Hamstring Treatment - Day 40 - NO RUN today -- Hamstring was sore...

I bailed on doing another run with Ange and Molly today. My hamstring was a bit sore, so I decided to err on the side of caution and give it a day's rest. I'm playing hockey tomorrow night, so I'm not sure if I'll run or not. I may just go out for 3 miles during the day. I'm walking a fine line between gradually building the strength and "internal calluses" in my legs, and over-straining my hamstring again, thereby causing a setback in training.

There are now less than 16 weeks until Boston. At this point I don't know if I'm just "running" Boston or if I'll actually be able to race it. Time will tell. I'll just keep walking that fine line.

8.4 km Run from Lucan

Ange O'Handley and her dog, Molly, and I went for an easy run from Lucan -- down Saintsbury, on Airport Road to Coursey, up to William and back to Timmy's. 8.37 km total in 47:34 for an average pace of 5:41. I was still a bit tight from Saturday's 9.5 km run, but battled through it. Here are my splits:

5:53
5:21
5:42
5:48
5:47
5:36
5:38
5:41
5:48 (366 m.)

After the run, I actually feel pretty good -- so I may be right back out there tomorrow!

Christmas Eve Run - 9.5 km... (15.9 miles total on the week)

Today we met in Lucan for our annual Christmas Eve run. Jenny, Karen and Tori came out, as did Ange O'Handley and her two boys, Will (5) and Cohen (3). Everyone did a 1-k run out and then back to Tim Hortons for some hot chocolate -- 2 k total. Cohen hitched a ride with Ange for much of the run, but Will did the whole thing!

After the hot chocolate, I ran home and managed to bang off 5:21 per kilometre average pace. Here are my splits over the 7.5k run home:

5:28
5:13
5:07
5:14
5:14
5:23
5:33
5:33 (500 m.)

I felt good at the end -- but really didn't have a lot more in my legs to take me faster. All told, I did 15.9 miles on the weeks, so another 4 miles and I'm good to start looking at improving my speed.

Hamstring Treatment - Day 35 - 5 miles on the treadmill -

I'm definitely feeling better. I did 5 miles on the treadmill tonight and I felt strong. I got my speed up to 6 MPH for a couple of miles and did the rest at 5.5 MPH -- but I got through the run feeling good.

Hamstring Treatment - Day 32: 4 miles on the treadmill

Pumped out 4 miles on the treadmill tonight. Uneventful. I tried to build my speed up to 6 MPH for this run, but couldn't hold it. I toned it back to 5.3 and then ramped it up to 5.5 MPH for the balance of the run. I ran for around 45 minutes.

Hamstring Treatment - Day 28 - 4 miles on Treadmill...

I ran 4 miles on the treadmill tonight. Early in the run I ramped it up to an audacious 6 MPH, but I started to feel it in my right knee, so I backed off to 5.5 MPH. I varied the speed between 5.0 and 5.5 depending on how I felt, but managed to get the 4 miles in within about 45 minutes. Not great, but not terrible.

Both hips were a bit sore -- possibly due to playing hockey 2 nights ago, and my right knee was a bit sore tonight. But I went and rode Gamble for about 45 minutes and as I write this post, nothing hurts.

Hamstring Treatment - Day 26: Played hockey!

I played hockey for the first time in a month. Felt good. By the end of the day, I felt comfortable pushing the leg harder than at the start of the game. No soreness at the end or the next morning.

Hamstring Treatment - Day 25 - 3.5 miles on the treadmill

I did 3.5 miles today on the treadmill today. I felt that my leg was stronger, and I managed to pickup the pace a bit from Saturday's 3-mile run. I was hitting 5.5 miles per hour by the end of the run, compared to 5.2 MPH on Saturday. Progress!

Hamstring Treatment - Day 23 - 3 Mile Run on Treadmill

So I managed to get in 3 miles on the "dreadmill". As Coach Brian suggested, I didn't worry about speed -- just distance. Although, I guess I always worry a bit about speed, because the slower I go, the more time it will take to cover the target distance. But I got my 3 miles in within about 35 minutes. So I certainly wasn't setting the world on fire, but my hamstring is still getting some work and feeling stronger -- gradually.

Hamstring Treatment - Day 20

Skated in Lucan for 10 minutes.

Ran for 4 kilometres with Brian at an average speed of 6 minutes per kilometre (10 minute miles) -- which felt about the same as the treadmill run last night. It felt good to be running outdoors for the first time in almost 3 weeks! Hamstring felt quite stiff at the beginning of the run, but loosened up by the end of the run.

I didn't ride tonight.

Coach Brian suggested taking Thursday off of running or skating, and to ramp the running mileage (but not the pace) up slowly, henceforth. Specifically, Coach said:

a) Work on miles, not pace.

b) Work on the quality of the gait (feet straight, striking the ground properly on both sides) to ensure the muscles are repairing properly.

c) Work on getting the weekly mileage up to 20 miles without pain before I start to work on improving the pace.

Hamstring Treatment - Day 19

Skated for 15 minutes in Exeter. I don't have anything that resembles a quick take-off, but I was able to skate and stop without any issues.

I rode and Gamble over a combination of verticals -- single stride in between. Took it up to 3'6" and was able to do it cleanly with no rushing.

Ran on the treadmill for 2 miles -- bumped it up to 11 minute miles -- but couldn't get it faster without feeling like it would hurt. No significant stiffness the next day.

