One step forward...

As the cliché goes, I'm taking a step forward but not sure if two steps back will soon follow. The ortho specialist has referred me to see a massage therapist to straighten out this hamstring injury. He said I should be looking at four months off of running. Considering I have only laced up the shoes for one easy 5K since the marathon, I'm hoping to be out soon. But I need this massage expert to give me some more expert advice. I can't wait to start running again. I'm thinking of just doing half marathons in the upcoming season and build my base slowly this time. There is nothing fun about nagging injuries. My one fear now is that I'm favouring the leg too much and any hint of injury I'm taking too serious. Let's be serious, it's almost been four months off of running, nothing should take this long to heal.
Lisa got me a gift certificate for Christmas to the Running Room and I plan to put it to good use soon.

Hospital

Sitting in the hospital waiting to see the specialist. Hopefully I will now get word on when I can resume running. I've never want to run in -15 so badly than right now. My hamstring still feels tight when I run with Belle, but nothing like it did two months ago ... I guess that is what happens with essentially 10 weeks off running.
I don't know what the specialist is going to say. I've done everything by the book: taken the stress off the injury and kept positive. But my doctor wants to make sure there is no long-term damage or risk of re-injuring. I can't argue with that prognosis.
Well, it is 30 minutes and counting ... Just me, the waiting room and a stack of year-old magazines.

Sorry again

My blogging has been sporadic because the N.B. legislature has returned and my workload has gone through the roof.
The doctor had given me the green light to start running again. I went for a short 5K run, at an easy 4:40 min/K pace but I felt my hamstring tighten again. So I took another two weeks off of running. I hope to get out soon again, but I don't want to re-injure myself. My goal is to be running full time in January, so I'll ease off now if I have to ... although I really want to be out running right now, the weather is beautiful.

Partial victory

Just leaving the doctor's office. The injury is leaving but not completely gone. So he's letting me run, but no more than six kilometres and only three to four times a week. More to come...

Bad blogger

Ok those who still tune into this blog considering it hasn't been updated in two weeks, visualize me slapping my hand, "bad blogger, bad blogger." Surely you can understand my pain. I came off my best marathon ever, had my spirits stuck in the stratosphere and then some guy with a medical degree hanging on the wall instructs me to take a month off of running. Does he not know who I am? Surely he jests, but alas not. The first two weeks weren't bad considering I wanted to get over some aches and pains, not to mention I was sick as a dog. (Belle takes great umbrage with that saying, which I can understand, I’ve never actually seen her sick.) The third week was annoying and now, well, I'm climbing the walls. Honestly sitting at home watching other people run is just not my style. I've had so many people tell me that "it's not that bad." Sure, of course it's not that bad, again visualize me rolling my eyes without them noticing. It is that bad. Trust me. Have you ever counted the number of synonyms for bored? I have. There aren't any I haven't thought of and then imagined a four-letter word to go before it ... ok, I'm not that crass but that is my sentiment right now.
I'm heading back to the doctor's on Thursday and at that point he better clear me for running again. As I told him, if there is ever a time I would rather take a month off of running it is now. In retrospect that is a very reasonable thing to say until you actually try taking a month off of running. I'm ranting right now...which is the exact reason I spent two weeks away from this blog, fearing this very thing would happen. All my pent up angst is spilling onto the screen and I just can't help myself.
You know the worst part of course, once I can start running again I'm probably going to fly out of the house and within a week I'll injure myself out of sheer stupidity. Why? Because I'm not very bright to begin with and the last month hast just made me stupid. But I digress. Back to doing nothing. I promise not to be a bad blogger in the future.

Training tips from Matt Downin

I have never heard of this guy, but hey, his marathon times are better than mine, so I thought I'd pass it along to my faithful blog readers. (I've edited for length.)

Training With... MATT DOWNIN
The New Hampshire native has a 10,000m pr of 28:08.04 and a marathon pr of 2:18.48. Matt, who recently finished an excellent 3rd over 10,000m at the USATF Championships, is currently preparing for the New York City Marathon. Here is a look at how he trains.

What is the general philosophy behind your training?
I believe in training that is based on strength and aerobic capacity first and foremost. I do lots of long easy runs and hard aerobic runs before I get into any faster/shorter runs.

Who do you train with (or do you do most of your runs, workouts alone)?
I do almost all of my training alone. Once or twice a week I will meet with some people to train.

What is your average weekly mileage during the winter? During the summer?
During the winter my mileage builds to a max of about 85 or 90 miles. During the summer I will get up to about 110 or so miles per week.

What is the most mileage you have done in a week?
I ran about 120 miles in one week getting ready for the New York Marathon.

