Not So Final Thoughts

It's almost 3AM on Saturday night and I am eating some terrible snacks before I get back on the training bandwagon. I took the week off to indulge, and now I am feeling gross. Stupid cookies. Why are you so tasty?

So, I've had a week to fully digest the KV Challenge experience, and I thought it might be a good idea to write a few highlights for those who are considering running the race next year. Consider it an informed review from someone who has experienced the event first hand.

The Great

Value - I picked up my registration as part of a $120 race package. The package included the Fundy Rocks Half Marathon, The KV Challenge, and an $80 dollar gift certificate for Alex Coffin's Fitness Shop. So, KV basically cost me $20. In return, I received a race jacket, a twenty dollar Irving gas card, two meals, a massage, and a finishers medal. Talk about bang for your buck!

Course Support - The water stops were plentiful and well equipped. The volunteers that manned the stops were super helpful - I never had to ask for Gatorade or water - and really encouraging, which meant a lot as the miles increased. The course was also well marked; I never worried about getting lost during the run. Hopefully they can convince a lot of these volunteers to return next year.

The Good

The Course Itself - The KV Challenge is tough, but fair. No one would accuse it of being a flat race, but aside from a long, lonely climb around mile 15, it's pretty standard fare. And the scenery is wonderful; most of the time you have a perfect view of the Kennebecasis River, and you're constantly surrounded by crisp fall colors. One word of warning, though - the traffic on the old Hampton Highway moves relatively quick, so make sure you stay on the shoulder of the road!

The numbers - The race attracted a record crowd this year. Registrations for the half-marathon doubled, and marathon applications increased significantly. The race isn't rivaling Marathon By The Sea just yet, but its growth proves that the region can support two marathons per year.

Things To Work On For Next Year

Punctuality - The race started about 30 minutes late this year. I think the issue was out of the organizing committee's control - the chip timing system crashed before the race - but hopefully they can avoid a repeat. No one wants to stand outside in the cold before a marathon.

The Weather - I don't know the organizers have to call to get a tail wind happening, but I hope they get on it right away.

Overall Impression - I'm going to give the race an Alex Coffin thumbs up. Aside from the delayed start, I had an excellent run, and I plan on making it to the starting line again next year. Hopefully a few more people join me - it's a wonderful event!

Time to start training again. For what, I am not sure, but I expect to hit the roads again at some point tomorrow. Hopefully I can stay motivated over the winter months. I'm also looking for the perfect spring marathon. Currently I'm leaning towards Fredericton, but I am open to suggestions. If you have any ideas, drop me a line!

Race Recap, Part Three - The Big Day (Miles 13-26)

It's 11:30PM, and I just got back to my house after a long photo shoot with my band Penny Blacks. I planned on going on my first run since the marathon today, but I couldn't get my duff off the couch after work. I need to come up with a new goal soon, or I'll end up getting out of shape again.

Tonight, my goal is to finish my marathon recap. Let's get to it, shall we?

Mile 13-19: A Mighty Wind, and a Mighty Good Friend

I hit the halfway mark in 1:36.05, and noticed I was catching up to a couple of marathoners. I passed one gentleman shortly after the half-marathon checkpoint, and caught up to captain Corona around mile fourteen. He was still in good spirits, and offered a few words of encouragement as I ran by. Captain Corona ended up finishing about ten minutes behind me, which made me wonder how fast he would have run without the six pack in his belly. I guess I'll never know.

Mile fifteen offered my a pleasant surprise in the form of Clinton Charlton. He agreed to bike with me for part of the race, but I never followed up for fear that I was driving him crazy with my marathon obsession. However, Clinton is a man of his word, and picked my spirits up before I succumbed to the mid-race doldrums. He informed me that I was in sixth place, but worried about my pace. "Dude, the speed limit here is 50," he said, without a hint of sarcasm in his voice. "You better slow down."

Unfortunately, the conditions forced me to take his advice. The strong cross wind became a strong head wind shortly after we joined forces, and the once easy course became quite hilly. I maintained my effort, passing another runner in the process, but knew the conditions were taking a toll on my time.

Luckily, the worst of the hills ended around mile sixteen, and a change of direction at mile seventeen eliminated the headwind. I was back in business, with less than ten miles to go.