Hamstring Treatment - Day 18

Rode Gamble over small verticals (2 strides between) - 3' max. I rode Rapport for 12 minutes at a canter. No issues.

I saw Physiotherapist Craig Irwin at the Lions meeting tonight. He gave me clearance to start running and skating -- as long as I watched it closely, particularly the morning after.

I ran 1 mile on the treadmill slowwwwwwly (12 minutes/mile). I was tight, but got through it. No difference in stiffness the next morning. YAY!

Hamstring Treatment - Day 17

Rode Gamble over a single vertical fence -- took it up to 3'. A bit of a tweak in my leg over the fence, but nothing serious. Felt great to be jumping again!

Hamstring Treatment - Day 16

No riding today. But I helped out with the Lucan Santa Claus Parade including walking for about a mile beside the Lions' floats. I also did about 200 m. of jogging to and from my car to get something for the float. Still feel tight, but it felt good to be moving!

Hamstring Treatment - Day 15

Rode Gamble on a hack and went through Rapport's Water Park. A couple of tweaks in the leg along the ride, but otherwise uneventful.

Hamstring Treatment - Day 14

Rode Gamble and cantered for 10 minutes. No probs -- other than a stumble by Gamble which caused a temporary minor injury to me -- not in my legs, though. I was able to talk normally in 2 minutes or so after the stumble.

Physiotherapist Craig came over and gave me a printout of the exercise I should be doing. He did more ultrasound plus lots of intense massage of the leg.

I'm starting to think that the riding could actually be helping me. Its not generally weight bearing, but it does get me using quite a range of motion and different muscles -- particularly when doing a posting trot.

2 weeks after the injury and I'm feeling quite good. Still tight in my hamstring, but I'm now walking without a limp.

Hamstring Treatment - Day 13

Rode Gamble tonight and cantered for about 5 minutes. No probs (and no soreness the next morning). Keeping up with the stretches.

Hamstring Treatment - Day 11

I've been doing my stretches whenever I can -- trying for every 4 hours, but it doesn't always coordinate with an appropriate place to do them. I'm able to put on my shoes and socks, now, without any significant pain. And I'm generally able to walk without a significant limp. A couple more days and I think I'll be totally limp-free!

I rode for about 12 minutes tonight, including about half of that at a trot. Gamble was excellent, allowing me to go at an extended and (somewhat) collected trot with ease. I don't feel that I've stressed anything three hours later, which is good.

Craig came by and did some ultrasound therapy on my leg, and then had me do a bunch of stretches. I now have a total of 5 to do:

1) The one from Nov 24 -- Putting thigh at 90 degrees to the ground and moving the lower leg up to the point of pain for 10 seconds. Repeat 5 times.
2) Sit on a barstool leaning forward with chest puffed out and back hollowed. Lift lower leg to point of pain and hold for 15 seconds. If you can put the leg out 100% of the way, you aren't hollowing your back enough. Repeat 5 times.
3) Stretch back of heel by leaning into the wall with right (bad leg) heel extended out behind you. 10 seconds. Repeat 5 times.
4) Stretch heel by placing foot 4" from wall, putting weight on that foot, other leg straight out behind you, and lowering yourself towards the wall with the bad leg. 10 seconds, 5 times.
5) Sit with your back at the wall. Put feet together. Push knees _apart_ towards the ground.

Hamstring Treatment - Day 9

I'd chatted with physiotherapist Craig at a Lions event last night and he really didn't know if me riding my horse would be a problem or not. He knows that he would be stiff -- but he's not a rider. For me, it probably wouldn't be an issue, so we left it that I could ride as long as there was no significant pain. To Tori and I went for a hack -- me on Gamble (who hadn't been ridden in 7 weeks) and Tori on Joey. The hack was uneventful and when we returned, I wandered around the arena with Gamble for a bit. So clearly there was no significant pain, or I would have bailed on the riding far sooner.

Hamstring Treatment - Day 7

Craig Irwin, who has a physiotherapy clinic in Seaforth, but who lives in Lucan, swung by our house tonight. Apparently, most of the people who he sees with hamstring injuries don't have as much black and blue bruising on the back of their leg as I do.

Craig did some ultrasound therapy on my leg and some massage work, plus gave me an anti-inflamatory cream (5x per day) plus some exercises: Active stretching of the leg to straighten it out throughout the day, plus 4 or 5 times a day doing the following: Lie on back with left (good) leg straight out and right (bad) thigh up at 90 degree angle to the floor. Lift my lower leg up to the point of pain (no further) and hold for 20 seconds. Rest for 30 seconds. Repeat for a total of 5 reps.

Jenny should do some other massage work on the leg to get the blood moving around and getting absorbed, rather than having the blood just sitting there turning into a gel within the leg.

I'm going to do the cream and exercises at 7, 11, 3, 7 and 11 pm. He said no other exercise on the leg (i.e. running) that causes pain for 3 weeks from the date of injury, since if I do too much too soon, I'll end up ripping the repairs that the body has already made

Hamstring Injury Recuperation - Days 4 to 6

I've been at work the last 3 days and while the hamstring has been causing me occassional bouts of painful cramps and a fair bit of shifting around to try to get comfortable, I've been able to get work done. Today I drove into Hamilton and back (4 hours on the road) and while there was some pain, it was definitely bearable. I'd keep the car in cruise control most of the time on the highway -- but keep my right leg ready to hit the brakes if necessary. One thing that is different is that I've been getting many more leg cramps in my _lower_ leg in the past couple of days -- both in the right and left legs. Must be something to do with the tension with my hamstring in my injured leg, I guess, although it really doesn't make a lot of sense to me.

