Bruce Lamb - Marathon Training Blog

Hamstring Treatment - Week 14 - 12 mile tempo run...

2012-02-16T22:11:00.002-05:00

It was 6 degrees C. today, so if there was a way I could run outside, I was going to do it. Today, the plan was for a 12 mile "Tempo" run (i.e. running at faster than marathon pace for the second half of the run), but since I have no clue what my marathon pace will be, I just did what I could on the second half of the run.

To change the scenery a bit, I ran into Tim Hortons in Lucan with a bit of a detour once I got into town to extend it out to an even 5 mile run there. I'd run back making it 10 miles total, and then if I still had daylight, I'd extend it out another 2 miles. Otherwise, I'd hit the treadmill for the last 2 miles (which is what happened). Here are my splits:

9:16
8:43
8:49
8:44
8:49

for a total to Tim Hortons of 44:21. The wind was behind me for most of the run, but it was generally uphill, so I was happy with that "easy" pace. For the 5 miles back, here are the splits:

8:30
8:25
8:17
8:35
8:26

for a total back home of 42:13. Again, this time it was generally downhill, but there was a half decent wind in my face the whole way, so it was no cake walk.

I did 19 minutes on the treadmill and was drenched in sweat after that little bit, so I worked hard. But the net result is that I got in my longest tempo run yet, and I'm still walking!

Hamstring Treatment - Week 13 - 5 Mile Easy Run

2012-02-15T22:00:00.000-05:00

With Brian or me being away or me being in meetings, I haven't been able to get my regular Wednesday easy runs with "Coach", and today was no exception. What was different, though, was that instead of heading for the treadmill, I found an hour to head outside and go around the block (5 miles) for my run. While it was supposed to be "easy", of course I couldn't do that. Here are my splits:

8:44
8:16
8:00
8:18
8:06

There was a fairly stiff breeze from the southwest, which made the work harder on the first to miles. But overall I was quite pleased with these paces and my overall time: 41:24

Still more work to be done -- I've done this loop as fast as 4:32 per kilometre (7:18 / mile) back in October 2011, so I have quite a ways to go before I even approach that sort of speed. And comparing 41.4 minutes to 36.5 minutes puts me at 88% of my prior-to-injury speed. But Rome wasn't rebuilt in a day!

Hamstring Treatment - Week 13 - Speed work 600m + 400m x 5 (6 miles total)

2012-02-14T21:45:00.001-05:00

So I need to start by saying that I played hockey last night and tweaked my hamstring. Not a rupture like I did in November, but just a bit of a reminder that I'm not totally healed yet. So I was cognizant of this issue as I contemplated the speed work for tonight.

Tonight John Ferguson, the Legend, had us doing a 600m. speed run followed by a 100 m. jog and then a 400 m. speed run, followed by a 400 m. jog. Repeat 3, 4 or 5 times (Jenny and I did 5). Because of my hamstring issue, I figured I should take it easy -- at least at the start -- so I chose 55 second laps of the 200 m. track as my target pace. It worked out okay. Here are my splits:

2:41 (54 second laps)
1:48 (54)
2:41 (54)
1:47 (54)
2:42 (54)
1:45 (53)
2:40 (53)
1:45 (53)
2:50 (57)
1:43 (52)

I took it easy on the last 600 m. speed run, but pushed it on the last 400 m. speed run. Overall, I was pretty happy with how it all worked out. The hamstring was tight the whole time, and I could definitely feel that my right leg is weaker than my left -- but each week it feels just a bit stronger.

Total run tonight including warm up and cool down was 6 miles.

Hamstring Treatment - Week 13 - 20 mile (but really 11 mile) long run...

2012-02-12T21:21:00.001-05:00

I had full intentions of doing some sort of a short Pace Run on Friday -- and then I put it off to Saturday. But between being busy in the office and a bit under the weather with a cold that had been developing during the week, these runs never happened. No probs -- it would allow me a mini-"taper" to let the muscles repair in advance of this week's 20 miler.

It was a crappy day to run -- snow covered everything, flurries still coming down, and a wind from the west. Not gale-force, mind you, but enough that you definitely looked forward to having it at your back when running east. Unfortunately, I never got to experience that part.

I was careful to carb-up properly and consistently for this run, and as I was fighting a head cold, I took a decongestant tablet and some cough syrup before the run. The first 4 "pre-run" miles were no problem. I was able to keep up with the rest of the pack and the pace wasn't out of my league. For the main run, I joined Shelly Boyer and Jennifer again, and the pace was relaxed but steady. The goal was to head west through the park to Byron, head up Boler to Southdale, go west to Wickerson, and then Wickerson south to eventually make our way back to the park and back downtown again. 16 more miles, for a total of 20. But by the time we started heading up Boler, I was starting to fade. It was a long uphill segment, but it was becoming a real struggle for me and I eventually told Shelly to go on ahead. Then I saw Jed coming down Boler (obviously cutting his run short as well) so I went to join him. He was having hamstring issues and was going to run-walk back. At first I was just going to find a place to call a cab, but he convinced me to join him for an easy run back. We stopped at a convenience store for a Coke, but when we started up again, I was nauseous. I was going to puke for sure. Jed went on ahead and I called a taxi. 11 miles total. Here are my mile splits:

9:34
9:18
9:45
9:15
10:00
9:29
9:13
9:12
9:21
10:01
10:30 (guess)

Not only was I feeling sick to my stomache, but I had a headache and there was significant pressure in my sinuses. So it is possible that I was sick (duh!).

After the Coke and a quart of chocolate milk, a hot shower and then a Guinness, coffee and Big Breakfast at the Ale House, I felt significantly better. But I took it easy for the rest of the day and went to bed early.

