Clouds of mystery pouring confusion on the ground
In general this was a pretty good week as far as the weather was concerned, except for a small window on Thursday morning. Thursday morning saw sheets of rain and wind gusts up to 67km/h. Conveniently, my track workout this week was scheduled for Thursday morning. Lucky me. I did contemplate waiting later in the day, but I have to get used to running in the morning. Also, AM or PM, race start time doesn’t circumvent windy and wet conditions.
Josephat and I waged through 3 X 3000m (with two minutes rest) around a puddle ridden track. I hit the times I was supposed to hit, although I had to put forth a meatier effort to hit those prescribed 72 second laps. At the end of one straightaway I remember being blown to a jog and putting my arms up, surrendering to Mother Earth. And then on the next straightaway I always had to pick up the pace to make up for the preceding half lap. The previous couple of track workouts had been confidence boosters whereas this particular workout was one in which I had to justify the effort and times versus the conditions in my head to convince myself it was a decent workout.
This morning reinforced my belief that my fitness is good and I got to do my favorite type of run. I guess you could classify this run as a progression run, not quite tempo pace but definitely faster than a normal run. We started off our run as we normally would for a few kilometers and then the pace slowly picks up to the point where we almost hit marathon pace at the very end.
I continue to train more on the roads than usual and I seem to be getting used to the harder surface. I’m also getting much more efficient with drinking my fuel on the go. I’ve also convinced Josephat to take some gels and drink mix during the race. He’s raced about 7 marathons and has never taken anything more than water throughout the 42.2kms. Josephat also has no qualms with going out in 64high/65low for the first half even though after 7 attempts his PB stands at 2:15.
Dr. Trent Stellingwerff has been helping me with my fueling plan. Here’s a pic of the ol’ doc I took at my last outdoor track race back in September 2007. That stat always blows me away, I can’t believe it’s been that long and that I have to mention it about once a month, haha. And yeah, that is Bekele in Gebremariam a couple of seats down.
Another solid week of training and another step in the right direction.
I started off the week in Ottawa where I ran much of the first half of the course on Monday. Local marathon course guide extraordinaire Kyle Desormeaux and I ran the streets of Ottawa using the race pamphlet which wasn’t quite detailed enough to catch every turn. We were probably on the course for 60% of our 19km run… The next morning I ran the last 18km of the course, which is pretty easy to follow as it runs down one side of the Rideau Canal and back up the other side. The course looks good. It doesn’t seem to be too hilly although there are enough rises that I wouldn’t call it a particularly fast course but, by no means slow.
I then completed my third track workout this season in the form of 5 X 1600m with training partner Josephat Ongeri. I averaged 4:31 and was quite pleased with the way I felt. I don’t have the speed yet to take that workout to the next level but I felt very comfortable running that pace. The other positive is that I know I’m moving in the right direction, with another couple of weeks I know I could chop those times down quite a bit.
Today I completed my last long run (I consider a long run anything over 90 minutes) before the marathon. I had a few bottles out there with gels and I seem to be getting more used to taking in nutrition while running. I’m also getting more used to running in the morning and pounding the pavement.
After testing a few different pairs of racing flats I’ve decided to go with the NB 769’s. They seem like a great shoe for the 42.2km distance as they have decent cushioning and support for a lightweight shoe.
Tons o’ guns are in the streets nowadays
This is completely true.
Yesterday afternoon I went for a bike ride on the route I was planning on running this morning. This was part of my x-training and the reason I was doing the same route was to plant my bottles of fluid and gels for the 32km Sunday run. I was also doing a new route which gets off the trails and runs a little more on the roads.
While going along Powerline road I was supposed to make a right onto Paddy Greene Ln, but somehow I missed Paddy Greene and by the time I realized this I was about 600m down the road and in front of the Headwaters trail (Dundas Valley Conservation Area). I contemplated going back but because I was on my mountain bike I decided to go on the trails. I was kind of regretting going into the trails because I was supposed to drop a bottle off on Paddy Greene Ln and now I was going to have to drive out there after my ride to plant my last bottle. In the trails I heard gun shots and didn’t think much of it.
