Not that I'm complaining. I mean, I'm a big boy. I can choose to not succumb to peer pressure and run my own pace. When Coach (Brian), Heather Marr and I took off this morning from Tim Horton's in Lucan, my goal was 8 miles (12.5k) at an 8:30/mile pace. Brian was to do 16 miles today, so he joined us for the first 8 miles along the Coursey North route and then went off on his own to do another 8.
Brian's target overall was 8:00/mile or slightly better. Heather just wanted to run! No GPS -- I don't even think she was wearing a watch. So as we're in the middle of our first mile, I'm saying "Oops, we're a bit fast." At the end of the first mile, my GPS says we did it in 7:52. Okay, our typical fast start. Now we have to slow down a bit. Next mile, my GPS says 7:26. Well, but that was on a downhill grade. We're starting to head uphill a bit, so our pace will slow a bit. Which it did on the next mile -- to a 7:40 pace!
At this point, I gave up trying to slow down. We were all feeling strong and the weather was a perfect summer running temperature -- about 64 degrees F. (17 degrees C.). Besides, I was running with my coach, and he wasn't telling me to slow down so what the heck. We'll just enjoy the run.
Then came the Fallon Road hill. Mile 6 started with a 1/6 of a mile downhill run with a net elevation drop of 50 feet (seems like more). But then at the bottom, we immediately start climbing and over the next 1/4 mile we climb a net 90 foot elevation increase (seems like a lot more). I could certainly feel the burning in my thighs as we hit the crest of the hill -- all the while saying to myself, "I love hills, I love hills". Even still, our pace for that mile was 8:16 -- but at least it was closer to the 8:30 I had set as the goal at the start of the run.
For mile 7, we passed by Biddulph Public School at the corner of Fallon and Saintsbury and our pace as we approached Lucan still hadn't recovered to our pre-Fallon hill level -- 8:03. But now Heather could taste the end of the run and we all quickened the pace. We finished the last leg in a pace of 7:27 -- good enough for an average pace for the entire run of 7:47/mile (4:52/k).
Brian continue off to do the same loop again since he enjoyed that loop so much!
A good pace -- perhaps too good -- but we all felt good. And it was great running with Brian and Heather to make the effort all the more enjoyable.
The cool weather helped today, I'm sure. Just need to be able to hold that pace for a bit more than 3 times today's distance and I'll be heading to Boston. No sweat. :-)
Sunday, August 5, 2007
Thursday, August 2, 2007
What a difference a day makes!
Today I was scheduled to do an 'easy run' of 7 miles at an 8:51 pace. The schedule had stepped up the pace a bit from the 9:02 that I was ignoring before, so I figured I'd step up my pace to target an 8:21 pace (5:13 per kilometre). And since I bailed on a full 8 miles yesterday, doing more than 7 miles today wouldn't hurt either. But this time, I started earlier in the morning -- around 7:15 -- when it was cooler (65 degrees F. or 17 degrees C.).
As usual when I'm running alone, I couldn't keep my pace in check. My strategy was to slow down if I saw a pace faster than 8:00/mile on my GPS, and speed up if I saw it slower than 8:20. But in each of my first 4 miles all ended up slightly faster than 8:00/mile, and only my 7th mile did I come close to 8:20. For the last leg of my run - 0.83 of a mile - I stepped it up a bit to target faster than marathon pace, and ended up doing it at a 7:33 pace. Overall, my pace for the 7.83 miles (12.5k) was 7:56/mile -- just a hair faster than my target marathon pace.
Yes, I know. Not good. I need to take the easy runs easier. But after my dismal run yesterday, it felt good to get a run in that I could consider an 'easy' pace, yet still be running at a marathon pace overall. I felt like I could run that pace for hours -- and I'll have to soon enough!
As usual when I'm running alone, I couldn't keep my pace in check. My strategy was to slow down if I saw a pace faster than 8:00/mile on my GPS, and speed up if I saw it slower than 8:20. But in each of my first 4 miles all ended up slightly faster than 8:00/mile, and only my 7th mile did I come close to 8:20. For the last leg of my run - 0.83 of a mile - I stepped it up a bit to target faster than marathon pace, and ended up doing it at a 7:33 pace. Overall, my pace for the 7.83 miles (12.5k) was 7:56/mile -- just a hair faster than my target marathon pace.
Yes, I know. Not good. I need to take the easy runs easier. But after my dismal run yesterday, it felt good to get a run in that I could consider an 'easy' pace, yet still be running at a marathon pace overall. I felt like I could run that pace for hours -- and I'll have to soon enough!
Wednesday, August 1, 2007
Friggin' Heat...