I hate bailing on runs. But having done it, now, several times, I've proven to myself that you simply aren't going to have a good run every day. So pick your battles. The important run is on Marathon Day -- everything else is "optional" as long as you only bail occassionally. And, true enough, I'd have much better runs later in the week.

Hamstring Treatment - Week 13 - 9 Mile Tempo run on Dreadmill

2012-02-09T22:34:00.002-05:00

While the training plan of John Ferguson, The Legend called for a 10 mile tempo run tonight, I didn't feel I could do it justice, so I shortened it to 9 miles on the dreadmill (8 miles displayed). I did the first 4 miles (displayed) at a 6.0 MPH pace (8:50/mile real world pace), and three of the four remaining displayed miles at a 6.6 MPH (displayed) pace, which should equate to 8 minute miles in the real world. I couldn't hold 6.6 MPH for more than miles 5 and 6, so I took a 2 minute rest and then hopped on the treadmill again at a 6 MPH pace. For the last mile, I ramped it up to 6.6 again.

The first 4 miles (displayed) took just a hair over 40 minutes, and the next 4 miles were just a bit over 39 minutes -- 79:18 total. The first 7 miles of the run were quite close to 70 minutes -- so 3 minutes faster than just last week. And then I ramped up the pace.

Again, while its not what I would have liked to be doing at this point in the race training plan, it is definite progress over last week's 8 mile run.

Hamstring Treatment - Week 12 - Speed Work Ladder (3.5 miles)

2012-02-07T21:42:00.000-05:00

We did a "ladder" today -- starting at 400m, then 600m, then 800m, then 1 km, and then back down to 400m again. The goal was to keep consistent pace the whole way. I pushed the hamstring more than ever before this time, and it worked out okay.

We were on the 200 m. track. Here are my times (and my 200 pace):

400m: 1:50 (55 sec.)
600m: 2:40 (53 sec.)
800m: 3:31 (53 sec.)
1000m: 4:24 (53 sec.)
800m: 3:30 (53 sec.)
600m: 2:37 (52 sec.)
400m: 1:40 (50 sec.)

So, I was pretty happy. I finished stronger than I started, my times were consistent, and I pushed myself as hard as I could -- particularly for the 1000 and 800 runs. I had been targeting between 52 and 53 seconds and I ended up at just a hair under 53 second laps on average. Total distance (including 200 rest laps) was 5.8 km (3.5 miles).

Comparing these times to my ladder of July 28, 2010, I typically did 50 second laps (4:10/k.). So I'm not quite there -- but I'm not far off!

Hamstring Treatment - Week 12 - 22.44 mile long run

2012-02-05T20:29:00.000-05:00

Jed, Brian and I put in 4.1 miles before the official Runners Choice run today, so all told I got in 20.44 miles. I ran with Shelly Boyer the entire way, and most of the way with Jennifer (although I didn't catch her last name).

It was a good run. The route took us up to the corner of Clarke Road and Sunningdale, and then back down Adelaide. So there were some good long hills. Here are my mile splits:

9:17
8:58
8:46
8:52
8:48
8:43
8:43
8:35
8:42
8:51
8:44
8:48
8:45
8:59
8:52
8:58
8:42
8:47
8:54
9:00
8:35 (.44 miles)

So the average pace over the whole run was 8:50 -- not terrible. My hamstring was tight, but, really, it didn't hurt more than any other part of my body by the end!

By the end of the run, it was feeling nauseous, so I have to figure out the food thing. I was starving (predictibly) by 13 miles, and I chewed a lot of gummy bear things I picked up from Sport Chekk, and Sports Beans from Runners Choice. But I needed something else. Maybe I'll try chopped up Clif bars and Pringles, like Sarah Reinertson does on her Iron Man runs next time! I had a good breakfast -- a large bowl of mini-wheats, so that got me through the first half of the run.

After getting cleaned up, we went to The Ale House for their half-priced Big Breakfast with a bunch of the other runners. And I rode in indoor polo later the afternoon, which helped stretch out the muscles.

I was pretty happy getting this run in. It confirmed that one way or another, I'll finish Boston in 10 weeks.

Hamstring Treatment - Week 12 - 8 Mile Tempo Run on the Treadmill

2012-02-02T21:28:00.005-05:00

It was 12 weeks ago today that I ruptured in my right hamstring and was hobbling around the Breezes resort in Curacao. And in 10.5 weeks, I'll be in Boston running the marathon.

I'm still not even close to the speed I was before the injury -- but I'm getting there.

Today I was to do an 8 mile tempo run, where the first half of the run is at marathon pace and the second half of the run is at 30 to 45 seconds per mile _faster_ than marathon pace. Well, my 'marathon pace' to hit my target of 3:20 in Boston is 7:38/mile -- and I can't even hit that pace for one mile, let alone 4. So tonight, I just hit the treadmill with the goal of doing the first half at a moderate pace, and the second half at a pace that was stressing me a bit.

Because the treadmill needs to be calibrated and I know it is off by 13.1%, I ran so it read 7 miles as the distance travelled, which should equate to 7.92 miles -- close enough.

I was going to start running at 5 MPH, but it was actually too slow, so I ramped it up to 5.5 MPH on the display, which should equate to 9:39/mile pace in the real world. I did this pace for the first 3 miles, and then ramped up the pace to 6.5 MPH on the display, which should equate to a pace of 8:10 in the real world. I was working hard, but I could handle it for the half mile until I took a quick scheduled break at the 3.5 mile mark. From there, I ramped up the pace to 6.0 MPH displayed (8:50/mile in the real world) and I carried on for 2.5 miles and then I ramped it up to 6.5 MPH (8:10/mile real world) for the last mile. I was working hard, but I was breathing well and my head was still being held high and I had a bounce in my step, so I guess the pace was okay.

