The Weak in Review

It's Saturday evening and I am in the spare bedroom, attempting to blog before I fall asleep. I was up until 3am last night hanging out with friends, and have yet to sufficiently recover. Hopefully my lapse in healthy living doesn't affect tomorrow's long run.

I tried to really hammer my workouts this week, but found that I had very little energy when it came time to put the pedal to the floor. I did a 5k tempo run at the Irving Nature Park that almost did me in, and followed that up with four average repeat miles on Friday. Both speed sessions were so uninspiring that I didn't even bother to blog about them, and my easy runs weren't much better. So much for big week before my taper.

Part of the problem was general fatigue. I've tossed and turned every night for the last two weeks, waking up every hour in anticipation for work calls that usually come between 6:30 and 7:30AM. Of course this makes me sluggish all day, and half asleep when it's time to work out. If I don't start sleeping better soon, I'm going to get sick, and that's not going to help my recovery before the marathon. If anyone has any sleeping tips, I'm all ears.

The other problem is my worn out sneakers. I have run my Mizuno Elixir 3's into the ground over the last two months, and my feet are now getting pounded each time I hit the pavement. I plan on getting a new pair as soon as the first pay cheque comes in (fingers crossed for Thursday), but until then I'll have to suffer in silence.

If all goes well I will finish my last long run tomorrow. I have no intentions on running as fast as I did at the Irving Nature Park last weekend, but I do expect to run for at least three hours. Most of my fellow KV Challengers are already cutting back on their mileage (the race is fifteen days away), but I find that I lose focus if I taper for longer than two weeks. Hopefully my body can bounce back before the big day.

I'll be back tomorrow with my last long run report, along with a few words from KV Challenge race committee. Stay tuned!

Nature Park (now with 5 times more park!)

I am running the Kennebecasis Challenge Marathon in less than a month, and I have yet to set foot on the course. I planned on running the route today (well, a portion of it) with Brent Bethune and a handful of local runners, but fell asleep on my couch and missed the alarm clock. By the time I woke up, they were already well into their run. Guess I'll have to wait until race day.

Waking up late threw a major wrench in my running plans. My next move was to call Chris Fudge, but he had family obligations and couldn't join me on a three hour jaunt (I haven't seen him much since our fateful Labour Day run; I hope he's not weary of biking with me). I was going to call Clinton Charlton, but he spends every Sunday with his daughter and I figured he wouldn't have time. This meant I would have to run alone, which left me with one option: five loops of the Irving Nature Park.

I wasn't exactly overjoyed with the notion of running the park five times, and took my sweet time getting ready. By the time I was ready to head out the door it was 4:00PM, which barely gave me enough time to finish before dark. Could I do it?

Loop 1: 32:23

I went through the first kilometer in a little over five minutes, which I thought was a little quick for a long, slow, distance run. However, I hard time slowing down, and ended up averaging a little less than five minutes per kilometer for the entire loop. My finishing time was two minutes faster than my quickest loop during my last long Nature Park Run (see Nature Park Park Park Park and a Bit for details), and I wondered if I could hold the pace.

Loop 2: 32:12

I started out with the intent of going a little slower, and couldn't do it. My body was already locked into the pace, and I was churning the kilometers out with ease. Of course, the idea of walking the last loop crossed my mind, but I pushed the negative thoughts out of my head and continued enjoying the run.

Loop 3: 31:08

Is it just me, or is the fifth kilometer longer than the rest? It is consistently my slowest portion of the Nature Park, and it always seems to drag on forever, no matter how well I am pacing myself. I was running around 4:45 per kilometer until this dreaded kilometer, and lo and behold, I slowed down. That being said, it was still my fastest loop of the day, and I did it with ease. Maybe I would survive the run after all.

Loop 4: 31:32

If you run several loops of a park in a row, you'll inevitably see the same people more than once. I ran by one women three times; the third time she giggled and quipped, "Oh, come on now!" Apparently, running the Nature Park five times is a bit ridiculous to some people. Pain was starting to creep into my legs and hips, but it didn't affect my pace. One more loop to go.

Loop 5: 32:20

I thought I would fall apart at this point, but I managed to average five minute kilometers for the last loop. Of course, it wasn't easy; my legs were starting to tire, and the hills were proving more difficult with each passing kilometer. I had a chance to run a sub 2:40 though, so I started pretending that I was finishing my marathon with a Boston qualifying time in my sights. With one mile remaining I picked up the pace, and finished my 32.5 kilometer run in 2:39.37. I was done, and it was still light out. Sweet.