I wasn't sure what to name this post, but "Friggin' Heat" seemed to encapsulate it. I was thinking about "I Hate Heat" or "Hitting the Heat Wall" or "I'm Never Going to Make It".
Sooooooo... what happened? My run today was supposed to be an 8 miler, with 6 miles in the middle at a 7:37/mile tempo pace. I figured I'd aim for a 7:30/mile pace. I didn't get out the door as early as I would have liked, so by the time I was on the run, it was 9:30 am and the sun was shining... brightly... warmly. It was about 85 degrees F (just shy of 30 degrees C.) by the time I started.
I couldn't keep my pace down according to my instant pace on my GPS, but after 1 mile I was at 7:45. A bit fast for my warmup run, but so far so good. I picked up the pace a bit and did the next mile in 7:25 -- exactly where I wanted to be. The next mile at 7:33 -- okay, starting to slip a bit. I had to pick up the pace just a bit -- but the GPS never seemed to have have me where I felt I should be. Despite this, I ended up at 7:19 for the fourth mile (4:35/k pace).
By now, I'm getting hot. Really hot. And I'm not sure how I'm going to handle things -- especially since I know I was pushing my heat envelope, as it were. So I pulled the plug -- there was no way I was going to keep that pace for another 4 miles and, in fact, I wasn't sure if I was going to make it home. So my strategy was to just keep running at a sufficient pace to get back to our office (about 500 m closer than home).
Surprisingly, my pace -- while slow -- was still acceptable. My next two miles were at a 7:40/mile and 7:51/mile pace. I felt like I was crawling -- but in fact, I was running faster than my target marathon pace of 7:55!
So, I did 6 miles of my 8 mile run. But my average pace was 7:37 overall -- right on what I was supposed to do for my tempo run. But more importantly, I learned a couple of things: Don't try tempo runs in the heat -- it ain't going to work. And, that now my 'crawl' speed is still faster than my target marathon pace.
Hopefully I won't need either of these pieces of information come marathon day!
Sooooooo... what happened? My run today was supposed to be an 8 miler, with 6 miles in the middle at a 7:37/mile tempo pace. I figured I'd aim for a 7:30/mile pace. I didn't get out the door as early as I would have liked, so by the time I was on the run, it was 9:30 am and the sun was shining... brightly... warmly. It was about 85 degrees F (just shy of 30 degrees C.) by the time I started.
I couldn't keep my pace down according to my instant pace on my GPS, but after 1 mile I was at 7:45. A bit fast for my warmup run, but so far so good. I picked up the pace a bit and did the next mile in 7:25 -- exactly where I wanted to be. The next mile at 7:33 -- okay, starting to slip a bit. I had to pick up the pace just a bit -- but the GPS never seemed to have have me where I felt I should be. Despite this, I ended up at 7:19 for the fourth mile (4:35/k pace).
By now, I'm getting hot. Really hot. And I'm not sure how I'm going to handle things -- especially since I know I was pushing my heat envelope, as it were. So I pulled the plug -- there was no way I was going to keep that pace for another 4 miles and, in fact, I wasn't sure if I was going to make it home. So my strategy was to just keep running at a sufficient pace to get back to our office (about 500 m closer than home).
Surprisingly, my pace -- while slow -- was still acceptable. My next two miles were at a 7:40/mile and 7:51/mile pace. I felt like I was crawling -- but in fact, I was running faster than my target marathon pace of 7:55!
So, I did 6 miles of my 8 mile run. But my average pace was 7:37 overall -- right on what I was supposed to do for my tempo run. But more importantly, I learned a couple of things: Don't try tempo runs in the heat -- it ain't going to work. And, that now my 'crawl' speed is still faster than my target marathon pace.
Hopefully I won't need either of these pieces of information come marathon day!
Monday, July 30, 2007
A Marathon Distance Personal Best!
Well, we did it. Yesterday we ran from London to Port Stanley (26.25 miles according to my GPS), in a total time of 4:09:19 -- and that included a 4:14 delay right at the end while the lift bridge in Port Stanley was up letting some boats through. So, we'll call it 4:05:04. And at the end, it was hot out -- 27 degrees c. (81 degrees f.).
We took it easy, targeting 9:00 minute miles, and stopping at all hydration stops which, after the first 5 miles were spaced about 2.5 miles apart. The stops were longer than we had planned, ranging from about 1.5 minutes to 2.5 minutes, while we were counting on 1 minutes stops.
Less than halfway through the run, Jenny, Karen and Tori showed up to augment the water stops that John Ferguson at Runners Choice in London had arranged. They had a bucket filled with cold water and sponges. But they weren't counting on the sheer number of runners that Runners Choice had lined up for this run. While John, Jed and I were the only ones who did the full 26 miles, Brian joined it to do his 23 mile run, and others joined in at various other spots along the route. By the time we were at the end, there was over 100 runners that were taking part -- and many of them really appreciated the sponges.