So, I'm making progress. Looking back to my 7 mile (displayed) run on the treadmill on January 12, 2012, I'm certainly faster for a sustained period of time. I knocked off the run in roughly 73 minutes -- a minute faster than on January 12 -- so while the progress isn't mind boggling, it is progress nonetheless!

Hamstring Treatment - Week 11 - 4 Mile Easy Run

2012-02-01T21:23:00.003-05:00

Coach Brian was off in Whistler skiiing, so when our buddy Jody Durand called up and asked if we wanted to go for a run in Ilderton where he was bringing his daughter once a week in preparation for a Mexican mission in March, we took him up on it. By 'we', I mean 'me' -- Jenny had a drink at the King Eddie in Ilderton while Jody and I put in a 4 mile run at a 9:18/mile 'easy run' pace. It was great to see Jody again and in the course of our 37 minute run, we not only got caught up on everything in each others' worlds, but we solved all of the worlds problems to boot!

Hamstring Treatment - Speed work

2012-01-31T22:34:00.001-05:00

Went out to speed work tonight. After a week on the Cruise to Run, including a bunch of very encouraging runs, I was hoping for big things here. While there has been progress, it isn't quite where I'd like it to be. We did 800 m. (4 lap) runs, with a 1 lap (200 m.) break in between. Here are my splits:

3:32
3:40
3:40
3:45
3:46

Two weeks ago, I was doing 400 m. runs at between 1:48 and 1:51 per segment -- which if you just double would put me at 3:36 and 3:42 -- so no real improvement other than the fact that I went twice as far. And I couldn't see myself doing a 6th loop.

If I'd been able to keep the pace for a kilometre, I'd be doing roughly 4:35 per kilometre -- which compares to between 4:00 and 4:21 (x 7 repeats) at the track back on August 16, 2011. I could feel that my right leg simply wasn't as strong and couldn't push me as far or fast as my left leg. So, while I've made headway, I have a long way to go.

Hamstring Treatment Day 62: 6 Miles on the Treadmill

2012-01-19T07:54:00.002-05:00

The marathon training plan put out by John Ferguson, the legend, called for 6 easy miles today. The weather wasn't particularly hospitable and running coach Brian was away today, so I just pumped these miles out on the treadmill. Because I've calculated the actual distance factor compared to what the treadmill reports (1.131 miles actually travelled for every mile reported), I had to do 5.3 miles "reported" to get 6 miles actual. I knocked it off in 55 minutes, which isn't terrible for an "easy" run.

Hamstring Treatment Day 61: First Speed Work Session at Thompson Arena - 5 miles

2012-01-17T23:59:00.002-05:00

Eventually, once I figure I'm back up to 100% of my pre-hamstring injury speed, I'll stop prefixing these posts with "Hamstring Treatment".

Tonight was the first speed work session at the indoor 200 m. track at Thompson Arena in London. We did 7 repeats of 400 m. (with a 200 m. jog break) followed by 2 repeats of 200 m. each. Add 2 miles total for warm up and cool down, and we ran a total of about 5 miles.

Again, I learned that I simply don't have the speed I had in early November. My typical 400 paces were at 1:50. Here were my splits for the 400 m. "speed" laps:
2:00
1:50
1:48
1:50
1:49
1:51
1:50
0:52 (200 m.)
0:53 (200 m.)

Looking at what I was able to do on June 14, 2011 at our _first_ speed work session in the summer, Johnny had us doing 600 m. repeats and my average time was 2:21. So, if they had just been 400 m. repeats, I should have been in the 1:35 time frame. And looking at my Parloff Relay times of July 15, 2011, I was around 1:30 for 400 m. So I have a long way to go to get the muscle back up the that sort of time (and that was at the _start_ of speed work last summer)!

On the plus side, though, I didn't feel at any time that I was going to re-injure the hamstring.

Hamstring Treatment Day 59: 13.4 miles in London

2012-01-15T15:54:00.001-05:00

Its a new week, so a new round of punishment! We did a route in London that took us through city streets and then up Adelaide Street to Sunningdale, and back down Richmond to the the University and back downtown again. That was 11.9 miles, and then I added another 1.5 miles after that -- 13.4 miles total. There were _lots_ of hills up to and on Sunningdale road, so it was a good precursor to Boston.

Here are my kilometre splits:
5:50
5:32
5:43
5:40
5:32
5:32
5:39
5:36
5:48
5:23
5:49
5:26
5:41
5:40
5:49
6:00
5:49
6:14
5:59
6:19
6:16

The good news is, though, that my hamstring felt much stronger than a week ago. It actually felt like it was contributing on the uphill segments of the run.

My average pace was 5:47 per kilometre -- 9:18 per mile -- which was about the same as last week. But this was a longer and definitely hillier run, so definite progress.

Hamstring Treatment Day 58: 30 miles this week, 1 mile on the treadmill today...

2012-01-14T15:50:00.000-05:00

I tried to get a mile or two at "marathon pace" -- which to get a 3:20 marathon would be 7:38 per mile. I couldn't even come close. There is no doubt that the muscle is going to require a lot of work to build up my speed again. I managed to get a mile in at about a 10 minutes/mile pace -- pretty pathetic, really.

Hamstring Recovery: 8 weeks as of today! 7 miles on the treadmill.

2012-01-12T22:36:00.003-05:00

... and I'm really starting to feel that its not going to be an issue much longer. I did 7 miles on the treadmill tonight -- 4 at a 5.5 MPH speed, and then ramped it up to 6 MPH for the last 3 miles. And for the last quarter mile or so I had it up to 6.5. Total time on the dreadmill was just a few seconds over 74 minutes.