Mile 19 - Finish Line: What Wall?

I was starting to venture into rarely charted territory, and wondered if I had enough gas left in the take to avoid the dreaded wall. My body felt okay, and Clinton was keeping me alert, but I wasn't convinced that I could make it to the finish line without walking. Instead of worrying about it, though, I started picking up the effort at each mile checkpoint, much like I did in my training sessions. Clinton kept me encouraged, as did the water stop teams and the supporters that dotted the course. Marta Kelly and Dean Strowbridge drove by me a half dozen times, honking their horn and cheering me on every time they drove past. I have some great friends, don't I?

I don't know if I ran around it or through it, but the wall was never an issue. Sure, it took a little more effort to climb hills, and I was a little crankier than usual for the last couple of miles, but this was a breeze in comparison to my other marathons. I wasn't going to qualify for Boston, but I couldn't have asked for a better marathon. I was having a wonderful day.

I ran into Alex Coffin with less than a mile to go, and he informed me that my fiancee was at the finish line and waiting for me. I picked up the pace with the hopes of looking strong for my finish line photo, and was greeted by Sarah (my fiancee), her mother, her brother, and five other friends. I crossed the finished line to a healthy round of applause, and then spent the next few minutes grinning like a fool and giving my friends and family sweaty hugs.

The rest of the marathon experience was a bit of a blur. I had a ton of food (they had a full roast pig at the post-race meal), a wonderful leg massage, and several great running chats with friends. Who could ask for anything more?

So, that's my marathon in three posts or less. I have one more post about the KV Challenge yet to come, so visit again soon!

Race Recap, Part Two - The Big Day (Miles 1-13)

It's Wednesday afternoon, and I am just getting in after a great day of work. I spent a lot of time lately beating the streets in search of a job, and now I am at a point where I am almost too busy. It's going to get worse before it gets better, but at least I know I'll have money for Christmas, my wedding, and my mortgage (not necessarily in that order).

Anyway, back to the running. I woke up the day of the KV Challenge freezing cold, and didn't get much warmer as I quietly prepared for the long day ahead of me. My first step outside sent additional chills through my body, which worried my multi layered body to no end. If I was this cold in a jacket, splash pants and winter hat, hold cold would I be when I stripped down to shorts and a long sleeve shirt?

I hitched a ride to the starting line with Billy and the Babes (my mother's marathon relay team), and arrived about half an hour before our scheduled start. Temperatures were still low, and a brisk cross wind made it feel even colder. I tried to stay warm as I stood in line for my chip, my thoughts alternating between the wind, the cold, and the race. I was ready to give it my all, but the conditions were not cooperating. How would it affect my race?

Mile 1 - 6 - Hampton Or Bust

The race started about thirty minutes later than expected - apparently they had issues with the race chips - and I tried to make up for it by blasting out of the gates. I didn't think I was running very fast, but decided to slow down once I realized I clocked 6:30 for my first mile. I then proceeded to run the second mile too slow (around a 7:20), finally settling into my 7:10 goal pace around mile three. There were a lot of runners in front of me, and I was passed by more than a few once I found my groove. One fellow marathoner chatted with me briefly before flying by, noting that he drank six Corona's the night before the run. I laughed in response, but wondered whether I would catch up to him later in the race. That's no way to carbo-load, if you ask me.

I held my pace for the rest of the section, slowing down for the occasional water stop or rough patch of road. I almost sprained my ankle as I ran through a Hampton construction site - I cursed loudly when my foot twisted out from under me - but aside from that, no issues.

Mile 6-13 - Almost Perfect, but not Quite

Hampton was the first transition point for the marathon relay, which meant that I suddenly had a whole new set of runners in front of me. Some of those runners were slower than their first leg counterparts, and I ended up passing several people before I left town. It meant nothing in the standings, but it gave me a little mental boost nonetheless. I felt like I was moving pretty fast.

Sadly, I wasn't moving fast enough. I held a perfect, Boston qualifying pace for six miles, but slowly fell back with each passing mile. My 7:10 per mile pace dropped to 7:15, then 7:20, and pretty soon I was a minute off pace. Luckily, I saw this coming the morning the first cross wind hit me, so I didn't put up a fight. Instead, I resolved to have a great run, and aimed for a new marathon PB. A sub 3:23 was definitely in reach; I just needed to hit the finish line without hitting the wall.