Please give us a sample week during the start of marathon training
Monday- 10 miles easy run of around 70 minutes
Tuesday- AM easy 4 miles
PM 25 minute warm-up and 5 X 1K repeat at about 2:55 with 2 minutes rest. 25 minute cool-down
Wednesday- AM easy 5 mile run
PM easy 10 miles of about 70 minutes
Thursday- Easy 9 mile run of about 60 minutes
Friday- AM easy 4 mile run
PM 3 mile warm-up followed by 5 miles at 5:00 pace followed by 3 mile cool-down
Saturday- AM 4 mile easy run
PM 8 mile easy run
Sunday- 2 hour long run or about 18 miles

Please give a sample week during most intense part of marathon training
Monday- AM easy 45 minute run or about 6 miles
PM 70 minute run of 10 miles
Tuesday- AM 30 minutes easy or 4 miles
PM 3 mile warm-up followed by 5 X Mile repeat at 4:45 or so followed by 3 mile cool-down
Wednesday- AM 35 minutes easy or 5 miles
PM 70 minute run of about 10 miles
Thursday- Easy 70 minute run of 10 miles
Friday- 3 mile warm-up followed by 10 miles at marathon pace of 5:05 or so followed by 3 mile cool down
Saturday- AM easy 30 minute run
PM easy 70 minute run
Sunday- Long run of about 23 miles or 2:30

Please give sample week during the taper period of marathon training (week of race).
Monday- Off (no running)
Tuesday- AM 60 minutes easy running
PM easy 25 minute run
Wednesday- 3 mile warm-up followed by 5 X 1K at marathon race pace followed by 3 mile cool down
Thursday- AM easy 25 minute run
PM easy 35 minute run
Friday- Easy 30 minute run
Saturday- Easy 25 minutes with a few light strides
Sunday- Marathon race day

For the marathon, please give a couple (2-3) of your key workouts.
My key workout is the tempo run that I do once a week. That run is done at between 4:45 and 5:10 pace for 5-12 miles. I also do a workout that is in-and-out miles for twelve miles. That is alternating miles of 5:00 pace and 6:00 pace.

I miss running

I'm so bored these days. I so want to go running right now.

Greatest Race on Earth

Wow I just read about this marathon series. I'm in awe over how difficult it would be to compete in a four-marathon series but it would be a thrilling feat. I can't even imagine the cost of doing it because the marathons are so spread out that one would need to take four months off work or fly to Kenya, fly home, fly to India, fly home, etc. Aside from that, this would be amazing.

From the Web site:
Try running through four exotic cities in four gruelling marathons. Are you tough enough to cope with 100% humidity, soaring temperatures and thin air at extreme altitudes?
This is what The Greatest Race on Earth is made of.
The race is four marathons rolled into one epic contest. It starts in the dizzying altitudes of Nairobi, a world away from the finish line in downtown Hong Kong. The course takes you on an extraordinary journey through Kenya, India, Singapore and Hong Kong via bustling city centres, beautiful historic monuments and stunning stretches of coastline.
It's The Greatest Race on Earth because it's unique, it's ambitious and it's a huge achievement for anyone to even cross the finish line.
The best teams and individuals stand to win from a cash pool of USD1.43 million. So test your resolve, strive to beat your personal best and run for charity.

Season end results

Now that the running season is done for a few months, here are my best results according to the Athletics New Brunswick Web site. (The stats go: Time/gender rank of all N.B. athletes, name, city, time, pace, race and date)

10-K
89 Dan McHardie Fredericton 41:05 4:06/km Bouctouche Jul 23
Half-Marathon
63 Dan McHardie Fredericton 1:34:17 4:28/km Marathon by the Sea Aug 7
Marathon
33 Dan McHardie Fredericton 3:19:00 4:42/km Victoria Oct 9

Injuries

Sadly for the next month this blog is going to be more about epiphanies I'm having about running rather than those that I get while running. I visited the doctor this week to see what was wrong with my nagging left hamstring injury. After a series of routine tests, he diagnosed me with what I thought was the problem: tendonitis. But he also said that my left leg is much weaker than my right leg, despite equal levels of muscle mass. I told him I wanted to start training in January for a May marathon, so he is recommending a month off of running and two weeks of anti-inflammatories. When I see him again on Nov. 17, he may ask me to see a specialist for another series of tests.
Although I'm going to have to find a way to keep in shape, I don't mind a few weeks off the road especially after five months of hard training. It is better that I take some time now than in the middle of my marathon training. If anyone has any ideas on how I can keep in good condition while not running please post them. He said I could swim and go for long dog walks, but I failed to ask whether cycling and ellipitical training were permitted. Those exercises shouldn't be a problem, his main concern was not exacerbating the hamstring injury by continuing the repetitive running motion.

