS to test out and get some distances. Nice watch.
pm (1:08) Crosslite4. Tempo Run. Easy warmup along Cat E, then 30 min tempo on Cat West past Curl Road and back. Felt pretty good. Legs a little tired at the start, but not bad. Got a new pair of Crosslites today which felt great. Didn't realize how worn out the old ones were until putting on a new pair. Happy Feet!
Wed/19 (2:29)
am (1:58) Crosslite4. Good run. Beautiful morning. A little slow starting, but felt good once I got going. Ran Cat W-DND-Camden East Loop. Very wet and icy along DND section so had to take it very easy though there. Moved along pretty well after that though. Noticed a big difference with the new shoes on a longer run.
pm (:31) Skylite2. Nice easy run with Sara, Siku and Meela on Cat trail east. Felt good to break out another pair of Skylites too.
Thu/20 (2:20)
am (1:15) Crosslite4. Nice run on Cataraqui Trail West to grass hill past Curl Rd. Had fun running with Siku. A light dusting on ground made it a beautiful run. Felt pretty good. Well rested and ready to play on the hills again tonight.
pm (1:05) Gazelle. Hills. Warmup on Cat Trail, then 10 x Yarker hill. Felt very strong. Ranged between 63-69 secs. Felt much better than the last few weeks. Hills are so great because it doesn't really take long before you start feeling the positive affects of doing them.
Fri/21 (2:05)
am (1:20) Crosslite4. Nice run. Pretty cool out this morning. Ran Sandpit/Paudyn Loop. Was pretty tired at the start, but loosened up and felt much better after about 45'. Very hungry!
pm (:45) Skylite2. Easy run on Cat West with Sara after dark. Nice night with bright stars out.
Sat/22 (4:11)
am (4:11) Crosslite4. Great run at Frontenac Park. Ran entire northern perimeter with Sara. Bright day, but quite cold at times with the windchill. Ran counter clockwise. Just beautiful around Gibson Lake (see photo). Most of the smaller lakes are frozen over now. Felt good.
Sun/23 (1:57)
am (1:20) Crosslite4. Nice easy run with Sara on north trail to Sandpit and back on Paudyn Loop. Started from Cat Trail and added on Cat West on the way back.
pm (:37) Skylite2. Bubba run. Ran on Cat Trail East with Sara, Jesse, Neeka....and of course pulling 'Bubba the Tire'. Started out pretty easy, but then loosened up and felt better during last half of run. Seemed to be getting stronger during pulling workouts.
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Snowshoe Magazine: The Legend of Bubba
I remember talking to a friend a few years ago and I was telling her about all the signs of wildlife that I see while trail running. Bear scat, deer droppings, wolf poop, etc.. She quickly replied that she didn’t tend to see many of those things in her neck of the woods, but did see a lot of Bubba droppings. Bubba droppings I asked? Yes, she said. You know, when you are out on the trail and you see where Bubba and the boys have been out walkin’, huntin’ and drinkin’ and casually drop their empty cans of Budweiser on the ground. Those are Bubba droppings. Well, that kind of stuck in my head for a while...(Click here to read entire story)
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Training Log: Nov 10 - 16 (16:45)
Great week of running. Pleased with how I continue to feel during the increase in volume and intensity. Will continue to gradually increase the length of long runs now.
Finished off the week with a nice weekend with Brennan and Heather, and went to see Bob Dylan in concert in Kingston on Saturday. Pretty great to see such a legend. Dylan did great versions of 'Like A Rolling Stone', 'Maggie's Farm', 'All Along The Watchtower', and my favourite of the night was 'Stuck Inside Of Mobile With The Memphis Blues Again'.
I feel fortunate to have now seen all three of my favourite singer/songwriters...Shane MacGowan, Steve Earle, and Bob Dylan.
Weekend Total = 16:45
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Mon/10 (2:13)
am (1:29) Crosslite3. Great run on J&J trails with Aaron. Legs a little tired going into it from the past week of running, but trails are just so nice that you forget all about being tired.
pm (:44) Crosslite2. Nice relaxed run with Sara on Cataraqui Trail West. Legs a little tired tonight, but not bad.
Tue/11 (2:32)
am (1:11) Gazelle. Very easy run on cinder trails at Lemoines before work in town. Felt good. Just took it nice and easy. Surprised to see two bucks at Lemoines, but once again, glad they are safe in there.
pm (1:21) Skylites. Tempo run (40'). Warmed up from Yarker on Cat East. Ran tempo portion from skidoo club west to Curl Road, and back and then west again to Curl Road in 40:25. Felt very smooth and strong tonight. Beautiful night with a bright moon out.
Wed/12 (2:29)
am (1:57) Crosslite3. Cataraqui Trail West-DND-Camden East Loop. Ran pretty relaxed and felt much better than last week. Took a bottle of Gu2O with me today which helped. Finished feeling like I could have kept going, which wasn't the case last week.
pm (:32) Raceblades. Solid run with Sara and Siku on Cataraqui Trail East, while pulling the tire the whole time. Felt much stronger today compared to last week. Ran using the poles I rigged up my pulk and the new Nathan Storm pack. Both felt so much better. Might still use a climbing harness around my waist, but we'll see how this system goes for now.
Thu/13 (2:12)
am (1:05) Crosslite2. My am run almost became a pm run since I procrastinated so long. Very cold, very windy, very rainy. I hate Nov days like this. Just bring on the snow. Was really nasty starting, but felt ok once I turned around on the Cat trail @ Curl Rd and headed back towards home. Felt pretty well recovered from the past few days.
pm (1:07) Gazelles. Hill Workout. Warmup on Cataraqui Trail. 8 x Curl Road hill (+/- 95sec). Felt pretty good. Not as steep as last week, but long. With the longer recovery, I tended to run back down a little quicker.
Fri/14 (2:17)
am (1:17) Crosslite3. Easy on Cat Trail West to grass hill. Warm, sunny day. Just beautiful out. Busy morning with eye appt and snowshoe stuff, so almost turned into a pm run.
pm (1:00) Crosslite2. Easy run with Sara on Cat Trail West. Legs a little tired, but felt like I could have kept going a long time. Nice run.
Sat/15 (1:25)
pm (1:25) Crosslite3. Recovery day. Easy with Sara on Cat Trail from Boundary Road, then Paudyn Loop. Very nice in the woods. The green moss was just so incredibly bright in contrast to the fallen leaves and bare trees. Looking forward to running this loop more on snowshoes soon. Felt a little tired.
Sun/16 (3:37)
pm (3:37) Crosslite3. Great run with Sara. Parked at Escarpment and ran Rideau Trail into Gould Lake including Bear Loop. Wagon Trail to Bedford Road, then along Little Long Lake. Ran an out and back add-on into the Mica Mine Trails on the way back. Nice that the Rideau Trail Association has repaired the bridge going over to the Mica trails. Snowed off and on the entire run. Ran with Spin Pack and extra water, gels. Was getting dark on the way back for the last 45 minutes, so glad we had our headlamps. Really nice run. Came home to the smell of African Garbonzo Bean Soup on the crock pot, accompanied by Naan bread and Guinness. Yum!
Finished off the week with a nice weekend with Brennan and Heather, and went to see Bob Dylan in concert in Kingston on Saturday. Pretty great to see such a legend. Dylan did great versions of 'Like A Rolling Stone', 'Maggie's Farm', 'All Along The Watchtower', and my favourite of the night was 'Stuck Inside Of Mobile With The Memphis Blues Again'.
I feel fortunate to have now seen all three of my favourite singer/songwriters...Shane MacGowan, Steve Earle, and Bob Dylan.
Weekend Total = 16:45
________________________________________________________
Mon/10 (2:13)
am (1:29) Crosslite3. Great run on J&J trails with Aaron. Legs a little tired going into it from the past week of running, but trails are just so nice that you forget all about being tired.
pm (:44) Crosslite2. Nice relaxed run with Sara on Cataraqui Trail West. Legs a little tired tonight, but not bad.
Tue/11 (2:32)
am (1:11) Gazelle. Very easy run on cinder trails at Lemoines before work in town. Felt good. Just took it nice and easy. Surprised to see two bucks at Lemoines, but once again, glad they are safe in there.
pm (1:21) Skylites. Tempo run (40'). Warmed up from Yarker on Cat East. Ran tempo portion from skidoo club west to Curl Road, and back and then west again to Curl Road in 40:25. Felt very smooth and strong tonight. Beautiful night with a bright moon out.
Wed/12 (2:29)
am (1:57) Crosslite3. Cataraqui Trail West-DND-Camden East Loop. Ran pretty relaxed and felt much better than last week. Took a bottle of Gu2O with me today which helped. Finished feeling like I could have kept going, which wasn't the case last week.
pm (:32) Raceblades. Solid run with Sara and Siku on Cataraqui Trail East, while pulling the tire the whole time. Felt much stronger today compared to last week. Ran using the poles I rigged up my pulk and the new Nathan Storm pack. Both felt so much better. Might still use a climbing harness around my waist, but we'll see how this system goes for now.
Thu/13 (2:12)
am (1:05) Crosslite2. My am run almost became a pm run since I procrastinated so long. Very cold, very windy, very rainy. I hate Nov days like this. Just bring on the snow. Was really nasty starting, but felt ok once I turned around on the Cat trail @ Curl Rd and headed back towards home. Felt pretty well recovered from the past few days.
pm (1:07) Gazelles. Hill Workout. Warmup on Cataraqui Trail. 8 x Curl Road hill (+/- 95sec). Felt pretty good. Not as steep as last week, but long. With the longer recovery, I tended to run back down a little quicker.
Fri/14 (2:17)
am (1:17) Crosslite3. Easy on Cat Trail West to grass hill. Warm, sunny day. Just beautiful out. Busy morning with eye appt and snowshoe stuff, so almost turned into a pm run.
pm (1:00) Crosslite2. Easy run with Sara on Cat Trail West. Legs a little tired, but felt like I could have kept going a long time. Nice run.
Sat/15 (1:25)
pm (1:25) Crosslite3. Recovery day. Easy with Sara on Cat Trail from Boundary Road, then Paudyn Loop. Very nice in the woods. The green moss was just so incredibly bright in contrast to the fallen leaves and bare trees. Looking forward to running this loop more on snowshoes soon. Felt a little tired.
Sun/16 (3:37)
pm (3:37) Crosslite3. Great run with Sara. Parked at Escarpment and ran Rideau Trail into Gould Lake including Bear Loop. Wagon Trail to Bedford Road, then along Little Long Lake. Ran an out and back add-on into the Mica Mine Trails on the way back. Nice that the Rideau Trail Association has repaired the bridge going over to the Mica trails. Snowed off and on the entire run. Ran with Spin Pack and extra water, gels. Was getting dark on the way back for the last 45 minutes, so glad we had our headlamps. Really nice run. Came home to the smell of African Garbonzo Bean Soup on the crock pot, accompanied by Naan bread and Guinness. Yum!
Sunday, November 9, 2008
Training Log: November 3 - 9 (14:42)
Great week. Solid volume, tempo run, hill workout, tire pulling and a long run. Very pleased with how it all felt.
Week Ending total = 14:42
_______________________________________________________
Mon/3 (2:12)
am (1:30) Skylites. Great run with Aaron on J&J Mt Bike trails. Beautiful trails. Combination of pine needles, grass, technical and some good climbs. Legs felt good once we got going. Quite warm. Hope to get back on these trails again soon.
pm (:42) Crosslite3. Good shakeout run with Sara. Started up on the north trail, but saw a hunter in a tree and thought we'd best turn back and stay on the Cataraqui Trail. I hate hunting season!
