Not a bad week

This hasn't been a bad week for running, well compared to last week anyway. Thanks to another thunderstorm, I missed my run yesterday. I'm hoping to still get it in today, it's supposed to be a 8K tempo. On Tuesday night, I did 5x1000 repeats and I was happy with each of them, considering it is my first series of speed drills in a long time. I kept them all under four minutes, between 3:46 and 3:58. I did an extremely easy Wednesday night, 6K run. I'm not quite where I need to be on my marathon training program, but I'm getting back up there. I'm refusing to push it too hard and get myself injured. My plan at this point is to run all of the lower distances at the speed and distances called for in my program, but I'm not going to do the LSDs. This week my schedule calls for 20 miles, I'll be lucky to log 20K. But it's progress.

8K in the books

Check it out, two consecutive days of morning runs. This is absolutely amazing. At 5:10, Elle started making noises and woke me out of a dead sleep. I got up, checked to see that she was asleep and glanced at the alarm clock in her room. I scratched my head, contemplated the pros and cons of heading back to bed for 15 minutes and decided to forgo any fruitless efforts at sleep and get suited up for a run. My recently adopted marathon training program called for  5-mile (8K, I hate the old imperial system) run.

The weather this morning was not nearly as nice as yesterday, there was a chill and I thought I might experience a small drizzle when I started. But the best part of my run was the fact that I took it out of the neighbourhood and onto the trail. I cannot describe how beautiful it is to watch the sun rise over the Saint John River. Seeing that unmistakable orange tinge blanketing the sky, hearing those few morning birds chirping merrily and the crunch of my shoes hitting the ground. It's exhilarating I've always been amazed at my bizarre capacity to smell dew. Of course, I realize that water doesn't have a smell, but there is just this overwhelming scent of freshness at that early part of the morning.

Alas the run. It was fine. The schedule said to keep it easy. I'm still having trouble with that because my mind really wants to make up for all my lost training. I wanted to keep each split to 4:20 min/K. I did that within plus-minus three seconds for six kilometres, my warm up kilometre was eight seconds slower and my final kilometre was nine seconds faster. I forgot my time but it was pretty darn close to a straight, 8K, 4:20 min/K pace. So you can do the math faster than I. According to my schedule, I should have been running 4:40s.

We'll see what tomorrow brings.

Morning run

Yes, those of you faithful readers to my, recently, unfaithful running blog will notice that I just wrote "morning run." This is the first time in almost a year that I have woken up, laced up the Asics and went for my run before 5:30 a.m. I miss morning runs even more than I miss the West Wing and how I'm about to miss Studio 60. With Izzie sleeping a lot better these days, I'm hoping this will become less noteworthy as I do more and more early morning runs.

Before I get too far along in this blog, I have to say. What is up with all those mosquitoes? Just before I started my run, I noticed that my laces weren't done up through the final series of holes, so I stopped, took off one shoe and as I was fixing my laces, I was absolutely dive bombed by these famished insects. We're talking shock-and-awe mosquito tactics. It was absolutely insane. Anyone know of tricks to test for West Nile?

Once I salvaged my exposed skin from those unwarranted attacks, I trotted out for a quick 5K run. It was my first run in almost two weeks, so I didn't want to push too much. I realize that I need to stop running 5K loops or else my overall fitness isn't going to get back to where it was in March. I finished in, roughly, 20:30. I had some slow middle Ks, but I brought the last 1,000m home in 3:50, which felt good. I'm not sure when the last time I posted a 3:50 min/K.

I'm sitting in the office now, about to put out my calls and I have to say, I feel great. Let's hope this continues.

Wednesday night waddling

I really need to get back to morning running because I just can't get this night running thing down. I went out tonight without eating properly, so I felt uneasy the entire time. But, hey, I was running along the Saint John River on a beautiful May evening so it can't be that bad. I walked out the door at a 7:45 p.m., when the sun was just starting to descend behind the hills and a gentle wind was at my back -- more on that a bit later. I took the first kilometre pretty easy, 4:25, and then tried to pick it up from there. I started to average 4:15s but I just couldn't get in my groove. On the way home, I didn't realize how helpful that wind was because oiyeee it felt like running into a brick wall at times. By the time I tagged the telephone pole outside my house, I think I finished in about 34:45. Not bad, but I would have liked to take a minute off.
What is really starting to bother me is I'm just not at the level I was this time last year. Granted, I haven't done any consistent speedwork, which I intend to start post haste, I'm starting to worry about the season. I need to become a heck of a lot more consistent in my running and I need some of my friends to get on me each day that I cop out of a scheduled run!