Now I am home, and feeling great. I'll probably do one more long, slow run before I start my taper (next Sunday if all goes well), but I doubt I will run as fast as I did today. With only three weeks to go, my best bet is to take it easy, and focus on recovery until the big day. Hopefully I don't run myself into ground before then.

Sprinting In The Rain

So the KV Challenge is about a month away, and it looks like I'll be running with a lot of people. One hundred and thirty one people are already registered (including forty two in the marathon), and all signs point towards a record turnout. I guess I'll have to work extra hard now; no need to bonk in front of a large audience.

Today I returned to the Irving Nature Park with the intent of running four repeat kilometers. As per usual, I procrastinated until lack of time forced me outside, and was greeted by cold, hard rain. It was the first time in months that I considered putting on pants for a run, but I decided against it, opting for bare legs instead. I don't care if it's snowing out, if I can handle shorts, I'm wearing 'em.

After a brief warm up - and, let's face it, there was nothing warm about running into a rainy headwind - I started my first repeat. I didn't have a time in mind, but hoped I could break four minutes for each kilometer. The first kilometer contained a lot of hills, but I still managed a 3:55. Not too shabby.

I took a short rest, and started my next repeat. I heard the crunch of tires behind me, indicating a car was approaching, and decided to bump it up a notch, attempting to keep the car behind me for the full kilometer. I pulled it off with ease, and looked to my watch to discover a 3:37 repeat. Sadly, the car drove off before I could rub in my win, and I was left to finish my workout alone.

My next two repeats weren't quite as fast as my second kilometer, but I was still comfortably under my four minute goal time. With the rain really coming down, I decided to try one more repeat. It started off well, but the combination of cold legs, wet clothes, and race fatigue took the wind out of my sails. I struggled to a 4:06, and decided it was time to jog my soggy bottom back to the car.

Before I go, I just have to repeat how much fun I had at the Hampton Five Miler. Not only was it a great course, but the post race food was top notch (lots of fresh fruit and yummy sandwiches), and the awards were fabulous. I didn't even place and I walked away with a sweet technical shirt and a $55 Java Moose Gift Card, all for the low, low price of twenty five dollars. I'm off the coffee for now, but Sarah will enjoy some tasty beverages in my place. I can't wait to go back next year!

Nature Park Park Park Park (and a bit)

It's 1am and I am sitting on the couch, listening to music and wishing my legs would stop burning. I would go to bed, but I have to listen to a few CDs for a project I am working on and it's already past due. Hopefully I can get through every disc before sleep takes over.

Today was the first time in weeks where I had to do a long run without the benefit of my partner in crime Chris Fudge, and wasn't exactly thrilled with the prospect. Without Fudge, I had no way to carry the water and food I needed to successfully finish a 30 kilometer run, and I hate the thought of running into stores soaking with sweat in order to grab a Gatorade or a granola bar. I'll save that look for my photo shoots, thank you.

I eventually decided to run five loops of the Nature Park. I didn't love the idea, but it would give me an opportunity to refuel every 6.5 kilometers, and would also allow me to measure my progress per loop. Here are some highlights of the run:

Loop 1 - 36:02

I decided to run the course backwards. I did this for two reasons: I wanted to mix the run up a bit, and my friend Clinton Charlton (buy his latest single, 'A Place To Play A Song,' here) was meeting me on his bike and traveling in the other direction. The run didn't start out out too great - I began by climbing a brutal hill, and almost got creamed by an inattentive driver (20 kilometer an hour speed limit, people!) - but I had most of the kinks worked out by the time I met Clinton. Overall, a little slower than I planned, but not too bad.

Loop 2 - 35:27

This time I decided against the nasty climb, which tacked an extra 30 seconds onto my run, and ran with traffic. Clinton and I chatted about our weekends - Clinton was surprised I could talk while running, but I held my own in the conversation department - and made some tentative plans for fall. Overall, a productive and enjoyable loop.

Loop 3 - 34:41

Clinton made his way home (we made plans for a 15k jaunt later in the week, so expect to read more about him in the blog) so I settled back into my own thoughts and tried to hold my pace. I think I was a little paranoid about slowing down, because I actually ran this loop faster than the first two. It probably helped that I didn't have to dodge any cars, as they were starting to close the park as I began the loop. A few people shouted words of encouragement as I ran by, apparently impressed that I was running multiple laps around the park. I'll take that over "Run, Forrest, run!" any day.