Hamstring Injury Recuperation - Day 3

Today we flew back from the resort. It was a long day -- we left the resort at 9 am and didn't board the plane until 1:10 pm. A fair bit of standing around in line and then sitting around, so trying to get comfortable wasn't easy. And on the plane trip home, I had an aisle seat so I could stand up and stretch my legs without disturbing other passengers. Getting out of my seat was fairly painful, still, but standing felt good. Lots of walking when we got into Toronto and lots of standing there too. Over 1.5 hours from the time we landed to the time we were in our car heading home. Not happy -- most of that time was standing around waiting for the luggage. Jenny drove home -- we aren't comfortable with my ability to "hit the brakes" quickly if I need too, yet. Jenny took another photo of my leg. The entire back of the leg is purple, now, with dark purple at the top-inside of my thigh, some dark spots on my butt, and some darker areas near the back of my knee. In short, its quite a mess.

2 Days after Injury	4 Days after Injury	5 Days after Injury

Hamstring Injury Recuperation - Day 2

Got through a second night with my hamstring injury relatively well. Everything still hurts and my leg feels as tight as a rock, but I'm able to find positions when trying to sleep where there is minimal pain. And I can switch positions relatively pain-free as well. But sitting down to go to the bathroom is particularly painful.

I read up on the various degrees of hamstring injury assessment and recuperation at SportsInjuryClinic.net. My range of motion of my left (good) leg is about 80 degrees when lying on my back and lifting my leg up in the air relatively straight. On my right (torn hamstring) leg, the range of motion is about 50 degrees, Jenny says.

There is no question that I have a grade 3 tear, though:

From http://www.sportsinjuryclinic.net/cybertherapist/back/hamstrings/hamstringstrain.htm :

Strains are graded 1, 2 or 3 depending on severity. Grade 1 consists of minor tears within the muscle. A grade 2 is a partial tear in the muscle and grade 3 is a severe or complete rupture of the muscle.

Grade 1: What does it feel like?

* May have tightness in the posterior thigh.
* Probably able to walk normally however will be aware of some discomfort
* Minimal swelling.
* Lying on front and trying to bend the knee against resistance probably won't produce much pain.

Grade 2: What does it feel like?

* Gait will be affected-limp may be present .
* May be associated with occasional sudden twinges of pain during activity.
* May notice swelling.
* Pressure increases pain.
* Flexing the knee against resistance causes pain.
* Might be unable to fully straighten the knee.

Grade 3: What does it feel like?

* Walking severely affected- may need walking aids such as crutches
* Severe pain- particularly during activity such as knee flexion.
* Noticeable swelling visible immediately.


Evening Report: It appears that I'm already on the mend a bit. Walking is a bit easier. I'm able to negotiate stairs a bit easier as well, as I think ahead of time (usually) what purpose my "good" leg should serve in going up or going down the stairs. Everything is still tight, though. We've stopped with the ice, so now my recuperation is based on rest and Scotch -- although I'm experimenting with Grand Marnier, wine, beer and margueritas as well. I've now developed a fairly significant bruise at the top-inside of my right thigh. Jenny took a photo to show its progress.

Hamstring Injury Recuperation - Day 1

I emailed my vet and running coach to let him know the news that I'd torn my hamstring on the trapeze and to get some advice on recuperation. Here was Brian's reply:

- - - - - -
Great news- you'll have an awesome bruise a few days after it stops hurting!

My medical advice based on years of experience drinking-just wanted you to know it wasn't based on expertise- for a severe tear rather than a "tweak" is:

1. Absolute rest for 10-14 days. Consider walking an extreme sport, anything more IS STUPID. No stretching until walking without pain.

2. Lots of ice, ice and more ice for leg, but none in the Scotch. It ruins it. If it needs ice, drink better Scotch.

3. Ibuprofen is fine, but no need to go nuts. That inflammation is part of the healing response, and no reason to "cover it up" with meds when (a) you're not in training (b) with a bad tear you can take the whole bottle and it isn't going to make it feel great anyway.

4. You can go to Mike the Dr (our personal physician, who is also a cyclist) if you're not sure about the diagnosis.

5. Physio helps your recovery, but would be more important for you if you need to be back faster or if it tore as a result of your desired training (i.e. running). When you have 4 - 5 weeks [until I start formal training for Boston] anyway and it was a result of swinging through the trees in the jungle naked and drunk, I'd just wait to see if you can start to run without pain in 2-3 weeks and go from there.

6. Drink more, worry less.

7. As you alluded to earlier, if it's not getting better there is always another "option" on the table. [Brian is a veterinarian, so the "option" is that he could just put me to sleep.]

- Dr B
- - - - - -

So I took his advice and stopped putting ice in my Scotch, and always asked for the better Scotch (they had 8 year old or 12 year old -- so I'd ask for the latter) at the bar. We kept putting ice on it. I stopped taking ibuprofen. Limited walking and no stretching, although a certain amount is simply going to happen by moving around and trying to get comfortable.