A shout out

I just want to offer a shout-out to my friend Bruyere who left a comment last week after I moaned about my disastrous half-marathon showing. And she reminded me of a quote that I used in one of my old race reports, "a bad day racing is always a better than a life of couch-dwelling." That is so true and I'm glad she pointed that out to me. I will likely run fewer races this season with the intention of competing in a few bigger races at the end of the season. So I need to keep motivated and people like Bruyere definitely make it easier when I know people are going to call me out when I need it!

A weekend of running

Ok, my weekend of running was only two days but it was two more days than I had feared. One day I will bore this blog with all of the house drama that has unfolded in my life over the last two months and has recently replaced family health issues and work as the number two cause of missed run -- sadly, my own complacency still ranks as number one. Anyway, I was up to my eyeballs in house controversy on Thursday and Friday, pushing off my running. Saturday was raining and an extended period of time to spend with the family so it was up to Sunday and Monday. I got out an easy 5K on Sunday evening once everyone was asleep. I finished in about 20:30. The splits were all over the place. On Monday, I once again got out when the girls were off in la-la land. I had every intention of running 10K but about 750 metres into the run I noticed I was lighter than normal. I had forgotten my water bottle. Argh. Without any water, there was no way I was going to run 10K. I opted for 8K and ended up very thankful that I did because that large Second Cup coffee and one and a half biscotti did not sit well on the return trip down the trail. I ended up finishing a bit over 34 minutes. Again my splits were horribly inconsistent, partly due to a brutal headwind on the way out. They ranged from 4:15 to 4:30 back to 4:12 to 4:25 to 4:08. But I ran and that made me happy.

Am I done yet?

For some reason I want to prolong my pain by posting this photo of yesterday's finish line. Thanks to Bruce for taking it and then sending it to me. Take not of blue skies in the background, I can also assure you that there was not much of a wind and it was hot beyond belief. Ok, I'm done making excuses for a few more minutes.

As if I needed more inspiration

I just found this on the Marathon By The Sea website. As if I needed more of a kick in the pants to start training than I did from yesterday's half-marathon debacle.

The Loyalist Qualifier Challenge

Saint John and Boston have had a long history. Emigration of the New England Loyalists to Saint John, the burgeoning trade route of the merchant sailing ships of the 19th century, and now the inaugural Loyalist Qualifier Challenge™.

Our mission as a marathon event is to provide extraordinary personal experiences. Tim Hortons and Marathon By The Sea have teamed up to recognize achieving one of marathoning's higest accomplishments – qualifying for the Boston Marathon.

In the spirit of the Loyalists' perseverance, all marathoners who finish Marathon By The Sea on September 23rd, 2007 with a Boston Marathon qualifying time for their respective age group, will be inducted into Marathon By The Sea Loyalist Qualifier team and receive a commemorative Marathon By The Sea Loyalist Qualifier™ technical race hat.

Better yet, they will also have an equal opportunity to be one of twenty six Loyalist Qualifiers™ that will travel as a team to the 2008 Boston Marathon on the Tim Hortons Coach courtesy of Tim Hortons.

Wow! Where do you want to qualify for the 2008 Boston Marathon? Stay tuned for more details.

Ready to RUN WITH IT! Register now through the Running Room online. Enter here now! Or download a PDF of Registration Form.