The topology of the run was nice for a training run, with a total drop of 248 feet from start to finish. But it wasn't quite that simple: We started at an elevation of 812 feet, climbed to 947 feet within the first 20 minutes, and then finished at 564 feet. There were a couple of valleys and overpasses in between, so we got to do our share of hills during the run. But the drop in the last half-hour of the run was almost 200 feet, so it was nice to finish on a downhill grade, especially in the heat.
Looking through our running paces, we did pretty well keeping within range of our target. These paces include the times we spent stopping at stop lights and at the girls' sponge stops, but don't include the time at the Runners Choice hydration stops:
Lap 1: 1 mile, 9:09 pace
Lap 2: 1 mile, 9:04 pace
Lap 3: 1 mile, 8:38 pace
Lap 4: 1 mile, 9:03 pace
Lap 5: 0.42 mi., 9:00 pace
Lap 6: Hydration Stop: 1:53
Lap 7: 1 mile, 8:57 pace
Lap 8: 0.68 mi, 8:59 pace
Lap 9: Hydration Stop: 1:28
Lap 10: 1 mile, 8:58 pace
Lap 11: 1 mile, 8:55 pace
Lap 12: 0.55 mi, 9:00 pace
Lap 13: Hydration Stop: 2:03
Lap 14: 1 mile, 8:53 pace
Lap 15: 1 mile, 8:49 pace
Lap 16: 0.42 mi, 8:46 pace
Lap 17: Hydration Stop: 1:30
Lap 18: 1 mile, 8:52 pace
Lap 19: 1 mile, 9:04 pace
Lap 20: 0.63 mi, 8:56 pace
Lap 21: Hydration Stop: 1:52
Lap 22: 1 mile, 9:08 pace
Lap 23: 1 mile, 8:33 pace
Lap 24: 0.33 mi, 8:42 pace
Lap 25: Hydration Stop: 1:20
Lap 26: 1 mile, 9:06 pace
Lap 27: 1 mile, 8:52 pace
Lap 28: 0.15 mi, 8:49 pace
Lap 29: Hydration Stop: 2:17
Lap 30: 1 mile, 8:41 pace
Lap 31: 1 mile, 8:58 pace
Lap 32: 0.86 mi, 8:33 pace
Lap 33: Hydration Stop: 0:54
Lap 33: Hydration Stop: 0:33 (must have pressed the button twice)
Lap 34: 1 mile, 9:04 pace
Lap 35: 1 mile, 8:49 pace
Lap 36: 0.57 mi, 8:22 pace
Lap 37: Hydration Stop: 2:23
Lap 38: 1 mile, 9:11 pace
Lap 39: 0.52 mi, 8:38 pace
Lap 40: Lift Bridge Up: 4:14
Lap 41: 0.52 mi, 7:51 pace
(Sorry about the overabundance of detail here!)
A couple of things I learned along this route included the fact that despite the fact that its really not polite to pass gas in public, it really helps the run so if one feels the need, let 'er rip. Only try to do it without your running partner directly behind you (Sorry Jed!). There was a good crosswind, though.
Despite the fact that Jed and I each had the same GPS model, our pace times were markedly different. It could be due to settings in the GPS itself -- perhaps mine was set to 'lap pace' while Jeds was 'instant pace' - but it was definitely good to have a running buddy there to confirm the pace. Next time, I'll wear my GPS on the south-most wrist (the left wrist, in this case), as wearing it on the north-facing wrist could have impacted the ability of the GPS to find the satellites.
Another thing was that you really can work through the pain. I developed a blister on my insole of my right foot at around the 8 mile mark. But as I kept running, the pain went away. When I got home, I had a big honking blister there, but it hadn't burst so it obviously was doing its job.
I discovered that the chaffing on very long run is different (and hurts more) than on a medium run. My inner thighs, right beside my -- um -- private parts -- were very chaffed by the end of the run. I didn't feel it until I started walking towards GT's where we had lunch and a few beers after the run. So while my legs were stiff after the run, most of the reason I was walking funny was because of the chaffing. Next time, I'm getting some Vaseline or body-glide stuff!
Around the 22 mile mark, I was getting hunger pangs. But I'd take just a swig of sport drink, and the pang would subside for another mile or so.
On the last stretch of the race, I could feel my hamstring about to cramp up, so I slowed up a bit. That's one of the dangers, I guess, of running such a long distance during training -- that you'll end up injuring yourself. Thus, the reason for keep it slower than Marathon target pace.