We took the crutches back to the nurse. It was actually more painful using the crutches, now, than it was shuffling/hobbling around on my own.

Severe Hamstring Injury

All this week, Jenny and I have been doing the trapeze stuff at the resort. We've done trapeze at Club Med resorts for the past 12 to 14 years, and the Breezes resort setup is identical. Today, though, something went wrong with one of my trips. I was doing a "Planche" (which I'd done several times -- probably over 30 times over the course of my trapezing) and on the first swing out I went to get my legs into "first position" -- which is basically to get my legs up and over the bar. For whatever reason, though, I got one leg barely over the bar, and the other one was hanging down. On the swing back, then, the centrifical force of the hanging leg flung it out even further, thereby forcing me into a "splits" -- which my body is definitely not used to doing. I heard 3 "rips" in my leg as I swung back towards the board and I knew something was seriously wrong. I got down to the safety net and tried to haul myself towards the place where we drop down to the ground -- but every pull with my hands along the net was unbelievably painful. The circus team crew got me off the net and to the ground and asked if I wanted the nurse (to which I replied in the affirmative). At this point, it felt a bit like I might faint, so I sat down as we waited for the nurse. Then the circus crew transported me to a chair in the shade. What was particularly weird was that my vision had changed to monochrome -- very bright and dark, but no colours. Eventually, though, by the time the nurse arrived, I could see colours. The nurse checked my blood pressure and pulse and everything there was fine. I had two ibuprofen and then I was wheeled into the nurses office and she put some (horse?) linament on my leg. Some of the linament hit "the boys", which wasn't particularly pleasant. Then she put some ice water on a compress and wrapped my leg. I was told no alcohol for the rest of the day (which we eventually ignored, although I limited my intake), and to keep putting ice on the back of the leg. The resort supplied a shower curtain and extra sheet so that we could fix up the bed in our room to allow me to keep ice on it during the night. I had 2 ibuprofen every 6 hours or so. I was supplied crutches by the nurses office to let me get around, but every step -- even with the crutches -- was painful.

So, of course, the reason this non-running event made it into my running blog is (a) hamstring tears are very common in runners and (b) now I get to try to repair this injury and get in marathon shape within 5 months for Boston. So this is going to be interesting.

Running in Curacao - 7.66 km

We ran into town and did some shopping today. Well, sort of. We had just enough money for a beer, so we basically scouted out some stuff that we planned to purchase tomorrow when we'd ride into town on bicycles: some paddock boots for me, and some knee-length hi-top runners for Jenny. 7.66 kilometres, 5:43 average pace.

Running in Curacao - 8 km

Today was another 8 kilometre run into town and back. We went across the river on the ferry and I had a beer (Jenny had a Coke) and we ran back. It was hot -- no rain today (unusual this week) -- but our average pace was Jenny's Marathon pace of 5:43/k.

Running in Curacao - 8.8 km

Just a short run into town and back -- 8.8 kilometres total. We've started a very pleasant tradition of running into town, I have a beer (ideally something I've never had before and at a place I've never been before) and we run back. Today I had a "Bright" beer. We kept it to less than 6 minutes per kilometre, so the pace wasn't brutal, but certainly we weren't slogging it either. But speaking of "slogging it", we got caught in one of the frequent rain showers and got more soaked than usual on the run into town.

Running in Curacao - 14 km

Jenny and I did a run into Willemstad today. It was a 4 km run into town, and then we ran around the "Punda" part of town for a bit. Then we went over to the "Otrobanda" side using the free ferry boat ride (the floating bridge was "open" for repairs) and I had a Polar beer (imported from Venezuela) on that side and we ran back home. 14.36 kilometres total.

Running in Curacao - 4 km

Landed in Curacao earlier today. Quite hot (forecast was for 31 degrees) but I needed to work off my lunch and go for a run. So I ventured down Dr. Martin Luther King Blvd. from the Breezes resort towards the main city on the island, Willemstad. I just did 2 km and then turned back (total of 4 km running), but it gave me a bit of an idea of what the weather would be like and how it would affect my running for the rest of the week. 5:13/k average pace.

Marathon Day!

It was a perfect day for a run. Forecast of 12 degrees C. for the high. Sunny. A bit of a breeze from the south. I didn't have a particularly good sleep last night, but it didn't seem to affect my running performance.

We were targeting 5:27 per kilometre to get us in at 3 hours 50 minutes. While we were able to keep that pace for better than half of the run, by the end we were just trying to get it done. Lots of run-walk-run-walk to get through it. But we did!

Here are the splits:
5:27
5:20
5:24
5:19
5:18
5:24
5:27
5:22
5:24
5:21
5:31 (gel at water stop)
5:27
5:28
5:27
5:37
5:28
5:31
5:29
5:27
5:32
5:27
5:22
5:28
5:10 (downhill on Red Hill Valley Parkway)
5:17
5:19
5:35
6:11 (still on track overall after 28 kilometres)
7:41
6:57
6:46
6:37
5:32
6:56
6:25
7:21
5:53
6:34
7:17
6:30
6:38
6:02
5:41 pace (200 m.)

4:08:21 for an average pace of 5:51 per kilometre -- good enough for a personal best for Gayle by over 5 minutes! It was a grueling run for her, but she toughed it out, and ran the last 2 kilometres without a walk break.