Ouch

Wow, I managed to break every single rule yesterday and lived to tell the story. Well, if you call this living. I'm not going to complain considering I knew better and I ignored the angel on my shoulder warning me of what would inevitably happen. I won't drone on too long, suffice to say when the gun fired at yesterday's Fredericton Half-Marathon, I started at a pretty good clip. I finished the first kilometre in 4:05. I said to myself and Ricky, who was running with me at the time, that we should slow down. So proceeded to do just that, or so I thought. If memory serves, my second split was 4:06 (or something silly). I just could not seem to get into a proper pace. Making things worse on the second loop around Ste-Anne's Pointe, I started running into throngs of 5K/10K runners. I pulled out to the left and started passing them, which ultimately meant my pace was elevating again. By the time I hit the trails, I knew it was going to be a long day. I started running with a marathoner for about 10K and I kept my pace around 4:20. The writing was on the wall, around 15K that I couldn't maintain my pace. When I hit 18K, I thought it would be smart to walk through the final aid station to collect my thoughts and rest a bit. At this point, I was on pace for 1:34 or thereabouts. I knew that was likely a pipedream but my trusty Garmin told me I was roughly 600 metres ahead of schedule (I had paced myself for 1:36). Sadly, once I stopped moving at the aid station, it was game over. I couldn't continue running. I run/walked for the final 3K. I have never walked in a race -- ever. I ended up finishing in 1:41.
I'm disappointed in my race but not because my time was five minutes slower than I've ever run a half-marathon before, but because I knew better. This result was completely avoidable. My Garmin normally reminds me to hold back in the early going of a race and for whatever reason I just forged ahead knowing that I would die in about 15K or so. The heat was also a factor, if it was about five degrees cooler, I probably wouldn't have crashed so hard on the course. This race has definitely reminded me that I can't just race without the proper preparation. It has also motivated me to start training for the fall.

Another 5K in the books

It wasn't stellar, it was far from pretty, but I got another 5K in the books. This is the first time since early April that I can remember getting three runs done in the same week. I have a slight pain in my left leg but it isn't too much. I just need to stretch better. My time is slightly improving. I finished this run in about 20:19, or 20 seconds faster than Tuesday. I wasn't going for time per se, but I wanted to see how my body held up trying to push out a decent time. I'm still a tad worried about Sunday's race.

Shouldn't this be a taper?

I know I should be tapering this week and I guess I am, but I feel I just need to be getting out consistently after almost a month of sporadic running. So on Tuesday night, after the girls went to bed -- notice I didn't write "went to sleep" -- I got out for a 5K run. I had intended to go for 8K but I knew I had to get home quickly to help finally get them to sleep. My legs felt a bit heavy but I finished it off in about 20:40. Obviously that is a bit slow for my liking but it was good just to be running. I am starting to get concerned again about my hamstring, it just never seems to want to get back to 100 per cent.

back at it

I got out for a nice 10K run last night. It was a wonderful evening for a run. I hadn't laced up the shoes for more than a week because of sickness -- whether mine or one of the girls -- so I thought I'd take it easy. I don't have my Garmin with me as I type this, so I'm not sure what my overall time was. I assume it was around 42:30. I was just happy to get out for a run. My legs are a bit stiff today but nothing out of the ordinary. I am worried about Sunday's half-marathon though considering my lack of recent running. C'est la vie.

Schedule update

For those in my half-marathon group, I've updated the schedule on the left hand side of the blog. I seem to have included an extra day somewhere, so please consult the schedule I handed out. But it offers an idea of the next few weeks leading up to the big day!

April running -- or lack thereof

I've been a bad running blogger these days but it is not for a lack of desire. I haven't been able to get out for a myriad of reasons, sick kids, bad weather, too much work and some muscle strains. that said, I need to suck it up and start running three to five days a week. And if that happens, I'm sure these little injuries will go away. I had a tough, tough 10K run on Monday. The wind was brutal and the snow was still pretty significant on the trail, so I had to watch my footing. It was also the first run with my new iPod!

Race Day Plan

Here are my notes from Tuesday's half marathon clinic.

Racing preparation and etiquette
How not to spoil 16 weeks of training with avoidable mistakes

DAY BEFORE
Logistics: Double-check directions to the start on a street map.

Read the entire entry form, which may contain crucial information about checking in, parking, or some other race detail that affects what time you need to arrive.

Finally, pack your race bag after checking the weather forecast.
Physical preparation: A walk, walk/jog, or easy run the day before a race will keep your muscles limber. Don't do too much, however, or you'll fatigue those muscles. Twenty or 30 minutes is plenty.
Mental preparation: Mentally "rehearsing" a race will ease your jitters.

Race Day
Mental preparation: "Before a race, the key is to think only positive thoughts,"
Food: Eating on race morning is a balancing act. For short races, you may want to pass entirely.

