A Thursday Like No Other

This morning I did something I haven't done in so long I can't even remember when the last time was that it happened: I ran! Of course that needs to be qualified: I ran on the Thursday morning. Usually I leave Thursdays for weight training the old legs and don't run at all. Today was different because I had an opportunity to go for a group run.

I woke up at 5:40am, got dressed, jumped on my bike and rode down to the gym in plenty of time to get changed and make it to my office building to run with a group of people who were hoping to not only run with the Minister of Labour, but more impressively an Olympian. It was fun to not only meet new people, but also to have someone to chat with while running. The 8k went by so easy and fast that I barely noticed we'd run that far!

Afterward I got back to the gym and proceeded to do my regular leg workout since I didn't feel like doing the whole changing/showering routine again at lunchtime. Having just run made doing lunges a bit interesting, but I persevered and everything was fine.

It was a great way to shake things up a bit!

Back on the Treadmill

There's a pun in the title, and I will explain near the end...

It was raining quite a bit on Sunday morning when I woke up and I really didn't feel like going slow for over an hour while soaked and cold right from the start so I packed up and drove (and that alone doesn't make me happy, having to drive in order to run) down to the gym to use a treadmill for the first time since last March. The goal was to run at least 10k, but I was hoping to go a bit longer. Last weekend I ran 12k and I really wanted to go longer than that.

I got to the gym just as it opened at 8am and was the second person in there. Lots of treadmills to choose from, which is nice. I got changed and hopped on, setting the pace at a pedestrian 6:00/km, or 6.2mph on these machines that don't seem to work in metric.

I ran steady for an hour to complete 10k while watching a documentary on the brothers Wahlberg without headphones on, just reading the closed captioning. It was not a particularly inspiring performance, and I mean both my run and the program. After that hour the treadmill automatically stops since it's set to only allow a max of 60 minutes to be set, but given that the gym was still pretty bare and only one other treadmill was in use at this point I did not feel bad about starting things up again for a few more clicks. This time I set the speed at 6.7mph, which translates to 5:34/km, and actually rates a bit faster since I had the machine set at a 1% incline, and proceeded to run for another few clicks. I started overheating a bit as I ran and with a quarter-mile left I lowered the speed to 6.2mph for a short cool down of sorts to complete my 14km run (8.7 miles). I wore my Garmin to keep an eye on my heart rate and it was definitely higher than it should have been for the pace that I was using. After about a half-hour or forty minutes of running it jumped up into the 150s on account of the overheating. I wasn't struggling at all and was surprised by this. At the faster speed setting the heart rate was pretty much up in the higher 150s or ever low 160s, which was totally due to my inability to cool off. I was sweating more than usual and my body is definitely not used to indoor running.

The other thing it's not used to is treadmill running! I never feel right after stepping off of a treadmill, and this time was no different. My knees feel tight, and my lower back typically seizes up a bit. By later in the day, and into this morning, I was having real trouble bending over without feeling twinges in the lower back that are perilously close to a complete spasm. Not good. I will try and avoid the treadmill as much as I can throughout the winter, and if I do have to use it I will try to limit my distance to a max of 10km.

At least I got my run done! And, BTW, as a side note the rain totally stopped just as I started running. In retrospect I should have just stepped out the front door and done the usual thing.

What The?

Things are sort of going "well", but are at the same time nondescript. On the running front I am having real trouble at the moment getting up in the morning to run before work. My feeling is that it mostly has to do with the fact that the temperatures are dropping (+1.5C this morning, for example) and that it is dark even when I return home shortly before 7am. Bummer, but I am continually surprised at just how many stars I can see in the sky at this time of year and have taken comfort in identifying some basic constellations while out and about.

I tend to sent my alarm at around 5:35am, lay there for a while with the typical "should I get up and go out now or stay in bed and make up for the missed run this evening" argument running through my head. Invariable I choose the former and drag my old carcass out of bed just in time to run a short 5-6k all the while thinking that running that little is mostly a waste of time.