Attagirl! :-)

4 mile taper easy run

Jed and Brian came over for the run tonight. We started a bit late, so we were running in the dark for part of the run. The goal for this one was just to get in some easy miles, so there was no particular pace in mind -- although we didn't want to go any faster than marathon pace (4:51/k). Here are my splits:

4:56
5:01
4:59
5:11
5:01
5:00
5:42 pace (600 m.)

I felt good. No aches or pains to speak of. A good run 4 days before the marathon.

10K Halloween Haunting Race - Personal Best!

Coach Brian said that instead of a 10 mile long run, doing a 10k race would be roughly equivalent 1 week before the marathon, so I took the shorter distance. The race went really well. I targeted 4:24 per km. Here are my splits:

4:20
4:23
4:25
4:24
4:21
4:15
4:22
4:21
4:21
4:20

4:21/km average for a total time of 43:44 -- a new personal best!

Pace Run - 15.2 km, 4:48 average pace

Today, Coach Brian wanted me to do a run of between 9 and 11 miles, with a mile of warm-up and a mile of cool-down. So I chose a 10 mile distance with a mile of warm up -- but didn't quite get in the mile of cool down (more like half a mile). But the pace miles were excellent.

It was cool out -- 6 degrees C (roughly 43 degrees F) -- so I wore shorts, but a long sleeve technical shirt, my orange Boston Marathon windbreaker, my Boston Marathon string gloves and my ear muffs. All were very appreciated out there, as there was a brisk wind blowing from the north. Here are my splits:

5:26
4:46 pace (610 m.)
4:50
4:43
4:42
4:44
4:45
4:40
4:46
4:45
4:49
4:47
4:44
4:40
4:40
5:11 pace (581 m.)

Considering I was targeting between 4:50 and 4:55 per kilometre, I was pretty happy with these splits. And about half of the fast distance was into the wind, and yet I was able to keep within range. My average for the "fast kilometres" was 4:44, and I was pretty comfortable there. It was a good day!

Easy run (6.9 km)...

Coach Brian and I did an easy run of 6.9 km -- the longest run for him since his sub-3 hour marathon in Toronto a week and a half ago. It was a simple run -- just south and back north again on Denfield Road -- but the pace was a healthy 5:03/km which isn't bad considering we were able to carry on a conversation the entire way.

Of course, lots of rehydration after the run, including a tasty "maple stout" from some brewery in BC that Brian found in the LCBO in Barrie the prior weekend. Mmmmmm... maple stout.... mmmmmmm.

Tempo Run - 14.9 km, 4:48 average pace overall

Today, Coach Brian wanted me to do a tempo run of 9 to 11 miles (I chose 9) with the first half at a slower-than-marathon pace, and the second half at a faster-than-marathon pace. So I started out looking for 5:09 per kilometre and then the plan was to ramp it up to something around 4:28 per kilometre. Here are my splits:

5:16
5:01
5:01
5:02
5:06
5:08
5:05
4:50 pace (400 m.)
4:31
4:27
4:27
4:26
4:28
4:40
4:39
4:23 pace (500 m.)

The last two full kilometres were into the wind. I was pushing as hard as I could but couldn't keep the pace. As soon as I rounded the corner, though, I was able to pick up the pace fairly easily. Total distance was 14.9 km and my average pace was 4:48 -- about 4 seconds per kilometre faster than marathon pace.

Long run - 26K with Gayle Stuebing

As we taper towards the Road2Hope Marathon in Hamilton in 2 weeks, we just did a "little" sixteen miler from Gibbons Park in London out through the trails of London to Byron and then up to the corner of Boler Road and Southdale Road, and then back again. A total of 26.19 kilometres, or 16.27 miles. Here is how our splits looked:

6:08
5:50
5:43
5:31
5:27
5:19
5:36
5:35
5:37
5:40
5:49
5:51
5:42
5:06
5:10
5:20
5:26
5:19
5:19
5:29
5:26
5:31
5:24
5:25
5:37
5:20
5:11 (200 m.)

Our average pace was 5:35 per kilometer. But as you can see from the split times above, we were able to bump up our pace over the last 10 kilometres to better than race pace (5:27/k.) for most of the route. Definitely a good run!

Excellent Tempo Run Again - 8.4 km

Today I did a "typical" Runners Choice tempo run. The Legendary John Ferguson's workout schedule called for 5 to 6 miles of tempo run. For people looking to do a marathon in 3:30, the pace for the first warmup mile should be between 5:18 and 5:37 per kilometre. But I'm thinking of a 3:20 workout pace for training for Boston in the spring, so I wanted to do a bit faster than that. And for the actual tempo pace, he was calling for between 4:32 and 4:44. So I aimed for a 4:28 pace. Here are my splits:

5:18
4:50 (600 m.)
4:28
4:27
4:26
4:28
4:27
4:18
4:11 (800 m.)

The total distance was 8.41 kilometres and our total time was 38:10 for an average time (including the warmup mile) of 4:32 per k. I am ecstatic with this time. When I look back on previous "around the block" runs, the closest I ever got to this time was 39:30 (4:42/k). I felt strong the whole way and was able to push the speed up into "speedwork" territory (4:21/k) at the end of the run.