Post marathon high

The last week I have been on this euphoric runner's high. After a few days I stopped re-running RVM in my head and have set my sights on 2006. When I start setting goals for myself I become overwhelmed with this unexplainable, child-like glee. It is rather odd.
Although I have my eyes on Ottawa, I am searching to find Canada's fastest marathon.
If my training plans hold true, I'd like to run the half-marathon in Fredericton, Ottawa full marathon, Marathon By The Sea (half) and perhaps the Moncton marathon. My marathon goal obviously is to BQ. I would like to get my half-marathon down close to 1:20:00. It seems like a steep challenge but I figure I need to trim my 42.2K time by nine minutes so a similar cut to my half time should be somewhat possible.
As for the 10K, my goal remains to break 40 minutes. I still believe I was in good enough shape to do it before my hamstring and toe injury but that is life.
Anyway the last few days all I have pictured is me running across finishing mats, getting wrapped in those thermal blankets and looking up at stunning PBs. Is that silly?

Link day

Long time, no blog. I'm currently sick and haven't ran since the marathon. I'm hoping to get out for some easy running later this week but I need my rest more than running. So with little running news to update you with, I've dedicated today as "link day."
First. Here are some amusing photos of me at the Royal Victoria Marathon. Is it possible to look good when running 42.2K?

As well, Gary sent me this article from Cooling Running (see side link to the main page). I have become fascinated with Deena Kastor's story after first reading about her recently in Runner's World. I can't imagine logging the amount of mileage that she does, but I may incorporate some of their training strategies as I prepare for next season.

RVM splits

So here are my splits. Ok, my splits were hardly clockwork but I generally kept to within 10 seconds of 4:30 min/K. The significant variations usually accompany major inclines or declines. You can really see where I hit the wall.

4:41, 4:25, 4:35, 4:16, 4:22, 3:56, 4:25, 4:31, 4:14, 4:24, 5:01, 4:37, 4:28, 4:19, 4:31, 4:14, 4:42, 4:31, 4:39, 4:16, 4:23, 4:36, 4:26, 4:31, 4:23, 4:20, 4:25, 4:30, 4:42, 4:25, 4:32, 4:55, 4:44, 4:28, 4:46, 4:50, 5:22, 5:18, 5:32, 5:10, 5:14, 5:12, 3:19

Hard lessons

Niagara Falls taught me long runs were critical and no amount of fast 15Ks will properly prepare you for a marathon. Fredericton showed me the value of sunscreen.
RVM opened my eyes to even more marathon secrets.
My pre-race meal of a bagel and banana will stay. Next time, however, I will add a coffee. With about 15K remaining I came down with a painful headache. Was it coffee related? I'm not 100 per cent sure, but next time I am not going to risk it. There are so many other things that can go wrong in marathoning that why tempt the gods of pain?
Further I have no wish to repeat my toe and hamstring injuries.
When it comes to training, I am going to incorporate a regular diet of tempo runs and speed work. I left it way too late this time. Hopefully that will help prevent any future wall smashing at 36K.
As well, I want to continue running so I don't need to spend so much time building my base. This includes running more in lower heart rate zones.
But my race strategy worked even though I didn't BQ. I was proud how well I stuck to 4:30 min/K pace. I fully intend to implement that strategy next time. I worried about going out too slow, but that fear did not materialize.
All this new info should propel me running an even better race next time.

Interesting characters

Marathons always attract memorable characters. I guess that is what happens when people decide to run for 42.2K for fun.
I had a few such people on Oct. 9. I'm not sure how each did because I was a bit too distracted to get a name or bib number. I just recall their relentless drive or unique traits.
First there was Mr. Tall. This guy must have been 6'8”, easy. I'm not sure if he was a run-walker but I'd pass him and he'd pass me back a K later. You cannot forget a guy that size. I remember wondering why he picked marathing instead of, say, basketball. I never asked. Nor did I ask for a heads up if was starting to rain. He had probably heard that joke before.
There was also Ms. White. I think she beat me in the end, but we had a great cat and mouse game going. Mr. Tall was a character early but Ms. White and I saw each other a lot late into the race. As her name suggests, she was decked out in white and was wearing an Ipod. I kept wondering about whether it was wise to run in a white shirt when it could have rained and you'd be stuck out there for three hours. But Ms. White was fast and I expect the most anyone saw of her was her back.
There was Toque Boy, too. He was annoying. We're at roughly 12K and Toque Boy appears out of nowhere and he is chatting about last night's Habs game with the guy wearing a cotton Canadiens shirt (oh the chafing) and was musing about the Canucks' inability to score. I'm trying to maintain a 4:30 pace and loose lips with the knee-high socks, basketball-length shorts and a wool toque is a constant chatter box.
Then there were the minor characters. Like the lady who offered beer to runners around 33K. Or the woman, who I asked at 38K when the “pain was going to end.” And she replied, “When the medal goes around your neck or after the first beer.” There were also two or three guys, likely in the over 40 group, that kept hanging off my heels. They offered some insight from time to time. At one point, I groaned, “I thought this was supposed to be a flat course,” and one laughed and said, “it's a death by a thousand cuts.” That was around 15K, man, I should have listened to him.
There are so many great things about marathons that I love, the people are near the top.