A small, easily-digestible, fiber-free meal at least 1 or 2 hours before the race. This mini-breakfast might be an energy bar, a bagel smeared with peanut butter, or white toast and a banana. Whatever it is, try it a couple times before a hard or long training run to see how your stomach handles it.
Drink: Consume plenty of water or a sports drink on race morning.

"Drink at least 12 ounces in the last 20 minutes before any long or warm race."

Pre-Race Preparation
Pick up your race package before Race Day – don't forget safety pins!
Experiment with nutrition products in the weeks leading up to the race.
Set out your race clothes and all equipment the night before the race.

An hour before gun time...
8:00: Arrive at the start area.
8:00 to 8:10: Visit the portajohn line if needed, before it gets too long.
8:10 to 8:15: Slather on a lubricant such as Vaseline or Body Glide to protect skin that's vulnerable to chafing and blisters: toes, feet, inner thighs, and nipples.
8:15 to 8:20: Walk at a moderate clip to begin your warmup.
8:20 to 8:30: Accelerate to a jog, or a brisk walk if it's a marathon.
8:30 to 8:40: Do some light stretches while chatting with friends or mentally reviewing your race plan.
8:40 to 8:50: Strip off your outerwear and leave it in your car or the "sweats area." If you choose to wear racing flats, change into them and double-tie the laces.
8:50 to 8:55: Intersperse slow jogging with some 20-second, speedy pickups to prepare your mind and body for the race.
8:55 to 9:00: Position yourself in the appropriate pace group if these are designated. If not, line up with the runners who look like they're your speed. Listen to the announcements. Jog in place, if possible
9:00: The gun fires. Or not. If the start is delayed, periodically shake your legs loose, jog in place, and stretch lightly while you wait. Once you're off and running, start at a comfortable speed.

Some race etiquette:
Stay to the right unless you are passing someone, as people will pass on your left
Move to the side if you are going to stop or slow down
Try not to stop in the middle of the water station
Watch where you spit :)
As for etiquette, thank all the volunteers and race organizers that you see, they put a lot of hours into making the run go as smoothly as possible.
Make sure you know where you plan to park.

Race Day Essentials
Runners
Favourite Socks
Water
Hat/Visor
Watch
Heart Rate Monitor
TorsoPack
Sunscreen
Body Glide
Pace Band
Race Number

Race Day
Relax
Arrive Early
Include a Warm up
Start Slowly
Drink Water

Stupid things I (or people I know) have done on race day:
Remember to go to the porta-john: Ok, too much information, I know. But this is crucial. I mistimed my need to use the toilet at RVM and with one minute to go, I bolted to the blue tower. If I missed that, it would have been 3:19:00 of holding it.
Put your chip on the night before: If the race uses chips, put it on the night before or the minute you receive it. Let's imagine you are at Marathon By The Sea and your friend we'll call him Gary (maybe not his real name) is standing beside you in the runner's corral. He all of a sudden realizes he has left his chip in his car. He has five minutes to get it and get back to the queue. Not fun.
Wear sunscreen: I forgot sunscreen at the 2001 Fredericton Marathon. Huge mistake. I had massive sunburns across my shoulders, oh, did I mention the blistering. I couldn't wear a suit (pain free) for two weeks.
Double-knot your shoes: Two kilometres into last year's 10K at the Fredericton Marathon and my self shoe lace came undone. Stupid move. Cost me 20 seconds. Argh.

Tuesday night tempo

Last night was our first tempo run as a clinic, and I think it went really well. We started with our clinic session on speed training (notes posted below) and then we decided to do our Wednesday tempo run after the chat. We did our 1K warm up as a group down Charlotte and as soon as my Garmin read 1K, we were all off. Because this was a tempo run and not an ordinary group run, every went at their own pace, which we had discussed earlier in the clinic. As usual, I started out way too quickly and finished my first split in 3:37, my second split was closer to normal at 3:57, my third split seemed really odd at 4:24 and my final split was back to normal at 4:04. Obviously I would have preferred to have them all at 4:00 min/K but my average is roughly where it should be for a 4K tempo run. Once we all met up again, we enjoyed a nice cool down run back to the store.
The best part about the run was I did it in shorts and a t-shirt. I love spring!

Speed clinic notes

As promised here are some of my notes from tonight's speed clinic.

Speed Training session

Speed Training is the "roof" of the "training house". Keep this part to about 15 per cent. When designing your schedule, keep speed to the end. This is also one component that can be bypassed if you feel you are overtraining or you are worried about injuries.