I got home and grabbed a bit to eat and a shower and took off in the car with the last bottles to drop off. When I got to Paddy Greene Ln the road was blocked off by a cop and there was a media truck there. I told the police officer I just needed to drop a bottle here for tomorrow morning. He told me that the road was likely going to be closed tomorrow as well due to a pending investigation. The media guy told me that they found two bodies and it was obvious that a crime took place. I then talked to another police officer about what I heard approximately an hour and a half earlier.
The craziest part of the story is that I stopped in front of the trail-head at the end of Powerline Rd and thought I should head back to Paddy Greene like planned, it was only 600m away and I was on a bike. From when I got onto Powerline Rd from Slote Rd, Paddy Greene Ln is the only road off of Powerline and I really don’t know how I went by it (see picture below). Paddy Greene Ln is only 2km long and looking back at my GPS data if I had gone back I would of seen the two people right before the shots were fired,(if they were visible from the road of course).
The chances are I would have planted my bottle and not seen a thing, still heard some shots and kept riding. And then this morning I would have set out on my run and would of been unable to run the loop.
Needless to say I had to pick a new route for today. I felt good doing 33km in under 2hours this morning, the last run over 30km until Ottawa in three weeks.
Paddy Greene Ln off of Jerseyville Rd. in the pic below:
By Dana Brown
THE HAMILTON SPECTATOR
Hamilton’s homicide unit is investigating the deaths of the pair, a man and a woman, who were found dead underneath a cell phone tower in a rural area.
Police were called to a field on Paddy Greene Road, near Jerseyville Road, around 5:30 p.m. Saturday after a report of shots being fired.
Staff Sergeant Ian Matthews, of the homicide unit, said a person riding on horseback in the area heard shots being fired and contacted police.
“There were two weapons that were recovered at the scene and they have been seized,” he said. “So we’re not looking for any weapons, we’re not looking for any suspects in this investigation.”
Two guns were found at the scene, but police would not specify which kind.
Matthews said that if next-of-kin were notified overnight then police would be in a position to release the identities of the duo after the autopsies, which were scheduled for Sunday.
The man and the woman, who Matthews described as adults, are believed to be known to each other but police do not think the pair is married. Each had one wound.
Matthews said the hometowns of the pair is not being released until next-of-kin has been notified.
When asked if this looks like a murder-suicide, Matthews said: “At this point we aren’t sure, but we’re not looking for any other suspects, that’s for sure.”
I’ve been too long I’m glad to be back
Sunday was a good long day. I started off with 16.25km and averaged 4:02/km (3:58/km for my last 14km). And then I switched my shoes and headed for the start of the Billy Taylor 15km Road race. I averaged 3:10/km for the first 8km which was quite windy and then I averaged 3:04/km for the last 7km. I covered the last three km in 9:06 as I was able to pick it up after the big hill from 11-12km. My official time was 47:15. According to my GPS the first km was a little long (110m) and everything after that was on. Afterwards I switched back to my trainers and I got in another 7.75 km in at 4:03/km pace. 39 km on the day and it felt pretty good.
I practiced fueling throughout the run and had some trouble getting down the gels during the race, but in general it went quite smoothly. I felt I had plenty of energy through the end of my run. Except for my calves, my legs are not sore today, just a little tired. The big difference in the marathon will be going fast the whole 42.2km on the roads. I can expect to be burning more carbs and pounding the legs a lot more.
Here is an article of the race http://news.guelphmercury.com/Sports/article/473070
Here are some pics of the Billy Taylor that Ian mentioned in the comments section http://www.flickr.com/photos/iservice/3480416393/in/set-72157617399341124/
Grinding up the hill (from Mercury):
I will follow you will you follow me
If you want to follow Billy Taylor updates live you have two options; 1) Join Speed River Page on Facebook or, 2) Follow on the Speed River Twitter page (click on either underlined link).