Race weather

So much of Sunday's race hinged on the weather. Too hot and I'd melt or too cold and my joints would freeze. Thankfully I could not have experienced better race weather. The mercury hit about 12 degrees and a nice blanket of clouds kept everything cool. And even better there was very little wind to add any more resistance than the 42.2K already provided.
Because the weather was so mild I did not have to fret about race attire when I drove downtown. More importantly I could just focus on executing my race strategy.
Nailing 4:30min/Ks was easy in the early going. I barely broke a sweat, which can be partially credited to the overcast skies. Although marathon pain can never be fully muted, just gazing around at the amazing scenery made me forget temporarily how much pain I was experiencing.
Having such a magnificent day to run was never more evident than in the waning 7K. I had already hit the wall. Actually “hit” doesn't fully take into account my pain; neither does slammed, ran into, crashed or collided. I smashed into The Wall as if it had been coming at me at mach speed. The result was akin to a space shuttle running over a rabbit ... a weak, defenceless rabbit. But I digress. The point is if I had hit the wall on a really hot day, I probably would have been forced to walk. I crossed the finish line with a smile, sore legs and a brand new 3:19:00 PB.
If only every future marathon I race in could have such great weather.

Results

Overall: 155
Gender placing: 139/1085
Age placing: 8/61
Gun time: 3:19:21
Mile pace: 7:37
Kilometer pace: 4:43
Chip time: 3:19:00

Royal Victoria Marathon race report

Not quite a Boston Qualifying run but I shattered my personal best marathon time at the Royal Victoria Marathon. I haven't got the official time yet but it was around 3:18. Next Monday when I get access to my computer I will post all my splits and some graphs. Forgive typos, it is late and I just ran a marathon.

If I were writing a news article I'd be leading with the last seven Ks. Forget it. Consider the lead effectively buried. I slept well -- not great -- Emmanuelle awoke at 3:30 a.m. and I was tossing and turning anyway. About four hours later I was jogging down Yates with Ricky. My toe was burning by this point. I could hardly believe my luck, two weeks of relatively little pain in the broken toe until marathon day. So I slowed down my warm up to avoid aggravating that little demon.
With two minutes until the starting gun, I concluded that I needed to hit the porta-toilet, thankfully we were standing next to a short row of the green outhouses and there was no line. I was back in the queue before the 30-second count. Phew.
When that gun sounded, my world transformed into a tunnel including only me, 42.2K of pavement and a stopwatch. Things could not get less complicated.
The first 10K was marked by a few sounds. The pattering of thousands of shoes pounding the pavement. And the banging of a string of 4:30ish Ks. I felt strong and at the 10K marker I was on pace for 3:10.
Banging off near 4:30Ks continued around 15K as the course chatter slowed. The streets were lined with maple trees losing their reddish yellow leaves. When the course turned by the ocean I soon discovered why RVM is such a popular race. The oceanview was magnificent. The roar of the ocean, however, was muted by the cheering crowd. As I stepped on the halfway time mat, I was in the zone, roughly two minutes off 3:10 pace. It was here that I saw Dad for the first time.
My one complaint of the course was the unending number of hills. They weren't big but I thought it was supposed to be a flat course. These hills really took a lot out of me.
About a kilometer after the turn-around I spotted Ricky who slowed down around 18K. It turned out Ricky had a painful flare-up with his back and was forced to walk for a short distance.
I hit 30K and I was still knocking down 4:30isk Ks. Rounding the corner into Oak Bay, there was a singer busting out tunes in the middle of the street. To thank her, I swerved left and offered a high-five. That was probably the last pain-free moment of the marathon. I saw Dad again and he jogged about 20 metres with me. Within the next six Ks I saw my grandparents (who didn't see me) and Rob, Gael and the kids. The highlight was when I spotted Lisa and Emmanuelle. It was only for a few moments but it made my marathon.
It was shorly after that the wheels came flying off my marathon. As I tried maintaining my pace I felt the lactic acid infiltrate my muscles. Now it was not just a bit of lactic acid. The sensation resembled what I imagine a geyser looks like. As it seeped into every inch of my body, my pace slowed and I was in tremendous pain. There were several points where the thought of walking crept into my mind but I fought on. I winced. I visionalized happy moments. I looked at the 38K marker. Nothing masked the pain.
I wanted to pick up my pace but it was slowing to 5:45 range. At 32K point I was 44 minutes away from Boston but as 40K showed up I had missed the chance. I couldn't pick up my pace so I trudged on. The race wrapped up along the waterfront with thousands of cheering onlookers.
I ran as hard as I could toward the finish line and and as I heard the announcer call out my name I knew the ordeal was done. I broke my five-year old PB and life was good again. My muscles were screaming. My quads were exploding. My calves were constricting. Several times I felt the cramping set in and I tried massaging it out. These ailments did not blunt my excitement over my run.
I am now looking ahead to 2006. I feel I can improve upon today's time.I'm not blaming the broken toe or the hamstring injury. I ran a good race and see the improvement.
I just want to thank my two girls -- Lisa and Emmanuelle -- they truly made today possible.