Unfortunately, I just hit a writing wall (I need to make dinner), so I will finish my recap tonight or tomorrow. Stay tuned!

Race Recap, Part One - The Pre Race

So, as many of you already know, I finished the KV Challenge 5th overall, in a time of 3:19.05. While I didn't qualify for Boston, I beat my personal best by four minutes and had a great time in the process. I'm going to spend the next few days recapping the race, starting with the pre-race festivities. I'd do it all in one shot, but there's a lot of ground to cover, and I am working all week. If all goes well, I will finish the recap by mid-week.

The Pre-Race

The race weekend officially started with the pre-race pasta dinner, which took place at the Bill McGuire Centre in Renforth. The place with packed with runners, and I spent much of my time wandering around the room, catching up with people I've run with over the course of the summer. I especially enjoyed catching up with Nick Power, a former baseball teammate who was running his first marathon. He looked like he was in great shape, and based on our conversation I figured he would do quite well in the marathon. So much for winning my age group.

The night was capped with the Saint John Track Club Awards. Alex Coffin and Bill McMackin handed awards out to runners of all-ages, which reinforced the fact that our region is a breeding ground for top notch athletes. I was especially happy to see septuagenarian Frank Kelly take home a trophy; he seemed genuinely touched to take home an award, and I can't think of anyone more deserving. How many seventy-year olds do you know that can run half-marathons in less than two hours?

Filled with pasta and good vibes, I made my way back to my sister's house, where I relaxed, surfed the web, and read. I didn't care that it was Saturday night; I had a big day ahead of me, and I wasn't about to ruin it by staying up late.

That's it for now - check back tomorrow for scenes from the race!

Turkeys, Tempos, and Tapering

It's Tuesday afternoon, and I am sitting at home trying to fight off some sort of illness. My head is stuffy, my stomach is rumbling angrily, and it feels like someone sucked all the liquid out of my brain. My running friends aren't too sympathetic; a few even suggested that a couple days in bed would force me to taper, leaving me fresh as a daisy for Sunday's marathon. We'll see.

My last scheduled workout was a sixteen kilometer run at marathon pace. Finding time to squeeze it in was nearly impossible; the run was scheduled on Thanksgiving, and I had a two hour drive and a huge family function already planned for the day. I also didn't know where I would run, as I was spending my day in Prince William (my fiancee's family is from the area) and had never run in the area before. I considered blowing it off completely, but decided that would be a bad idea. No need to slack off so close to the big day. I just needed to find a window of opportunity and jump through it.

I woke up first thing in the morning and immediately hit the road to Prince William. For those of you that don't know the area, Prince William is within spitting distance (not that I spit) of King's Landing and offers spectacular views of the Saint John River. I initially planned to run from Sarah's grandmother's house to King's Landing and back, but wasn't sure of the distance. I reset the car's odometer at the King's Landing exit, started driving, and hit the driveway right as the odometer hit eight kilometers. Perfect.

Now I had to find time to run. The first item on my itinerary was a walk/truck in the woods, which included a lot of bumpy back roads, beautiful scenery, and a few roasted marshmallows. I found a few stubby beer bottles during the trip, which I decided were antiques and therefore must be kept for posterity. Expect to see them on the mantlepiece next time you visit my house.

We made it back to Sarah's grandmother's house at 2:30PM, and I was informed that dinner would be ready in two hours. This was my opportunity. I quickly changed into shorts and a long sleeve shirt and bolted out the door, hitting my stop watch as I dashed down the driveway.

I wasn't sure exactly how fast I was running, but it was certainly faster than one of my easy runs. I ran strong up every hill (there were a few), supported by a tail wind that noticeably propelled me forward on a few occasions. I hit the turnaround in 33:22 (about 90 seconds faster than planned), but I knew I had my work cut out for me if I wanted to hold that pace.

I was blasted by the wind as soon as I turned around, slowing me to a crawl at times. Luckily, the route now mostly downhill, which almost made up for the loss of speed. I felt great, especially considering how fast I was running. I did slow a little bit on the last five miles, but hit the driveway in 1:08:16, which would be good enough for a sub 3-hour marathon if I could maintain the pace. Pass the turkey, please.

