A Year in Review

I rowed 5,000m this morning. If memory serves correct, my previous benchmark was 200m... I’m not in a hurry to move the yardstick further out. Granted I was sitting on a dastardly machine, rather than the open water, but with naught to keep me company other than my gradually declining stroke rate, I’ll leave this sport for those so inclined.

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With the holidays upon us, my running has inadvertently taken a back seat. This isn’t all too bad given my return from injury, but my sanity continues to take a beating. And so here I sit reflecting on the previous twelve months, once again amidst a whirlwind of emotions.

Winter

Early 2009 afforded me an opportunity to work with a fantastic marathon runner, Jon Brown. Although 8 months of poor/little sleep drastically affected my performance (resulting in my slowest half marathon in 10+ years), I still managed to take away some lessons, mainly in the importance of recovery.

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Spring
Along with the arrival of daffodils, Ally, Isla and I enjoyed our much anticipated and inaugural pilgrimage to Boston. Not only did I have the pleasure of sharing the race with my family and friends (Hicham and Jaymie), the race allowed me the chance to meet Thomas, Mike and Mark (fellow bloggers). In the end, the time it took to capture the elusive unicorn, 3:15:28, was much slower than hoped, but the experience all the more rewarding.

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Summer

After a colder than usual spring, the heat of the summer months was welcomed with open arms. With Boston behind me, I decided to run my first 5,000, track race. With limited fitness, the experience was truly painful. Much like Paul O’Neil once said, “a man who sets out to become an artist at the mile is something like a man who sets out to discover the most graceful method of being hanged. No matter how logical his plans, he cannot carry them out without physical suffering”. I think the same can be said for the 5,000.

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Autumn

Along with orange and red leaves, fall brought my return to the Royal Victoria Marathon (my first ‘thon in 1994). What I enjoyed the most about my performance (not the race), was my ability to persevere despite feeling uncomfortable. This may seem trivial, but it’s easy to quit/slow down when the going gets tough. I’ve never raced a marathon that wasn’t difficult, but I’m most proud of the races where I’ve welcomed the pain.

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All the best to everyone as they head out onto the roads and trails, thanks for reading and enjoy 2010!
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Training:

Dec 24: day off (unscheduled)

Dec 25: day off (unscheduled)

Dec 26: day off (unscheduled)

Dec 27: day off (unscheduled)

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Weekly mileage: 1h16’29”, +/- 18k or 11 miles

Merry Christmas

Where has the time gone? With Chris Botti belting out jazzy holiday favourites in the background, I sit here wondering how yet again Christmas has successfully snuck up on me. Perhaps putting up the tree too early lulled me into a false sense of preparation.
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I’ve continued with running more or less every other day and my hamstring appears to be behaving itself. I also managed to squeeze in an appointment with Janet (massage), who gave me a clean bill of health. This is not to suggest that it’s 100%, but rather that I’m taking steps in the right direction. My plan is to continue with light running for the next two weeks, before stepping up the frequency and then eventually adding some intensity. Slow but steady.

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I truly hope that everyone has a joyous Christmas and until later, cheers!

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Training:

Dec 18: day off (scheduled recovery)

Dec 19: easy 53:50

Dec 20: day off (scheduled recovery)

Weekly mileage: 2h47’40”, +/- 68k or 43 miles

Dec 21: easy 37:30

Dec 22: easy 38:59

Dec 23: day off (scheduled recovery)

Baby Steps

I’ve been meaning to write an update for three weeks, but with minimal running related news I was hard pressed to come up with anything beyond, “day off – injured”. I’m now running again.

After not lacing up my shoes for four weeks, it was after more than a few minutes that I found they’d been transformed into alternative housing. Isla’s dolls have never had it so good. And so it was that on a dark frosty morning, under falling snow that I took that first tentative stride into the unknown. Thirty seconds later, I retraced my steps, remembering that I’d forgotten to bring my wallet.

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Now, for the second time in nearly as many minutes, I was leaving the house for a run. I should be so lucky. In the end, the jaunt was uneventful, yet thoroughly enjoyable. What surprised me the most was that my lungs didn’t experience that putrid burning sensation. My goal is/was, to run alternative day but after running home last night, and with my bike at work, I had little choice but to lace up my shoes (again) this morning. Baby steps.

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On another note, it looks like my late spring marathon plans (assuming a healthy hamstring) will need to be reworked. Should events unfold as intended, Isla will be a sister come June. I couldn’t be more excited. Baby steps.

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Training:

Monday, Nov 23 – Sunday, Dec 13: three weeks off (injured)

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Monday: easy 38:31

Tuesday: day off (scheduled recovery)

Wednesday: easy 38:14

Thursday: easy 37:05

Injury Update

... still injured.

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After running every second day, he rounded out the second week of November with limited success, yet unlimited frustration. Although the pain in his left hamstring wasn’t acute, he was unable to escape a nagging soreness. The discomfort wasn’t constant, but it prevented an unencumbered stride. Even to the uninitiated, he was on borrowed time.

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Despite denying the inevitable, subconsciously his body knew. And much like savouring a favourite meal before dawning braces, a lone male meandered through the mud and underbrush of a towering west coast forest.

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Perhaps for the first time in his athletic career, in what was still a compromise, he rested on taking four weeks away from the sport he had truly come to love.