Cobble Hill

I'm just waking up and waiting for a little more daylight before I head out on my last training run. I'm hoping for a 30-minute run, super easy. The pre-race jitters are in full swing. I woke up twice last night and had a tough time falling back to sleep with my mind racing. Ricky and I have had a relaxing two days. We did an easy 9K on Thursday at 4:27 pace.
I cannot believe RVM is in 26 hours.

Leaving on a jet plane...

I'm leaving in three hours for B.C. I can't believe the time has come. There is nothing I can do now but put my faith in my training and hope for the best. I went out for a super easy 10K this morning. I tried to keep it as close to 4:30 min/k pace, ended up at 4:27 with a 44:47 finish. Hopefully I can do that for 42.2K on Sunday.
I'll be in Calgary around 4:30 MDT where I'm hooking up with Dave Ebner, who is offering me his couch. And then tomorrow I fly to VanIsle where I'll be picked up by my wonderful mother and then off to B.C. Ferries to pick up Ricky. This is really starting to get exciting.

Seven days to go

What a wonderful day. It is hard to imagine that in seven days I'll be churning out 42.2 Ks at the Royal Victoria Marathon.
Fully into my taper (and don't rebrake my toe or any other body parts) period, I went for an easy 10K with the RR Run Club this morning. I went out with two half-marathoners and we had a great 10K completely at conversational pace. We didn't break any speed barriers but it was beautiful. The sun was out, the clouds were hiding and the air was crisp, but not cold. Fredericton's trails are amazing and it is impossible to have a bad run.

For those at home keeping score: 10K in 53:08. Ave HR: 149.
Splits: 5:18, 5:51 (??), 5:13, 5:02, 5:12, 5:15, 5:11, 5:14, 5:15, 5:25, 5:26.


Fredericton Running Room -- 10K Marysville

Saturday run

Perhaps one day I’ll start learning from previous mistakes, such as do not under any circumstances run within two hours of eating a big meal. After those two cheesy slabs of pizza last night most normal people would have heeded the warning. But the smell of that spaghetti sauce and the lure of a nice big chicken breast was just too overpowering.
I started my run at a decent pace but after about a kilometre I started, umm, re-tasting some of Lisa’s amazing sauce … much better the first time. My time was hampered a bit more during the fifth kilometre when my shoelace came undone. If that happens during the marathon I am not going to be a very happy person. Overall, I was happy with the run, despite how dark it was as I wrapped up. I threw the hammer down in the last kilometre -- that felt good. And the I-can-live-without-that-again moment of the run: I was belting out of the trail and I was passing two walkers. I know it was dark but it isn’t as if I’m a silent runner. Anyway as I was passing this woman she jumped and shrieked. It scared the crap out of me.
Anyway, the run: 10K along the trail to about the Irving. I finished in 44:07 with an average heart rate of 162 and max of 182.
Splits: 4:16, 4:32, 4:30, 4:36, 4:45 (tied up my shoe laces), 4:22, 4:29, 4:26, 4:13, 3:53.

Trail -- Irving

Running and Pizza: Bad combination

One of the tragedies of Fridays is my sheer lack of imagination when it comes to bringing a lunch. This typically isn't a bad thing until it comes time for after-work runs. The moment I stepped off the bus I realized if I was going to run I had to eat. As I opened the door and saw Lisa and Elle, I could also smell a Delissio Spicy Chicken Deluxe pizza in the oven. How could I resist? I figured it can't hurt that much. Man was I wrong.
I left for my run just after 7:30 p.m., and it was cold. Fall is definitely upon us. Anyway, I was half way out and I could really feel the pizza coming back to haunt me. My run was not bad overall, aside from the sloshy stomach sensation. It was quite dark when I wrapped up.
So my key info from today's 9K run.
Total time: 39:16. Ave Pace: 4:21. Ave HR: 165
Splits: 4:26, 4:25, 4:17, 4:27, 4:22, 4:20, 4:16, 4:19, 4:21.