Loop 4 - 36:06

I thought I would start falling apart at this point, but I actually held it together for the entire loop. That being said, the effort to keep it together increased quite a bit, and I had to push on hills (both up and down) to hold my pace. My legs were screaming for the last kilometer, and I didn't know if I could finish another loop. It didn't help that nightfall made it nearly impossible to see in some sections.

Still, I wanted to get at least 30k under my belt before I called it quits. I had to come up with a plan, and fast.

4.5k - 28:44

My solution was to run as far into the Nature Park as I could before it became too difficult to see. I was most certainly the last person in the park - I passed two people as I made my way in and they looked at me like I was crazy - which meant that if anything happened to me, I would be up the creek without a paddle. I managed to run 1.5 painful kilometers in the darkness before common sense told me to turn around. It's a good thing too; I almost bailed a few times on unseen potholes.

Exiting the park with 30k in my sights, I decided to run length of the driveway and back, effectively tacking an extra 1.5k onto my run. It was tough slogging, and it felt like it took forever to make it to the rocks. I forced myself to pick it up for the last stretch, and finished without hitting the dreaded wall. That being said, I did slow down, and had I completed the fifth loop, it probably would have taken me 40 minutes. Definitely something to work on in the future.

Well, that's it for tonight. Not sure what is in store for the upcoming week, but when I figure it out, I will post it for all to read. Have a good night!

P.S. I will apologize in advance for spelling mistakes and copy editing problems. It's 2AM, and I am too tired to correct things right now. Any wonky wording will be corrected in the next 24 hours or so.

Back to Nature Park

I am up much too late, but I figure I should post before heading to bed. Haven't felt like pushing myself too hard this week, which is inconvenient because I don't plan on decreasing my mileage until the first week of October. Hopefully the wheels don't fall off my training plan.

I had a speed session planned today, so I headed to the Nature Park and hoped to bang out a 5.5k tempo run. I finished the distance in 23:46 the last time I tried it, but didn't expect to hit that target because I was flying solo and didn't have anyone chasing me. My goal was to run as hard as possible for as long as possible, without completely falling apart.

I passed through the first kilometer around 4:00, and hit 2k at 8:10. At this point I was slightly ahead of my pace from last weeks run, so I buckled down and really focused on keeping it together. The next two kilometers were a little slower, but ahead of pace, so I pushed hard for the final 1500 meters with the hopes of establishing and new speed record for the course. My final time for the 5.5k was 23:08, almost 40 seconds faster that last week's time. I guess I underestimated my ability to push myself.

I plan on taking tomorrow off (I will be paddling in the Dragon Boat races, so my day isn't completely lazy), but I hope to run at least three hours on Sunday. I have nothing planned yet, so I am open to suggestions. Anyone want to invite me along for a long run?

Yasso 800s, Part 1

So I feel like my training is starting to yield some tangible results. I'm at least 10 pounds lighter than I was at the start of this journey (all lost in the last month, surprisingly), and my times are lowering quickly. Last week I thought I was flying during my tempo run around the Irving Nature Park. On Monday, I went to the Nature Park for a fun run and easily knocked 30 seconds off my tempo run time. Considering I was running at least three minutes slower a month ago, I can't complain.

But, as Joe Walsh says, sometimes I still do. Today was a speed day, but I didn't feel like running. I didn't bother taking the car in the morning, effectively eliminating going a track workout, yet I didn't travel to any of my local haunts because they were unmeasured. Eventually, after several false starts, I ended up about a kilometer away from my house, attempting a workout called Yasso 800s.

What are Yasso 800s, you ask? Well, it's a workout designed by Runner's World employee Bart Yasso that is designed with the marathoner in mind (for full details, click here). Basically, the runner starts out with four 800 meter repeats, with a 400 meter recovery jog in between each repeat. Each week the number of repeats increases until the runner can complete ten. The runner completes each repeat with their marathon time in mind; for example, if they are aiming for a four hour marathon, they would run reach repeat in four minutes. I would ideally like to qualify for Boston (3:10 qualifying time), so I aimed to run four sub 3:10 repeats.

Without any distance markers to guide my speed, I ran on instinct and hoped I was close to my goal. I completed the first 800 in 3:03, and thought I could hold that pace for the rest of the workout without much trouble. I exceeded my expectations, running 2:57, 2:59, and 2:56 on the final three repeats. I'm not sure if a 3:10 marathon is in reach, but if I keep running this fast I might have a chance. Hopefully I can maintain my speed as I increase the number of repeats.

Before I go, I would again like to urge you to sign up for the KV Challenge as soon as possible. Registration is currently $45.00, but jumps to $60.00 September 2. Get signed up before they bump up the price! Also, if anyone is looking for 4 person marathon relay members, drop me a line. I have a few people interested in joining a team!