Excellent tempo run tonight - 21.1 kilometres

I tried again to do a 21.1 km (half marathon) tempo run tonight. Coach Brian suggested going out relatively slowly for the first 10.5 k. The weather was much cooler than last week when I had to bail after 16k (at 24 degrees). Today it was about 13 degrees and so I wasn't overheating in the least. I wore a long sleeved running shirt and my running shorts, but it wasn't cool enough for ear-muffs, and not warm enough for short sleeves. The wind was light -- mostly from the west. I was targeting 5:22 per k for the first 10.5 kilometres and 4:52 for the last 10.6 kilometres. Here are my splits:

5:17
5:05
5:07
5:13
5:16
5:17
5:17
5:19
5:21
5:18
5:07 (500 m.)
4:49
4:49
4:48
4:51
4:48
4:50
4:46
4:45
4:44
4:42
4:37 (600 m.)

So I did 21.11 kilometres in 1:45:44 for an average of 5:01 per kilometre. I felt strong the whole way, as you can see from the improving times as I neared the end of the run. Heat was absolutely not a factor. My average speed for the fast portion of the run was 4:47 per kilometre -- but I know I could have gone faster for longer. So 1 week later a very successful run after a crappy run a week earlier. Goes to show that the weather makes a huge difference!

Long Run - 32k - with Gayle Stuebing

I went out for a long run today from Gibbons Park through the trail system through Springbank Park, out to Southdale and Boler Roads, back to Gibbons Park and then did about 4 miles up through UWO and back. Total 32k. A bunch of short stops, but our pace was healthy the whole way. Here are our splits:

5:50
5:48
5:41
5:35
5:34
5:37
5:27
5:29
5:23
5:38
5:52
5:58
5:52
5:39
5:22
5:29
5:45
5:52
5:39
5:35
5:40
5:37
5:33
5:42
5:42
5:44
5:41
5:39
5:50
5:51
5:47
5:50

Total time for 32k was 3:01:29 for an average pace of 5:41 per kilometre. At that pace, we'd finish the marathon in around 3:58. But (a) we were not pushing the pace whatsoever and (b) we haven't had a couple of weeks of taper to let the bodies heal. I think at 3:50 is definitely do-able!

Tough speed-work tonight...

Coach Brian felt that rather than doing "traditional" speed work, I should get a semi-long tempo style run in. So the goal for tonight was 21 kilometres, with the first half at an easy run pace, and the second half at race pace. I'd played hockey last night, but the legs felt strong even still.

For the first half -- the easy run part -- it took a long while to get into the rhythm. I was targeting 30 seconds/k slower than race pace, so 5:22/k. Here are my splits:

5:18
5:18
5:16
5:20
5:21
5:20
5:14
5:18
5:19
5:18
5:03 pace (500 m.)

Then I ramped up the pace to get to race pace (4:52/km.). Here were my splits:

4:51
4:52
4:54
4:54
4:54
4:51 pace (500 m.)

By the time I'd done 5 km at race pace, I could tell I was starting to overheat. The temperature when I'd left home was 24 degrees C. (75 F.) but the sun was shining, so it definitely felt in the 80's. Jenny came by to see how I was doing, and then came by again to get me some water. But I was pretty sure that I wasn't going to last the full 10.5k of race pace. It didn't help that it was a slight uphill grade for those 5k. Anyhow, enough excuses -- the fact is that I bailed. So we'll try again another day.

I was quoted in the Globe and Mail!

Who would have thunk that my many experiences crashing at the end of marathons would land me in the newspaper? I was contacted by Carly Weeks of the Globe and Mail last week in advance of the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon this coming weekend to chat about my experiences in running marathons and how to get through those last few miles. She found me because of this blog!

Bruce Lamb

Age: 48
Location: outside Lucan, Ont., near London
Number of marathons completed: 8 or 9 (he has lost count)

Most memorable experience: Mr. Lamb has a “great history of crashing” at the end of a marathon, as he did at the end of the 2009 Boston Marathon. His legs were “spaghetti” for the last mile and gave out on him at the finish line. “It was actually quite pleasant going into the medical tent. They gave me chips … anything with salt in it,” he said. “I’d do the medical tent again for sure.”

Prepping for a race: “As I’ve done more of them, I’m more relaxed, but I also know the pre-race jitters get you the entire day before the race. Get a really good night’s sleep two nights before because you know you won’t have a good sleep the night before [a marathon].”

Best advice: Be prepared for anything. “Know how fast you can do the race,” he said. But keep in mind the weather on the day “makes a huge difference” and that is something no one can control.

You can find the full text of the article here.

Pace run - 12.89 km.

Brian and I did a pace run -- 1 mile easy, 6 miles at race-pace or better, 1 mile of cool down. It was a warm day -- particularly for October (24 C.) -- so it was not an easy run. Here are the kilometer splits:

5:46
5:15 pace (600 m.)
4:45
4:48
4:45
4:43
4:41
4:45
4:47
4:46
4:46
4:44 pace (659 m.)
5:39
5:31 pace (626 m.)

So, considering that my race pace is 4:52, I was pretty happy with the splits during the fast part, which ended up at 4:45 as an average.

Easy run (5.85 km)

Brian and I just did an easy run today -- from my place down to the Conservation Area a couple miles away, through the trails, and then back again. The trails were a welcome departure from our normal running-along-the-side-of-the-road thing, and despite driving past the Conservation Area for 6 years, I'd never actually been in there. The family dog, Cooper, joined us for the run and he was good as gold. We knocked off a blistering 5:34/k pace -- so it was a good "easy run" day.