First day with the Garmin

I can't believe I am now sporting my own Garmin Forerunner 301. This is amazing.
Last night after I filed and got Elle in bed, I got the chance to take my fancy new contraption out for a spin. The wind was already gusting and I could tell the weather was going to get quite severe very quickly, so I didn't take the time to program the Garmin. I have many bells and whistles still to try out.
I hit the road and the wind started howling. And at one point as I ran down MacGibbon I saw the street lights and those in houses start turning off as if I tripped over the power plug. It was weird. I did three and a half laps and ran exactly 10K, very cool. The wind at points was so strong on my back as I went up the MacGibbon hill that it felt as if I was on flat land. Conversely it was so fierce on my front as I ran down Adams that I felt like I was going up a hill.
When I got back home, I got to start downloading and uploading and reloading data and programs. It was so cool. I've examined so many charts and graphs that I'm starting to forget what I've done. My one Garmin gremlin that I must get sorted out is that I had a "moving time" of 42:50 but on my charts it has my run as just more than one hour. Bizarre. That throws off my graphs. I likely forgot to hit a button.
I am so stoked about this new toy.

Running Room here I come

My wonderful wife has given the green light for a Garmin. Wahoo! Perhaps pulling a hamstring, breaking a toe and having your HRM die within three weeks of a marathon you have trained for five months for has some benefits.

Now that is more like it

Work was hectic today. So by the time I filed and bathed Elle, dusk had descended upon us. Undaunted I felt it was time to test out this damned toe. The mission was simple: run but not kill myself.
To guard against a painful flare-up halfway through the run forcing me to limp home, I opted to run around the block. First lap, I just glided along in 12:30. At that point I was marvelling the fact that I was still alive so I banged out at 12-minute loop. The last lap wrapped up in 11:30. I didn't light the course on fire but I'm still walking and smiling. That was my primary objective.
So the terrible toe. I'm not limping. And I didn't feel it held me back too much although I wasn't pushing myself. At worst it felt like I had a pointy rock in my shoe that was digging into my foot. There was a small burning sensation, surprisingly enough it didn't cause death. So I continued running.
The big test, however, is going to be tomorrow. I'm praying that I wake up feeling no ill effects. If that is the case I will attempt 10K.

Ga-ga over Garmins

My wonderful wife who I love more than life itself has given me the green light on getting a Garmin. So I posted on the RR forum a question on which Garmin is better the 201 or the 301 and I've included a few responses.

I had a 201 and a HRM but I could not download the HRM data so splurged and got a 301.
Althought the 201 was and still is a great tool the 301 is just that much better. I can use it as a straight HRM turning the GPS off on the treadmill or I can use it as a straight GPS turning the HRM off.
The best part is that you can download all of your runs to the training center software and if you have the Garmin mapsource software it integrates a map into it seemlesly. There is also the option of uploading your trainign runs to the motion based web site or to Google earth.
This technology is incredible when you look at what was available just 3 years ago. The fact is that it is also quite affordable.
This is your sport and it is going to cost a couple of bucks. If you really want the 301 then wait and get what you really want. You will not be sorry
-- Garthw

The real value of having a GPS comes with the really long runs. No more pre-planning. And it really helps keep you on pace because in addition to HR, which drifts up during the run, you're able to see your km splits. Yes it's expensive, but the enjoyment you get out of it more than makes up for it.
GO FOR IT!!!
-- Jim

Having just upgraded to the 301, I strongly suggest that you to wait a couple of weeks until you can afford the extra $$'s for it! The data logging capabilities and the graphics are excellent! I did not have a Heart Rate Monitor before, but am hoping it'll help me train smarter, not harder!
--Trixiee

I have the 201 and I love it. If I were to do it again I would buy the 301 for the heart monitor. I really want a heart monitor, and I think it would be great to have the heart rate information logged withe all the other stuff.
The 301 is roughly the cost of the 201 and a heart rate monitior.
-- rbahen

If you don't already own a HRM then splurge on the 301. Consider it an early x-mas gift. Some things are just worth paying for and a Garmin is definitely one of them.
-- Jim

I have the 201 and absolutely love it! It totally motivates me to know time, distance, pace and calories burned. I know that it isn't super accurate but it seems pretty good. They didn't have the 301 when I bought mine but I would probably buy the 301 for the HR feature. My friend has the 301 but doesn't really use it for HR training. My recommendation would be that you should buy one, as long as you plan on training in your zone
-- oceanp