There are also Speed River updates from Hillsdale, MI today. For future races you can check out those links to follow Speed River athletes.
An easy 14km this morning for a little rest to get ready for some mileage tomorrow…
To the thin line beyond which you really can’t fake
No beating around the bush, I’m going to run the Ottawa Marathon on May 24th!
This is going to raise a few questions, here are the answers to the obvious ones…
Why run a marathon?
My X-training volume has been high since the beginning of the year and that type of training is physiologically closer to Marathon training than 5000m training. Also, my tempo runs and longer intervals are at a higher level relative to my track workouts right now.
The standard for the marathon to make the World Championships (2hours 18 minutes) is easier relative to the track times (13:20 for 5km and 27:47 for 10km). The reality is that I’ve never run a marathon before, so although it is theoretically easier there will not be anything easy about it.
I have been interested in running a marathon for the past couple of years and with the possibility of Canada sending a full marathon team this year to Worlds it seems like a good time to take a crack at it. Even if it doesn’t go well I know the training and experience will help me down the road in later marathons.
Why not just train until June and by then my track times should be better?
I’ve never had a layoff as big as I have in this past year, so either way there are going to be some unknown variables. It’s also still possible to run fast on the track come July if I run the marathon on May 24th (the last day to qualify for the World Championships on the track is July 26th).
Did I decide to run a marathon after watching Boston yesterday?
No, I had been thinking of this for a while but I didn’t think Dave was going to go for it so I didn’t mention it. It turns out Dave had been thinking about it as well when looking over my training and when he brought it up a couple of weeks ago I was all over it. I just needed to make sure I could handle the longer stuff and then commit before I bothered telling people.
Why do a marathon so soon?
The last day to qualify for the 2009 World Championships is May 24th in the marathon. Waiting until later is not an option for the marathon.
Why run a marathon when I don’t have the optimal preparation?
In an ideal world I would of had a longer training block for the marathon however, I am also not trying to run as fast as I would with an ideal build-up. My 5000m and 10 000m times rank me in the top 4 in the All-Time Canadian rankings, to break into the top four for the marathon I would have to run 2:11:15. I’m not aiming to go that fast on this outing.
In terms of the marathon what are some of the challenges I will face in the coming four and a half weeks?
The first of course is 42.2km… I’ve never run that long. So far I have a 35km run under my belt and with 4.5 weeks remaining I’ll have one more long effort this weekend.
Figuring out what to drink and eat during the event and practising taking it in while running 3:12/km. Thankfully Dr. Trent Stellingwerff (Powerbar) has been advising me on what to take and when to take it. I’ll practice taking in fuel on the run this weekend at the Billy Taylor road race. I’ve also been practicing, a little, already with gels and water bottles.
I’m going to have to get used to running on pavement. So far the majority of my mileage has been on soft surfaces. I’ll have to train more on the roads to get my legs used to the impact.
Am I running a marathon to impress all the wankers who ask me if I run marathons when they learn I run professionally? “Oh, you run… like marathons?”
Absolutlely!
Does having a 3-1 record against Ryan Hall mean that I’ll be about as fast as him in the ‘thon?
Not at all, but I thought I’d toot my own horn by asking that question.
Once I’ve done my marathon does that mean I have to wear my race T-shirt tucked into faded jeans with white running shoes?
Only if I’m going out on the town.
* * *
Here’s an article from the Guelph Mercury about the upcoming Billy Taylor Road Race http://news.guelphmercury.com/Sports/article/470781
I got a foggy notion
I’m switching up my first race back. I’m now going to do the Billy Taylor 15km road race in Guelph on April 26th as my rust buster. The reason for the switch is that I want to test myself over a longer distance than 10km. The Mercedes 10km looks like it will be a great event and I was looking forward to doing it but, I am equally looking forward to racing in Guelph.