Speedwork - 10 x 1 mile repeats (11 miles total)

We did speed work tonight with the legendary John Ferguson running us through the paces. Tonight we hit the maximum for this session: 10 repeats of 1 mile, with a 2.5 minute break between each mile. Bruce, Chris and I all targeted 7 minute miles. Here were my splits:

7:03
6:58
7:02
6:54
7:01
7:01
7:00
6:56
7:04
7:03

So the average was 7:00.2 -- close enough!

The muscles are tired -- particularly my right hip and hamstring -- but I'm smiling. Just 1 month until the Road2Hope marathon in Hamilton!

Easy Run (3 miles)...

With the 9 mile speed work session that Brian and I did yesterday, we decided to just take it easy and do 5k (3 miles) of runs through the Lucan Area Trails Association trail and the trail of Paul Hodgins, north of Clandeboye Ontario. Despite the short distance, our legs were sufficiently tired from last night's speed work that our pace was somewhat pedestrian. However, it wasn't about the speed -- it was just about getting in some easy miles to let the legs loosen up. Mission accomplished!

Speedwork - 9 x 1 mile repeats (10 miles total)

We did 1 mile repeats tonight and it went much better than last week. No long run on the weekend, so my muscles were fully recovered. Here are my splits:

7:05
6:59
6:59
6:59
7:01
7:00
6:59
6:58

So an average exactly where we were targeting -- 7:00 per mile. My right hamstring was a bit tight, but not tight enough that I felt like I should stop. I just kept working to keep it loose.

Easy Run (5 miles) 34 miles total this week.

Brian and I did 8.33k (just over 5 miles) today at a very slow pace, in order to give both our legs' a chance to repair. Our average pace was 5:14 per k -- so still not terrible -- but it was certainly fast enough. This is likely it for the week for running, so we'll cap it at 34 miles this week. I'll do a lower distance this coming weekend -- probably just 13 miles -- so next week will be lower overall as well.

Speedwork - 8 x 1 mile repeats (but ended up 6) (7.5 miles total)

We did speedwork at TD Waterhouse Stadium today. After our 1.5 mile warm up, the goal was to do 8 x 1 mile repeats (4 times around the track). But after 5 repeats, my left calf and right hamstring were both very tight, and I didn't want to risk damaging them, so I did a slow mile and then pulled the plug on the night. Here were my times:

6:49
6:52
6:50
6:52
6:53
7:35

So my average for the first 5 repeats was pretty quick, for me: 6:51. But I pulled the plug on the speedwork after those 5 because I was afraid I'd damage a muscle or hamstring or something. Anyhow, including the warm-up miles, I did about 7.5 miles tonight

Long Run - 34.5k (21.4 miles) - London to Port Stanley

Gayle Stuebing and I did our first long run together in preparation for the Hamilton Road2Hope marathon on November 6, 2011. I'm going to pace her and while her original goal was to do it in under 4 hours, she is now feeling that a 3:50 is do-able -- and I agree.

We knocked off the 34.5k distance at an average pace of 5:30/k -- and it was pretty consistent throughout the whole run. The total time was 3:10:03 and we had about 20 minutes of water stops along the way, so it took us about 3:30 overall.

Here are the laps:
5:54
5:40
5:33
5:20
5:33
5:32
5:34
5:24
5:25
5:22
5:30
5:26
5:27
5:34
5:23
5:26
5:29
5:35
5:19
5:34
5:30
5:40
5:31
5:25
5:29
5:30
5:33
5:26
5:40
5:38
5:26
5:26
5:27
5:46
5:06 (508 m.)

Extrapolating the 5:30 average pace over the full 42.2 kilometers and we'd be doing a 3:52:06 marathon -- and this was without a taper (although it was with water breaks along the way). Anyhow, a very good run!

Speed Work - 7 x 1 mile repeats

We did speed work tonight at Gibbon's Park in London. This time, the legendary John Ferguson had us do up to 7 repeats of 1 mile at a pace roughly 30 to 60 seconds per mile faster than the target marathon pace. While my target pace last year was 7:51 per mile, I started the run looking for a 7:08/mile pace. But I kept beating it! Eventually I settled into a 7:00/mile target, but was able to beat that pace consistently -- even at the end. Here are my splits:

6:53
6:58
6:54
6:59
7:00
6:51
6:50

So, my gaggle of running buddies -- Bruce, Chris & John -- and I did extremely well. Certainly the cool weather helped, but so to has the consistent weekly runs that Johnny puts us through.

Long Run - 21.1k at 5:32 average pace per k.

Kelly Vivian, Jenny and I went out for a long run today. We did 12 km around Lucan, and then I ran home (and added another 1.6k on William Street) to get me to 21.1 km -- done in 1:56:38 running time (there were a few walk breaks in the first 12k) for a 5:32 pace. I've committed to pacing Gayle Stuebing in Hamilton's Road2Hope Marathon in November and we need to knock off a pace of 5:41/k, so I was happy with my average pace. My solo 9.1 km were at about a 5:15 pace and I had no problem maintaining it.

Speed Work - Parloff Relay, Part Deux...