Tue/4 (2:15)
am (1:07) Gazelles. Ran cinder trails at Lemoines before work. One of those runs that don't happen often. Felt like I was floating the whole time. Kept trying to slow down as I knew I was doing a tempo run tonight, but just felt so good. Legs felt fresh and just a beautiful morning. I quite often do this loop in 70-72 minutes, so was a little surprised to do it so quickly. Feel like I'm finally starting to gain some fitness again during my buildup, but haven't trained quite hard enough yet to fully zap my legs.
pm (1:08) Skylites. Tempo run. Warmed up from Yarker on Cat Trail east, then ran Cat West past Curl Road and back. Same route as last weeks tempo, but didn't get quite as far. Makes sense though after a good week last week, a solid run this morning (that was probably not too far off tempo pace) and todays tempo actually felt much smoother and like I wasn't redlining it as much. Nice warm night. I actually ran the workout part shirtless, as I warmed up with a longsleeve, but got too warm.
Wed/5 (2:25)
am (1:55) Gazelles. Steady run. Ran Cat Trail West-DND-Camden East loop. Felt pretty good. Got a little tired near the end, but pleased with run.
pm (:30) Crosslite3. Cataraqui East Trail with Sara and Siku. Ran first 10' pulling the tire, then 10' without, and final 10' pulling again. Really like the idea of running with a tire on Wednesday afternoons after a slightly longer morning run. Good training for Rock and Ice.
Thu/6 (2:04)
am (1:04) Crosslite3. Easy run on Cataraqui Trail West. Legs a little tired from yesterday. Nice day out. Very warm and sunny.
pm (1:00) Gazelle. Hill Workout. Warmup on Cat Trail, then 9 x Yarker Hill. First hill workout, or harder workout in a while other then tempo run, so felt a little rough getting into it on the first few repeats. Started feeling much better about halfway through. Realized that I need to get much more hill work in before the snowshoe season or hitting any hilly races.
Fri/7 (1:40)
am (:40) Raceblades. Easy run on Cataraqui Trail West from Yarker. Legs a little tired from the week so far, but not too bad.
pm (1:00) Crosslite3. Steady run with Charley Murphy on Cataraqui Trail West after dark. Great run, followed by my 'World Famous Vegetarian Chili' (the secret is pinneapple) and beer. Legs a little tired from the week.
Sat/8 (1:02)
pm (1:02) Gazelles. Easy run on Cat Trail West w/Sara on the bike. Ran to Curl Road and back. Felt surprisingly good. Nice day out.
Sun/9 (3:04)
am (3:04) Crosslite2. Great run at Frontenac Park with Sara. Ran from Trail Centre, Arkon East, along Birch Lake through Moulton Gorge, around Little Clear Lake, then back along north shore of Big Salmon to Trail Centre. Cool and windy day, but felt pretty good. Got very close to a Barred Owl, which was very cool. Also saw a bunch of deer including a very large buck. Happy to see them in the park and safe during hunting season.
Week Ending total = 14:42
_______________________________________________________
Mon/3 (2:12)
am (1:30) Skylites. Great run with Aaron on J&J Mt Bike trails. Beautiful trails. Combination of pine needles, grass, technical and some good climbs. Legs felt good once we got going. Quite warm. Hope to get back on these trails again soon.
pm (:42) Crosslite3. Good shakeout run with Sara. Started up on the north trail, but saw a hunter in a tree and thought we'd best turn back and stay on the Cataraqui Trail. I hate hunting season!
Tue/4 (2:15)
am (1:07) Gazelles. Ran cinder trails at Lemoines before work. One of those runs that don't happen often. Felt like I was floating the whole time. Kept trying to slow down as I knew I was doing a tempo run tonight, but just felt so good. Legs felt fresh and just a beautiful morning. I quite often do this loop in 70-72 minutes, so was a little surprised to do it so quickly. Feel like I'm finally starting to gain some fitness again during my buildup, but haven't trained quite hard enough yet to fully zap my legs.
pm (1:08) Skylites. Tempo run. Warmed up from Yarker on Cat Trail east, then ran Cat West past Curl Road and back. Same route as last weeks tempo, but didn't get quite as far. Makes sense though after a good week last week, a solid run this morning (that was probably not too far off tempo pace) and todays tempo actually felt much smoother and like I wasn't redlining it as much. Nice warm night. I actually ran the workout part shirtless, as I warmed up with a longsleeve, but got too warm.
Wed/5 (2:25)
am (1:55) Gazelles. Steady run. Ran Cat Trail West-DND-Camden East loop. Felt pretty good. Got a little tired near the end, but pleased with run.
pm (:30) Crosslite3. Cataraqui East Trail with Sara and Siku. Ran first 10' pulling the tire, then 10' without, and final 10' pulling again. Really like the idea of running with a tire on Wednesday afternoons after a slightly longer morning run. Good training for Rock and Ice.
Thu/6 (2:04)
am (1:04) Crosslite3. Easy run on Cataraqui Trail West. Legs a little tired from yesterday. Nice day out. Very warm and sunny.
pm (1:00) Gazelle. Hill Workout. Warmup on Cat Trail, then 9 x Yarker Hill. First hill workout, or harder workout in a while other then tempo run, so felt a little rough getting into it on the first few repeats. Started feeling much better about halfway through. Realized that I need to get much more hill work in before the snowshoe season or hitting any hilly races.
Fri/7 (1:40)
am (:40) Raceblades. Easy run on Cataraqui Trail West from Yarker. Legs a little tired from the week so far, but not too bad.
pm (1:00) Crosslite3. Steady run with Charley Murphy on Cataraqui Trail West after dark. Great run, followed by my 'World Famous Vegetarian Chili' (the secret is pinneapple) and beer. Legs a little tired from the week.
Sat/8 (1:02)
pm (1:02) Gazelles. Easy run on Cat Trail West w/Sara on the bike. Ran to Curl Road and back. Felt surprisingly good. Nice day out.
Sun/9 (3:04)
am (3:04) Crosslite2. Great run at Frontenac Park with Sara. Ran from Trail Centre, Arkon East, along Birch Lake through Moulton Gorge, around Little Clear Lake, then back along north shore of Big Salmon to Trail Centre. Cool and windy day, but felt pretty good. Got very close to a Barred Owl, which was very cool. Also saw a bunch of deer including a very large buck. Happy to see them in the park and safe during hunting season.
Monday, November 3, 2008
Snowshoe Magazine
Snowshoe season is almost here!
To receive a free monthly newsletter from Snowshoe Magazine, please click here.
The following are a few of the articles that Sara and I have posted so far this year…
Snowshoe Magazine Interview - Mark Elmore (Nov 3/08) :
This is the first in a series of interviews with notable snowshoe personalities that we will be presenting throughout the season.Mark Elmore is the sports director for the United States Snowshoe Association (USSSA) and a familiar face in the U.S. and International snowshoe running scene. (Read entire interview)
Adventures in Race Directing (Nov 3/08) :
Race directing can sometimes be a thankless job, with all of the hours of planning leading up to it, the early morning course set-up, crazy busy race day, and then dealing with follow-ups and issues a... (Read entire blog)
To receive a free monthly newsletter from Snowshoe Magazine, please click here.
The following are a few of the articles that Sara and I have posted so far this year…
Snowshoe Magazine Interview - Mark Elmore (Nov 3/08) :
This is the first in a series of interviews with notable snowshoe personalities that we will be presenting throughout the season.Mark Elmore is the sports director for the United States Snowshoe Association (USSSA) and a familiar face in the U.S. and International snowshoe running scene. (Read entire interview)
Adventures in Race Directing (Nov 3/08) :
Race directing can sometimes be a thankless job, with all of the hours of planning leading up to it, the early morning course set-up, crazy busy race day, and then dealing with follow-ups and issues a... (Read entire blog)
Gear Review - PolarMAX Acclimate Wool Base Layer (Nov 3/08) :
Wool has long been recognized for its ability to keep you toasty warm in cold weather conditions. It has been a staple in my snowshoeing wardrobe from the very beginning. (Read entire gear review)
Whispers of Winter (Oct 10/08) :
I’ve noticed that the 2008/09 dates for snowshoe racing are starting to appear. I’ve also noticed that the days are getting crisper and the sun is setting earlier. Add to this the fall colors, no mosq... (Read entire blog)
Gear Review – JetBoil Stove (Oct 11/08) :
Nothing is better during a long day of snowshoeing on a cold day than taking a break and enjoying a hot drink or meal on the trail. (Read entire gear review)
I’ve noticed that the 2008/09 dates for snowshoe racing are starting to appear. I’ve also noticed that the days are getting crisper and the sun is setting earlier. Add to this the fall colors, no mosq... (Read entire blog)
Gear Review – JetBoil Stove (Oct 11/08) :
Training Log: Oct 27 - Nov 2 (12:39)
Felt great this week to get back into the swing of things now that the race is over. Physically I felt better each day and hip has improved daily. Still just a bit tight in the morning, but much better than it was.
Weekly Total = 12:39
__________________________________________________
Mon/27 (:45)
pm (:45) Skylites. Easy run on Cataraqui Trail West with Sara. Still feeling a little tired from the race yesterday.
Tue/28 (1:52)
am (1:02) Crosslite3. Steady run on cinder trails at Lemoines before work. Felt a little weak at the beginning, but much better after about 30 minutes. Not enough food or sleep lately.
pm (:50) Crosslite3. Easy run with Sara at Lemoines again. Stayed in town and planned to go for dinner after, but ended up picking up some frozen Indian food and ate at home. Very nasty night out.
Wed/29 (1:55)
am (1:15) Raceblades. Easy to steady up the north trail to the Sandpit. Trail was very muddy from all the rain. Came back through Paudyn's loop which was in pretty good shape one I got in the woods.
pm (:40) Gazelles. Easy run with Sara to the store to pick up our passports.
Thu/30 (2:09)
am (1:05) Crosslite2. Easy to Steady on Cataraqui Trail West a few minutes past Curl Road. Felt pretty good. Hip stiff at beginning, but seem to loosen up as I ran. Cool, crisp morning. Can smell the snow in the air.
pm (1:04) Skylites. Easy on Cat trail from Yarker, then 30 minute Tempo run from Yarker West on trail to driveway past Curl Rd and back. Felt pretty good. Started out maybe a little too hard, then had to work to hold form on the way back into the wind. It's really great doing workouts/tempos on Cataraqui Trail section between Yarker and Curl Road with the new cinders put down. Very soft and very smooth. I thought that it was the Cataraqui Trail/Cataraqui Conservation Authority that did all the trail work, but noticed a sign on the trail that it was the Lennox & Addington Ridgerunners Snowmobile Club. Good to see. Maybe if we get another good winter of snow, membership fees will be good and they'll be able to do more sections of the trail?