Long weekend

Labour Day is well behind us and Remembrance Day is still off in the distance. That said I faced a long weekend when it came to toe care. I feel silly just saying toe care. In less than two weeks I plan to conquer internal battles and physical barriers by running 26.2 miles, yet the only thing between victory and myself is a small, silly and broken toe.
For the last five days I've iced the toe. I've taped the toe. And I've elevated it while sleeping. Does it feel better? The public answer is: progress is being made. Truthfully, I have no idea. It's like Gary a month ago who thought he was cured of a foot injury so he jumped on his foot to test it out. He quickly became injured again. So I don't want to follow that example.
I went to the YMCA this morning. I rode a bike for 15 minutes. I tried an elliptical machine but after about five minutes I hopped off. It required way too much co-ordination for 6:15 a.m. Finally I hit the Stair Master for 30 minutes. Ho-hum. A very uneventul hour. I'm glad I was active though. I am starting to go stir crazy with all this R&R.
Perhaps after work tomorrow I'll attempt a run around the block.

Tales of the toe

Well I can't say that the toe feels too bad this morning even after the run/walk and then standing all night at Nina's going away party. Obviously I can feel a little pain, but it is broken after all. While I don't have any excruciating pain any more, it feels as if it is hot all the time. I think the toughest part is stuffing my foot into brand new (and very nice, I might add) shoes that have not had time to broken in. Such is life I guess. So I'm claiming a partial victory.
I hopped on the scale this morning and much to my relief and lack of recent running has not caused me to gain any weight. I can't afford to put on any new weight before Oct. 9.

Well that wasn't so bad ...

I just got back from a relatively pain free, 34-minute run/walk. I started by walking for about five minutes and then I started a slow jog for about one kilometre. I walked for about 500 metres and then jogged for another kilometre and so on.
Overall it was a positive run. I was paying a lot of attention to how my toe was feeling. At times it was burning a bit but I'm not sure if that was real or just in my mind because I was concentrating so hard on it. The big test will be in a few hours or when I wake up to see if there are any ill effects.
So far, so good.

Yep it's fractured

The doc says the toe is fractured and he says I should take a few more days off of running. I'm going to try and head out on a "fast walk" after work and try to work into a light jog. This is beyond frustrating.

Oromocto

Ok, my valiant post earlier about running come hell or high water tonight is on hold. Listening to the advice of my wife and Ricky, I opted for the Oromocto ER. It is 6:41 and I've spoken with a nurse and I think we're planning an x-ray. The nurse -- who regardless of what Elvy Robichaud says cannot order x-rays yet -- said I will likely have to “buddy splint” the toe. That means I will have to tape them together. She seems confident that running the marathon won't be a problem although the toe may not be healed.
Anyway I tracked down a copy of the August Runner's World that I didn't have so I'm going to get comfortable and start reading.

Deena and I

After reading the Deena Kastor article in this month's Runner's World I feel we are growing closer. And it is nice to see our half-marathon times are getting closer as well.

From Runner's World: Deena Kastor is this week's USATF Athlete of the Week for her 1:07:53 American half marathon record which she set at the Jefferson Hospital Philadelphia Distance Run on Sunday. Her time bested Joan Benoit Samuelson's 21-year-old record of 1:08:34, also set at the Philly Distance Run.

Taking out the toe

It appears as if it is going to be a nice evening so I want to take this stupid toe out for a run. It is still sore but I am not limping any more ... well not as much. As of yet I'm still not sure if I will wrap it or put a splint on it. I'm not a doctor so I wouldn't want to do more harm than good.

No!

I broke my left little toe! This is heart-breaking. I AM running the marathon. End of discussion.

22 K and 21 days before RVM

The rain finally relented on Sunday afternoon, it was still misting but the downpour had moved on. So all my excuses for pushing off my LSD were gone. I started at around 3 p.m. and ran along Lincoln Road and turned around at the Diplomat, which is 11 K. According to the clunky RR pedometre that I was carrying, I hit 5 K in 22:30, 10 K in 45:30, turned at 50:13 and finished in 1:42:57. I ate a car-boom espresso gel before I left and then another at around 12 K. I actually enjoyed them, although I will likely stick with Power Bar gels.
It is exactly three weeks until the marathon and I have to admit the nerves are starting to get the better of me. Each time I feel a tweak in a muscle I panic. I'm not sure if I'm ready to run a sub-3:10 marathon and at this point I'm just praying to run a sub-3:30 marathon. Strange as it may seem, but I thought I was in better shape a month ago after the Saint John half marathon.