Tempting Tempo

I'm having a lazy day today. It started off promising; I was interviewed on CBC about the upcoming Music New Brunswick Awards (you can find the interview here for a limited time, so act now!), which meant I was awake much earlier than usual. However, when I got home, I sat on the couch, popped in a DVD, and promptly fell asleep. It happens to best of us, I guess.

Luckily, I woke up in time for a tempo run with Marta Kelly. I met Marta at Alex Coffin's Fitness Shop, added her to Facebook, and started bugging her about training together. Since then, we've worked out together a handful of times, which helped get my training back on track this summer. Most of our workout have included lots of speedwork, which proves that misery loves company.

Today we hit the Irving Nature Park for a quick and dirty 5.5k tempo run. Marta was planning to run at a 4:40/km pace, and I, as usual, had no clue how to pace myself. I decided the best bet was to go out relatively fast, and see how the run unfolded. I pushed through the first kilometer around 4:10 and held that pace for the first 3k, but then the wheels started falling off. To keep from slowing to a crawl, I broke the run into 500 meter intervals and convinced my brain that I would stop after the next marker. Of course, I didn't, and soon I was in the final stretch, running strong. Time for the 5.5k - 23:46. Not exactly setting the world on fire with that time, but faster than I expected.

I'll probably take tomorrow off, but I'm planning to run at least 30k on Sunday. Fudge has tentatively agreed to bike with me, and if all goes well we'll run some of the most scenic roads New Brunswick has to offer. Sounds fun, doesn't it? Stay tuned for more details!

Recruiting Runners

I should be in bed right now, but it's the second day of the baseball season and I am in the zone. I've already watched three games, and I plan on fighting tooth and nail for TV time until the end of the World Series. Sarah, if you're reading this, you've been warned.

Speaking of Sarah (she's my lovely fiance, in case I haven't mentioned), I think I have convinced her to enter the Brent Kelly Memorial Five Miler, taking place at the Irving Nature Park. She occasionally joins me for walk/run intervals, and has made some major progress despite an irregular schedule. She has yet to run five miles, but I fully expect she'll be ready come race day.

Today we decided to walk/run the Nature Park. Since the main road is marked every 500m, I decided we should run 500m for every kilometer. No problem. Sarah averaged about eight minutes per kilometer, which isn't bad considering we were walking half the time. Better yet, she ran the last kilometer non-stop in six minutes, which bodes well for her times once we eliminate the walking breaks. Total time for the Nature Park: 52 minutes.

While we don't run together very often, I really enjoy our outings. There are very few distractions, and it gives us time to update each other on our day. Having someone to run with also encourages us to get out of the house; I know am much more likely to go for a run or walk if I know I have someone to go with, and I am pretty sure Sarah would agree. I imagine we'll run many more races together in the future if Brent Kelly goes as planned.

I had a few more things to add, but I just looked at the time and realized it is far past my bedtime. Hopefully I don't fall asleep in class tomorrow, because I am teaching. Fingers crossed.

At Odds With Nature

Nothing went as planned yesterday. I wanted run the reverse hypo half marathon with the West Striders, but decided against it once I realized that I would be lucky to finish in one piece. I don’t mind pushing the limits of my body, but I haven’t run that distance since last August, and the thought of bonking in the freezing cold (-27 with wind chill) didn’t seem too appealing.

Instead, I decided to run at the Irving Nature Park, a little peninsula that's home to hundreds of bird species and other forms of wildlife. I thought it was a good idea because a)it’s only a few kilometers from my house and b)the road is measured, with markers every half kilometer. I knew how fast I wanted to run, so if I was moving too slow (or quick) after the first 500 meters I could simply make adjustment. No problem, right?

Wrong. The park hasn’t been plowed since lord knows when, so the ground was covered in hard, uneven snow. Some spots were relatively runner friendly, but other areas were twisted ankles waiting to happen. I didn’t want to scrap my run, though, so I ran past the gate and hoped for the best.

My best wasn’t too great. I passed the 1K mark about a minute slower than planned, and it took a concerted effort to pick up the pace. Not that it mattered; half of my energy was spent looking for places to run without falling. By 3K I decided that running safe was smarter than running my pace, so I dropped back the effort and finished about 4 minutes off pace. I’ll get a better measurement of my fitness next week.

You might not hear about it right away, though. I have two presentations and an essay due this week, which doesn’t leave much time for personal writing. If you hear from me, I am either procrastinating or figuring out a way to combine melodic contour and running. My vote is on the former.