Fri/31 (1:28)
am (1:28) Crosslite3. Beautiful fall day. +9C, no wind. Felt a little tired from tempo last night, but good otherwise. The only thing disappointing about the run was that I ran the north trail up to the Sandpit only to discover that it has been totally fenced in. I tried to go around it, but it's locked up pretty good. Could climb over the fence, but not really worth the effort for just getting a little bit more into the loop. It's not really a big deal and I can understand that they probably don't want ATV's and dirtbikes in there, but it's a little annoying for us runners and wildlife who like to play on the sandhills in mid-run. Can just make it a slightly shorter loop and add on later, but I've been running this same loop for a long time and always enjoyed it. First I get kicked off of the Freeman Road Trails that connect to Cat Trails, and now fenced out of the Sandpit trails. Only solution is to move further into the woods! Thoughts Sara? Other than the sandpit closure, it was a really great run. Added on the Colebrooke Trail loop too which I haven't done in a while. I think I saw the butt-end of a bear running through the high grass, but just caught a quick glimps.
Sat/1 (1:58)
am (1:28) Crosslite3. Nice run with Sara on the north trail to the Colebrooke Trail loop and back through Paudyns. Felt good. Another beautiful fall day.
pm (:30) Zoom Streaks. Ran on grass trails behind our house. Warmed up easy for 10 minutes, then run pulling a tire attached to a rope and bungee for 15mins, then another 5 mins easy. First real pulling run. Heavy going, but will throw in a couple of these runs weekly and gradually increase to get ready for Rock and Ice. Hope the snow comes early as I'd rather be pulling a pulk than a tire.
Sun/2 (2:32)
pm (2:32) Raceblades. Nice run with Sara on Cataraqui Trail West to DND trails, road to Camden East and then back on Cat East home. Felt pretty good. Wrapped up a nice week of training.
Weekly Total = 12:39
__________________________________________________
Mon/27 (:45)
pm (:45) Skylites. Easy run on Cataraqui Trail West with Sara. Still feeling a little tired from the race yesterday.
Tue/28 (1:52)
am (1:02) Crosslite3. Steady run on cinder trails at Lemoines before work. Felt a little weak at the beginning, but much better after about 30 minutes. Not enough food or sleep lately.
pm (:50) Crosslite3. Easy run with Sara at Lemoines again. Stayed in town and planned to go for dinner after, but ended up picking up some frozen Indian food and ate at home. Very nasty night out.
Wed/29 (1:55)
am (1:15) Raceblades. Easy to steady up the north trail to the Sandpit. Trail was very muddy from all the rain. Came back through Paudyn's loop which was in pretty good shape one I got in the woods.
pm (:40) Gazelles. Easy run with Sara to the store to pick up our passports.
Thu/30 (2:09)
am (1:05) Crosslite2. Easy to Steady on Cataraqui Trail West a few minutes past Curl Road. Felt pretty good. Hip stiff at beginning, but seem to loosen up as I ran. Cool, crisp morning. Can smell the snow in the air.
pm (1:04) Skylites. Easy on Cat trail from Yarker, then 30 minute Tempo run from Yarker West on trail to driveway past Curl Rd and back. Felt pretty good. Started out maybe a little too hard, then had to work to hold form on the way back into the wind. It's really great doing workouts/tempos on Cataraqui Trail section between Yarker and Curl Road with the new cinders put down. Very soft and very smooth. I thought that it was the Cataraqui Trail/Cataraqui Conservation Authority that did all the trail work, but noticed a sign on the trail that it was the Lennox & Addington Ridgerunners Snowmobile Club. Good to see. Maybe if we get another good winter of snow, membership fees will be good and they'll be able to do more sections of the trail?
Fri/31 (1:28)
am (1:28) Crosslite3. Beautiful fall day. +9C, no wind. Felt a little tired from tempo last night, but good otherwise. The only thing disappointing about the run was that I ran the north trail up to the Sandpit only to discover that it has been totally fenced in. I tried to go around it, but it's locked up pretty good. Could climb over the fence, but not really worth the effort for just getting a little bit more into the loop. It's not really a big deal and I can understand that they probably don't want ATV's and dirtbikes in there, but it's a little annoying for us runners and wildlife who like to play on the sandhills in mid-run. Can just make it a slightly shorter loop and add on later, but I've been running this same loop for a long time and always enjoyed it. First I get kicked off of the Freeman Road Trails that connect to Cat Trails, and now fenced out of the Sandpit trails. Only solution is to move further into the woods! Thoughts Sara? Other than the sandpit closure, it was a really great run. Added on the Colebrooke Trail loop too which I haven't done in a while. I think I saw the butt-end of a bear running through the high grass, but just caught a quick glimps.
Sat/1 (1:58)
am (1:28) Crosslite3. Nice run with Sara on the north trail to the Colebrooke Trail loop and back through Paudyns. Felt good. Another beautiful fall day.
pm (:30) Zoom Streaks. Ran on grass trails behind our house. Warmed up easy for 10 minutes, then run pulling a tire attached to a rope and bungee for 15mins, then another 5 mins easy. First real pulling run. Heavy going, but will throw in a couple of these runs weekly and gradually increase to get ready for Rock and Ice. Hope the snow comes early as I'd rather be pulling a pulk than a tire.
Sun/2 (2:32)
pm (2:32) Raceblades. Nice run with Sara on Cataraqui Trail West to DND trails, road to Camden East and then back on Cat East home. Felt pretty good. Wrapped up a nice week of training.
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Danny Kassap Fund
http://www.dannykassapfund.com/
Danny Kassap, one of Canada’s finest distance runners, very nearly died last month when he collapsed while running the Berlin Marathon. Now he needs help from the running community to pay for the life-saving medical care that he received while hospitalized in Berlin. If you follow distance running in Canada, you’ve probably heard of Danny Kassap. A native of the Democratic Republic of Congo, he came to Canada as a teenager in 2001 for the Francophone Games. He made a daring escape from the athletes' village, seeking refugee status in Canada on the basis of political persecution.
Meanwhile, Danny found his way to Toronto, and began training with the University of Toronto Track Club. In 2004, he won the first marathon he ever ran in a very impressive time of 2:14:50. For the next several years, he continued to run very fast times on very high mileage, while also working full-time and obtaining his high school equivalency. Danny has never been on any form of social assistance.
After numerous legal setbacks, Danny finally became a landed immigrant in April of this year, and a Canadian citizen in August. As a result, he was finally able to run a race outside of Canada. In April, he traveled to England to run the London Marathon, one of the world’s most prestigious and competitive road races. He finished 15th, just three places behind the reigning Olympic marathon champion Stefano Baldini. In September, he traveled to Berlin to run his first marathon as a Canadian citizen.
For the first several kilometers in Berlin, Danny appeared poised to have another outstanding race. However, near the 5 km mark, disaster struck when Danny suddenly collapsed. A good Samaritan who happened to be in close proximity to him at the time began administering CPR almost immediately, and a paramedic on a motorcycle got to him within a minute. Danny received between 15-19 shocks from a defibrillator, and the paramedics worked on him for 45 minutes before his condition stabilized. He was placed in a medically-induced coma for several days, and remained in a Berlin hospital for over two weeks before he was able to return home to Toronto.
The doctors determined that Danny suffered a “ventricular fibrillation” (an uncoordinated contraction of the cardiac muscle) brought on by myocarditis (an inflammation of the heart), which in turn was caused by a cold virus. Danny will not be able to run for at least the next three months, but doctors are cautiously optimistic that he will make a full recovery.
Danny received outstanding medical care while in Berlin, but it has left him with a crippling debt. Even with OHIP covering a portion of Danny’s medical bills, he still owes $18,000 to the hospital which cared for him, and which discharged him on the undertaking that the amount owing will be paid in a timely manner.
Danny presently works full-time as an assistant manager at the Running Room. Eighteen thousand dollars is a prohibitively large amount for him to have to repay quickly. Danny has been unable to contact his family since coming to Canada, and even if he could, they would be unable to provide him with any financial assistance. However, we are hopeful that Danny’s many friends and well-wishers within the running community will be able to provide him with some measure of support.
Danny’s primary motivation for running the Berlin Marathon was to secure a spot on his first Canadian national team so that he could proudly represent Canada at next summer’s World Championships. Danny has made a tremendous contribution to the Canadian running community since arriving here more than seven years ago, and now is our chance to return the favour.
Should you wish to make a donation to help cover the cost of Danny’s medical expenses, , please go to the following link… http://www.dannykassapfund.com/
Danny Kassap, one of Canada’s finest distance runners, very nearly died last month when he collapsed while running the Berlin Marathon. Now he needs help from the running community to pay for the life-saving medical care that he received while hospitalized in Berlin. If you follow distance running in Canada, you’ve probably heard of Danny Kassap. A native of the Democratic Republic of Congo, he came to Canada as a teenager in 2001 for the Francophone Games. He made a daring escape from the athletes' village, seeking refugee status in Canada on the basis of political persecution.
Meanwhile, Danny found his way to Toronto, and began training with the University of Toronto Track Club. In 2004, he won the first marathon he ever ran in a very impressive time of 2:14:50. For the next several years, he continued to run very fast times on very high mileage, while also working full-time and obtaining his high school equivalency. Danny has never been on any form of social assistance.
After numerous legal setbacks, Danny finally became a landed immigrant in April of this year, and a Canadian citizen in August. As a result, he was finally able to run a race outside of Canada. In April, he traveled to England to run the London Marathon, one of the world’s most prestigious and competitive road races. He finished 15th, just three places behind the reigning Olympic marathon champion Stefano Baldini. In September, he traveled to Berlin to run his first marathon as a Canadian citizen.
For the first several kilometers in Berlin, Danny appeared poised to have another outstanding race. However, near the 5 km mark, disaster struck when Danny suddenly collapsed. A good Samaritan who happened to be in close proximity to him at the time began administering CPR almost immediately, and a paramedic on a motorcycle got to him within a minute. Danny received between 15-19 shocks from a defibrillator, and the paramedics worked on him for 45 minutes before his condition stabilized. He was placed in a medically-induced coma for several days, and remained in a Berlin hospital for over two weeks before he was able to return home to Toronto.
The doctors determined that Danny suffered a “ventricular fibrillation” (an uncoordinated contraction of the cardiac muscle) brought on by myocarditis (an inflammation of the heart), which in turn was caused by a cold virus. Danny will not be able to run for at least the next three months, but doctors are cautiously optimistic that he will make a full recovery.
Danny received outstanding medical care while in Berlin, but it has left him with a crippling debt. Even with OHIP covering a portion of Danny’s medical bills, he still owes $18,000 to the hospital which cared for him, and which discharged him on the undertaking that the amount owing will be paid in a timely manner.
Danny presently works full-time as an assistant manager at the Running Room. Eighteen thousand dollars is a prohibitively large amount for him to have to repay quickly. Danny has been unable to contact his family since coming to Canada, and even if he could, they would be unable to provide him with any financial assistance. However, we are hopeful that Danny’s many friends and well-wishers within the running community will be able to provide him with some measure of support.
Danny’s primary motivation for running the Berlin Marathon was to secure a spot on his first Canadian national team so that he could proudly represent Canada at next summer’s World Championships. Danny has made a tremendous contribution to the Canadian running community since arriving here more than seven years ago, and now is our chance to return the favour.
Should you wish to make a donation to help cover the cost of Danny’s medical expenses, , please go to the following link… http://www.dannykassapfund.com/
Oct 20 - 26 (9:43)
Good week of training early on before having to take it easy on the weekend race directing the Sydenham Fall 8km. Feeling better each day and hip continues to improve.
Weekly Running Total = 9:43
Mon/20 (1:40)
am (1:10) Crosslight3. Felt pretty good after run yesterday. Ran north trail to Sandpit. Hip a little tight near the end, but feeling much better.
pm (:30) Slingshots. Easy run on our grass trail with Siku.
