Training Log Archive: BashIn the 7 days ending Sep 30, 2012:
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Sunday Sep 30, 2012 #
1 PM
Running race (Trail and Road) 49:50 [5] 10.0 km (4:59 / km) +32m 4:54 / km
shoes: Salomon XR Mission
C3 Kinetico 10K race in Caledon East - half rail trail, half rolling paved road.
After yesterday's 25K, I was supposed to do some active recovery so... this probably wasn't the best thing but it's a great community event that I've never been able to fit into my schedule before. Lots of friends were there, many of them with their kids - Thumbs-of-Death, Marcus & Meagan Olson, Caron and other C3 pals, Mike & Chris & Elise Huet (doing her first 10K), Judith Barclay, Martin Rydlo, Eugenius Mlynczyk and his kids. I even got a high five from Coach LD as she biked past!
It's *so* different to do an adventure race or a trail running race - sports where I've developed some aptitude by now. When it comes to straightforward running, hahahahahahaha. I was well back in a small field, 2nd in age group (also last). I suspect the course was measured short. Even if my GPS was off, this was only 1 second slower than my 10K PB, and I really doubt I could have done that today. Regardless, it was lots of fun and great training to push when I was tired from yesterday. Marcus had a terrific race - 8th overall and 2nd in age group, 38 something.
It was also fun to stick around for the kids' 1-mile race. The Mlynczyk boys finished near the front of the age 11+ race. The little kids were so enthusiastic! I think that is Martin Rydlo's speedy son with the blonde hair and grey clothing - like father, like son.
I stood off the course but a bunch of kids cut the corner and almost took me out. I had to run for it! :)
After yesterday's 25K, I was supposed to do some active recovery so... this probably wasn't the best thing but it's a great community event that I've never been able to fit into my schedule before. Lots of friends were there, many of them with their kids - Thumbs-of-Death, Marcus & Meagan Olson, Caron and other C3 pals, Mike & Chris & Elise Huet (doing her first 10K), Judith Barclay, Martin Rydlo, Eugenius Mlynczyk and his kids. I even got a high five from Coach LD as she biked past!
It's *so* different to do an adventure race or a trail running race - sports where I've developed some aptitude by now. When it comes to straightforward running, hahahahahahaha. I was well back in a small field, 2nd in age group (also last). I suspect the course was measured short. Even if my GPS was off, this was only 1 second slower than my 10K PB, and I really doubt I could have done that today. Regardless, it was lots of fun and great training to push when I was tired from yesterday. Marcus had a terrific race - 8th overall and 2nd in age group, 38 something.
It was also fun to stick around for the kids' 1-mile race. The Mlynczyk boys finished near the front of the age 11+ race. The little kids were so enthusiastic! I think that is Martin Rydlo's speedy son with the blonde hair and grey clothing - like father, like son.
I stood off the course but a bunch of kids cut the corner and almost took me out. I had to run for it! :)
Saturday Sep 29, 2012 #
9 AM
Running race (Trail) 2:29:11 25.0 km (5:58 / km) +325m 5:36 / km
shoes: Salomon Speedcross 3 - Papaya
Run for the Toad 25K
The main event for us today was 'Bent's first 50K; I did the 25K mostly to be sociable. I've got the Oil Creek 100K in two weeks but wasn't as brave as Tiny, who did the 50K today and will also be racing Oil Creek.
Probably I shouldn't have "raced" today during my taper but I decided to give it a shot. I haven't done a 25K race since July 2011 so I'm out of the habit of pushing myself in trail races. I don't have a fast gear but I focused on good posture, Chi lean and quick turnover. If I ever felt that I was in my comfort zone, I pushed myself just a little outside - nothing too crazy but I wouldn't have wanted to carry on long conversations. (This is the opposite of my ultras where I consciously try to drop back into my comfort zone if I move beyond it for very long. Much easier to do that!)
For me, it was a decent result. My pace stayed fairly consistent around 6 min/km as the course wove through hills and valleys, and grass, dirt, pavement and tree roots. I ran it all including the "No Whining" hill (twice) for kicks since I can't risk doing that in longer races.
Unfortunately (!) about 40 minutes from the end, I realized that I could finish under 2.5 hours if I maintained my pace. Sure, it's just a number but I'm an engineer and easily swayed by such things. So I had to keep my nose to the grindstone right to the end, and I finished with less than a minute to spare - phew! I knew I couldn't hit the podium in a huge, short distance event like this but I hit my goal of top 10% in my age category (9th of about 100 runners).