(Case in point, on Tuesday I managed 5k, Wednesday it was 6.2k, and this morning just 6k. Clearly things are not improving as far as mileage goes.)

All that being said, I am concentrating more on my strength training and, as a result, my legs are sore. Yesterday afternoon I did more lunges, deadlifts, adductors, and abductors. This morning my ass muscles hurt and it definitely affected my run. The ITB in my right leg was screaming for relief about 3k into my run and I had to stop and stretch for a couple of minutes before continuing on.

I guess I'm willing to give up mileage in the short term for the sake of improving my overall leg strength in the long term given that I am not training for anything specific in the near future. However, I am a bit disappointed that even my meagre goal of averaging 40km per week for the rest of 2010 seems like a pipe dream. Just breaking into the 30s is difficult at the moment...

Keep on keepin' on I suppose...

Pain in the Ass

Literally. My ass is sore. Not the post spicy food kind, but rather of the muscular variety. Yesterday I started in on the lunges, dead lifts, adductors, and abductors. All light, but evidently not light enough. You'd think that after doing squats and step ups consistently since January, not to mention running well into the Industrial Age (I'm at 1840km for the year now and have taken to likening my mileage to events and trends in World History), my legs could take a bit of variety in the weight room.

Well, the sides of my ass have other ideas. They HURT!

Nevertheless, I still managed to roll out of bed this morning and get myself out the door for a fairly humiliating 5km run. My return to normalcy, it would seem, has been cut short by glute meds.

A Semblance of Normalcy

Last night I had my first run that I can almost consider "normal" since the marathon. The others were fine and all, but this one actually felt like running rather than jogging. Although I am still a bit stiff I now can link this to my weight training more than the effects of the race. On Tuesday I managed a good session which included pretty heavy squats and I think my legs are sore from that more than anything else.

Anyway, I didn't run before work, which in and of itself was interesting because ever since the middle of June all of my mid-week running has been done early in the morning. I decided to watch game 5 between Texas and Tampa Bay on Monday night and knew that I'd be really tired trying to get up at 5am. (Cliff Lee is a machine, by the way.)

So, after picking up the boys and starting dinner, I got ready once my lovely wife took over and took off with Owen for my run. It was raining pretty steady by then and Malcolm had decided that he would not join us after all. Owen was still keen and said that he'd like to run about two kilometres or so. We had a great time running together, as usual, and after 2.2k we passed by the house and he snuck in while I continued on my merry way. I was getting wet, my feet we soaked, but otherwise things felt pretty good. When I came near the house again at about the 7k mark I really wanted to stop on account of needing to use the facilities, but I pushed on because in my mind I had set a goal of completing 10km, which I did. Looking at the map of my run it looks like I drew a Tommy Gun on the landscape without meaning to! My pace was pretty solid and I was able to average under 5:20/km for the last two thirds of the run, which was pretty good for me.

Today I have another leg weights session awaiting me at lunch, but this time I will substitute the squats with lunges. I have to start adding more one-legged exercises into my routine, but squats will remain my benchmark for strength as I progress. I just won't do them twice per week for the next little bit. I'm a bit sore and stiff this morning so we'll see how the weights go, but at least I feel like I'm almost totally recovered from the marathon. Yay!

Ottawa Fall Colours Races 2010 Report

This past weekend it was Canadian Thanksgiving and we travelled to Ottawa to visit family and also to allow the boys to do some running. For the past couple of years Owen has run the kids 1km "Turkey Trot", with Malcolm participating last year for the first time. They were both keen to do it again this year and so we registered them. Owen also wanted to run his first ever official 5k and I decided to accompany him. Meanwhile, Monica ran her first ever official half-marathon and had an absolutely awesome race! I even got to join her near the end for a couple of kilometres to cheer her on.