This week I’ve done two workouts back with Speed River in Guelph. It feels great to be back running with the guys. The workouts keep getting better as I ran 1200’s in 67.xx second pace yesterday whereas one week ago I was running 400’s in 66 second pace (I had relatively more rest for the 400’s than the 1200’s). The longer stuff seems to be more fitting right now as my endurance feels good but the speed is still lacking.
Last night Rob Watson and Kyle Boorsma both ran PB’s over 5000m (13:40 and 13:57 respectively) at Mt. SAC. Taylor Milne also ran the 5000m to build strength for 1500’s later in the season. Eric Gillis will be running the 10 000m in a couple of weeks and from what I gather from his workouts in Flagstaff he’s in great shape.
I can’t wait for Monday’s Boston marathon (to be televised on TSN at 9:30 AM). I’ll be cheering for Ryan Hall and Brian Sell to bring back some glory to American distance running on the famed Hopkinton to Copley Square course. It is the second oldest road race in North America… Around the Bay in the Hammer being number one of course!
Will nature make a man of me yet?
Got my first track workout done with the other day (not including my 2 X 200m, haha). I did 15 X 400m with 1 minute rest. I decided to start out conservative (around 70 seconds), and work my way down if I felt good. My first one was 69 sec and then a whole bunch of 66’s with a handful of 65’s in there and a 64 to finish it off. Although it was much slower than I would of run in recent years I was very pleased with it considering where I’m coming from. My calf muscles aren’t too pleased with 6km in flats but I’m recovering pretty well now.
* * *
When I first got back from Alabama I had great weather for two days, then cold rain, then sunny and warm and then snow for a couple of days. Perhaps I should have stayed South a little longer but I decided to come back when I did to catch this concert:
The concert was well worth the few days of crappy weather that I endured coming back a little early. The crazy part is that I didn’t have a ticket and I went anticipating to pay a premium. The first guy I ran into selling tickets had one in the eighth row with a list price of $75. I asked him how much he wanted and he said $50! Turns out he was supposed to meet someone 45 minutes earlier to sell it and that guy didn’t show up and all the seller wanted to do was get inside with his friends asap.
It’s too dull to pause
Here is the last video of my trip down to Alabama. Here we meet Nornee’s sidekick, Mary Berry.
I’ve decided on my first race back. I’m going to do the Mercedes-Benz 10km in Oakville on Sunday April 26th. This will be a good place to bust the rust and remind myself what a race is like. After the 10km I’ll know in what direction my training and racing will be headed for the summer. I feel my fitness is good although my specificity of 5000m pace feels far off at the moment. Between my cross-training and running my volume is pretty high and I know that I’ll come around sooner than later.
The other day on the elliptical I realized that it had been about a year since I’ve run a sub 30 second 200m on the track. That morning I had run 20km and then one hour on the elliptical in the afternoon. I then headed to the indoor track for drills and decided to run a 200m, “just to see.” I ran a 31, and it felt faster than that (not a good sign). That didn’t satisfy, so I went again and ran a 29, I was pleased with that and continued my drills.
Running is coming along fairly well. I did my first running workout since November 5th this week in the form of an 11km tempo run. I felt pretty good aerobically and my running was OK except for my right foot. It doesn’t really hurt where the break was but, my foot is locked up which results in pain near my ankle. My foot isn’t moving and flexing properly so all the force gets applied on the top of my foot. Thankfully I got some work done on it this week by Brenda Scott-Thomas and some exercises to help it out.
Nornee bought 50 oranges that I squeezed into juice the old fashioned way. I was staying indoors to avoid the pollen so I had the time.
Here is the next installment of my trip to Auburn. Nornee wanted me to attend her Democrats of Auburn club meeting and insisted that I look proper. The speaker, Dr. Wayne Flynt, talked about the relationship of Southern culture and football in the early 20th century. I realize that topic sounds like I made it up, but that’s what it was, no joke.
Pollen collection after it rained:
FLOAT ON 