Many Apologies, and a Blast from the Past

If you've been following the blog over the last few weeks, you'll notice that my post count has slowed dramatically. I am getting out for my runs, and have increased my effort and mileage, but school assignments have kept me from writing about them. I plan on getting back on schedule after this weekend (last exam Saturday), but until then I'll leave you with blog I wrote when I was training in Halifax. Enjoy!

NEVER TRUST YOUR ODOMETER
So I was given a book in the hopes it would inspire me to marathon greatness, but instead it has made me feel like a chump. Ultra Marathon Man – Confessions Of An All-Night Runner basically makes my little blog look like an elementary school track meet. Think a marathon is tough? Try running 135 miles through Death Valley in California. Better yet, how about a South Pole Marathon? There goes my book plans.

That being said, a 20-mile run is nothing to sneeze at for the vast majority of the population, which is what I had scheduled for Sunday afternoon. The route was entirely unplanned, but the plan was foolproof – drive along the coast for 30+ plus kilometers, then hop out of the car and run home. I even had an accomplice – my neighbour Bethany – who was more than happy to drop me off in the middle of nowhere and drive away.

After a brief discussion, we decided that the most interesting route would run along the 349, down to Purcell’s Cove Road, and back along Chebucto to my house on the Commons. I checked the weather outside – it was frigid and windy – changed into a long sleeve running shirt and a pair of spandex (don’t worry, I wore shorts on top to keep the run PG), and jumped into the car.

After a few minutes, it became apparent that the odometer was a little off. “Are you sure it’s only 5K?” I asked while we were on Purcell’s Cove Road. I initially pooh-poohed the notion, but after about a half an hour of driving, I started taking the idea more seriously. However, I didn’t want the run to be too short, so we kept driving.

About 45 minutes later we pulled over at the end of a dirt road. According to the car, it was only 30 kilometers, but we couldn't go any further because we were at a dead end (somewhere called Bar Harbour Road) and I didn’t feel like trying to backtrack for an extra six kilometers. We were in the middle of nowhere, it was freezing out, and I was nervous, so I got out of the car and started running, teeth chattering with each step.

My only real checkpoint was a little store that was approximately 3.6 kilometers away from where I was dropped off. I usually cover that distance in 18 minutes, so when it took me over 22 minutes to hit the store, I knew that the odometer had played a nasty trick on me. I couldn’t really do anything about it, so I just kept running and hoped I would be close to my house when my legs gave out on me.

A lot of things went wrong on the run. First of all, I didn’t apply enough Vaseline to a few important areas, which started chafing about a half an hour into my journey. I was also greeted with a frigid headwind that left me cold and uncomfortable. Best of all were the relentless hills that seemed to never end. I was getting discouraged in a hurry.

I quickly shifted focus to my immediate surroundings, and came to the realization that we have a lot of coves in Nova Scotia. Sandy Cove, Duncan’s Cove, Herring Cove, Ferguson’s Cove, Purcell’s Cove. I don’t think I have a favorite yet, but I’m leaning toward Sambro Head. It’s a cove - it might be fjord - but it’s close to the water and that is good enough for me.

After a while, all discomforts drifted away, and I started to enjoy the run. Sure, it was cold and windy, and my inner thigh was missing a layer of skin, but I felt like I could run forever. Even the endless hills weren’t bugging me. I was a running machine.

I didn’t start feeling any discernable fatigue until about two and a half hours into the run. By that point I could actually see the city in the distance, so I was encouraged to keep a decent pace. I hit the rotary twenty minutes later, but instead of running up Chebucto as dictated by my original plan, I turned right onto Quinpool, grabbed some fuel at a convenience store, and added a couple of kilometers around the neighbourhood before stopping in front of my house. Total time ran – three hours, eighteen minutes.

How far did I run? I am not sure. Based on the car ride and my various additions, approximately 32 kilometers. Based on the Google Map Pedometer, I ran 37.2 kilometers. I won’t ever know exactly how far I ran, but I do know that I am ready for the marathon. Sure, it’s not an ultra marathon, but it’ll do for now. Now let’s taper.