After the race, while waiting for our drinks and lunch at the restaurant, I think I may have been starting to crash. This happened to me once previously, after my last marathon. I was very cold, despite the heat outside, and I felt the urge to cry -- very weird -- almost like I was having a stroke or something and couldn't control my emotions. What's weirder is that as soon as my beer arrived and I took a swig, I felt considerably better. And after a fruit smoothie and another beer, I was back to 100%. I think next time I'll carry more sport drink with me for after the race -- and keep the carbs and electrolytes coming!
Some of the things that we confirmed were that running with a partner is really helpful -- not just for the GPS pace mentioned above. In chatting after the run, both Jed and I confirmed that near the end of the run we had each -- unknowingly -- kept the other running, and on pace. We kept each other in check -- slowing down when our pace was too fast, and speeding on the odd occasion where we were too slow. Thanks Jed!
Also, the ice bath when I got home had amazing results. I was able to walk semi-normally after the bath and today, a day after the run, I'm feeling pretty close to 100%.
For running apparel, I had my Running Room shorts, 1 pair of socks (I thought perhaps I should have double-socked for this one), my Filo running shoes (my Asics aren't quite broken in yet), my Shore-to-Shore running vest (worked great!), and my Running Room hat. I'll have to go shopping at Runners Choice soon, if for no other reason then to thank them for organizing such a great run!
For breakfast, I had 2 peanut butter and jam sandwiches and a glass of milk -- about 1.25 hours before the run. And I had a medium black Tim Hortons coffee about a half hour before the run. That seemed to work well.
In summary, while initially I was a bit disappointed that we weren't closer to the 4-hour mark for our run, Jenny reminded me that we were running in 27-degree heat at the end -- and I don't run well in heat. Combine that with the fact that we had 20 minutes and 27 seconds of hydration and bridge breaks for a total running of 3:48:52 (an 8:43 pace), I should be very pleased. And I am!
We took it easy, targeting 9:00 minute miles, and stopping at all hydration stops which, after the first 5 miles were spaced about 2.5 miles apart. The stops were longer than we had planned, ranging from about 1.5 minutes to 2.5 minutes, while we were counting on 1 minutes stops.
Less than halfway through the run, Jenny, Karen and Tori showed up to augment the water stops that John Ferguson at Runners Choice in London had arranged. They had a bucket filled with cold water and sponges. But they weren't counting on the sheer number of runners that Runners Choice had lined up for this run. While John, Jed and I were the only ones who did the full 26 miles, Brian joined it to do his 23 mile run, and others joined in at various other spots along the route. By the time we were at the end, there was over 100 runners that were taking part -- and many of them really appreciated the sponges.
The topology of the run was nice for a training run, with a total drop of 248 feet from start to finish. But it wasn't quite that simple: We started at an elevation of 812 feet, climbed to 947 feet within the first 20 minutes, and then finished at 564 feet. There were a couple of valleys and overpasses in between, so we got to do our share of hills during the run. But the drop in the last half-hour of the run was almost 200 feet, so it was nice to finish on a downhill grade, especially in the heat.
Looking through our running paces, we did pretty well keeping within range of our target. These paces include the times we spent stopping at stop lights and at the girls' sponge stops, but don't include the time at the Runners Choice hydration stops:
Lap 1: 1 mile, 9:09 pace
Lap 2: 1 mile, 9:04 pace
Lap 3: 1 mile, 8:38 pace
Lap 4: 1 mile, 9:03 pace
Lap 5: 0.42 mi., 9:00 pace
Lap 6: Hydration Stop: 1:53
Lap 7: 1 mile, 8:57 pace
Lap 8: 0.68 mi, 8:59 pace
Lap 9: Hydration Stop: 1:28
Lap 10: 1 mile, 8:58 pace
Lap 11: 1 mile, 8:55 pace
Lap 12: 0.55 mi, 9:00 pace
Lap 13: Hydration Stop: 2:03
Lap 14: 1 mile, 8:53 pace
Lap 15: 1 mile, 8:49 pace
Lap 16: 0.42 mi, 8:46 pace
Lap 17: Hydration Stop: 1:30
Lap 18: 1 mile, 8:52 pace
Lap 19: 1 mile, 9:04 pace
Lap 20: 0.63 mi, 8:56 pace
Lap 21: Hydration Stop: 1:52
Lap 22: 1 mile, 9:08 pace
Lap 23: 1 mile, 8:33 pace
Lap 24: 0.33 mi, 8:42 pace
Lap 25: Hydration Stop: 1:20
Lap 26: 1 mile, 9:06 pace
Lap 27: 1 mile, 8:52 pace
Lap 28: 0.15 mi, 8:49 pace
Lap 29: Hydration Stop: 2:17
Lap 30: 1 mile, 8:41 pace
Lap 31: 1 mile, 8:58 pace
Lap 32: 0.86 mi, 8:33 pace
Lap 33: Hydration Stop: 0:54
Lap 33: Hydration Stop: 0:33 (must have pressed the button twice)
Lap 34: 1 mile, 9:04 pace
Lap 35: 1 mile, 8:49 pace
Lap 36: 0.57 mi, 8:22 pace
Lap 37: Hydration Stop: 2:23
Lap 38: 1 mile, 9:11 pace
Lap 39: 0.52 mi, 8:38 pace
Lap 40: Lift Bridge Up: 4:14
Lap 41: 0.52 mi, 7:51 pace
(Sorry about the overabundance of detail here!)