So I'm feeling stronger every day. And today I also ran through the valley from our home to the office (just a few hundred metres, mind you), but by the top of the hill on the other side, I was still feeling pretty good.

So that makes 29 miles this week.

Hamstring Recovery - Day 55 - 5 Miles from Clandeboye...

2012-01-12T22:33:00.002-05:00

Here are my kilometre splits:

6:14
5:44
5:34
5:39
6:03
6:20
6:19
6:07

The average pace was right on 6 minutes per kilometre. The challenge was the wind -- definitely heading right into our face when we turned around after doing 4 km. But we finished it and, despite the slow plodding pace, the beer still tasted good at the end!

Hamstring Treatment Day 54: 5 miles in London...

2012-01-10T23:55:00.000-05:00

Tonight was the first night of "speed work" for the marathon training clinic. While we didn't do speed work, per se, we did all go out for anywhere from a 4 to 5 mile run. Here are my kilometre splits:
5:19
4:59
5:21
5:07
5:23
5:22
5:19
5:35
5:21 (220 m.)

The average pace for the 8.2 kilometres was 5:18, or 8:32 per mile. I could feel my hamstring -- and I was still having more trouble on the uphill sections than the flat and downhill sections, but I felt stronger than any run previously since the injury, so it was a good day.

After the run, I went out and played hockey and the hamstring was fine.

Hamstring Treatment Day 52: 12 miles on the trails in London...

2012-01-08T13:58:00.001-05:00

There must have been 40+ runners who showed up for the Sunday morning run. We were to do anywhere from 12 to 16 miles. Jed and Brian each did about 16, but I thought it best to take it easy, considering the longest run I'd done since my hamstring injury was just 6 miles on the treadmill. Here are my kilometre splits:
6:09
5:43
5:44
5:42
5:29
5:28
5:28
5:31
5:44
5:24
5:32
5:39
5:43
6:05
5:58
6:04
5:57
6:07
6:14
6:07 pace (321 m.)

The average pace for 19.32 km (12 miles) was 5:47 per kilometre, or 9:18 per mile. Not great, but it was all I could do. I found that even the slightest incline caused me issues -- it was like my right leg (with the hamstring injury) had zero strength in going up hills.

Hamstring Treatment Day 51: 4 miles on treadmill...

2012-01-07T22:56:00.000-05:00

4 miles on treadmill today. The first 2 were at 6 MHP, then I took a rest at 5.5 MPH, but then ramped it back up to 6 MPH for the last mile.

Hamstring Treatment Day 50: 6 miles on treadmill...

2012-01-06T18:47:00.002-05:00

I pumped out 6 miles on the treadmill today. The weather was nice, but the roads were slushy and muddy, so I chose the indoor route. The treadmill works well. I get to watch videos of horse trials ("Eventing") while I run, and the time goes buy surprisingly quickly. I did the first 2 miles at a 6.0 "mph" pace, but slowed it down to 5.5. After about a half mile, though, I bumped it back up to 5.7 which was comfortable. I did the 6 miles in just under 63 minutes.

That makes 16.2 miles so far this week -- so just 4 miles tomorrow and I'm at 20 for the week and the point at which coach Brian says I can start working on increasing my speed.

Hamstring Treatment Day 48: 4 miles outside with Brian...

2012-01-04T20:53:00.001-05:00

I did a short run with Coach Brian today. Just from his place down Denfield Road past William Street and then back again. Total distance is 4 miles (6.44 km) -- so 10 miles on the week. Our average pace was 5:39 per kilometre, with the following splits:
6:23
5:37
5:23
5:36
5:25
5:32
5:34 pace (440 m.)

It was a bit tough running when we couldn't run on pavement due to traffic since we were ultimately running in the slush. So I'm reasonably happy with a 5:39 pace overall. And if you take out the first and last splits, the pace was just a hair over 5:30/km (8:51 per mile). Still a long way from the 4:44/k (7:38/mile) that I need to target for my Boston goal, though.

The hamstring was a bit tight through the run, and both hips were mildly sore. But the ligaments behind my right knee were the most sore during the run. I'm getting Physiotherapist Craig out Saturday morning to have a look.

Hamstring Treatment - Day 46: 5 miles on the treadmill at a half-decent pace...

2012-01-02T12:57:00.003-05:00

I did 5 miles on the treadmill today since it was a blizzard outside. I worked on lengthening my stride, and in doing so I was able to comfortably move up to 6 MPH (10 minutes per mile). Still a long way to go to get to the 7 minutes 45 seconds per mile that I'll need to do for 26.2 miles in Boston, but it is a good start. While I could still _feel_ my hamstring, it didn't feel in distress at all during the run. I knocked it off in 51 minutes flat, which is not bad.

Hamstring Treatment - Day 45 - 1.2 miles!

2012-01-01T13:01:00.002-05:00

I went to do a five mile run today, but the weather outside was quite miserable. So, back to the treadmill. I got a mile into it and the power went off -- so in an instant I was in pitch blackness, and the treadmill stopped within about 1.5 strides. The power came back on in about 10 seconds, so I started running again -- but then 2 minutes later, the power went off again. I'm starting to get good at those sudden pitch-black stops! We'll try again tomorrow.

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

2011-12-27T10:43:00.002-05:00

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

2011-12-26T16:49:00.002-05:00

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)

2011-12-24T16:57:00.001-05:00

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 -

2011-12-22T22:11:00.000-05:00

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

2011-12-19T17:20:00.000-05:00

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...

2011-12-15T22:07:00.001-05:00

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!