Hopefully I'll have something good to blog about between now and the marathon. If not, I'll see you at the starting line!

Marathon Goals

It's past midnight and I am in Moncton, New Brunswick, typing as quietly as I can in a house full of sleeping people. I just got back from Music New Brunswick showcases (you can find out more about the association here) and should probably go to bed, but I wanted to update the blog because it's in need of an update. I am just that dedicated.

I don't have too much to report in the way of running so far this week. I ran a lively five miles on Tuesday afternoon, and whipped out five repeat miles on Wednesday night (I finally cracked six minutes!), but have otherwise laid low. At least no one can accuse me of over-training.

Since I am lacking in good running stories, I figured it might be a good time to tell you my goals for the marathon.

My Perfect Marathon - sub 3:10
My training tells me that a 3:05 marathon is within reach, but I think it will take a perfect day for this to happen. Yes, I've done a lot of training and yes, I have improved steadily over the last couple of months, but my gut instinct tells me it might be a little ambitious. That being said, if I hit the half in less than 1:35, I'm going to do everything in my power to hold my pace.

My Great Marathon - sub 3:25
My marathon PB is 3:23.38, which was the result of six whole weeks of training. I trained off and on since the beginning of the year for the KV Challenge, and really stepped up my game after I finished school in July. As long as I don't blow up in the second half, a new personal best is definitely within reach.

My Good Marathon - sub 3:55
I ran my slowest long runs at a 3:55 marathon pace. I am confident that I could run a full marathon at this pace without any problems whatsoever, and wouldn't complain if it took me this long to complete the course. I'd be a little surprised, mind you, but I wouldn't complain.

I want to have a great marathon or a perfect marathon, but I really I don't want to see 3:11 when I cross the finish line. I need to run a 3:10.59 or less to qualify for Boston; I would be devastated if I missed the cutoff by a few seconds. I'll have to keep an eye on my watch in the closing stages of the race, otherwise I might be in for unpleasant surprise when I reach the final stretch.

P.S. I haven't copy edited this yet, so apologies in advance for the sloppy writing. I'll fix this first thing in the morning.

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!

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!

Not So Fast Track

Before I tell you about my workout, I just wanted to take a moment to plug the KV Challenge Marathon. Established in 2004, the KV Challenge is probably the fastest Marathon in New Brunswick, as evidenced by some of the ridiculous times posted on the course. The slowest winning time was 2:46 and change, and Chris Brake came close to landing the New Brunswick Marathon record when he ran 2:32 last year. And let's not forget the countless number of people that use the race as their ticket to the Boston Marathon. Thirty eight runners finished the marathon in 2008; of those finishers, 9 qualified for Boston. Few marathons in this region can boast that sort of success rate.

If the full isn't in your plans, the KV Challenge also offers a half marathon, a two person marathon relay, and a four person marathon relay. Just think about it: running through scenic Hampton, a PB in your sights, the wonderful fall colors distracting you from the growing fatigue in your limbs. Sounds like my kind of race!

Okay, back to training. Today I attempted to do a pyramid of 200, 400, 600, 800, 1000, 800, 600, 400, 200, but my legs weren't feeling the longer distances today. I started out surprisingly fast - faster than I have run in a long time - but I was hurting by the time I hit the 800 (the short recovery times probably didn't help). Instead of scrapping the run, running less, or running slower than planned, I adjusted the workout accordingly. I still ended up with 5k worth of speed work, but the repeats were shorter. Here's what it looked like:

200: 37 seconds (45 second recovery)

400: 1:22 (60 seconds recovery)

600: 2:10 (75 second recovery)

400: 1:28 (60 second recovery)

400: 1:28 (60 second recovery)

600: 2:14 (75 second recovery)

600: 2:15 (75 second recovery)

600: 2:14 (75 second recovery)

600: 2:14 (75 second recovery)

400: 1:27 (60 second recovery)

200: 37 seconds

I was especially impressed with my last 200. My speed was right where I wanted it, and I felt like a well oiled machine. I'll have to remember what I did right the next time I hit the track. Those times need to drop in a hurry if I want to compete this fall.