It was great to see Myka looking fresh after her first 25K. She has really taken her game up a notch this year. Let's make that two or three notches! There are no pics of her or of me - oops.
Mrs. Tiny was today's Rock Star, finishing in virtually the same time (2:32) that she ran last year before giving birth to beautiful Teeny Tiny. Her two lap times were only 16 seconds apart! Considering how much more time she had to train last year, today's run showed off her natural talent and determination. When she is able to get back into a regular training schedule, look out world!
Mr. Tiny aced his 50K run too, running all 4 laps in virtually the same time. His last lap was the fastest. When people look up the expression "Race smart" in the dictionary, they see this photo of Tiny.
'Bent and I had talked a lot about his pacing, and things started out well with 1:05 and 1:02 on his first two laps, putting him in 16th overall at the halfway point. His 3rd lap was 1:07 and he looked good as he ran by. Still in the right ballpark. Then the 4th lap... Myka and I waited and waited along the course. It had been too long so we went to the finish area. Ultra Char and Chris were there, and she said that 1:20 wouldn't be unusual for a first-timer, so not to worry.
But 1:20 passed and no sign of him. I figured that he either had such an amazing 4th lap that I'd missed him - which didn't seem likely - or else his knee had given out, and he had stopped racing. Then at 1:24, he came running up looking surprisingly strong. It almost seemed like there must be some mistake - until he staggered over and half-mumbled about nausea and washroom breaks in the final lap. Off to the massage tent for him, where he collapsed on the grass. My thoughts: "Yay, it wasn't his knee!!"
After a massage and some squash soup, he felt better - and when we checked out the results and found him in 3rd place of 23 men in his age group, he got downright perky! :)
Not an easy first ultra for him but in the second half of the race, he moved up from 16th to 13th place overall out of 125 runners. So even though he fell apart in the last 10K (read his log for the full story), he held his own. Good job, 'Bent - well done to keep going when you felt so bad!
The main event for us today was 'Bent's first 50K; I did the 25K mostly to be sociable. I've got the Oil Creek 100K in two weeks but wasn't as brave as Tiny, who did the 50K today and will also be racing Oil Creek.
Probably I shouldn't have "raced" today during my taper but I decided to give it a shot. I haven't done a 25K race since July 2011 so I'm out of the habit of pushing myself in trail races. I don't have a fast gear but I focused on good posture, Chi lean and quick turnover. If I ever felt that I was in my comfort zone, I pushed myself just a little outside - nothing too crazy but I wouldn't have wanted to carry on long conversations. (This is the opposite of my ultras where I consciously try to drop back into my comfort zone if I move beyond it for very long. Much easier to do that!)
For me, it was a decent result. My pace stayed fairly consistent around 6 min/km as the course wove through hills and valleys, and grass, dirt, pavement and tree roots. I ran it all including the "No Whining" hill (twice) for kicks since I can't risk doing that in longer races.
Unfortunately (!) about 40 minutes from the end, I realized that I could finish under 2.5 hours if I maintained my pace. Sure, it's just a number but I'm an engineer and easily swayed by such things. So I had to keep my nose to the grindstone right to the end, and I finished with less than a minute to spare - phew! I knew I couldn't hit the podium in a huge, short distance event like this but I hit my goal of top 10% in my age category (9th of about 100 runners).
It was great to see Myka looking fresh after her first 25K. She has really taken her game up a notch this year. Let's make that two or three notches! There are no pics of her or of me - oops.
Mrs. Tiny was today's Rock Star, finishing in virtually the same time (2:32) that she ran last year before giving birth to beautiful Teeny Tiny. Her two lap times were only 16 seconds apart! Considering how much more time she had to train last year, today's run showed off her natural talent and determination. When she is able to get back into a regular training schedule, look out world!
Mr. Tiny aced his 50K run too, running all 4 laps in virtually the same time. His last lap was the fastest. When people look up the expression "Race smart" in the dictionary, they see this photo of Tiny.
'Bent and I had talked a lot about his pacing, and things started out well with 1:05 and 1:02 on his first two laps, putting him in 16th overall at the halfway point. His 3rd lap was 1:07 and he looked good as he ran by. Still in the right ballpark. Then the 4th lap... Myka and I waited and waited along the course. It had been too long so we went to the finish area. Ultra Char and Chris were there, and she said that 1:20 wouldn't be unusual for a first-timer, so not to worry.