2011-12-13T23:52:00.000-05:00

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

2011-12-12T21:45:00.002-05:00

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

2011-12-09T22:17:00.002-05:00

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

2011-12-07T20:52:00.002-05:00

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

2011-12-06T20:51:00.000-05:00

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

2011-12-05T20:49:00.000-05:00

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

2011-12-04T20:48:00.000-05:00

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

2011-12-03T20:46:00.000-05:00

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

2011-12-02T20:45:00.000-05:00

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

2011-12-01T20:42:00.000-05:00

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

2011-11-30T20:41:00.000-05:00

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

2011-11-28T20:39:00.000-05:00

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

2011-11-26T20:38:00.000-05:00

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

2011-11-24T20:32:00.000-05:00

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

2011-11-23T20:31:00.000-05:00

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

2011-11-20T20:25:00.000-05:00

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.

Hamstring Injury Recuperation - Day 2

2011-11-19T20:23:00.000-05:00

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

2011-11-18T14:21:00.000-05:00

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

2011-11-17T20:17:00.000-05:00

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

2011-11-17T14:01:00.000-05:00

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

2011-11-16T19:53:00.000-05:00

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

2011-11-15T19:51:00.000-05:00

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

2011-11-14T19:50:00.000-05:00

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

2011-11-13T19:49:00.000-05:00

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!

2011-11-06T23:26:00.002-05:00

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

2011-11-02T23:22:00.000-04:00

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!

2011-10-30T11:18:00.000-04:00

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

2011-10-27T18:36:00.002-04:00

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)...

2011-10-26T18:33:00.000-04:00

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

2011-10-25T18:27:00.000-04:00

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

2011-10-23T18:56:00.004-04:00

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

2011-10-20T17:34:00.003-04:00

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

2011-10-18T20:58:00.002-04:00

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

2011-10-15T20:18:00.000-04:00

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...

2011-10-11T22:41:00.002-04:00

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!

2011-10-09T07:36:00.000-04:00

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.

2011-10-07T22:33:00.002-04:00

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)

2011-10-05T22:29:00.000-04:00

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)

2011-10-04T21:27:00.003-04:00

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)...

2011-09-28T21:24:00.000-04:00

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)

2011-09-27T21:28:00.000-04:00

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.

2011-09-21T14:40:00.003-04:00

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)

2011-09-20T22:35:00.000-04:00

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

2011-09-18T14:26:00.000-04:00

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

2011-09-13T23:43:00.005-04:00

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.

2011-09-11T23:56:00.000-04:00

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...

2011-09-06T21:28:00.000-04:00

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

2011-08-16T23:03:00.000-04:00

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...

2011-08-10T14:32:00.003-04:00

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

2011-07-15T08:23:00.003-04:00

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...

2011-07-06T17:46:00.001-04:00

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

2011-06-29T17:44:00.000-04:00

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

2011-06-16T10:24:00.003-04:00

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

2011-06-14T22:58:00.003-04:00

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)

2011-06-01T17:42:00.000-04:00

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!

3:25:41 -- A New Personal Best!!!

2010-11-08T20:24:00.003-05:00

Well, its over, and I did it. When I started this fall's adventure, I was looking for a 3:25 marathon time. My target pace was 7:50 per mile or 4:52 per kilometre, which would bring me across the finish line in 3:25:14 or 3:25:22 depending on which measure you used. But I would have been happy with anything faster than my previous best of 3:29:01 achieved in Virginia Beach over 2 years ago.

Everything went according to plan. I was relatively relaxed going into the run. Coach Brian and I had split a litre of wine with our spaghetti dinner on Saturday night, and had a couple of other beers during the day, so we each got a good night's sleep. Jenny, who was battling a bit of a cold, unfortunately didn't sleep so well, but was able to support us both in spite of not feeling 100%.

Brian was battling some knee pain in previous long runs, so we decided that he'd run with me for the first 3 miles, just to keep my speed in check, and then join me for the last 8 miles. While we were targeting 7:50/mile, we started off with the first three miles looking for 8:00 per mile which we achieved easily. We met Jenny at a corner in the route and he left me on my own. By the time I saw them again at the halfway mark, I was pretty much bang-on my target time -- just ahead of target by about 20 seconds or just 1 second per kilometre!

While the Road2Hope Marathon is a significant net downhill, the first 13 miles had lots of gradual ups and downs. So I was happy to see the top of the Red Hill Parkway where I knew it would be a significant downhill for 6 or 7 kilometres.

During the time on the Parkway, I let my speed increase a bit, from 4:52/k target to no faster than 4:30 per kilometre. So by the time I found Jenny and Brian at the 29K mark, I was about 2 minutes and 20 seconds ahead of schedule -- yet my quads weren't too beat up from the downhill running. But I knew that the worst was certainly yet to come.

Brian and I kept a very consistent pace for the next 6 kilometres. At the 35K mark, with just 7.2K to go, I was starting to fade -- and that is where Brian kicked into gear to keep me focused -- head up and concentrating on my stride, not my watch. I kept struggling and with about 4 kilometres to go told him just to not let me walk. And if the wind was causing me issues, I'd just shout "wind!" and he'd work to get in a position to block it for me.

The toughest part was the last kilometre. We had to pass by the finish line and go around the water slide in Centennial Park and then return to the finish. I was really struggling and really, really, really wanted to walk. But with Brian's encouragement, I kept going. With 200m to go he told me to give it a final kick and I started to pass a couple of other runners. But one runner wasn't going to give up without a fight, so we ended up racing across the finish in a full-out sprint.

Chip time: 3:25:41. Personal Best. Boston Qualifier by over 5 minutes. I'm now a '3:25 guy'!

Very happy!

"The hay is in the barn..."