My Race Schedule

I'm a little bored of recapping runs, so instead I will blog about the races I plan on running this year, and my goals for each run. I've gathered most of my information from the Athletics New Brunswick website, and I would recommend the site for any of you who are interested in taking part in an upcoming fun run or road race. There are plenty to choose from, as you will see.

March 13 - Pete's Pub Paddy's Day Bash - Saint John
Distance - 5K
Goal - sub 22:30
It's a couple of minutes slower than my best time last year, but I don't want to get too hopeful this early in the season. Anything faster than my marathon pace will be fine for now. It's a pretty low key race, from what I can tell, so I won't be too embarrassed if I don't perform well.

April 24 - Brent Kelly Memorial 5-Miler - Saint John
Distance - 5 Miles
Goal - sub 35:00
Again, this is faster than my planned marathon pace, but I don't think it's unreasonable. That being said, last year's winning times were relatively slow (consider the runners competing), so I might be in for a surprise. The race takes place at the Irving Nature Park, so I should probably expect to dodge some pothole and puddles while I am motoring around the course.

May 9 - Fredericton Marathon
Distance - 1/2 Marathon
Goal - sub 1:40:00
This course is flat and fast, so I shouldn't have a hard time hitting this target. There will be a lot of people to run with, as well - last year's half attracted over 350 runners.

June 12 - 10km Chaleur Banque Nationale CKLE/Prov Championship - Beresford
Distance - 10K
Goal - sub 42:00
This is the fastest 10K course I've ever experienced. I would love to aim for a faster time, but I am not sure what type of shape I will be in by June. Only time will tell, I guess.

July 1 - Canada Day 10 Miler - Grand Bay/Westfield
Distance - 10 Miles
Goal - sub 1:14
I ran 1:14:02 last year, so I will aim to better my time. This will also put me on marathon pace, so even better.

September 18 - Saint John Half Marathon - Saint JOhn
Distance - 1/2 Marathon
Goal - sub 1:35
This is a cruel, cruel race. Last year people were cursing race organizer Alex Coffin as they crossed the finish line; the run is nothing but steep, endless hills. If I can crack 1:35 on this course, I know I will be physically and mentally prepared for my sub 3:10 marathon.

October 17 Kennebecasis Valley Challenge Marathon
Distance - Full
Goal - sub 3:10
I have yet to run this race, but some of the best runners in the region have posted their fastest marathon times on this course. I hope to add my name to the long list of people who have run their personal best at this race.

I will add to this list as the year progresses, but this is what I have planned thus far. See you at the starting line!

Running Fast, Running Lost

It's 10:51PM, and I am sitting at the kitchen table with an empty bag of chocolate peanuts sitting in front of me. The problem started last night when I went to Sobey`s for a snack run, and ended about an hour ago when I finished the bag. Hopefully I got the indulgences out of my system for the next little bit, because I am slowly starting to gain back the weight I lost during my first few weeks of training. No need to start backtracking now, methinks.

After a week of relative inactivity, I decided it was time to put the pedal to the medal and get a few solid runs under my belt. I set the tone Monday with a brisk dash through a few West Side neighbourhoods. I decided to dress a little lighter than usual, and I was rewarded with a set of limber limbs and a faster than normal pace. Guess it`s time to ditch the long johns for the year.

Tuesday night`s run started out promising, but turned sour about ten minutes in. I decided to map out a route using the Google Maps Distance Calculator, but didn`t bother to make note of the names of each street. Somehow I managed to get lost, and spent part of my time running on railroad tracks and dirt roads in the middle of nowhere. I eventually managed to get my bearings, but not before I tacked an few extra minutes (and a few nasty hills) to my run. Next time I’ll write the street names on my hand before venturing outside.

Today I decided it was time to treat myself with a trip to the UNBSJ gym. I didn’t stay too long, but the few cross training activities that I managed to run through were the most I’ve done in ages. The fast(er) 5K I ran on the treadmill wasn’t too shabby either. Hopefully I can add a gym day or two to my daily routine in the near future.

I’ll leave you for now, but if you’re still looking for some good local blogging, I suggest that you take a look at KVC Marathon Founder, written by local race organizer John Kelley. It’ll give you the scoop on the run I plan on tackling later this year, and will also take a look at some of the events he plans through his company River Bay Adventures. Enjoy!