Tue/21 (2:06)
am (1:00) Skylites. Easy run on cinder trails at Lemoines before weekly Running Room shift. Was a little hungry as didn't have much breakfast before. Felt pretty good. Running a tempo tonight, so stopped a little early. Just missed all the rain which makes me happy.
pm (1:06) Skylites. Including 30 min tempo run on Cataraqui Trail West. Trail was great after dark with all the new trail work and fresh cinders put down. Felt quite good and ran even paced for entire workout. Pretty cool night out.
Wed/22 (1:47)
am (1:17) Crosslight3. Nice run out Cataraqui Trail West to grass hill past curl road. Felt surprisingly good after tempo yesterday. Hip a little tight, but not bad. Cool morning.
pm (:30) Raceblades. Easy run with Sara, Siku, Meela and Jesse on Cat Trail East. Felt good. Dogs had a blast.
Thu/23 (1:57)
am (1:27) Crosslite2. Steady run on K&P Trail from Sydenham Road south of 401 to Rideau Trail turnoff, just past Burr Brooke, then took Rideau Trail to Unity Road, West 10min, then back on K&P. Good loop. Felt really good. Cool morning. Rideau Tr section was quite nice.
pm (:30) Raceblades. Easy with Sara on Cataraqui Trail West. Legs felt good. Hip a little stiff, but feeling better when running.
Fri/24 (1:32)
am (:46) Crosslite3. Easy run on north trail.
pm (:46) Skylites. Steady run with Dylan on Cataraqui Trail West. Felt pretty good. Hip coming around.
Sat/25 (:20)
am (:20) Skylites. Easy run on grass trail. Very busy getting ready for Sydenham Fall 8km tomorrow.
Sun/26 (:21)
pm (:21) Skylites. Easy on Cat Trail West. Very busy day race directing Sydenham Fall 8km. Race went well. 230 registered. We hit a window of good weather for the race too. Results are posted at http://www.healthandadventure.com/
Weekly Running Total = 9:43
Mon/20 (1:40)
am (1:10) Crosslight3. Felt pretty good after run yesterday. Ran north trail to Sandpit. Hip a little tight near the end, but feeling much better.
pm (:30) Slingshots. Easy run on our grass trail with Siku.
Tue/21 (2:06)
am (1:00) Skylites. Easy run on cinder trails at Lemoines before weekly Running Room shift. Was a little hungry as didn't have much breakfast before. Felt pretty good. Running a tempo tonight, so stopped a little early. Just missed all the rain which makes me happy.
pm (1:06) Skylites. Including 30 min tempo run on Cataraqui Trail West. Trail was great after dark with all the new trail work and fresh cinders put down. Felt quite good and ran even paced for entire workout. Pretty cool night out.
Wed/22 (1:47)
am (1:17) Crosslight3. Nice run out Cataraqui Trail West to grass hill past curl road. Felt surprisingly good after tempo yesterday. Hip a little tight, but not bad. Cool morning.
pm (:30) Raceblades. Easy run with Sara, Siku, Meela and Jesse on Cat Trail East. Felt good. Dogs had a blast.
Thu/23 (1:57)
am (1:27) Crosslite2. Steady run on K&P Trail from Sydenham Road south of 401 to Rideau Trail turnoff, just past Burr Brooke, then took Rideau Trail to Unity Road, West 10min, then back on K&P. Good loop. Felt really good. Cool morning. Rideau Tr section was quite nice.
pm (:30) Raceblades. Easy with Sara on Cataraqui Trail West. Legs felt good. Hip a little stiff, but feeling better when running.
Fri/24 (1:32)
am (:46) Crosslite3. Easy run on north trail.
pm (:46) Skylites. Steady run with Dylan on Cataraqui Trail West. Felt pretty good. Hip coming around.
Sat/25 (:20)
am (:20) Skylites. Easy run on grass trail. Very busy getting ready for Sydenham Fall 8km tomorrow.
Sun/26 (:21)
pm (:21) Skylites. Easy on Cat Trail West. Very busy day race directing Sydenham Fall 8km. Race went well. 230 registered. We hit a window of good weather for the race too. Results are posted at http://www.healthandadventure.com/
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Rock and Ice Ultra
I am very excited to have found out that I will be running in the 2009 Rock and Ice Ultra in Yellowknife next March.I will be competing in the Diamond Ultra (225km/6 stage/6 day race). Participants are required to run while pulling all of their supplies in a pulk (sled) and then sleep in tents on the trail each night. Last year I competed in the K-Rock Ultra (135km/3 stage/3 day race) where we were able to have our overnight and any extra gear shuttled between stage camps. Diamonds valued at $6,000 will be awarded to the first place male and female finishers.
I really can’t wait for this race as I’ve thought about it so much, while learning a great deal about the event from last March. I feel as though I have a pretty good idea of what I need to do to fully prepare for this…both training and gear wise.
Most of the little nagging aches and pains since Haliburton have been left behind now and I’m slowly getting back into full training again. One of the things I’ve been looking into a great deal recently has been how to build a pulk. I’m hoping to build my own and plan to start training with it as much as possible once the snow flies. I fully expect this will be the toughest race I have ever run, but I'm really looking forward to it. Should be fun!
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Oct 1 - 19 (11:09)
Pretty good week of training. Started out with a solid workout on Monday, followed by a few good days, before cutting back a little. Bit of a sore hip from driving to Toronto with my wallet in my back hip pocket (stupid!). Felt better each day though. Feels good getting some longer runs in again. Look forward to increasing further.
Weekly total = 11:09
Mon/13 (2:00)
am (1:23) Gazelle. Great hilly tempo run on Everest Lane (actually called Everett Lane, but Everest seems more appropriate). First day using this road and is an awesome spot for a hilly tempo. Some really good climbs, but also sections where you can open it up. Ran 40 minutes of tempo in the middle of run. Will be great as we can start from Gould Lake Barn and get in an hour or more if we want to. Really great find. Looking forward to getting back out there. (Ab w/o).
pm (:37) Skylites. Easy run with Sara on Cataraqui Trail East. Also, picked up my new training partner for Rock and Ice...an old car tire. Attached a rope to my waist pack and ran while pulling it back to the car. Will be starting to add some runs in while pulling a tire behind me to get ready for the pulk. Good fun!
Tue/14 (1:53)
am (1:10) Gazelles. Easy run at Lemoines before work. Was a little tired getting going, but felt pretty good after about 40 minutes. Nice morning.
pm (:43) Crosslite3. Easy run to polling station to vote (Go Greens!). Legs a little tired from the past few days.
Wed/15 (2:01)
am (1:16) Crosslite3. Nice run up north trail and a loop of the Sandpit. Beautiful morning with a cool breeze. Legs felt much better once I got going. Everything great (except that Harper got elected).
pm (:45) Skylites. Easy run on Cataraqui Trail West with Sara. Legs a little tired tonight, but not bad.
Thu/16 (:40)
pm (:40) Raceblades. Easy run on Cataraqui West Trail w/Sara. Took today as a recovery day and just ran once. Drove to Toronto for a meeting with Canadian Running Magazine. Interesting meeting brainstorming ideas for their April Trail Running Issue. Picked up a pair of running snowshoes to review for January issue as well. Enjoyed the trip to Toronto, but wouldn't want to live there. Good to get home and out for a run. Was going to stop part way home and run, but just wanted to get back as soon as I could. Sara had done a track workout earlier, so was nice to get out for an easy run with her on her pm run.
Fri/16 (1:40)
am (1:20) Crosslite2. Easy run along Cat Trail West to grass hill past curl road. Beautiful crisp morning out. Felt a little sluggish, so went a little shorter than I had originally planned.
pm (:20) Frees. Easy run on our grass trail with Sara, Siku and Jesse. Right hip a little sore from drive yesterday, so took it easy.
Sat/17 (:40)
pm (:40) Raceblades. Easy run with Sara on Cat Trail West. Hip still a bit sore, but better than yesterday.
Sun/18 (2:15)
pm (2:15) Raceblades. Great run at Frontenac Park with Sara. Beautiful day out. Sunny, cool and still some good colours on the trees. Ran Big Salmon Lake Loop from Parking lot. Footing tough on the south shore with lots of leaves covering the rocks and roots. Hip felt better today. Heartrate was already high before even starting to run....On the way to the park, a kid drove an ATV out onto the road from a driveway without looking, forcing us to hit the brakes hard to avoid hitting him. Crazy!!! The kid must have been about 6 yrs old. The parents were following along behind the kid in their ATV. If they'd given the kid a shotgun and a case of Budweiser, the ATV lesson would have been complete. Just another reason why ATV's suck, and kids should not be allowed to drive them. Felt a little shaken after. Was good to get into the woods.
Weekly total = 11:09
Mon/13 (2:00)
am (1:23) Gazelle. Great hilly tempo run on Everest Lane (actually called Everett Lane, but Everest seems more appropriate). First day using this road and is an awesome spot for a hilly tempo. Some really good climbs, but also sections where you can open it up. Ran 40 minutes of tempo in the middle of run. Will be great as we can start from Gould Lake Barn and get in an hour or more if we want to. Really great find. Looking forward to getting back out there. (Ab w/o).
pm (:37) Skylites. Easy run with Sara on Cataraqui Trail East. Also, picked up my new training partner for Rock and Ice...an old car tire. Attached a rope to my waist pack and ran while pulling it back to the car. Will be starting to add some runs in while pulling a tire behind me to get ready for the pulk. Good fun!
Tue/14 (1:53)
am (1:10) Gazelles. Easy run at Lemoines before work. Was a little tired getting going, but felt pretty good after about 40 minutes. Nice morning.
pm (:43) Crosslite3. Easy run to polling station to vote (Go Greens!). Legs a little tired from the past few days.
Wed/15 (2:01)
am (1:16) Crosslite3. Nice run up north trail and a loop of the Sandpit. Beautiful morning with a cool breeze. Legs felt much better once I got going. Everything great (except that Harper got elected).
pm (:45) Skylites. Easy run on Cataraqui Trail West with Sara. Legs a little tired tonight, but not bad.
Thu/16 (:40)
pm (:40) Raceblades. Easy run on Cataraqui West Trail w/Sara. Took today as a recovery day and just ran once. Drove to Toronto for a meeting with Canadian Running Magazine. Interesting meeting brainstorming ideas for their April Trail Running Issue. Picked up a pair of running snowshoes to review for January issue as well. Enjoyed the trip to Toronto, but wouldn't want to live there. Good to get home and out for a run. Was going to stop part way home and run, but just wanted to get back as soon as I could. Sara had done a track workout earlier, so was nice to get out for an easy run with her on her pm run.
Fri/16 (1:40)
am (1:20) Crosslite2. Easy run along Cat Trail West to grass hill past curl road. Beautiful crisp morning out. Felt a little sluggish, so went a little shorter than I had originally planned.
pm (:20) Frees. Easy run on our grass trail with Sara, Siku and Jesse. Right hip a little sore from drive yesterday, so took it easy.
Sat/17 (:40)
pm (:40) Raceblades. Easy run with Sara on Cat Trail West. Hip still a bit sore, but better than yesterday.