2010-11-04T18:17:00.003-04:00

...and I don't think it has gone mouldy.

Metaphorically speaking, "the hay was in the barn" after I did my longest training run 3 weeks ago. There is little, if any, muscle that is going to be built while tapering. The goal is to "keep the hay from going mouldy" by doing gradually shorter runs and let the muscle damage heal.

So today's tempo run wasn't about speed or endurance -- it was just about keeping me from going stale.

It went very well. Coach Brian said 5 to 6 miles, so I chose 5. And he said no more than 2 at 'tempo pace' (7:30/mile), and so that is what I did. Here are my splits:

8:15
8:14
8:14
7:29
7:29

At all target paces, I had to slow myself down. The first three miles I simply couldn't seem to go as slow as the 8:20/mile pace I was targeting.

Sooooo... I'm ready. We'll see how it all goes on race day!

Last 'Speed Work' - 2 x 2 Miles...

2010-11-02T18:46:00.002-04:00

I didn't get a chance to talk with Coach Brian since I returned from Florida, so Jenny suggested I should be doing 'speed work' of 2 repeats x 2 miles each, at marathon pace (7:50/mile). So I went out today in the 6 degree C. temperature -- and had a great run. I took a 2 minute break between repeats, but I certainly didn't need it. My splits were:

7:36
7:47
7:47
7:48

for an average of 7:44. It took a while to find the rhythm, but once I found it, I was able to cruise along with little varation in pace. If anything, I had to get myself to slow down as a couple of times I found myself creeping up to the 7:30/mile range. The cool weather was definitely nice.

Gotta love the taper!

Very good last 'long run' -- on the treadmill...

2010-10-31T18:45:00.000-04:00

Today was an 'at sea' day on the cruise, so after a light breakfast, Jenny and I went to the on-board gym, which included 8 treadmills.

The goal today was 10 to 12 miles at long run pace. I chose 10 miles since we were already going way over the 20 minute limit they had on the treadmills. Once we figured out how the things worked, we ramped up my speed to 8:20 per mile and off I 'ran'.

I had no problem keeping the pace although it definitely seemed easier after mile 3. Depite the gym being air conditioned, I was sweating profusely, getting sweat droplets all over the machine. And one side benefit was that I could put my hand on a bar near the console to get my pulse -- 172 or 173 -- which sounded about right.

For miles 9 and 10, I ramped the pace to slightly faster than marathon pace: 7:47 per mile. And I felt fine! And my heart rate actually fell a tiny bit -- to 171-ish BPM.

No breaks, and I was able to carry on a conversation with Jenny, who ran beside me, the whole way. Definitely a confidence booster!

2nd Last Tempo Run -- this time in Florida!

2010-10-29T11:42:00.001-04:00

Jenny and I were in Key West, Florida today -- the first port of call in our 5 day cruise in the Caribbean. I was up relatively early and on the road to get in my scheduled 9 mile tempo run. The plan was to do the first 4.5 miles at long run pace and the last half at tempo pace.

The run out was uneventful. The route was flat and my pace was right on the money. It was starting to get warm though as the sun rose, and when I stopped at the turnaround point, my face became flushed with heat. The towel that I was using to wipe the sweat from my face was already drenched. So I took about a 5 minute break -- certainly enough time to give me the best chance of success at getting back to the ship at tempo pace.

But that pace was not to be. Despite my resolve to keep pushing through the pain, the muscles simply were not getting enough oxygen from the thick air, and I could feel myself overheating. I took two rest breaks during the 4.5 mile run back. Pathetic, really.

Also, I don't know my pace during those fast miles since my GPS ran out of battery power. The first 1.5 miles were on track, as was likely the last mile, since once I got into the town, the shade of the buildings cooled me down. But those middle 2 miles were likely at 'long run' pace or worse.

So, not a great 2nd last tempo run.

Toughest Speed Work Session Yet...

2010-10-26T21:04:00.002-04:00

I was supposed to do 9 x 1 mile repeats tonight. I did 7. And the last two were at well below speedwork pace. So that frames how the night went.

My goal was 9 repeats at a 7 minute pace. But the weather was crappy -- heavy winds and a bit of rain coming from the south. And yesterday, I ran 16 miles, rode a horse for an hour and played hockey in the evening. As much as I wanted to, I couldn't put the run off until tomorrow because I've got a jam-packed day before we head off for a mini-vacation. Here are my splits:

6:57
7:00
6:50
7:00
6:57
7:19
7:19

After my first 7:19 mile, I was just about ready to walk home. My calves, hamstrings and quads were already quite sore. But I started running the 7th repeat away from home and the first 2/10's of a mile actually felt pretty good. But then the soreness returned quite rapidly, so I turned around and continued running towards home. The last half mile I actually had a fairly stiff wind behind me -- but, even still, the best I could do is get back up to a 7 minute pace. With that last mile at 7:19, that tells you how slow the first half mile was. But it was all my legs had in them.

If I had to find a reason, it would be 'everything'. Not resting enough after 3 different physical activities yesterday, crappy weather, heavy rain soaked shoes, relatively warm -- I'm sure I could come up with a couple of other things.

But if the goal was to work the muscles as hard as I could for a short period of time, you could definitely call the workout successful. I'll take what I can out of it. A couple of days rest and I'll hope to have a better tempo run in the heat of the Florida Keys!

Crappy long run with less than 2 weeks to go...