A couple of things I learned along this route included the fact that despite the fact that its really not polite to pass gas in public, it really helps the run so if one feels the need, let 'er rip. Only try to do it without your running partner directly behind you (Sorry Jed!). There was a good crosswind, though.
Despite the fact that Jed and I each had the same GPS model, our pace times were markedly different. It could be due to settings in the GPS itself -- perhaps mine was set to 'lap pace' while Jeds was 'instant pace' - but it was definitely good to have a running buddy there to confirm the pace. Next time, I'll wear my GPS on the south-most wrist (the left wrist, in this case), as wearing it on the north-facing wrist could have impacted the ability of the GPS to find the satellites.
Another thing was that you really can work through the pain. I developed a blister on my insole of my right foot at around the 8 mile mark. But as I kept running, the pain went away. When I got home, I had a big honking blister there, but it hadn't burst so it obviously was doing its job.
I discovered that the chaffing on very long run is different (and hurts more) than on a medium run. My inner thighs, right beside my -- um -- private parts -- were very chaffed by the end of the run. I didn't feel it until I started walking towards GT's where we had lunch and a few beers after the run. So while my legs were stiff after the run, most of the reason I was walking funny was because of the chaffing. Next time, I'm getting some Vaseline or body-glide stuff!
Around the 22 mile mark, I was getting hunger pangs. But I'd take just a swig of sport drink, and the pang would subside for another mile or so.
On the last stretch of the race, I could feel my hamstring about to cramp up, so I slowed up a bit. That's one of the dangers, I guess, of running such a long distance during training -- that you'll end up injuring yourself. Thus, the reason for keep it slower than Marathon target pace.
After the race, while waiting for our drinks and lunch at the restaurant, I think I may have been starting to crash. This happened to me once previously, after my last marathon. I was very cold, despite the heat outside, and I felt the urge to cry -- very weird -- almost like I was having a stroke or something and couldn't control my emotions. What's weirder is that as soon as my beer arrived and I took a swig, I felt considerably better. And after a fruit smoothie and another beer, I was back to 100%. I think next time I'll carry more sport drink with me for after the race -- and keep the carbs and electrolytes coming!
Some of the things that we confirmed were that running with a partner is really helpful -- not just for the GPS pace mentioned above. In chatting after the run, both Jed and I confirmed that near the end of the run we had each -- unknowingly -- kept the other running, and on pace. We kept each other in check -- slowing down when our pace was too fast, and speeding on the odd occasion where we were too slow. Thanks Jed!
Also, the ice bath when I got home had amazing results. I was able to walk semi-normally after the bath and today, a day after the run, I'm feeling pretty close to 100%.
For running apparel, I had my Running Room shorts, 1 pair of socks (I thought perhaps I should have double-socked for this one), my Filo running shoes (my Asics aren't quite broken in yet), my Shore-to-Shore running vest (worked great!), and my Running Room hat. I'll have to go shopping at Runners Choice soon, if for no other reason then to thank them for organizing such a great run!
For breakfast, I had 2 peanut butter and jam sandwiches and a glass of milk -- about 1.25 hours before the run. And I had a medium black Tim Hortons coffee about a half hour before the run. That seemed to work well.
In summary, while initially I was a bit disappointed that we weren't closer to the 4-hour mark for our run, Jenny reminded me that we were running in 27-degree heat at the end -- and I don't run well in heat. Combine that with the fact that we had 20 minutes and 27 seconds of hydration and bridge breaks for a total running of 3:48:52 (an 8:43 pace), I should be very pleased. And I am!
Thursday, July 26, 2007
A Change of Plans
Not a change of plans with respect to my overriding goal. Definitely training for Corning. Definitely looking to do a BQ time. But Jed and I were chatting last night and the group he is running with in London has a run scheduled for this Sunday from London to Port Stanley -- 25.79 miles, just shy of a full marathon. Jed was planning to do it at a 9:00 minute pace with 1 minute rests at the 8 waterstops along the route. That would put him across the line in exactly 4 hours.