It hones and refines all your progress to date.

This is the last phase of the training program but don't be deceived by the "short" workouts.

Like hills, you'll only be running hard for short periods of time, the intensity will add up.

A few key things to keep in mind for speed training:

1. Always run a light warm-up and cool-down.

2. Don't increase the distance or intensity of a speed workout too quickly.

3. Listen to any warning signs from your body - your goal race is fast approaching and you don't want to be nursing an injury.

Speed training not for everyone. It is a big help but don't push it.

I feel after a season of dedicated speed training, it really helped me. But everyone is different.

The goal of speed training is to teach your body to go faster. It simulates race conditions.

The science behind speed training

Lactate acid: Lactic acid is a by-product of anaerobic glycolysis. If enough oxygen is not available, lactic acid is produced and begins to accumulate in the muscles. Lactic acid causes the "burning" sensation felt in muscles during high intensity exercise and also prevents muscles from working their best. This burning sensation is the result of a change in muscular acidity.

The point at which lactic acid begins to quickly accumulate in the blood is known as the anaerobic threshold or Lactic Threshold

Studies indicate that the best predictor of distance-running performance is your lactate threshold, which is the speed you are able to run before lactic acid begins to accumulate in the blood. By regularly including tempo runs in your training schedule, you will increase the speed that you can run before lactic acid begins to slow you down. To use a car analogy, tempo runs will allow your engine to rev faster without red-lining. Before tempo training, you may have red-lined at a 5:30-minute-per-KM pace. After a few months of tempo runs, you won't red-line until you reach a 5 min-per-KM pace.

Not only will running at LT pace push your body to increase how fast it can remove lactate acid from your muscles and blood, it also will help you overcome that huge mental block of hitting the wall in a race.

What is a tempo run?

Short but intense run.

For those with HRs, 80 to 90 per cent of Max HR.

Essentially a pace you could hold for one hour consistently. For those without HRs, think of a 10K race pace. You want to be hard but not totally uncomfortable. So you can utter words but not sentences.

Start at lower end and move up.

Tempo runs:

15- to 25-minute; 10-15 seconds faster than LT

25- to 40-minute; at LT

How to do tempo runs:

Don't need to go to track. Track workouts are for later.

Tracks are great for short intervals but for road running they are rather pointless because it does not mirror your race terrain.

Beware of the surface: I do my tempo largely on trails but I don't do at night for fear of rolling an ankle at faster pace

Interval training:

Intervals are another aspect of speed training that can be incorporated in your routine as you get more experienced. They are repeats of shorter distances.

For example, 4x400m, 4x800m or 3x1.6K.

These are done at a faster pace than your tempo run and have a rest period in the middle, I use two minutes of light jogging/fast walking to get my HR back down.

Unless you have a Garmin, this must be done on a track

Fartlek (or speed play)

This is another form of speed training that can be highly effective.

Like intervals, this is best done on a track. For a set period of time, you pick up your pace and slow it down in a routine pattern.

The Top Seven reasons for speed injuries:

1. Inadequate warmup or warm down.

2. Running Too Hard on Easy Days.

3. Sprinting.

4. Too Many Weeks of Speed.

5. Too Many Hard Days.

6. Inadequate Transition.

7. On A Bad Day.

Transplant Trot Info

This is the information on the Transplant Trot 5K/10K that I mentioned earlier. You can register at the Running Room web site now. I would like to do the 10K but we'll see how it goes.

Date: April 22, 2007

Place: Fredericton, NB

Registration Fees:

	Standard (Before April 22)	Race Day (April 22)
5K Run/Walk	$20	$25
10K Run/Walk	$20	$25

T-Shirts: Free to the first 100 registrants.
(Sizes: S, M, L, XL)

Race Package Pickup:
Fredericton Running Room (view map)
April 21, 2007
12:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.

Clinic e-mail

For the running group:

Good Monday morning everyone,

I wanted to make sure I sent this note out early this week because we are slightly revamping our schedule. What everyone who was at last week's clinic will already know is, Tuesday night's post-clinic run will be our first speed session and since I won't be able to do the workout with you on Wednesday, we thought it would be better to have the group do it together on tomorrow. And Wednesday, anyone showing up for the group run will just do the 5K we would have done on Tuesday. Sound confusing enough for Monday morning? Perfect.

