Training Log Archive: Nev-Monster

White Earth, near Smokey Lake. Awesome woods, very open, great map. But I just was never into the game. Very tentative, very sloppy, even losing contact running down trails. I really feel over my head on this stuff, but Juha with experience here ran really well.

It was a really hard course and some real classic length legs.

Interesting note, Geraint Edmunds told me that they brought over the Norwegian Junior Team coach for a training camp in the spring. Strange that it wasn't well known across the country. He had great things to say about him and hopes to bring him back. New respect for the club.
I got a haircut on Thursday and though it's a bit short, it feels much faster.

Warm-up, cool down with JMM and Matt cooling down.

Hard run down by the river after watching Green Day and U2 open the SuperDome and Monday Night Football. First series, block punt and td for NO. Always like the Saints and always hated the Falcons.

Sunday Soccer at Garneau school. I think I'm actually developing some touch as a scored a few including one with the left.

Run on a perfect day down by the river. Lovely day in Edmonton. Spent much of the day recovering from seeing my friend CA opening for Amy Milan of The Stars at the Sidetrack last night.
But, the highlight of the day was finding a version of the Log Driver's Song online. As the blogger writes, it's a song and video that I would argue every Canadian of a certain age know, or at least they should.
http://vancouver.metblogs.com/archives/2006/08/the...

C • Canadiana 20

Was about to go for a run in the god-awful rain, when I got a call to go see Ron Sexsmith playing at Second Cup on Calgary Trail. Awesome free wee little show, as usual, he sounded very depressed.

C • Second Cup 6

EOOC Wed night event at Terwilleger Park. Neat place, pretty good map, nothing special course, but a good run. I was very very sloppy around the controls.
For sure a place with Sprint potential. I think I'll look at hosting at least one THOMASS style event this winter if the club lets me.
Found out that Peter Mackenzie is back in Alberta and living in Edmonton.

C • Peter 4

Run down by the river, felt chilly, absolute cross-country weather.
Legs felt very tight early on, from the squash on Saturday, especially the upper back leg region.
I hope those leaves in Milton start to fall soon.

Event: 2006 Sprint Series Finals
 

Long squash match with DannyMac at the Fort Mac Y. As per usual, my squash game consists of me playing to the level of my opponent and I should have won many more of the matches than I did. I only nailed Dan once with the ball and managed not to laugh too much.

Warm up and cool down for Edmonton cross-country race series at Harleek park

First of Frank's Races in Edmonton at Hawrelak Park. Big turnout, even bigger looking considering the Edmonton Thunder were having a practice and I ran into my friend Brad Young who's moved west as well.
I started what I felt was slow enough, and was probably slow for an inshape Nev, but the fact that I couldn't remember my last road/cross race was not a good sign. As my friend Toivo says: racing hurts. Which is why Toivo's a rockclimber now. Pretty demanding course, some serious climbs on an out and back style route. Very very glad I didn't spike it up. Not a good time and I felt awful for much of the race. But, glad I did it to get me back into intensity.

The race series looks amazing. It's in it's 25th year, they charge $2 per race and it's chip-timed. It has a big following, lots of Masters and high school runners, mixture of some serious types and Running Room types, not sure where I fit in.

But, the only downside was that I saw Edmonton Orienteering having an event at the same area at the same time. Does that make any sense at all? First EOOC put on an event on the UofA campus during Frosh week when it's at the busiest, now an event here when the types of athlete's the sport should be trying to recruit are already racing.
If Frank's races have been around 25 years and they are doing very well, perhaps it would make sense to put your evening events on a different night and try to attract some of the runners?

C • To get noticed? 2

Strength training while watching Sergio Leone's "A fistfull of Dynomite" which is awesome. Perfect to watch during some rolling thunder.

Pick-up local soccer; Juha and Joe Box came preformed very well. My left ankle's a little sore and I had to put up with with uselessMike the ball-hog. Someone who just doesn't get pick-up ball at all, from the moment our team has the ball, he's yelling for it and attempts to go through the entire team while the rest of us stand around and watch.
Congrats to Juha for connecting on a couple of amazing set-pieces, the first I've seen there.