But 1:20 passed and no sign of him. I figured that he either had such an amazing 4th lap that I'd missed him - which didn't seem likely - or else his knee had given out, and he had stopped racing. Then at 1:24, he came running up looking surprisingly strong. It almost seemed like there must be some mistake - until he staggered over and half-mumbled about nausea and washroom breaks in the final lap. Off to the massage tent for him, where he collapsed on the grass. My thoughts: "Yay, it wasn't his knee!!"
After a massage and some squash soup, he felt better - and when we checked out the results and found him in 3rd place of 23 men in his age group, he got downright perky! :)
Not an easy first ultra for him but in the second half of the race, he moved up from 16th to 13th place overall out of 125 runners. So even though he fell apart in the last 10K (read his log for the full story), he held his own. Good job, 'Bent - well done to keep going when you felt so bad!
Friday Sep 28, 2012 #
Note
Continuing to riff on my "athletes who could have babysat Ed Whitlock" theme, 100-year-old French cyclist Robert Marchand has established a new (i.e. previously non-existent) world age group record for 100K of cycling - 4 hrs 17 min. That's an average of 23.3 kph. Did I mention that he's 100 years old?
http://www.thestar.com/sports/article/1263785--pho...
http://www.thestar.com/sports/article/1263785--pho...
10 AM
Note
Two years ago this week, I did my first 50K trail run at Run for the Toad while 'Bent sat loyally in the pouring rain with his leg elevated, recovering from meniscus repair surgery.
A number of people told him they had returned to running in an unbelievably short time after meniscus surgery. "One week!" "One month!" "Seven weeks!" For 'Bent, the answer was much different. It was tough; he isn't the patient type. He had gone from being a 3:10 marathoner to a guy who ran 10K with me on a rail trail during his recovery and ended up with an ankle injury that lasted for months.
He got good advice and multiple treatments from sports chiropractors in Bolton and Orillia. He has been very diligent about keeping up with his rehab exercises over the past couple of years. He has been able to do more and more as time has gone on, including two editions of Wilderness Traverse - although the 2011 race left him limping painfully. The twinges in his knee continue but they're not as bad as they were, and he never limps anymore.
Shorter runs have gone well this year but we didn't know if he'd ever be able to run a marathon again. So I am very excited about cheering him on in his first ultra tomorrow - the same 50K trail race at Run for the Toad that gave me the bug. Have a great race, 'Bent, and welcome back! :)
A number of people told him they had returned to running in an unbelievably short time after meniscus surgery. "One week!" "One month!" "Seven weeks!" For 'Bent, the answer was much different. It was tough; he isn't the patient type. He had gone from being a 3:10 marathoner to a guy who ran 10K with me on a rail trail during his recovery and ended up with an ankle injury that lasted for months.
He got good advice and multiple treatments from sports chiropractors in Bolton and Orillia. He has been very diligent about keeping up with his rehab exercises over the past couple of years. He has been able to do more and more as time has gone on, including two editions of Wilderness Traverse - although the 2011 race left him limping painfully. The twinges in his knee continue but they're not as bad as they were, and he never limps anymore.
Shorter runs have gone well this year but we didn't know if he'd ever be able to run a marathon again. So I am very excited about cheering him on in his first ultra tomorrow - the same 50K trail race at Run for the Toad that gave me the bug. Have a great race, 'Bent, and welcome back! :)
Thursday Sep 27, 2012 #
Mountain Biking (Single Track) 54:00 [2] 11.7 km (13.0 kph)
I did a major poison ivy decontamination session yesterday - 3 pairs of shoes + my bike. Inspired by my sparkling Specialized, I went for a quick ride around the single track of Palgrave East. What a beautiful day!
I'm feeling some sadness that I'm not heading to the North American Rogaining Champs in Washington with Carbon this weekend. This had been our plan all year but the organizer didn't start work on the event until a month ago and (incredibly) was granted North American Championship status 22 days before the event. We had given up by then, as had STORM and Browner and, I'm sure, many others.
There are 23 teams registered on the event site, racing in 7 different categories. The top 3 teams in each category will qualify for the world champs for the next two years. Each teammate can form his or her own team; they don't have to race with the same teammate - only in the same category. Only a handful of teams attending this NARC will *not* qualify for the worlds. If Carbon and I had been there, we would have qualified in both Veteran Women (no teams registered) and Open Women (2 teams registered). We would only have to find one control. With the World Champs taking place in the U.S. in 2014, it would have been nice to qualify if the event had been confirmed in a reasonable timeframe. It remains to be seen how important qualifying will be. If all qualified rogainers decided to attend, there wouldn't be room for anyone else. But that didn't happen this year - not even close.