So hopefully we'll be able to get a good crowd for the speed session. For anyone who has never done tempo or fartlek training before it will be an important clinic to attend. And even if you have tried speed work, it's always good to get a refresher. We'll get more into the details tomorrow, but speed workouts although they sound as daunting as I'm sure hill repeats did a few weeks ago is a great way to improve your overall running. Remember, these workouts are at the top of our training "house."

Just so everyone knows, there is a Fredericton 5K/10K coming up in a few weeks. Details can be found at the Running Room and I believe you will be able to register on-line shortly.

And for your weekly dose of running inspiration, here is another quote from the most quotable runner of all time.

"You have to wonder at times what you're doing out there. Over the years, I've given myself a thousand reasons to keep running, but it always comes back to where it started. It comes down to self-satisfaction and a sense of achievement." -- Steve Prefontaine

Lincoln 5K race report

Having only run three times in the last two weeks, I didn't have high expectations heading into this charity race. But I figured it was $10 and all proceeds were going to the IWK Hospital in Halifax so it was worth showing up.
I must say it was a beautiful day for a run, in that it was pouring rain. I love running in the rain especially coming after what seems like the neverending winter that we've endured in Fredericton. There were 34 runners bracing the elements and I'd like to brag that at least five were from my half-marathon group. It was a well organized race considering it was done in two weeks, the sign up was in the garage of a local runner and it went super smoothly. I was truly impressed.
The race started and it was 1K of constant downhill, it was wonderful, well until I checked my first split: 3:30! I was actually leading after the first kilometre, that is the longest I've been in the lead since high school X-country. When the horn sounded everyone was holding back and I thought, forget this, I'm running my race. I had no idea that my pace was picking up so quickly. I knew I was running fast but not 3:30 fast. Wow. Well, my race started going downhill (er, ok uphill quickly) after that. I don't have my Garmin at my fingertips but I believe I ran two more sub-4:00 splits. I picked shorts and a t-shirt to race in and by 3K my arms were numb. Not cold, numb. Painfully numb. And that wonderful downhill to start the race, well we had to climb back up to finish the race. That was not fun. My cold had been so bad the last few weeks and I had coughed so hard that during the race when I started coughing, I literally thought I was going to cough up blood. That would not have been cool.
I ended up finishing in 19:40, which is not my PB but I was happy. Overall, I finished in fourth place and loved seeing all the smiling faces at my first race of the season. The Run NB web site already has the results posted, I'm proud to say all the half-marathon clinic racers did amazing!

This Sunday

Lincoln 5K Road Race
Lincoln, NB March 11, 2007
Reg. Time / Enregistrement: 8:30am to 9:10am. (Clocks go ahead with Daylight Savings Time!)
Start Time / Départ: 9:30am Banquet Time: As soon as you finish refreshments will be provided
Registration Location / Lieu:Good Homes Rd, which is located in Lincoln Park Gardens. Lincoln is located between F'ton and Oromocto. A race sign will be located at the entry of the subdivision the day of the race.
Main Event / Événement principal: 5K
Other Events: 5K Walk
Timex: no
Super Series: no
Registration Fee / Enregistrement: $10.00
Contact 1: Shawn Hamilton Email: shawn.hamilton@gnb.ca Tel #: 453-2079 Fax #:
Contact 2: Sheryl Johnstone Email: sheryl.johnstone@gnb.ca Tel #: 453-3824 Fax #:
Showers / Douches: No
T-Shirt: No
Course / Parcours: Within the Lincoln Park Gardens Subdivision near Scotts Nursary. A fast down hill section at the beginning, then from 500m to 3K will be fairly flat, followed by a moderate climb from 3 to 3.5K and then a flat section leading to the last 300m climb to the finish so save some for the end! If necessary, roads will be sanded prior to race.
Awards: 6 medals total. Top 3 girls and top 3 guys. Medals are Gold, Silver and Bronze with either guys or girls shown running on 1 ¾ inch medal. Finishing photo’s maybe taken and placed on MPEFP or this website for participants to use. Stop watch will be used for timing the event.
Other details: No water stops provided during this race. This is a “fun run” put on by the Marysville Place Employee Fitness Program with all proceeds going to the IWK Children’s Hospital.