'Hmmmmmm...', I thought to myself. So I chatted with Coach Brian about doing it and he is going to do it as well, since he's scheduled for a long run this weekend as well. He won't be doing the full distance, though, since his pace will be better than 8 minute miles and he doesn't want to overdo it.
From my perspective, doing this run in roughly 4 hours -- particularly if we're taking it easy -- will do a whole lot for my confidence. Pacing with Jed will help us both keep on track. And it should (if all goes well) get me past that 30k mental wall that I'm worried about hitting.
The only downside is that it is a total departure from the training plan we downloaded from Runners World. But, hey, what's one more change! This week was supposed to be an easy week -- 4 x 7 and 8 mile runs. So, I'll just swap out this week for an easy week next week, when I was supposed to do an 18 miler on the Sunday.
As for the actual running part of this post, I ran with Jody and Paula today. 7 miles -- although Paula did a bit less since she's resting for a half marathon this Sunday.
Our average pace today was roughly 9:30 miles -- about 6 minute kilometres, so nice and easy. Despite the pace, though, we were all drenched when we got back. There was quite a bit of fog, so the air (again) was thick with moisture.
So, now my mind is on the Sunday long run. I absolutely want this to go well. I just have to remember not to stress about it!
'Hmmmmmm...', I thought to myself. So I chatted with Coach Brian about doing it and he is going to do it as well, since he's scheduled for a long run this weekend as well. He won't be doing the full distance, though, since his pace will be better than 8 minute miles and he doesn't want to overdo it.
From my perspective, doing this run in roughly 4 hours -- particularly if we're taking it easy -- will do a whole lot for my confidence. Pacing with Jed will help us both keep on track. And it should (if all goes well) get me past that 30k mental wall that I'm worried about hitting.
The only downside is that it is a total departure from the training plan we downloaded from Runners World. But, hey, what's one more change! This week was supposed to be an easy week -- 4 x 7 and 8 mile runs. So, I'll just swap out this week for an easy week next week, when I was supposed to do an 18 miler on the Sunday.
As for the actual running part of this post, I ran with Jody and Paula today. 7 miles -- although Paula did a bit less since she's resting for a half marathon this Sunday.
Our average pace today was roughly 9:30 miles -- about 6 minute kilometres, so nice and easy. Despite the pace, though, we were all drenched when we got back. There was quite a bit of fog, so the air (again) was thick with moisture.
So, now my mind is on the Sunday long run. I absolutely want this to go well. I just have to remember not to stress about it!
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Lots of Interesting News...
Well, okay, if you're a non-runner, you might not find it that interesting.
The first news is that I received my Garmin Forerunner 205 yesterday and wore it for the first time in today's run. The Training Center software is very cool -- allowing you to see your run in a map format and with elevations, pace, etc. -- basically every bit of minute detail a techie geek like me would want to see. But the things I like the best about it are that (a) it automatically logs my 1 mile 'laps', so I don't have keep a close eye on the distance travelled so that I can press the Lap button at the exact right time anymore, and (b) it gets recharged by hooking it up to my computer, so I dont' have to carry a supply of AAA batteries when I run "just in case".
This is my 'easy' week -- just four 7 and 8 mile easy runs this week. Brian met me at 8:30 to go for my easy run and his Speed Work runs. He had to do 3 x 6:22 miles separated by 800 m. of jogging. I just had to run my 8 miles at somewhere around an 8:30 pace. I just ran at an easy pace for the first half of my run, and was knocking off 8:00/miles. But at about the 4 mile mark, I started to slow down -- I think more because I was then running slightly up hill and into the wind than anything else -- but even then did an 8:16 mile. I don't know if the 'easy' runs are getting any easier, but certainly the psychological effect these days is that an 8 mile run (almost 1/3 of a marathon) is a short run.
As we were returning to the house, I was still a mile short of my 8 mile target, so I took Brian on a tour of the trails that we'd built in the woods along the riverbank behind the house. Its about 2/3 of a mile back, so by the time we were done, we'd logged and extra 1.3 miles. It definitely pays to watch your step running through the woods, though. A couple of times I got tripped up by roots or stumps. It might be fine for horses, but when you're running, there is a lot that could ruin a marathon training plan! {Mental note: Take the lawn tractor through and clear up the crap thats along the trail}.
So, for me anyways, there were three interesting things: The new GPS, the realization that my running psychology is evolving as I run more, and the trail run at the end. Another good day!
The first news is that I received my Garmin Forerunner 205 yesterday and wore it for the first time in today's run. The Training Center software is very cool -- allowing you to see your run in a map format and with elevations, pace, etc. -- basically every bit of minute detail a techie geek like me would want to see. But the things I like the best about it are that (a) it automatically logs my 1 mile 'laps', so I don't have keep a close eye on the distance travelled so that I can press the Lap button at the exact right time anymore, and (b) it gets recharged by hooking it up to my computer, so I dont' have to carry a supply of AAA batteries when I run "just in case".