We did a Parloff relay tonight -- 25 minutes of Jenny and I each doing a 400m lap of the track at UWO. Looking at what I did the previous relay on July 15, I achieved 1:31 per lap and Jenny was at 1:40 per lap. This time, our times were:
1:27 (Bruce)
1:49 (Jenny)
1:25 (Bruce)
1:44 (Jenny)
1:27 (Bruce)
1:44 (Jenny)
1:22 (Bruce)
1:42 (Jenny)
1:22 (Bruce)
1:40 (Jenny)
1:23 (Bruce)
1:37 (Jenny)
1:23 (Bruce)
1:37 (Jenny)
1:19 (Bruce)
1:33 (Jenny)
1:18 (Bruce)

It was certainly cooler out tonight as opposed to July 15, but I also simply felt stronger. My average was 1:23 per lap (x 9 laps instead of 8 last time) and Jenny's was 1:41 -- almost exactly what she did in July (and she didn't feel like she was running that strongly). So it was a good night!

1 km Repeats

We did kilometre repeats down at Gibbons park today. The weather was good -- a bit warm, but not terrible. I was targeting 4 minute kilometres x 7 repeats, with 2 minutes rest in between. Here is how it ended up:

4:13

4:03

4:00

4:01

4:06

4:21

4:18

The first kilometre could have been faster -- the group of us were all conserving, but conserving a bit too much. After that, we were all pretty consistent. But I couldn't stay with the group after the 5th repeat -- it was all I could do to knock off the 4:20's that I did.

The good news, though, was that my hips weren't sore, as they had been when we first started doing speed work. My back was a tiny bit sore that night, but nothing serious. So it is possible that all this speed work is having the positive effect for which we've been looking!

Ladder - 400 m to 1.6 km and back...

Tonight we did a "ladder" for our speedwork. I was targeting a pace of 1:45 per 400 m. Here are the times I was able to achieve:

400m: 1:32
800m: 3:19
1200m: 5:04
1600m: 6:45
1200m: 5:10
800m: 3:27
400m: 1:36

Breaks between each of 200m, which varied between 1.5 and 2.5 minutes.

So I beat the target time each loop, but it got harder as the times went on.

Speed Work - Parloff Relay

Jenny and I did a Parloff Relay today at Runner's Choice speed work, held at TD Waterhouse Stadium in London today. We did 400 m. loops of the track and passed off the baton to each other. Here were our times:

1:33 (Bruce)
1:42 (Jenny)
1:34 (Bruce)
1:41 (Jenny)
1:33 (Bruce)
1:38 (Jenny)
1:36 (Bruce)
1:39 (Jenny)
1:31 (Bruce)
1:43 (Jenny)
1:29 (Bruce)
1:42 (Jenny)
1:29 (Bruce)
1:41 (Jenny)
1:20 (Bruce)
1:37 (Jenny)

My left hip was really sore afterwards -- started getting sore when I was into my second lap. But 5 ibuprophen later and I felt okay and was able to sleep. The next day, Brian and I went for an 8k run and the hip was fine.

Easy run - 3.5 miles...

Speed work was hard last night and it was hot today. We ran from Brian's place, around to the Van Arenthals trail, through Huggy's Trail, down to the Clandeboye Curve and back to Brian's Fridge. Total distance 3.5 miles in 29:30. Beer tasted great!

Easy Run - 8K

Just did 8k with Brian. The mile splits were:
8:20
7:55
7:38
7:58
7:37
6:37 (.18 of a mile).
Not bad! It was hot, and the beer tasted good!

Easy Run - 8K

Brian and I went out for an easy 8k run. For mid-June, the temperature was on the cool side of normal (about 22 degrees C.) with a breeze from the south. Having done speed work last night, I didn't really want to push it and it was, after all, supposed to be an "easy" run. We ended up doing just over marathon pace (4:52/k.) for most of the run, with an average of 5:01/k for the entire run including the warm-up mile. A few replenishment carbonated barley-based beverages afterwards plus a swim in Brian's pool, and I felt pretty good about the run.

First Speed Work Session of 2011

Where have I been? Healing! Mentally, physically -- but it doesn't mean I've been a couch potato. Jenny has had me out to Val's One-To-One fitness north of Lucan about once a week, and Coach Brian keeps dragging me out to "easy runs" (for him) most Wednesdays -- anywhere from 4 to 10 miles at around an 8 min./mile pace.

So my goal this year was to _not_ do a marathon -- at least not a tough one. But at Speed Work tonight, I did say the words "marathon" to the Legendary John Ferguson -- that I would be okay to pace someone(s) to a 4 hour marathon, if anyone was looking for a pace bunny. So, there it is -- I _may_ be training for a marathon -- or maybe not.

Today, it was speed work. Johnny said we could do 3, 4, 5 or 6 repeats of 600 m. So Jenny and I chose 6. Here are my splits:

2:18
2:20
2:21
2:26
2:23
2:20

So, not bad. An average of 2:21 per 600 m. = 3:55 per kilometre. I wasn't sure if these were good times or not, but in looking at Johnny's pacing charts, these splits would have me somewhere between a 3:15 and 3:30 marathon (closer to 3:15, actually). So I was pretty happy when I saw those numbers!

5th Annual Canada Day Half Marathon (ACDLTEOETLISHM)

Did the 21.1 k in 1:44:23 today -- but that included about a minuted and a half on Arnie's truck's tailgate sipping beer from dixie cups. Felt much better, and I didn't puke after crossing the finish like I did the year before!