Sun/18 (2:15)
pm (2:15) Raceblades. Great run at Frontenac Park with Sara. Beautiful day out. Sunny, cool and still some good colours on the trees. Ran Big Salmon Lake Loop from Parking lot. Footing tough on the south shore with lots of leaves covering the rocks and roots. Hip felt better today. Heartrate was already high before even starting to run....On the way to the park, a kid drove an ATV out onto the road from a driveway without looking, forcing us to hit the brakes hard to avoid hitting him. Crazy!!! The kid must have been about 6 yrs old. The parents were following along behind the kid in their ATV. If they'd given the kid a shotgun and a case of Budweiser, the ATV lesson would have been complete. Just another reason why ATV's suck, and kids should not be allowed to drive them. Felt a little shaken after. Was good to get into the woods.
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Oct 6 - 12 (10:40)
Great week of training. Feels so good to get back into more mileage again. Felt pretty sluggish early in the week, but much better as the week progressed. Knee is getting better each day. Still a little weak, but improving.
Weekly total = 10:40
Mon/6 (1:34)
am (1:34) Crosslite3. Nice trail run at Frontenac Park with Aaron. Ran Arkon Loop from Trail Centre. Longest run since Haliburton and really pleased how knee felt. A little bit of stiffness near the end, but not bad. Beautiful day out. Was great to get back into Frontenac. Can't wait to increase more this week and aim to get a longer run in by the weekend too. Fall colours are amazing.
Tue/7 (:40)
pm (:40) Skylites. Nice run with Siku on Cataraqui Trail W. Ran with her in harness and bungeed to my waist. She continues to be timid on the way out, but pulls hard on the way back. Big negative splits. Fun run. Looking forward to the snow and hooking her up with the rest of the dogteam.
Wed/8 (1:42)
am (1:12) Crosslite3. Great run up the north trail with a loop of the Sandpit. Knee feeling good. Body a little tired from increasing a bit this week though. Was strange....just as I was on my way back towards Yarker I came across a handmade sign on the trail saying 'Don't Stop Believing'. Have no idea why it was there, who is was there for or who made it, but took it as a sign from the Running Gawds that it was time to start cranking up my training again. The last couple miles ended up being a little quicker than planned because of this.
pm (:30) Skylites. Easy run with Sara and Siku on Cat Trail East. Legs tired, but good to be back at it.
Thu/9 (1:32)
am (1:02) Raceblades. Beautiful sunny fall day. Ran Cat Trail W to Curl road. Legs a little tired, but may be trying to run a little too quickly right now for current level of fitness.
pm (:30) Raceblades. Nice relaxed afternoon run with Sara, Siku and Neeka on Cat Trail East. Legs felt very refreshed after.
Fri/10 (1:32)
am (1:02) Crosslite2. Nice run on Cat trail west. Same run, same distance as yesterday, but felt so much better. More energy. Knee at 95% right now, the only thing is still a little bit of weakness there, but much better than it has been.
pm (:34) Fireblades. Ran McKeown trails and Hunt Camp with Sara before going to get groceries in Napanee. Beautiful run with all the fall colours along the escarpment. Really miss those trails.
Sat/11 (2:12) Crosslite2. Great run at Frontenac Park with Sara. Ran from Big Salmon Parking, Little Clear Lake Loop, through Moulton Gorge and back on Arkon East. Beautiful colours in the park. Was good to be out a little longer again. A little depleted from not enough food, but good.
Sun/12 (1:28)
am (:20) Skylites. Easy on grass home trail with Sara and Siku.
pm (1:08) Gazelle. North trail to Sandpit. Felt very good once I got going. Should have worn trail shoes as ATV butchered muddy spots on trails this weekend.
Weekly total = 10:40
Mon/6 (1:34)
am (1:34) Crosslite3. Nice trail run at Frontenac Park with Aaron. Ran Arkon Loop from Trail Centre. Longest run since Haliburton and really pleased how knee felt. A little bit of stiffness near the end, but not bad. Beautiful day out. Was great to get back into Frontenac. Can't wait to increase more this week and aim to get a longer run in by the weekend too. Fall colours are amazing.
Tue/7 (:40)
pm (:40) Skylites. Nice run with Siku on Cataraqui Trail W. Ran with her in harness and bungeed to my waist. She continues to be timid on the way out, but pulls hard on the way back. Big negative splits. Fun run. Looking forward to the snow and hooking her up with the rest of the dogteam.
Wed/8 (1:42)
am (1:12) Crosslite3. Great run up the north trail with a loop of the Sandpit. Knee feeling good. Body a little tired from increasing a bit this week though. Was strange....just as I was on my way back towards Yarker I came across a handmade sign on the trail saying 'Don't Stop Believing'. Have no idea why it was there, who is was there for or who made it, but took it as a sign from the Running Gawds that it was time to start cranking up my training again. The last couple miles ended up being a little quicker than planned because of this.
pm (:30) Skylites. Easy run with Sara and Siku on Cat Trail East. Legs tired, but good to be back at it.
Thu/9 (1:32)
am (1:02) Raceblades. Beautiful sunny fall day. Ran Cat Trail W to Curl road. Legs a little tired, but may be trying to run a little too quickly right now for current level of fitness.
pm (:30) Raceblades. Nice relaxed afternoon run with Sara, Siku and Neeka on Cat Trail East. Legs felt very refreshed after.
Fri/10 (1:32)
am (1:02) Crosslite2. Nice run on Cat trail west. Same run, same distance as yesterday, but felt so much better. More energy. Knee at 95% right now, the only thing is still a little bit of weakness there, but much better than it has been.
pm (:34) Fireblades. Ran McKeown trails and Hunt Camp with Sara before going to get groceries in Napanee. Beautiful run with all the fall colours along the escarpment. Really miss those trails.
Sat/11 (2:12) Crosslite2. Great run at Frontenac Park with Sara. Ran from Big Salmon Parking, Little Clear Lake Loop, through Moulton Gorge and back on Arkon East. Beautiful colours in the park. Was good to be out a little longer again. A little depleted from not enough food, but good.
Sun/12 (1:28)
am (:20) Skylites. Easy on grass home trail with Sara and Siku.
pm (1:08) Gazelle. North trail to Sandpit. Felt very good once I got going. Should have worn trail shoes as ATV butchered muddy spots on trails this weekend.
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Sept 29 - Oct 5 (6:13)
Have continued to improve all week and feeling much better. Knee is getting stronger each day. Two laser treatments this week really helped at Napanee Chiropractic. Looking forward to increasing further next week. Planning a 90' trail run with Aaron at Front. Pk on Monday. Probably Arkon. Looking forward to getting back in the park.
Weekly total = 6:13
Mon/29 (:45) Skylites. Steady on Cat Trail West with Sara. Knee stiffened up a little at the end but good otherwise. Went in for laser treatment today, so a little achy afterwards.
Tue/30 (:31) Skylites. Easy with Sara, Siku and Meela on Cat Trail East. Knee feeling pretty good after laser yesterday.
Wed/1 (:40) Crosslite3. Easy on Cat trail West with Sara. Felt pretty good today. Knee seems to be improving. Less pain, just a little weak still.
Thu/2 (1:03) Crosslites3. Ahhhhh, finally. Tested my knee a little more today and felt great. Ran steady on Cat Trail West to Curl Road. Ran a little harder than I had planned, but felt so good to be out there. Felt knee tighten a little at 50mins, but no pain. Laser treatment a couple of hours after the run.
Fri/3 (1:02)
am (:21) Raceblades. Easy with Siku on Cat Trail West. Felt good. Quads a little sore from running harder yesterday, but knee good. A little bit of weakness in the area, but very good otherwise.
pm (:41) Crosslite2. Easy with Sara on north trail towards Sandpit. Legs a little tired, but knee good. Feels like it's getting stronger and can push off harder now.
Sat/4 (1:12)
am (:21) Gazelles. Easy with Siku on Freeman Trail to river. Felt good. Siku's first run in harness. Didn't pull too hard.
pm (:51) Crosslite3. Easy to Steady on north trail to Sandpit with Sara, then steady on the way back. Felt really good. Knee getting much stronger.
Sun/5 (1:00)
pm (1:00) Crosslite3. Easy on Paudyn loop with Sara, then Cat E to boundary. Felt good, but a litle tired. Knee continues to feel better.
Weekly total = 6:13
Mon/29 (:45) Skylites. Steady on Cat Trail West with Sara. Knee stiffened up a little at the end but good otherwise. Went in for laser treatment today, so a little achy afterwards.
Tue/30 (:31) Skylites. Easy with Sara, Siku and Meela on Cat Trail East. Knee feeling pretty good after laser yesterday.
Wed/1 (:40) Crosslite3. Easy on Cat trail West with Sara. Felt pretty good today. Knee seems to be improving. Less pain, just a little weak still.
Thu/2 (1:03) Crosslites3. Ahhhhh, finally. Tested my knee a little more today and felt great. Ran steady on Cat Trail West to Curl Road. Ran a little harder than I had planned, but felt so good to be out there. Felt knee tighten a little at 50mins, but no pain. Laser treatment a couple of hours after the run.
Fri/3 (1:02)
am (:21) Raceblades. Easy with Siku on Cat Trail West. Felt good. Quads a little sore from running harder yesterday, but knee good. A little bit of weakness in the area, but very good otherwise.
pm (:41) Crosslite2. Easy with Sara on north trail towards Sandpit. Legs a little tired, but knee good. Feels like it's getting stronger and can push off harder now.
Sat/4 (1:12)
am (:21) Gazelles. Easy with Siku on Freeman Trail to river. Felt good. Siku's first run in harness. Didn't pull too hard.
pm (:51) Crosslite3. Easy to Steady on north trail to Sandpit with Sara, then steady on the way back. Felt really good. Knee getting much stronger.
Sun/5 (1:00)
pm (1:00) Crosslite3. Easy on Paudyn loop with Sara, then Cat E to boundary. Felt good, but a litle tired. Knee continues to feel better.
Monday, September 29, 2008
Sept 22 - 28 (2:51)
Felt great to get back to running a little more on the weekend. Knee slowly improved as the week progressed. At the point now where I can open up my stride a little more and run harder with just the slight feeling of discomfort and weakness. Went in to see Dr. Scot Mundle at Napanee Chiropractic and Laser Clinic today (Sept 29) and he felt it was a slight MCL tear. Getting laser treatments this week, which should help speed up the healing.
Week Ending Total = 2:51
Mon/22 (:20) Skylites. Easy on grass trail. Knee still sore if I try to open my stride up and run any faster.
Tue/23 (:20) Skylites. Easy on grass trail.
Wed/24 (:20) Skylites. Easy on grass trail. Knee seemed a little better today.
Thu/25 (:20) Skylites. Easy on grass trail. More just stiffness in knee today and was able to run faster. Will continue to take it easy for the rest of the week, but feeling encouraged.
Fri/26 (:20) Frees. Easy on grass trail. Knee felt about the same as yesterday.
Sat/27 (:30) Skylites. Easy on Cat Trail East w/Sara, Siku and Jesse. Knee felt good. A little stiffness at about halfway. Ran 4x strides and felt very comfortable. See how it feels tomorrow, but will probably try a little longer run.
Sun/28 (:41) Skylites. Easy on Cat West trail with Sara and Siku. Felt good to be out a little longer today. Knee slowly improving. Very nice day. Was surprised to see that there has been some trail maintenance on the section of Cataraqui Trail west of Yarker between the skidoo club and Curl Road. They've graded the trail and put lots of cinders down. It seems very soft right now. Will be nice when it gets packed down a little. Hopefully, all the rednecks on ATV's don't get on it and ruin it.