2010-10-25T10:19:00.002-04:00

Coach Brian wanted me to do between 16 and 18 miles as my long run this weekend. But because of other stuff I wanted to get done, I pushed off the long run until this morning (Monday). I chose 16 miles because I'll be riding and playing hockey later today, so the muscles will definitely have an '18 mile' workout today, even if I just do the shorter distance. And my plan from the start -- really, really -- was to do 10 miles at long run pace (8:20/mile), 5 miles at marathon pace (7:50/mile), and a 'cool down' mile at long run pace again. Here are my splits:
8:34
8:15
8:13
8:15
8:13
8:09
8:13
8:13
8:15
8:14
7:50
7:48
7:44
7:48
7:47
8:18

So, on paper it looks okay, right? But I was dying out there. The weather was much warmer than it has been recently -- between 15 and 17 degrees C -- and quite muggy. The last 6 miles I did with no shirt, which I haven't done since the summer. And when I stopped, I felt like I was going to puke (at general sign of overheating for me).

And I felt tired the way through the 'marathon pace' miles.

So here come the doubts: I can't do this for 26.2 miles! But, having been there before, I know that it will all come together. A couple of weeks of reduced mileage and a bit cooler weather and I'll be ready to go. Just sucks when you have a run that causes these doubts so close to the marathon date!

Longest tempo run before the Marathon...

2010-10-22T12:04:00.002-04:00

Just 2 weeks and 2 days until the marathon -- and Coach Brian had me doing the longest tempo run of the training program today - 10 miles. Actually, it was supposed to be yesterday but the weather was windy, rainy and haily so I wimped out. Today was still a bit windy, but nothing compared to last night.

I wanted to target 8:20/mile going out and 7:30/mile coming in. It worked out pretty well. Here are my splits:

8:19
8:16
8:14
8:14
8:09
7:28
7:28
7:29
7:26
7:24

There was a brisk crosswind for the first 3 'fast' miles and most of the last mile. The second last mile I had that wind at my back.

The muscles were feeling the pressure near the end. My right quads and right hamstring felt it the most. But now that I'm done the run, my legs feel tired but not overly stressed. I'm finding that I'm concerned that I don't push it too hard in these last few weeks -- just barely beating my target paces, even though its possible I could push hard and beat the target by a lot. I think I'll save that part for the actual marathon!

Speed Work - 8 x 1 mile repeats

2010-10-19T21:21:00.003-04:00

Did I say last post that the work gets easier? Well, I guess the long runs get easier, but we stepped up the speedwork to 8 x 1 mile repeats this week -- and next week its 9. So, the speedwork definitely isn't getting any easier.

But at least the pain and misery doesn't last as long with the speed work.

I went out targeting 7 minute miles -- but since my hamstrings were a bit sore (possibly from hockey 2 nights ago, or possibly from a lot of horseback riding in the past 2 days) I decided to make sure I didn't go a whole lot faster than that. It worked out pretty well. Here are my splits:

6:56
6:55
6:51
6:56
6:50
6:56
6:53
6:57

So, everything was within 10 seconds of the goal pace. At no time did I think I couldn't do it -- but at the same time, my legs were sore by the end of it all -- so I must be building muscle.

Now, off to hockey tonight!

Longest long run before the marathon...

2010-10-16T16:39:00.002-04:00

From here on in, the work gets easier up until marathon day. I did my longest run of the training today. Coach Brian said to go out and do 3 hours and 30 minutes at long run pace -- which should be roughly 24 miles if I'm hitting 8:20/mile consistently and taking short breaks.

So that is what I did. I was up and on the roads at around 7:30 am and was finished at around 11 am. I banged off 24.37 miles (39.2 kilometres) and my average pace was 8:14 per mile. Here are my splits:

8:16
8:09
8:09
8:11
8:16
8:13
8:09
8:14
8:15
8:16
8:15
8:12
8:14
8:16
8:15
8:18
8:13
8:19
8:12
8:14
8:14
8:09
8:15
8:14
8:05 (0.37 miles)

So I was pretty consistent for the entire run. There were no situations where I thought I wouldn't be able to complete the run, and there were no situations where I had to walk beyond the standard 2.5 mile scheduled 1 minute rest breaks.

The legs are sore this afternoon -- but I'm walking semi-normally.

I'm chalking this up as a good run!

Good (but short) Tempo Run...

2010-10-14T19:21:00.002-04:00

I'm doing my longest run of the training in less than two days, so when Coach Brian said '6 or 7 miles' for my tempo run, I chose the shorter of the two. I was targeting 8:20/mile for the first 3 miles and 7:30 per mile for the last 3. Here were my splits:

8:12
8:20
8:05
7:29
7:28
7:22

So, short but sweet. Less than 48 hours until I take on a 24 miler!

Possibly my best speed work session to date...

2010-10-12T19:41:00.004-04:00

Well, I'd have to look back at my records (likely within this blog) but I'm pretty sure tonight marks the fastest 7 x 1 mile repeats I've done yet. My goal was 7 minute miles, but after the 2nd repeat I decided I was good to ramp it up to 6:45's. Here is how my splits looked:

6:49
6:54
6:44
6:41
6:36
6:39
6:39

That last mile was slightly uphill and into a bit of a stiff breeze, so I was fighting it all the way. I really, really wanted to stop. But I kept pushing and I'm glad I did!

Tough 20 Mile Long Run -- Had to walk before last mile...

2010-10-10T18:59:00.003-04:00

Well, with just 4 weeks until the marathon, one wonders if the magic of training will come together to allow me to reach my goal.

Today's run was to be a 20 miler and I originally set out with a goal of doing the last 5 miles at race pace (7:50/mile, 4:52/k). But 13 miles into it, I was feeling good and approaching that sort of speed anyhow, so I decided to step it up and do the last 7 miles at race pace.