There are some worthy teams heading to Washington - teams who would have qualified even if there were lots of competition. Best wishes to Mr. and Mrs. GHOSLO, Eldersmith and Sharon, and Revy and James, all of whom deserve to compete in the World Champs! (I'm sure there are other top teams going but a lot of familiar names are missing, and these are the only competitors I know!)
I'm feeling some sadness that I'm not heading to the North American Rogaining Champs in Washington with Carbon this weekend. This had been our plan all year but the organizer didn't start work on the event until a month ago and (incredibly) was granted North American Championship status 22 days before the event. We had given up by then, as had STORM and Browner and, I'm sure, many others.
There are 23 teams registered on the event site, racing in 7 different categories. The top 3 teams in each category will qualify for the world champs for the next two years. Each teammate can form his or her own team; they don't have to race with the same teammate - only in the same category. Only a handful of teams attending this NARC will *not* qualify for the worlds. If Carbon and I had been there, we would have qualified in both Veteran Women (no teams registered) and Open Women (2 teams registered). We would only have to find one control. With the World Champs taking place in the U.S. in 2014, it would have been nice to qualify if the event had been confirmed in a reasonable timeframe. It remains to be seen how important qualifying will be. If all qualified rogainers decided to attend, there wouldn't be room for anyone else. But that didn't happen this year - not even close.
There are some worthy teams heading to Washington - teams who would have qualified even if there were lots of competition. Best wishes to Mr. and Mrs. GHOSLO, Eldersmith and Sharon, and Revy and James, all of whom deserve to compete in the World Champs! (I'm sure there are other top teams going but a lot of familiar names are missing, and these are the only competitors I know!)
Wednesday Sep 26, 2012 #
Note
Congratulations to Getawaystix and Hermes! May they live happily ever after. :)
4 PM
Running (Trail) 32:37 [3] 5.4 km (6:02 / km) +53m 5:45 / km
shoes: Salomon SLAB-3 XT Wings
I've rested my ankle for the past two days and wanted to test it again before Run for the Toad this weekend. My foot is still quite sore in a couple of small areas but the pain doesn't go deep, and it doesn't seem to affect my running. It really was a weird injury but fortunately it seems to have been weird in a good way.
Today is Yom Kippur so 'Bent has been in Toronto since last night to fast and atone. He took BulletDog (since she has fewer things to atone for) and left me with BazingaDog, who is used to running at a crazed pace. I did my best to tire him out, trying to hold my Chi posture as B-Dog led the way around Palgrave West and screeched to sudden halts for various doggie purposes. Gorgeous autumn day; the leaves are just starting to change. Love this time of year! :)
Today is Yom Kippur so 'Bent has been in Toronto since last night to fast and atone. He took BulletDog (since she has fewer things to atone for) and left me with BazingaDog, who is used to running at a crazed pace. I did my best to tire him out, trying to hold my Chi posture as B-Dog led the way around Palgrave West and screeched to sudden halts for various doggie purposes. Gorgeous autumn day; the leaves are just starting to change. Love this time of year! :)
5 PM
11 PM
Note
Ed Whitlock is pretty cool but Canadian multiple world record holder Olga Kotelko (93) and Indian runner Mann Kaur (96) could have changed his diapers. Kaur will run a half-marathon this weekend, probably the oldest woman to ever race this distance. I didn't know that Canadian-born Mavis Lindgren holds the 90+ marathon record of 8:53. Another goal to reach for in future years! ;)
http://runningmagazine.ca/2012/09/sections/news/96...
http://runningmagazine.ca/2012/09/sections/news/96...
Tuesday Sep 25, 2012 #
Note
Helpful advice for Mrs. Gally.
Monday Sep 24, 2012 #
Note
Kids of all ages are needed to help set a national record by joining a free 1-mile fun run in Caledon East this Sunday afternoon, Sept. 30. They're hoping to get 1400 kids out.
The C3 / Kinetico Running Festival also includes a fast 5K and 10K for adults. Proceeds benefit Caledon Community Services. Kids who run will get a free T-shirt, finisher's medal and race number, as well as the chance to meet elite athletes like Sean Bechtel, Andrew Yorke and Taylor Reid. A donation to the local food bank is very welcome.
The C3 / Kinetico Running Festival also includes a fast 5K and 10K for adults. Proceeds benefit Caledon Community Services. Kids who run will get a free T-shirt, finisher's medal and race number, as well as the chance to meet elite athletes like Sean Bechtel, Andrew Yorke and Taylor Reid. A donation to the local food bank is very welcome.