Here's a picture of Malcolm running his race. It seems that he keeps his fingers crossed on both hands while running, but never looking at the camera!

After the boys ran their Turkey Trot event Monica was off for her race. Then it was time for Owen and I to line up for the 5k. The race was a bit disorganized and nobody seemed to know where the start was. The 10k racers went off first and we thought we were starting at the same spot only to be told just minutes before the race that the start was at a different location! We were not the only ones with this problem and jogged with a whole crowd over to where the 5k race was supposed to start.

After a little bit of waiting we were off! Owen and I ran together the whole time and I let him set the pace. He ran very steady and only stopped to walk through the water station after about 2k. He then kept a solid pace all the way to the end despite a couple of decent hills that we had to climb. As we made our way around the streets I began to realize that this race was going by too quickly and that we would end up at the Finish Line long before my Garmin showed that we'd run 5k. I was justified in my concern since this is exactly what happened. At the beginning I had thought that we would have to run once around the Cumberland Heritage Museum grounds, as the website described that we would, but the runners were directed straight onto the road. This turned out to be the reason why the race was measured short and is now listed as a "4.3K" race. I felt bad for Owen given that he wanted to run a real 5k, but in the end he had run his Turkey Trot 1k on top of this race and ultimately ran more than five kilometres, just not all in one shot. In any case our official stats were:

• 4.3k
• Overall Place: 198/351 (Owen), 200/351 (Me)
• Gender Place: 102/136 (Owen), 103/136 (Me)
• Category Place: 23/31 (Owen), 11/12 (Me)
• Time: 26:31
• Pace: 6:10/km

Here are some pics of us running, and then Owen kicking his Dad's butt at the Finish Line!

New Beginnings

I haven't felt the anticipated post-marathon letdown. If anything, I can't wait for my body to fully recover so that I can work on that which I really believe needs immediate improvement. I am also happy with taking a bit of a breather that comes with not having a goal race on the horizon.

With that being said, I have been running a bit and have started back in the weight room. I ran 10km yesterday, and although my legs are still feeling the effects from the race I was happy with a nice slow steady jog. It was great to have company as well; Monica was running 18km as I was able to join her for the first part of her training run. Sure, I only managed a measly 19km last week, but it's still nineteen more than I did at this time last year when I was totally hobbled.

This weekend brings a bit of a pleasant surprise as far as running goes. It's s surprise because it feels so last minute. I have signed both of my boys in the Kids 1K Turkey Trot during the Ottawa Fall Colours Marathon weekend (it is Canadian Thanksgiving and we will be in Ottawa vising family). Also, Owen has been talking about running the 5K as well, and so he got his wish. I registered as well and will be joining him! Monica took the plunge and will be running her first Half-Marathon (officially only since she's done the distance in training), and so this will be a full Family Running Weekend. I can't wait!

September Month in Review

This month will always be remembered as the time when I became a marathoner! Sure, the race didn't go exactly as I'd hoped, but I did finish and I am already back to running (did a nice easy 4km this morning to get back to running and to start off October on the right foot). As my profile blurb states, loftier goals await and I am excited for what 2011 will bring as far as running goes.

The rest of this year will be devoted to improving my overall strength in the weight room, and in particular in the leg department. I will, of course, be running to maintain an acceptable level of fitness, but I am not training for any specific race and can take a bit of a mental break as a result. I would like to average somewhere around 40-50km per week for the rest of the year, though even that modest distance goal may be a bit aggressive based on my running history and I may have to back off a bit in the end. We'll see...

September was my lowest mileage month since April as it was really devoted to getting healthy for the marathon. I am still happy with the mileage, however, especially given the right heal issues that I was dealing with after returning from holidays at the beginning of the month.

The details:

• Ran 176.70km in September (no specific goal, just getting healthy)
• Averaged 41.23km/week (25.6 miles/week)
• Total for the year is 1769.7km (1099 miles) as of the end of September