This is my 'easy' week -- just four 7 and 8 mile easy runs this week. Brian met me at 8:30 to go for my easy run and his Speed Work runs. He had to do 3 x 6:22 miles separated by 800 m. of jogging. I just had to run my 8 miles at somewhere around an 8:30 pace. I just ran at an easy pace for the first half of my run, and was knocking off 8:00/miles. But at about the 4 mile mark, I started to slow down -- I think more because I was then running slightly up hill and into the wind than anything else -- but even then did an 8:16 mile. I don't know if the 'easy' runs are getting any easier, but certainly the psychological effect these days is that an 8 mile run (almost 1/3 of a marathon) is a short run.
As we were returning to the house, I was still a mile short of my 8 mile target, so I took Brian on a tour of the trails that we'd built in the woods along the riverbank behind the house. Its about 2/3 of a mile back, so by the time we were done, we'd logged and extra 1.3 miles. It definitely pays to watch your step running through the woods, though. A couple of times I got tripped up by roots or stumps. It might be fine for horses, but when you're running, there is a lot that could ruin a marathon training plan! {Mental note: Take the lawn tractor through and clear up the crap thats along the trail}.
So, for me anyways, there were three interesting things: The new GPS, the realization that my running psychology is evolving as I run more, and the trail run at the end. Another good day!
Sunday, July 22, 2007
It's So Nice Running with Friends...
I went out for this week's long run yesterday and I had some company along the way. Brian was away visiting family north of Toronto, but Kelly emailed me on Friday asking about my route. So I put together a 26k route (just over my 16 mile target) that started and ended at the Tim Horton's in Lucan but also passed by it two more times in the middle so other runners could join in. Here's the route: http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=1156538
The weather was perfect, considering it is the middle of summer. There was a slight cool breeze, and the temperature was around 18 degrees C. (65 degrees F.) and sunny. So one couldn't ask for much better.
When I passed through after my first 10.3k leg, Kelly and Jody were both there, along with Jenny and Tori. I knew that Jenny and Tori weren't planning on keep up to my 5:20/k pace (8:30/mile), and I knew that Kelly could do that pace not problem, but I was pleasantly surprised to see Jody out.
The thing about having company during a run is that the other runners help keep your pace without having to constantly check your GPS, and you're able to chat about stuff along the way to keep your mind off the effort that you're putting into the run. So the next 8.5k went by extremely quickly. Jody did fantastic -- keeping up our 5:15 pace for over 6k of the run before he had to bail. And by the end of that leg, Kelly and I were chugging along at a 5:10/k pace without even thinking about it -- just chatting about this and that and philosophising about life in general. Oh, and after that Kelly had to go off to do her cardio kickboxing north of town -- because you can never be in too good shape! :-)
Then I went off on my own for the last 7k leg of my journey and it was back to just the sound of me huffing and puffing. All I could do was just concentrate on my stride and try to keep my pace consistent, whether I was on a slight uphill or downhill grade. The one weird thing that I'll have to address is that I started to get hungry at around the 23k mark. I had only been having my jelly beans during the first 10k, so I'll have to make sure that I continue to get calories and bulk into me throughout the run.
Once I got onto Highway 4 heading back into Lucan, I stepped it up to marathon pace for the last 2k. Jenny and Tori were there to greet me!
The support from everyone is so much appreciated. And that afternoon, we were wondering through the TSC store in Hyde Park and Jenny found a cowbell, which I'd been looking for as a cheering device since before the Shore to Shore run on June 1.
Overall, my pace was 5:15/k (8:24/mile), and my last two kilometres were at 4:55/k -- just under my marathon goal pace. Pretty close to my 8:30 target pace for the run, so I was quite happy.
Today, I bailed on my sheduled six mile easy run, and insteady took part in a 5k race in Ailsa Craig. My fastest 5k prior to today had been the Jordon 5k over two years ago when I did it in 21:52. I felt that I was faster than that, based on some recent races, but I wasn't sure how much faster. So I set my target on a 4:15/k pace.
I knew I'd try to go out fast, so I consciously tried to rein myself in. I was only somewhat successful, doing my first kilometre in 3:58. The next k I was right on at a 4:15 pace, and the third kilometre I'd even picked up a bit at 4:10. Then things started to fall apart. Even though we were now on a very slight downhill grade, I could only manage a 4:19/pace for kilometre number 4. But then I heard the wonderful sound of a cowbell! Jenny and Tori were there cheering me on about 500 m. from the finish. Perfect positioning! I stepped it up again and pulled off a 4:14/k pace for the last stretch -- good enough for a personal best 21:10 'official' time. And Paula and I think that the actual course was about 50 metres too long as our GPSs had us at 5:05 km. So it is possible that I actually beat a 21 minute 5k. Wow, do I ever feel great!