22 Days to go

With 22 days to go before RVM I had to do my speed session today. There was no choice. It was pouring rain. The wind was gusting. It was ugly.
I started with a 2.7K lap at an easy pace around the neighbourhood. Then I did the repeats. My three, one-mile splits were 6:02, 6:20, 6:23. The last two seem slow but the head wind that I had for all but 500M was fierce. I'm surprised they were that fast. I put a lot into the run, but can't help but feel more gas could have been turned on if the conditions were better. Tomorrow is a long run and the rain is not scheduled to relent.

Rain, rain go away

Ophelia be gone!
I need to do my run and it is pouring. Not just a sprinkle either, we're talking torrents of rain.

No need to panic, right?

Ok so as if I'm not paranoid enough about my lack of preparedness for RVM, which is in 22 days. My HRM just went into complete meltdown last night.
I was late for my run, so I'm rushing around at home and I find my HRM is not picking up my heart rate, but I figure there is just interference. I get to the track and on my second warm up lap it just blinks twice and kaput. Nothing. Nada. Zippo.
I admit I didn't use the HRM to its fullest capabilities but in training I used it to make sure I was running fast enough on speed workouts and not too fast on LSDs. Now nothing. This is so not good.
Anyway, the run had to go on last night. So I did six warm up laps at a laughingly easy pace and then did 16x100-metre stride/100-jog and finished with six easy laps. I was supposed to be out an hour but I'd guess it was only 35 minutes. It was way too dark to continue.
The workout felt ok, though my hamstring tightened up on my final two 100-metre strides.

Welcome Bloggers

A few days ago I issued a challenge on the Running Room forum for people to create their own running blogs. So far two have taken me up on the post and another has long had his own blog to track his progress. I just wanted to offer my own blog-based shout out to Deb, CKCT, arunner76.

Six laps of silliness

If someone can enlighten me why I opted to do six, 2.7K laps around the neighbourhood? Repetitive scenery, knee-pounding pavement and the constant yearning to stop early.
I gutted it out in 1:12:24. I had a 161 average HR and 176 max HR. My splits were 11:51, 12:07, 12:17, 12:21, 12:01, 11:45 and 11:50. Quick calculations tell me I wrapped each K in an average of 4:45 or about 20 seconds slower than dream marathon pace.
I had a grand total of zero energy today. I feel my immune system is on the brink of meltdown, leaving me like Wylie Coyote staring back at the Roadrunner who is 20 feet away still standing on the mountain ledge ... only one way for my health to go.
Less than a month to RVM and I need to throw the hammer down on the training. I worry that I'm not intense enough. I've got the aerobic base there but I'm missing that final gear that will allow me to bust through the 22-mile wall and score a PB. On Oct. 9, I'm going have to bring my A-game and I'm going have to bring it writ large.

This is fun, right?

Blogging while watching Canadian Idol. I think I heard a judge refer to that talent competition as “a marathon.” Hee hee. Right...
Tonight was an easy run after work. I went 7.8K along the trail. The bugs were absolutely terrible. It really disrupts my breathing when I have to hold my breath or start swiping bugs out of my mouth.
I did exactly what I wanted to do tonight. I ran an easy 18:20 on the way out and 18:20 on the way back. I had an average HR of 158 and max of 167. I read a fascinating RW article on runners who run faster when they train at lower intensities. I think I followed that advice tonight.

UPDATE: It turns out I was a tad dehydrated after Sunday's 30K. I ended up dropping five pounds. They came back on Tuesday after a day of eating and drinking.

The pain of finishing a job well done. 

Surviving 30-K

Hello. This is my first post on my new running blog. I love blogs.
Today is my recovery day. I went out for 30K yesterday, which was cancelled last weekend because of my calve/hamstring injury. I finished in 2:22:31. I wanted to keep to 25-min 5Ks but I kept hitting 21 and 23s early on. My splits were 21:49, 24:19 (mostly trails), 23:32 (turn-around point) 23:04, 25:31 (mostly trails) and 24:14
So now I'm kinda worried. When I was running I felt great and I thought I could continue on for another 12K. Once I stopped, however, I just crashed. I really felt terrible, perhaps some dehydration set in and I have to admit that I didn't eat well before the run. I assessed my time and am worried that I'm not where I want to be heading into RVM. If this was marathon day I would have had to complete the final 12.2K in 48 minutes to BQ. Completing that distance in 48 minutes is typically no problem, when that is my entire run for the day. But after already running 30K, I'm not sure if I was in the condition to pull that off. Then again, this could be some early jitters.
I did take one thing from yesterday's run, I am no longer a fan of Cliff Shots. They did nothing for me, I am experimenting with some Car-booms this weekend and if they don't work, I'm heading back to Powerbar gels.