Week Ending Total = 2:51
Mon/22 (:20) Skylites. Easy on grass trail. Knee still sore if I try to open my stride up and run any faster.
Tue/23 (:20) Skylites. Easy on grass trail.
Wed/24 (:20) Skylites. Easy on grass trail. Knee seemed a little better today.
Thu/25 (:20) Skylites. Easy on grass trail. More just stiffness in knee today and was able to run faster. Will continue to take it easy for the rest of the week, but feeling encouraged.
Fri/26 (:20) Frees. Easy on grass trail. Knee felt about the same as yesterday.
Sat/27 (:30) Skylites. Easy on Cat Trail East w/Sara, Siku and Jesse. Knee felt good. A little stiffness at about halfway. Ran 4x strides and felt very comfortable. See how it feels tomorrow, but will probably try a little longer run.
Sun/28 (:41) Skylites. Easy on Cat West trail with Sara and Siku. Felt good to be out a little longer today. Knee slowly improving. Very nice day. Was surprised to see that there has been some trail maintenance on the section of Cataraqui Trail west of Yarker between the skidoo club and Curl Road. They've graded the trail and put lots of cinders down. It seems very soft right now. Will be nice when it gets packed down a little. Hopefully, all the rednecks on ATV's don't get on it and ruin it.
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Sept 15 - 21 (2:23)
Mon/15 (:20) Skylites. Legs a little better. Knee still pretty sore.
Tue/16 (:21) Skylites. Easy on Cat E w/Sara. Not fair, Sara is feeling back to normal and increasing her running and I still feel like crap! Knee still pretty tight and sore. Will give it until next week before starting to worry and going to get it checked.
Wed/17 (:21) Skylites. Easy on our grass trail. Feeling a little more energy coming back, but still sluggish. Knee might be a little better.
Thu/18 (:20) Skylites. Easy on grass. Legs a little better, but knee still pretty sore.
Fri/19 (:20) Skylites. Easy on grass. Camping in Adirondacks until Sunday.
Sat/20 (:20) Skylites. Easy run at Heart Lake in Adirondacks. Also hiked for a couple of hours up Mt Jo with Brennan, Heather and Sara. Knee was hurting a bit.
Sun/21 (:21) Skylites. Easy on grass. Knee seemed maybe a little better today.Spent some time massaging it and may have helped. Continuing it ice post run too.
Weekly Total = 2:23
~ Physically I started feeling a little better on Friday. Earlier in the week still felt like I was fighting the flu, but have felt that way since the race so just my body being weak. Nice to be finally feeling a little more normal again. Just amazed that some people were racing the following weekend or two weeks after a 100 miler. I expect that I will recover quicker next time, Knee is the biggest concern now. Pleased with how it felt on Sunday and hope that the next few days it continues to improve further. Good time to take the extra recovery now I suppose, even though I can't stand it.
Tue/16 (:21) Skylites. Easy on Cat E w/Sara. Not fair, Sara is feeling back to normal and increasing her running and I still feel like crap! Knee still pretty tight and sore. Will give it until next week before starting to worry and going to get it checked.
Wed/17 (:21) Skylites. Easy on our grass trail. Feeling a little more energy coming back, but still sluggish. Knee might be a little better.
Thu/18 (:20) Skylites. Easy on grass. Legs a little better, but knee still pretty sore.
Fri/19 (:20) Skylites. Easy on grass. Camping in Adirondacks until Sunday.
Sat/20 (:20) Skylites. Easy run at Heart Lake in Adirondacks. Also hiked for a couple of hours up Mt Jo with Brennan, Heather and Sara. Knee was hurting a bit.
Sun/21 (:21) Skylites. Easy on grass. Knee seemed maybe a little better today.Spent some time massaging it and may have helped. Continuing it ice post run too.
Weekly Total = 2:23
~ Physically I started feeling a little better on Friday. Earlier in the week still felt like I was fighting the flu, but have felt that way since the race so just my body being weak. Nice to be finally feeling a little more normal again. Just amazed that some people were racing the following weekend or two weeks after a 100 miler. I expect that I will recover quicker next time, Knee is the biggest concern now. Pleased with how it felt on Sunday and hope that the next few days it continues to improve further. Good time to take the extra recovery now I suppose, even though I can't stand it.
Sept 8 - 14 (2:22)
Mon/8 (:20) Gazelles. Very sore, very ugly run on our grass trail. Left knee (medial), pretty sore from when I fell hard in the last 6 miles of race.
Tue/9 (:20) Skylites. Still sore and probably uglier run than even yesterday.
Wed/10 (:21) Skylites. Ok, my legs are still knackered!
Thu/11 (:20) Skylites. Not much of an appetite and still feeling pretty rough.
Fri/12 (:20) Skylites. Feeling a little better today, though legs still quite sore.
Sat/13 (:20) Skylites. Easy on grass. Legs felt a little bit better today. Still very sore though.
Sun/14 (:21) Zoom Str. Knee a little bit better today.
Weekly Total = 2:22
~ Legs still very much pooched! No energy and still some stiffness. Overall body fatigued too. Knee is still very sore.
Tue/9 (:20) Skylites. Still sore and probably uglier run than even yesterday.
Wed/10 (:21) Skylites. Ok, my legs are still knackered!
Thu/11 (:20) Skylites. Not much of an appetite and still feeling pretty rough.
Fri/12 (:20) Skylites. Feeling a little better today, though legs still quite sore.
Sat/13 (:20) Skylites. Easy on grass. Legs felt a little bit better today. Still very sore though.
Sun/14 (:21) Zoom Str. Knee a little bit better today.
Weekly Total = 2:22
~ Legs still very much pooched! No energy and still some stiffness. Overall body fatigued too. Knee is still very sore.
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Haliburton Forest 100 miler
The Haliburton Forest 100 mile Trail Run took place on Saturday, September 6, 2008. This was my first attempt at running a 100mile race.I was a little nervous going into this race, but felt well prepared having had a solid year of training, in addition to a strong base built from 2007. The experience of having run a couple of 50milers last year, in addition to Rock and Ice this year, helped to give me confidence. I’ve also run Haliburton twice before (50km in 2004 & 50 mile in 2007). This was a big help in knowing the trails and what to expect and plan for in the training leading up to it and on race day. Personally, I don’t think that I would have wanted to try to run my first 100 at Haliburton if I hadn’t known the trails well beforehand.
Haliburton Forest is a private wildlife preserve located on the west side of Algonquin Park. It is home to lots of deer, moose, bears and wolves as was evident by all being spotted during the race. The trails there are simply gorgeous.
On race morning, a bagpiper paraded us to the start line for the 6am start as if we were going off to battle. Nice touch. It was still quite dark, so I was happy to be using the Petzl E+lite headlamp for the first 30 minutes or so, even though we began on a sand packed road. It was great to be finally moving even though I knew it was going to be a very long day. I settled into a comfortable pace and it was really nice as Sara and I ended up running together for some of the early miles. It almost seemed like one of our weekly long runs at times because of this.
The 100 mile course was a double out and back course, so we had to run the entire route twice. It was great early on because there were many people running the 50km and 50mile race on the same route.
My number one goal for the race was to finish, so I had planned on trying to take things pretty easy early on. I was surprised to meet up with Jeff Simpkins fairly early into the race. We ran together for a few minutes before he said he wasn’t feeling well, and decided to back off a little in the hopes of feeling better later. I was also surprised when Jeff said that the only other person in the 100 miler in front of us was Jim Orr.
I have a great deal of respect for Jeff Simpkins, Jim Orr, Jim Morrison, Laurie McGrath, Theresa McGrath and Keith Peters, and all of the excellent 100mile races they have done between them. I told myself that I did not want to go out too fast and would prefer to be behind all of them in the early miles and wait to see how I felt.
Coming up to the 25 mile point turnaround, I saw Jim on his way back, so I hoped that I wasn’t too far to the turn. It was nice to get the first turn around on the day out of the way. I had placed drop bags at 12km, 25km and 40km, so got to pass them all at least twice to re-supply with extra gear and food if needed. This was in addition to the seven well stocked aid stations that were on the course.
Since 100 miles is such a long way to go, I took splits on my watch every 25 miles and just focused on that smaller period of time instead of the big picture. I found this very helpful in keeping things in perspective and being able to chip away at these smaller chunks instead of thinking about how far I still had to go.
It was around 40 miles that I ended up spotting the race leader, Jim Orr, just up ahead. I was a little reluctant to pass him at this point as I really wasn’t 100% sure about the proper pace that I should be running for my main goal of being able to finish. I was feeling comfortable though and decided to just run at my own pace for as long as I could, so passed Jim shortly after that.
The remainder of the first 50 miles was uneventful, with just the
focus being on running as relaxed as possible, and doing all the small things to stay hydrated and well fueled. I felt a slight bit of temporary panic when I passed the 50mile point and turned around to head back out for the last 50. I checked my watch and was a little startled to see that my first 50 miles was done in 8:21, which was about 5 minutes faster than I did for just the 50 miler alone last year. I knew that I was in better shape this year, but it was still a little unnerving to think of what the last half had in store for me.I was very fortunate for the last half of the race as Sara was going to be able to crew for me, which would be a big help. Sara ran, and won, the women’s 50km for the third time in a very solid race. She didn’t even stick around for her awards ceremony, but came back out onto the course to help me out. This was going to be huge for me as I was going to be getting to the point where it would be a lot more difficult to do things for myself at the aid stations.
While 80% of the course is on technical trails, the other 20% is on forest road, so Sara was able to drive out to the checkpoints and help me. My goal was to make it to the 75 mile point before it got dark. I really wanted to run the least amount of challenging trail after dark as possible.
It was a huge psychological boost to get to 75 miles and know that you were on your way home, even though it was still 25 miles. Things continued to go well, and I had to keep playing little mind games and break the race down to just lots of small races from checkpoint to checkpoint. I had picked up my headlamp at an earlier aid station and was really pleased with the way they worked. I wore the Petzl Myo XP on my head, and the Petzl Tikka XP on a belt attachment around my waist. The trail was well lit and I just needed to keep moving now.
I did find it very tough getting from 75-85 miles as I was really dreading the Black Creek Trail. This is a boggy section that has a lot of logs laid down crosswise, almost acting like a floating bridge, I expect during the wet seasons. I had broken my ankle a few years ago and was very cautious in trying to get through this part in one piece. Doing it after dark seemed like it was going to be that much more difficult. Once again, I was very happy to get through this section and make it to the 85 mile point. Sara met me here and gave me a few sips of soup broth. I didn’t think I wanted it, but it really hit the spot and was a nice change from all the gels, clif bloks and liquid fuel I had been taking.
Sara told me that I looked the most out of it at the next aid station (about 88 miles). I had just taken a couple of falls and had gone about 100meters past where I was suppose to turn, so had to backtrack a little. It wasn’t a big deal, but I was getting a little confused and was struggling the most through this section. I was happy to get to finally make it to the next checkpoint and know that I only had one loop of MacDonald Lake to go and that I was going to finish.
Pacers are allowed to run with 100 mile participants after dark for safety reasons. Even though Sara had already raced her 50km early, she was ready to run the section from 92-98 miles with me. While I knew that I could probably get around this on my own, it was very comforting to have Sara there with me. In fact, it was wonderful to share this experience with her since we have done so much of our training together. Through the final trail section of Normac, Sara got to witness another couple of finer moments of my race. First I took my worst fall of the day, and second I puked a solid stream of vomit on a tree right at shoulder height.