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Having not laced up his shoes for two days, he was overheard remarking to his wife the ease with which time was passing. Truth be told, he was already tracing new loops through old forest trails. Sadly, come Thursday (day four) he was singing a different tune.

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Today, in a room void of hope and naught but the company of faceless models, an isolated figure no longer appreciates the melody of a favourite song. Rather, he sits slumped a over chair, impatiently willing the approach of an absent fat lady.

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Training:

Friday: easy 40: 34

Saturday: day off (scheduled)

Sunday: easy 58:17

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Monday: day off (injured)

Tuesday: day off (injured)

Wednesday: day off (injured)

Thursday: day off (injured)

Friday: day off (injured)

Saturday: day off (injured)

Sunday: day off (injured)

Snakes and Ladders

Much like the fluctuating and recurring/mind-numbing nature of the game snakes and ladders, my running, and health continues to change. Never a dull moment, right?

After taking five days off from running, in part due to the injury but also with assistance from the flu, last Thursday I managed to drag my weary body out for a much anticipated run. Although I didn’t suffer through any pain, the discomfort in my right leg was noticeable. Unfortunately, owing to the bike/run, run/bike, nature of my commute my trip back to work on Friday morning was probably not the smartest idea.

So this week, after two more days off from running, I decided to alternate my runs taking advantage of the statutory holiday on Remembrance Day. Monday was fine, and Wednesday was surprisingly okay. Sadly, as luck would have it, I’m now experiencing all the wonderfully enjoyable symptoms of the common cold: sore throat, congestion, sneezing, headache and general lethargy. Oh the joy.

Training:
Monday: day off (injured)
Tuesday: day off (injured)
Wednesday: day off (injured)
Thursday: easy 41:15
Friday: easy 40:52
Saturday: day off (injured)
Sunday: day off (injured)

Monday: easy 40:16
Tuesday: day off (scheduled)
Wednesday: easy 1:01:32
Thursday: day off (scheduled)

The Loneliness of the (Injured) Long Distance Runner

Yup, I’ve been standing still. It’s not that I don’t enjoy the serenity and reflection that can be gained from remaining motionless. On the contrary, I longed for that very moment the entire time while on vacation. But I do not get pleasure from a lack of choice. So there I am, standing in the doorway in a t-shirt and shorts, looking our over the damp leaves on the ground. That is as far as I go.

My hamstrings and quadriceps are tight, to-ight as Seamus might say. Last week I ran four days in a row. It shouldn’t have amounted to much, but it did. Seems my left hamstring and adductor is particularly stiff, this in turn has inflamed the insertion point just below and to the inside of the left knee. The whole lot is uncomfortable.

As a result, I went and saw my favourite physiotherapist this morning and she sorted me out.

After having my physical pain taken care of, I decided to address my emotional state, given the fact that I haven’t run in five days. I didn’t mind for the first three days. Yesterday I longed for an unknown loss. Today that hunger was realized. I digress. As a result, I stopped in at my favourite book shop, and after some careful thought purchased the following: (1) The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner, by Alan Sillitoe, (2) Again to Carthage, the sequel to Once a Runner, by John L. Parker, Jr., and (3) Advanced Marathoning, by Pete Pfitzinger. My emotional wellbeing has never felt so satiated.

So, what’s next? I’m still thinking. In the short-term, I’m going run home tomorrow evening. This, if successful, will begin to set the stage the upcoming winter. Long-term, I haven’t decided. I had thought to concentrate on setting a new 10k PB (April), and use that speed to run the new Seattle Rock’n’Roll Marathon on June 26. Unfortunately, conflicting summer priorities no longer make that a viable option. So, once again, I find myself looking east, to either: Saskatchewan, Calgary or Ottawa, all on May 30, or the Blue Nose International Marathon on May 23. Choice, in abundance.

Training:

Monday: day off (scheduled)

Tuesday: easy 38:34

Wednesday: steady 36:40

Thursday: uncomfortable 40:58

Friday: painful 43:56

Saturday: day off (injury)

Sunday: day off (injury)

Royal Victoria Marathon (the aftermath)

Maui was fantastic, but you’ll have to take my word for it. Sadly, our camera broke two days before returning, so unless anyone has a reader for a Canon G9 we’ll all have to wait until the damn thing gets fixed. Regardless, the sand was fine, the sunshine warm on my back, and the water heavenly.

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As for my race, I’ve been periodically reflecting on my performance but I still don’t know what to make of it.

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Whether self-doubt or a touch of reality, on race morning I decided to slightly adjust my goal and aimed for a sub 2h45. Splitting the half in 1:23:01 left my marginally off target, but just. Sadly, as my 5k splits indicate, it was just after the 25k point that my race started to (slowly) unravel:

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19:15, 19:24, 19:56, 19:53, 19:56, 20:14, 20:28, 20:58, 09:37

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So instead of analyzing the race, I’ve been asking myself, “what I might have done differently during my training”. This question hasn’t helped either.

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All things considered, I was happy with my approach. That said, if I were two change two things, I would 1) switch the half marathon I did 3-weeks out of the race, for the planned 3x10k at MP, and 2) spent more time, in particular tempo running, on undulating terrain. Those two gems, along with the compression socks, Udderly Smooth and my new nutrition plan, are all lessons learned.

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Thanks for all the comments to my last post, they are greatly appreciated.

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So, what’s next? I’m still thinking…

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Training: 2-weeks in Maui - beach running, surfing, snorkelling and the odd (hilly) ride