Fun Run Report - Pete's Pub Paddy`s Day Dash

March 13 - Pete's Pub Paddy's Day Dash - Saint John
Distance - 5K
Goal - sub 22:30
Finish time - 19:45

Well, that was a surprise. I entered this race with the hope that I might be able to run my marathon pace, and I blew all of my expectations out of the water. While it's nowhere near my PB, it's over a minute faster than my best time last year, and almost three minutes faster that what I expected. Here are some highlights of the run:

1)The Weather - I was hoping I would be able to run in shorts today, and my wish was granted. In fact, I was actually quite comfortable outside. I am sure I blinded a few people with my pasty white legs, but I'm not about to apologize. If you don't like it, wear sunglasses.

2)The Course - I like my courses simple and easy to follow, and Pete didn't let me down. A straight forward out and back around Saint John's South End, I did not need a map to find my way to the finish line. I suspect it might be a tad short (based on my time) but since it was a fun run, I am not about to complain.

3)3) The Loot - Twenty dollars earned me a finishers medal, an all-you-can-eat post race chili meal (two bowls!), a running hat, and a guaranteed prize. I ended up with a 90 dollar Sugoi jacket (courtest of Alex Coffin's Fitness Shop), which looks absolutely fetching on my fiance. Talk about bang for your buck!

4) The People - I had a great time catching up with run club regulars Kelly Burke, Jim Miller, Craig Wilson, and local running guru Darryl Steeves. Special shout outs go to Marta and Frank Kelly, who tagged the race onto the end of their 30K run. Impressive.

As you can see, I had a great day. I won't rest on my laurels, though, because the year is still young and I have a lot of training to do. Next up is the Brent Kelly Memorial 5 Miler, and a steady increase in mileage. Wish me luck!

P.S. If anyone has any photos of the event, please send them to kvchallenger@gmail.com. This blog is graphics starved, and I'd like brighten it up a bit.

Need For Speed

I am actually getting to my blog two days in a row, which is a bit of a record lately. I'd like to promise that I'll keep this pace up, but end of term projects are coming up, and I imagine those will occupy a lot of my time in the coming weeks. Here's hoping I can stay on top of the blog.

I'm doing a relatively decent job keeping on top of my training. Today I headed to the UNBSJ gymnasium for a little speed session. I didn't have a lot of time to waste - I had to jam with Clinton Charlton and get groceries, and it was closing in on 8PM when I started - so after a ten minute warm up, I proceeded with six four hundred meter repeats over a minute faster than my planned five kilometer pace, plus cool down. I had no problem with the speed, but I know that I won't be able to run that fast come race day. As long as I meet or exceed my goal on Saturday, I won't complain.

Until then, I will go back to my relatively pedestrian running pace. Hopefully I didn't leave all my energy on the treadmill today.

Back to the Blog Part Two

It's been a while since I wrote, but this time I have a good excuse - I spent four days in Sydney attending the East Coast Music Awards and Conference. To be more precise, I spent three days in Sydney, and one day driving, but who's counting? During that time I played three shows with a miniature version of Penny Blacks - we usually perform as a seven piece, but only four of us made the trip - saw 10-15 different bands, and managed to lose 45 CDs. If anyone finds a box of Hospital Grade, Clinton Charlton, and Ermine CDs, please drop me a line!

In the midst of last week's musical madness, I managed to fit in a handful of runs. Two were actually quite good - I muscled my way through six fast 400 meter repeats on Wednesday (plus warm up and cool down), and ran fifty solid minutes the other night - but the other two were simply average. I was really hoping that I was going to have a wonderful workout week leading up to The Paddy's Day 5K, but I didn't quite hit the mark. We'll see if adversely affects my race performance.

Until then, I suggest you take a look at my friend Amy Grant's blog Buff To The Bone. Amy's a Moncton fitness jockey who is also an avid runner - we ran the Saint John Half Marathon together last year - and she loves giving out health and fitness tips. Check it out!