We were off to the races and I thought to myself hold tight

I have to admit, I was a little nervous the last two days before the Athletics Canada Olympic team announcement (July 11). Over the past few months I told myself I was going to be named as a strategy to avert stress and it worked like a charm… up until the last couple of days. So when I got an email from Peter Ericsson on July 11th saying that I was going to be named to the Rio team it was a big relief.

Over the last few weeks my training and recovery from injury has gone as well as expected. My paces in sessions are improving and I feel more normal each week. I knew the path to healthy running wouldn’t be a linear progression, there are always bumps along the way. However, those bumps have been relatively minor (so far). The week after I moved into my new house my back was tight (not a big surprise) and I cut a 70 minute tempo at 66 minutes, so yeah very minor setbacks.

The day before the team was announced I was in Utica, NY racing the Boilermaker 15km. Once again Marie and I made a little road trip out of it and stopped at Green Lakes State Park on the way. The trails right around the lake are perfect for a short pre-race run and nothing better than a quick dip on a hot day.

Green Lake

DCIM100GOPRO

DCIM100GOPRO

DCIM100GOPRO

Boilermaker was a ‘good enough’ result for me, I finished 12th (top non-African again) in 45:23. Admittedly I wanted to be top 10 and under 45:00. The field was a little deeper this year because of a prize money bonus at the PRRO Circuit finale and the times a bit slower due to wind. Off the start the pace was slow because no one wanted to lead into the wind. Like last year I ran with the pack but we were 31 seconds slower over the first 3km compared to 2015!

This time around I lost the pack around 4km because of a nasty surge but I caught back up to them by 5km. I lost the pack halfway up the big hill and from 6km to the finish pressed the pace alone. I did have company for the final 4km but Girma (I had trained with him in Auburn years ago) simply sat on me until the final 300m. My split from 10 to 15km was slightly faster this year than last year.

In general my legs felt a little heavy but considering I was coming off three 190+km weeks in a row they felt pretty good, no complaints there. I wouldn’t have got the same effort in training so it was nice to step up the intensity a bit six weeks out from Rio.

After the steep downhill

***

In the past 6 days I’ve been drug tested twice at home. This is typical heading into a major competition as most countries want to make sure they are sending a clean team. They up the tests heading into World Championships and Olympic Games.

On Saturday evening the testers came for urine and were in and out in about 20 minutes. On Wednesday the testers came around 8:15am for urine and blood. I had already peed that morning so I wasn’t sure what I had in the tank. I was able to pee right away but only produced about 70ml. They ask for 100ml but can get away with 90ml.

I drank three bottles of water and waited until I felt I could pee again. After a while I was pretty sure I could go, but I couldn’t squeeze out a drop. I tried the trick of putting the tap on to hear the sound of water, still nothing. Waited a little longer then tried again, still nothing. I knew why too, I had to take a #2 and my body wouldn’t relax my peeing mechanism knowing that I might crap my pants.

I explained the situation to the testers and they said this thing happens and the chaperone will have to watch you as you pee in the cup sitting on the toilet. I told them I could go #2 and hold my pee and then pee into the cup later. They seemed impressed with that skill, noting that most people have to do both at once. However, I still had to be under surveillance while I took a #2.

Taking a crap in front of someone is only slightly humbling. Wiping your butt in front of someone is when it gets weird (avoid eye contact helps). Anyways, I was able to pee right after and get that portion of the drug test done. After that I had blood drawn.

I really don’t mind the testing and the protocol the testers have to follow knowing that it helps keep the sport clean. I described the testing to give you guys an idea of what is involved and the funny stories that come out of it.

A little later I went on a 16km run and stopped about 5 times to take a pee.

***

Many people ask me what day I leave for Rio and are surprised to hear I’m not leaving until August 15th. It’s an overnight flight that will put Eric and I in the village on the 16th, five days before our competition. This is good for us as we can do our hard training without the interruption of travel and once we taper take the 10 hour flight. Also, we don’t want to be in the village too long before our race as it’s a little overwhelming being immersed into the village where the Olympics are in your face 24/7. It’s nice to have time away from the big event.

Another question that comes up on Strava when I do a hard session is if that particular run was the last big one. Our biggest session will actually come next week, about 3.5 weeks before the race. It will consist of 80-90 minutes of continuous running close to or at marathon pace. My taper won’t truly begin until the final 10 days. After this week I’ll cut my volume down each week a little but it will still be solid until the last 10 days.

***

New Balance Canada hooked up our little guy with some sweet kicks for when he arrives.