Everything appeared to be going well until the 6th race-pace mile. A combination of slight headwind, the heat from the sun, and the fact that my muscles were getting tired forced me to walk -- as much as I hated the thought. After a bit of dry-heaves attempts at puking and a couple hundred metres of walking, I was able to get back on track again and knocked off that last mile at pretty close to long-run (5:11/k) pace. Here are my kilometre splits:

5:23
5:02
5:05
5:04
5:06
5:07
5:03
5:02
5:04
5:12
5:15
5:15
5:18
5:17
5:15
5:08
5:01
5:02
5:02
5:05
4:58
4:51
4:52
4:50
4:45
4:49
4:49
4:50
4:46
4:48
4:51
5:17 (600 m.)
5:00

Jenny ran with me for 6 kilometres in the middle of the run, which was much appreciated.

I did try something different on this run: drinking pickle juice. Because of its high salt and potassium content, its supposed to be quite good at preventing and curing leg cramps. While I didn't have any leg cramps today, my calves were very sore after I took the walk-break with a mile to go -- but not before. So my sense is that while it can prevent leg cramps, it certainly doesn't take the place of training: You either have the leg muscle or you don't. I'm not sure if the dry heaves have anything to do with the pickle juice. I've done that before when I've been overheating. And because I wasn't puking up anything, my sense is that the pickle juice I'd consumed a half-hour earlier wasn't in my system any more.

The biggest concern, of course, is that it was just a 20 mile run. I have to do 24 miles next weekend and 26.2 on race day. If I'm being forced to walk at the 19 mile mark, I could be in for some trouble. But that is where once trusts in the magic of tapering and race day.

Sitting here 12 hours later while I type this post, my legs feel pretty good. So I'm hoping I built some muscle today!

Acceptable 10 Mile Tempo Run...

2010-10-08T10:01:00.003-04:00

With the crappy long run I had on Monday and the fact that my muscles were still sort on Tuesday from the long run and weekend hockey prior to that, I just skipped the speed work this week. No apologies. No feeling guilty for not making it. Just skipped it. And I'd say that the logic of skipping it -- that I needed to let the muscles repair -- was sound.

Today I did my tempo run in a little community outside of Louisville Kentucky named Prospect KY. I'm in Prospect visiting with some close friends from University -- Ben and Sharon Butler -- and we've also been taking in some of the events at the World Equestrian Games taking place in Lexington, which is a little over an hour's drive away.

Anyhow, this morning was an 'open' morning with nothing scheduled, so I headed out on my run to get in 10 miles -- the first 5 at slightly slower than marathon pace (8:20/mile, 5:11/k) and the last 5 at slightly faster than marathon pace (7:30/mile, 4:40/k.). Here are my kilometre splits:

5:19
5:08
5:01
4:57
5:02
5:07
5:05
5:05
4:46
4:40
4:48
4:42
4:46
4:40
4:41
4:39

There were a few tough k's in there. There was next to no shoulder on which to run and the traffic was fairly heavy. So I found myself running in the grass for a good chunk of the run. And there was really nothing resembling a running trail in the grass, so it definitely wasn't easy running terrain. I was pleased with my last 3 k where I hit the target (the traffic was a little lighter in this segment) and felt strong at the end.

My average throughout the run was 4:54/k -- quite an acceptable pace, I feel.

So, I'll chaulk this up as an acceptable run. I'm back in the game!

Awful Long Run Today...

2010-10-04T12:19:00.002-04:00

Well, it had to happen. Training has been going so well that I really was due for a bad day.

I went out this morning to do a little 16 mile (25.6k) 'long run' -- much shorter than I had done almost since I started training. The first couple of miles were typical -- my left ankle was bothering me, but that subsided. I was feeling pretty good.

But as time went on and I got prepared to ramp up the speed to marathon pace, I found that the legs didn't have the energy -- particularly the quads. Here are my splits (aiming for a 5:11/k long run pace and then 4:52 marathon pace):

5:39
5:10
5:07
5:08
5:10
5:11
5:13
5:06
5:04
5:08
5:05
5:07
5:08
5:09
5:15
5:14
5:14
5:12
5:07
5:14
5:15
5:20
5:32
5:37
5:39 (459 m.)

Near the end, I had to walk a couple of times. My quads were screaming at me and there was simply no energy with which I could push back with my legs while running.

I'm quite sure that the cause of my horrible run was that I did the tempo run on Friday, played hockey on Saturday morning after not enough sleep, stayed up until 3:00 am on Saturday night, and then played hockey on Sunday at noon. Hockey tends to work my quads more than anything else and clearly they hadn't recovered.

I'm going to have to take my hockey schedule into account, now, when figuring out future runs.

Good morning tempo run...

2010-10-01T09:02:00.002-04:00

I did 9 miles this morning -- aiming for 4.5 miles at a long run pace (5:11/k, 8:20/mi.) and the 4.5 mile return at 4:40/k (7:30/mile). It was a good morning for a run -- 10 degrees C -- but there was a fairly stiff breeze coming from the north. So for the slow part of the run, I ran into the wind and then had it at my back for the first 4 kilometres of fast-paced running.

My left ankle was bothering me again at the start of this run. Fairly sharp pain on the outside of the ankle -- almost as if it was getting bruised by the upper edge of my running shoe. But after two miles, most of the pain had gone away. And by the end of the run, I could hardly notice anything.

Here are my kilometre splits:
5:18
5:07
5:01
5:00
5:06
5:10
5:05
5:01 (300 m.)
4:40
4:40
4:39
4:37
4:37
4:37
4:28
4:21 (200 m.)

I was particularly pleased with the last 1.2 kilometres since they were done facing into that brisk north wind. And yet I was able to pound out my best times of the run. (Mind you, I had been conserving, knowing that was going to be a tough leg.)

Average pace for the entire run was 4:52/k -- target marathon pace! So we'll chalk this up as another good run!