The end was getting much closer now and the goal was just trying to hold it together and finish in one piece. We were now back on the forest road, so finally the footing wasn’t an issue anymore.
Making it to the final aid station at about mile 98 was a great feeling. Sara stopped here to let me run the last bit in on my own. One more nasty hill to get past then a long straightaway to the finish line. The sight of Sara flashing her headlamp from the finish line was such a welcome and warming sight. I finally made it across the line.
I found it interesting when I crossed the finish line that my time of 18:42:02 didn’t really mean that much to me. It was more the fact that I had just completed a 100 mile footrace. The thoughts, memories and emotions of the day keep coming back to me and I will probably remember a ton of things that I have left out of this write-up. However, I will never forget the deep down feeling of what it’s like to run 100miles in the beautiful trails of the Haliburton Forest.Thank you very much to Race Director Helen Malmberg and her wonderful crew of volunteers for organizing an exceptional race. Your efforts will always be remembered by those who take part in Haliburton.
Results and photos are now posted at http://ouser.org/
Stats…
My time: 18:42:02
25 mile splits: 4:04:10 / 4:17:18 / 4:43:43 / 5:36:51. (Last 25miles in the dark).
My placing: First
Second Place: Jim Orr (19:32)
Course Record: 18:19:23 (Jeff Simpkins 2006)
Terrain: 80% technical trails, 20% forest road
Fuel…
Clif Bloks: Took 3 cubes on every hour (switched to exclusively gels between aid stations after 9 hours)
Gels: 1 gel on every half hour
Sport Drink: Mixed one scoop of Hammer Sustained Energy with one scoop of GuPowder. Drank 3-4 sips every 15 minutes past the hour and before the hour.
Endurolyte Capsules: Started taking 2-3 electrolyte capsules every hour after the first few hours, then increased to 2 capsules every 30 minutes for about the last 3 hours.
Water: Sipped water from my bottle with gels and bloks. Also drank water at aid stations.
Aid Stations: Ate small amounts of melon, bananas and drank some coke at most stations. I kept most of my fuel in liquid form as that is what I have found worked well for me in training. Had a little soup broth at the last few aid stations, which helped. Also ginger ale helped to sooth my stomach at a few aid stations.
Stomach issues: Puked at 9 hours and 18 hours. Both I felt were electrolyte issues and needed to adjust intake. Came around shortly after.
Gear…
La Sportiva Crosslites: No blisters, no hotspots, no foot issues! I was impressed. I have seen some really nasty photos of peoples feet who have run 100 milers and was prepared, but these shoes are awesome! Lightweight, glove-like fit and great traction.
Wigwam Trailrunner II socks. Wonderful fitting socks with great moisture management.
Sugoi 42k Split shorts: Lightweight and breathable.
La Sportiva team shirt: Breathable t-shirt made by Sugoi (ran shirtless for about middle 50 miles because of the heat).
Petzl MyoXP Headlamp: Excellent lighting on the dark sections of trail
Petzl Tikka XP: Worn with belt attachment around my waist on the diffuser mode for extra peripheral vision.
Petzl E+lite lightweight headlamp for the first few miles.
Fuel Belt Double bottle holder with extra pocket attachment: Very comfortable double bottle belt for water and sport drink. The pocket attachment was excellent for gels, bloks, e-caps, etc…
Monday, September 8, 2008
Sept 1 - 8 (20:48)
Mon/1 (:21) Skylites. Easy run on our grass trail with Sara. Legs felt pretty good.
Tue/2 (:45) Gazelles. Easy run on Cataraqui West Trail. Very hot out, but felt pretty good. Too much rest. I hate tapering. Laser treatment on foot at Napanee Chiropractic and Laser Clinic (http://www.napaneechiropractic.com/).
Wed/3 (:20) Skylites. Easy run on our grass trail w/Sara. Very hot and humid. Feeling better today. Foot seems good.
Thu/4 (:20) Crosslite3. Easy run on our grass trail w/ Sara. Ok, feeling like I want to go for a real looooong run now. Guess I'll get that chance in a couple of days. We posted a blog of our August training weekend in the Adirondacks on the La Sportiva Adventure Running Blog at http://adventurerun.wordpress.com/2008/09/04/adirondack-park/#more-231
Fri/5 (:20) Gazelles. Easy run on grass trail with Siku.
Sat/6 (18:00) Crosslite2. Haliburton Forest 100miler. Ended up finishing first in 18:42:02. Very pleased with how it went. Sara had a great race and won the 50km (5:36) for the third time (She’s won it each year that she has run it). I will post a Haliburton report a little later once my brain/body starts working again. Now, time for a nap.
Sun/7 (:42) Crosslites2. Haliburton Forest 100miler. 42 minutes of finishing the race after midnight, so thank gawd I don’t have to run again to keep my streak alive until Monday.
Weekly Total = 20:48
~ Including Haliburton.
Tue/2 (:45) Gazelles. Easy run on Cataraqui West Trail. Very hot out, but felt pretty good. Too much rest. I hate tapering. Laser treatment on foot at Napanee Chiropractic and Laser Clinic (http://www.napaneechiropractic.com/).
Wed/3 (:20) Skylites. Easy run on our grass trail w/Sara. Very hot and humid. Feeling better today. Foot seems good.
Thu/4 (:20) Crosslite3. Easy run on our grass trail w/ Sara. Ok, feeling like I want to go for a real looooong run now. Guess I'll get that chance in a couple of days. We posted a blog of our August training weekend in the Adirondacks on the La Sportiva Adventure Running Blog at http://adventurerun.wordpress.com/2008/09/04/adirondack-park/#more-231
Fri/5 (:20) Gazelles. Easy run on grass trail with Siku.
Sat/6 (18:00) Crosslite2. Haliburton Forest 100miler. Ended up finishing first in 18:42:02. Very pleased with how it went. Sara had a great race and won the 50km (5:36) for the third time (She’s won it each year that she has run it). I will post a Haliburton report a little later once my brain/body starts working again. Now, time for a nap.
Sun/7 (:42) Crosslites2. Haliburton Forest 100miler. 42 minutes of finishing the race after midnight, so thank gawd I don’t have to run again to keep my streak alive until Monday.
Weekly Total = 20:48
~ Including Haliburton.
Monday, September 1, 2008
Aug 25 - 31 (7:29)
Canadian Running Magazine - The September/October issue of Canadian Running Magazine is in the newstands now and includes the introduction to trail running article I wrote titled Into the Trails.______________________________________
Mon/25 (1:08)
am (:20) Crosslite3. Easy run on grass trail with Siku. Left metatarsals still a little sore.
pm (:48) Crosslite3. Steady run with Dylan O'Sullivan on Cataraqui Trail West, then up north trail. Pretty muddy on north trail and Dylan got his new white road shoes pretty filthy. Welcome to trail running Dylan! Foot a little sore near the end, but not bad. (Ab workout)
Tue/26 (1:00)
pm (1:00) Raceblades. Easy up north trail just before Sandpit. Foot seems to be improving, but did notice it a bit on the gravel road on the way back. Felt pretty good otherwise.
Wed/27 (2:00)
am (1:20) Raceblades. Easy run down Boundary Road, then Cataraqui Trail West. Foot seemed better today. Have been able to walk around barefoot more without noticing it too. Felt a little sluggish running today, but not bad.
pm (:40) Crosslite3. Steady run with Taylor Murphy on North Trail. Felt pretty good. Foot was fine again. Wasn't sure how it would be going a little faster, but pleased with it. (Abs)
Thu/28 (:45)
pm (:45) Crosslite3. Easy with Sara on Cataraqui Trail West. Kicked off the short connecting trail that joins Freeman Road Trail to Cataraqui Trail by, I assume, the property owner. Have always run there without incident until today. Was unaware what is public and what is private property. Too bad. Beautiful land that is going to waste. Hopefully, proposed subdivision doesn't go through.
Fri/29 (:20)
am (:20) Skylite. Easy with Siku and Neeka on our grass trail. Foot still a little sore, so went in for a laser treatment at Napanee Chiropractic and Laser Clinic.
Sat/30 (:45)
pm (:45) Crosslite3. Easy run on Cataraqui Trail East w/Sara. Legs feeling pretty recovered now. Can still feel foot at times, but think it's a little better. Continuing to ice.
Sun/31 (1:31)
pm (1:31) Crosslite2. Easy run at Gould Lake with Sara. Ran in from Bedford Road on Wagon trail and out Bear Trail loop. Tried to run out boardwalk to Mica Loop, but bridge washed out. Then ran an out and back on Tom Dixon trail to get extra time. Felt pretty good. Love the trails along south end of Gould Lake...lots of pine needles.
am (:20) Crosslite3. Easy run on grass trail with Siku. Left metatarsals still a little sore.
pm (:48) Crosslite3. Steady run with Dylan O'Sullivan on Cataraqui Trail West, then up north trail. Pretty muddy on north trail and Dylan got his new white road shoes pretty filthy. Welcome to trail running Dylan! Foot a little sore near the end, but not bad. (Ab workout)
Tue/26 (1:00)
pm (1:00) Raceblades. Easy up north trail just before Sandpit. Foot seems to be improving, but did notice it a bit on the gravel road on the way back. Felt pretty good otherwise.
Wed/27 (2:00)
am (1:20) Raceblades. Easy run down Boundary Road, then Cataraqui Trail West. Foot seemed better today. Have been able to walk around barefoot more without noticing it too. Felt a little sluggish running today, but not bad.
pm (:40) Crosslite3. Steady run with Taylor Murphy on North Trail. Felt pretty good. Foot was fine again. Wasn't sure how it would be going a little faster, but pleased with it. (Abs)
Thu/28 (:45)
pm (:45) Crosslite3. Easy with Sara on Cataraqui Trail West. Kicked off the short connecting trail that joins Freeman Road Trail to Cataraqui Trail by, I assume, the property owner. Have always run there without incident until today. Was unaware what is public and what is private property. Too bad. Beautiful land that is going to waste. Hopefully, proposed subdivision doesn't go through.
Fri/29 (:20)
am (:20) Skylite. Easy with Siku and Neeka on our grass trail. Foot still a little sore, so went in for a laser treatment at Napanee Chiropractic and Laser Clinic.
Sat/30 (:45)
pm (:45) Crosslite3. Easy run on Cataraqui Trail East w/Sara. Legs feeling pretty recovered now. Can still feel foot at times, but think it's a little better. Continuing to ice.
Sun/31 (1:31)
pm (1:31) Crosslite2. Easy run at Gould Lake with Sara. Ran in from Bedford Road on Wagon trail and out Bear Trail loop. Tried to run out boardwalk to Mica Loop, but bridge washed out. Then ran an out and back on Tom Dixon trail to get extra time. Felt pretty good. Love the trails along south end of Gould Lake...lots of pine needles.
.
Training Week Total = 7:29
~ Full taper mode now for Haliburton 100 miler on Sept 6. Can't do anything to improve fitness, but can do lots to screw things up if not careful. Have been very cautious with sore foot, but seems to be coming around and feeling better each day. Will continue to take it easy this week with just minimal runs each day. Looking forward to next weekend. Really plan to start very easy, with the number one goal of just finishing. Anxious to see how my body feels running 100 miles, learn from it, then plan for what's next! Trying to treat it more as a long training run and not a race. Should be interesting.