C • Hockey or Soccer? 7

Event: BC Orienteering Championships 2006
 

First long run with Matt and Juha on the Whitemud trails. Felt awful from the start, and my shins are hurting. I think I need some new shoes for work, or else I should change into my crocs at work perhaps. As the run progressed, I felt better and better and pretty decent by the end. Should have brought water though.
Just an wonderful day for a run.

C • Water? 8

Run with JMM down by the river. Felt poor early, decent later.
I still have Rock You like a Hurricane stuck in my head fom driving through Red Deer on Sunday.
Being sent on my first official government trip to Calgary Thursday for a lecture on China.

Today's run is dedicated to Pvt Mark Graham from Hamilton who was killed in Afghanistan by friendly fire.
http://www.athleticscanada.com/article.asp?id=1021...

On the way out of work today I grabed a copy of the Edmonton Sun and saw the picture of the Canadian who had been killed, Mark Anthony Graham of Calgary. I thought, man, that looks alot like The Mark Graham, the sprinter from Hamilton who had settled to train in Calgary after college in the states. When I got home I saw on CBC that is was in fact Graham and there were a few stories on him.

Mark Graham was one of the most impressive athletes I've ever seen. Watching BBC coverage of World Track Champs in 2001 Edmonton I remember Michael Johnson saying that every runner there goes back to their home track and there they are The Man.

I was in grade 10 when he was in grade 13 and he was The Man of Hamilton track. 6' 4'' and filled an entire lane on the track. A big black guy, shaved head except for a strip of hair that made him look like he had Oakley's on his head. That year at Cities he won the 100, 200, 400, 4x100 and 4x400.

What I will always remember about Mark Graham was him warming up. He would very very slowly jog around the track in his Canadian National Junior Team warm-up very much aware that all the eyes were on him. After a couple laps with the National Team suit on, he'd peel that off and do a lap with his provincial team jacket on.

Then for the race, he wore a bright orange body suit, first of their kind for 90s high school track and in the Sir Alan MacNab colour. Rumour has it, Steve Pearson HKF legend introduced it to the team. Graham would whip down the top the moment he crossed the finish line, so smoothly that it had to be practiced. He then would strut around the infield with a big smile on his face, well aware of the attention towards him.

Mark Graham was so dominant in Ontario that there was simply do doubt that he was going to make the Olympics, which he did in 1992 as a member of the 4x400 team. He never reached his potential because of chronic hamstring injuries, and probably because he also loved playing basketball more, just like Donovan Bailey. His younger brother Jay Graham was an awesome basketball player and running back, but when Jay Graham ran track, he was always Mark's little brother.

Of course, I could never see Mark Graham running a 52 minute tempo run, but I was thinking back to high school and watching him run. Pretty much a perfect stride, big guy with just explosive power.

The last time I saw him run was watching the Canadian Track Champs in the rain in the mid-90s. He took the 400 out hard, leading the whole race until totally rigging and the end and was caught, finishing second. I remember thinking, I can't believe someone is going to beat Mark Graham in Canada and being shocked. He was simply The Man.

C • The Man 4

Nice slow run down by the river. Pretty blah day.

Look at the events this year in the West. Barebones, Westerns in the Yukon, Spring Run-off in the Kootenays, Alberta Champs and then next weekend BC champs I'm sure will rock too. That's an awesome season out here.
So, where are the numbers?

Alberta Long Champs. A serious classic race, way harder than the Ottawa B meets this spring. To paraphrase Hans Fransson "That's why they are called A meets." I couldn't get my O shoes on because of the blisters so I ran in trail shoes. I also had a little bug going through my system Saturday night which would have really dehydrated me.
But, just not in good enough shape to have that fast a race in this terrain. Very good map, very good course except for one control.
Went pretty slow and steady off the start, which lasted for one control as I totally blew control 2 which got totally shaken up. Through the middle of the course I got into a mini-flow, but really wasn't running as fast as I should have. Was in and out of a few packs including a Slovak mapper who made wicked owl noises while running.
Then control 14 I totally blew-up at again. Strange control, very bingo and gave many people a bad taste in their mouth over what was a great course. 14 was a small open area in a flatish section of a big hill. Looking back, I should have played it more conservative, but though I could hit it straight on. Finally Miles Tindel lead me in and I was toast by then and had nothing left for the last two running legs in.

M20-34,M35-43,F20-34 - Splits

Event: Alberta Orienteering Championships
 

M20-34,M35-43,F20-34 - Splits