Ian Trotter came out for this race as well. He's been training for triathalons and said just prior to the race that it was his running that had been slowing him down. Well he knocked off a 23:20-ish time for this 5k! And Paula was right on track with her goal pace of a 27-ish minute 5k (5:26 pace).
Beckie Wright was out coaching/pacing another runner, so she wasn't able to scream past everyone as I'm sure she would have been able to otherwise. And two new additions to the Shamrocks were out -- Jessica and Carrie Vanhie. I haven't actually met them before, but Jessica was the overall female winner in this race, and I'm pretty sure that Carrie was just a few seconds in front of me (couldn't catch her!) coming across the finish line.
All in all, another very good day -- and a perfect day to share with friends!
The weather was perfect, considering it is the middle of summer. There was a slight cool breeze, and the temperature was around 18 degrees C. (65 degrees F.) and sunny. So one couldn't ask for much better.
When I passed through after my first 10.3k leg, Kelly and Jody were both there, along with Jenny and Tori. I knew that Jenny and Tori weren't planning on keep up to my 5:20/k pace (8:30/mile), and I knew that Kelly could do that pace not problem, but I was pleasantly surprised to see Jody out.
The thing about having company during a run is that the other runners help keep your pace without having to constantly check your GPS, and you're able to chat about stuff along the way to keep your mind off the effort that you're putting into the run. So the next 8.5k went by extremely quickly. Jody did fantastic -- keeping up our 5:15 pace for over 6k of the run before he had to bail. And by the end of that leg, Kelly and I were chugging along at a 5:10/k pace without even thinking about it -- just chatting about this and that and philosophising about life in general. Oh, and after that Kelly had to go off to do her cardio kickboxing north of town -- because you can never be in too good shape! :-)
Then I went off on my own for the last 7k leg of my journey and it was back to just the sound of me huffing and puffing. All I could do was just concentrate on my stride and try to keep my pace consistent, whether I was on a slight uphill or downhill grade. The one weird thing that I'll have to address is that I started to get hungry at around the 23k mark. I had only been having my jelly beans during the first 10k, so I'll have to make sure that I continue to get calories and bulk into me throughout the run.
Once I got onto Highway 4 heading back into Lucan, I stepped it up to marathon pace for the last 2k. Jenny and Tori were there to greet me!
The support from everyone is so much appreciated. And that afternoon, we were wondering through the TSC store in Hyde Park and Jenny found a cowbell, which I'd been looking for as a cheering device since before the Shore to Shore run on June 1.
Overall, my pace was 5:15/k (8:24/mile), and my last two kilometres were at 4:55/k -- just under my marathon goal pace. Pretty close to my 8:30 target pace for the run, so I was quite happy.
Today, I bailed on my sheduled six mile easy run, and insteady took part in a 5k race in Ailsa Craig. My fastest 5k prior to today had been the Jordon 5k over two years ago when I did it in 21:52. I felt that I was faster than that, based on some recent races, but I wasn't sure how much faster. So I set my target on a 4:15/k pace.
I knew I'd try to go out fast, so I consciously tried to rein myself in. I was only somewhat successful, doing my first kilometre in 3:58. The next k I was right on at a 4:15 pace, and the third kilometre I'd even picked up a bit at 4:10. Then things started to fall apart. Even though we were now on a very slight downhill grade, I could only manage a 4:19/pace for kilometre number 4. But then I heard the wonderful sound of a cowbell! Jenny and Tori were there cheering me on about 500 m. from the finish. Perfect positioning! I stepped it up again and pulled off a 4:14/k pace for the last stretch -- good enough for a personal best 21:10 'official' time. And Paula and I think that the actual course was about 50 metres too long as our GPSs had us at 5:05 km. So it is possible that I actually beat a 21 minute 5k. Wow, do I ever feel great!
Ian Trotter came out for this race as well. He's been training for triathalons and said just prior to the race that it was his running that had been slowing him down. Well he knocked off a 23:20-ish time for this 5k! And Paula was right on track with her goal pace of a 27-ish minute 5k (5:26 pace).
Beckie Wright was out coaching/pacing another runner, so she wasn't able to scream past everyone as I'm sure she would have been able to otherwise. And two new additions to the Shamrocks were out -- Jessica and Carrie Vanhie. I haven't actually met them before, but Jessica was the overall female winner in this race, and I'm pretty sure that Carrie was just a few seconds in front of me (couldn't catch her!) coming across the finish line.
All in all, another very good day -- and a perfect day to share with friends!
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