Monday, August 25, 2008
Aug 18 - 24 (11:11)
Mon (:30)
pm (:30) Crosslite3. Easy on our grass trail with Siku. Took a recovery day. Left metatarsals a little tender...feels like a rock bruise. (abs)
Tue (:45)
pm (:45) Raceblades. Easy on Cataraqui Trail West with Sara. Foot still noticeable, but not bad.
Wed (5:05)
am (5:05) Crosslite3. Started in Yarker on Cataraqui Trail East, Rideau Trail along Escarpment, Gould Lake Road, Wagon Trail to Bedford and back the same route. Felt quite good. Foot was good. Only noticed it a little bit during the last hour. Stomach a little off from 3.5-4.5 hrs, but good run otherwise. Great weather. Saw a couple of foxes and some wild turkeys. Ran with Keith Iskiw. Felt bad for him as he was pretty sick, but still looked strong. Wouldn’t surprise me if he wins Haliburton…especially with his experience from last year. Funny with there being another ultra runner in the area (Napanee?). Great to get a long run in together.
Thu (3:00)
am (3:00) Raceblades. Great run at Frontenac Park from Kingsford Dam entrance. Ran into Birch Lake, then portage trail to Little Clear Loop, Moulton Gorge and back out with Sara in 2:30. Then finished with a hard, hilly tempo on Canoe Lake Road, working the hills, especially the downhills pretty hard to mimic the Haliburton course. Felt good, but tough. Finished with the last km or so being pretty easy. Great workout. Legs felt surprisingly strong after yesterday. A nice back to back effort. Didn’t notice foot at all. (abs)
Fri (:30)
am (:30) Frees. Nice easy recovery run on our grass trail. Legs felt good.
Sat (1:00)
am (1:00) Crosslite3. Nice easy run on Cataraqui Trail West with Sara. Legs feel pretty good and recovered. Hot day. (abs)
Sun (:21)
Pm (:21) Crosslite3. Easy run on our grass trail with Sara. Foot was a little sore again. Feels good to get a few good recovery days between harder and longer runs. Legs feeling a little fresher.
Week Total = 11:11
~ Please with back to back runs on Wednesday and Thursday. Legs bounced back nicely. A little concerned about left metatarsals, but hoping that it comes around ok with an extra couple of days of easy running. I’d like to get another 3 hr run in if it works and I can do it safely before Haliburton, but ok if not as the training is done and rest is more important now.
pm (:30) Crosslite3. Easy on our grass trail with Siku. Took a recovery day. Left metatarsals a little tender...feels like a rock bruise. (abs)
Tue (:45)
pm (:45) Raceblades. Easy on Cataraqui Trail West with Sara. Foot still noticeable, but not bad.
Wed (5:05)
am (5:05) Crosslite3. Started in Yarker on Cataraqui Trail East, Rideau Trail along Escarpment, Gould Lake Road, Wagon Trail to Bedford and back the same route. Felt quite good. Foot was good. Only noticed it a little bit during the last hour. Stomach a little off from 3.5-4.5 hrs, but good run otherwise. Great weather. Saw a couple of foxes and some wild turkeys. Ran with Keith Iskiw. Felt bad for him as he was pretty sick, but still looked strong. Wouldn’t surprise me if he wins Haliburton…especially with his experience from last year. Funny with there being another ultra runner in the area (Napanee?). Great to get a long run in together.
Thu (3:00)
am (3:00) Raceblades. Great run at Frontenac Park from Kingsford Dam entrance. Ran into Birch Lake, then portage trail to Little Clear Loop, Moulton Gorge and back out with Sara in 2:30. Then finished with a hard, hilly tempo on Canoe Lake Road, working the hills, especially the downhills pretty hard to mimic the Haliburton course. Felt good, but tough. Finished with the last km or so being pretty easy. Great workout. Legs felt surprisingly strong after yesterday. A nice back to back effort. Didn’t notice foot at all. (abs)
Fri (:30)
am (:30) Frees. Nice easy recovery run on our grass trail. Legs felt good.
Sat (1:00)
am (1:00) Crosslite3. Nice easy run on Cataraqui Trail West with Sara. Legs feel pretty good and recovered. Hot day. (abs)
Sun (:21)
Pm (:21) Crosslite3. Easy run on our grass trail with Sara. Foot was a little sore again. Feels good to get a few good recovery days between harder and longer runs. Legs feeling a little fresher.
Week Total = 11:11
~ Please with back to back runs on Wednesday and Thursday. Legs bounced back nicely. A little concerned about left metatarsals, but hoping that it comes around ok with an extra couple of days of easy running. I’d like to get another 3 hr run in if it works and I can do it safely before Haliburton, but ok if not as the training is done and rest is more important now.
Sunday, August 17, 2008
Aug 11 - 17 (16:05)
Mon (1:00)
am (1:00) Raceblades. Ran Cataraqui Trail West before my weekly shift at Running Room. Felt a little tired from Tempo run yesterday, but good once I got going. (ab workout)
Tue (7:01)
am (7:01) Crosslite3. Ran from Home, Cataraqui trail East, Rideau Trail, Escarpment along Knowlton Lake, Gould Lake (saw a black bear just past gatehouse), Bedford Road to Frontenac Park. Got to FP in just under 3 hrs, then ran 3.5 hrs with Sara including a loop of Big Salmon Lake from the Trail Centre, Doe Lake, Gorge Trail, then an add-on out Corridor Trail. Very pleased with run. Felt a little rough at 3 hours, but then much better at 4hrs. Very strong for final 3 hrs. Didn't eat enough at the beginning or for breakfast. Sara dropped off some food a couple of times on my way to Frontenac Park that helped though. Ran last 30 minutes of run fairly hard and felt good. Very encouraging. Small blister on right big toe, but feet held up very well. Will probably wear 1/2 size larger Crosslites for Haliburton though with slightly thicker socks (Wigwam Trailrunner II). Right achilles stiffened up slightly near that end of run, but has been a little tight lately. Just need to stretch it a little more and massage some.
Wed (:30)
am (:30) Skylites. Easy with Sara and Siku on our grass trail. Legs didn't feel too bad after yesterday. (abs)
Thu (1:36)
am (:30) Skylites/barefoot. Easy with Sara and Siku on our grass trail. Last 10' barefoot. Legs still a little tired but felt good after.
pm (1:06) Skylites. Easy with Sara out on Cataraqui W trail, then ran steady with Sara during her 24' tempo. Felt good. Sara looked really strong and had a great one. Her last mile was in 6:45. Looking forward to seeing how her 50k goes in Haliburton.
Fri (1:55)
am (1:15) Skylites. Bad thunderstorms again today so didn't get out very early. Ran Boundary Road to Hare trails. Haven't run there in a while. A little grown over, but not too bad and didn't see much poison ivy. Ran back along Cat W, then Freeman Road.
pm (:40) Crosslite2. Night run on Cataraqui Trail West. Easy run with Sara. This was a good opportunity to test out my headlamps for Haliburton. Leaning towards the Petzl Myo XP and Tikka XP with one on my head and one around my waist. Will use the diffuser on the light around my waist for better peripheral vision, while using the spot on my head. (abs)
Sat (2:28)
am (1:24) Skylites. Easy run on Cataraqui Trail West. Started out with Sara, then added on to grass hill. Felt pretty good.
pm (1:04) Skylites. Intervals. Warmup to Cataraqui Trail East with Sara. Workout was 2-3-4-5-4-3-2 minutes hard with a 1 minute recovery jog between repeats (total 23 minutes of hard running). Cooldown jog home. Great workout. Tough coming down the ladder, but felt pretty strong.
Sun (1:35)
am (1:15) Raceblades. Easy run from Sydenham with Sara on Cataraqui Trail East. Nice easy recovery day. Left calf/shin a little tight.
pm (:20) Frees. Very easy run on our grass trail with Sara and the dogs.
Week Total = 16:05
~ Good week. Felt really strong. Pleased with Tuesday long run and felt good to come back with some solid workouts later in the week. Will start to cut volume down a little now, but continue with some quality including a hilly tempo and one more long run next week.
am (1:00) Raceblades. Ran Cataraqui Trail West before my weekly shift at Running Room. Felt a little tired from Tempo run yesterday, but good once I got going. (ab workout)
Tue (7:01)
am (7:01) Crosslite3. Ran from Home, Cataraqui trail East, Rideau Trail, Escarpment along Knowlton Lake, Gould Lake (saw a black bear just past gatehouse), Bedford Road to Frontenac Park. Got to FP in just under 3 hrs, then ran 3.5 hrs with Sara including a loop of Big Salmon Lake from the Trail Centre, Doe Lake, Gorge Trail, then an add-on out Corridor Trail. Very pleased with run. Felt a little rough at 3 hours, but then much better at 4hrs. Very strong for final 3 hrs. Didn't eat enough at the beginning or for breakfast. Sara dropped off some food a couple of times on my way to Frontenac Park that helped though. Ran last 30 minutes of run fairly hard and felt good. Very encouraging. Small blister on right big toe, but feet held up very well. Will probably wear 1/2 size larger Crosslites for Haliburton though with slightly thicker socks (Wigwam Trailrunner II). Right achilles stiffened up slightly near that end of run, but has been a little tight lately. Just need to stretch it a little more and massage some.
Wed (:30)
am (:30) Skylites. Easy with Sara and Siku on our grass trail. Legs didn't feel too bad after yesterday. (abs)
Thu (1:36)
am (:30) Skylites/barefoot. Easy with Sara and Siku on our grass trail. Last 10' barefoot. Legs still a little tired but felt good after.
pm (1:06) Skylites. Easy with Sara out on Cataraqui W trail, then ran steady with Sara during her 24' tempo. Felt good. Sara looked really strong and had a great one. Her last mile was in 6:45. Looking forward to seeing how her 50k goes in Haliburton.
Fri (1:55)
am (1:15) Skylites. Bad thunderstorms again today so didn't get out very early. Ran Boundary Road to Hare trails. Haven't run there in a while. A little grown over, but not too bad and didn't see much poison ivy. Ran back along Cat W, then Freeman Road.
pm (:40) Crosslite2. Night run on Cataraqui Trail West. Easy run with Sara. This was a good opportunity to test out my headlamps for Haliburton. Leaning towards the Petzl Myo XP and Tikka XP with one on my head and one around my waist. Will use the diffuser on the light around my waist for better peripheral vision, while using the spot on my head. (abs)
Sat (2:28)
am (1:24) Skylites. Easy run on Cataraqui Trail West. Started out with Sara, then added on to grass hill. Felt pretty good.
pm (1:04) Skylites. Intervals. Warmup to Cataraqui Trail East with Sara. Workout was 2-3-4-5-4-3-2 minutes hard with a 1 minute recovery jog between repeats (total 23 minutes of hard running). Cooldown jog home. Great workout. Tough coming down the ladder, but felt pretty strong.
Sun (1:35)
am (1:15) Raceblades. Easy run from Sydenham with Sara on Cataraqui Trail East. Nice easy recovery day. Left calf/shin a little tight.
pm (:20) Frees. Very easy run on our grass trail with Sara and the dogs.
Week Total = 16:05
~ Good week. Felt really strong. Pleased with Tuesday long run and felt good to come back with some solid workouts later in the week. Will start to cut volume down a little now, but continue with some quality including a hilly tempo and one more long run next week.
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