tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25303116905740310712024-03-13T08:22:33.967-07:00The Running CanuckBrenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15505599509625616139noreply@blogger.comBlogger20125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2530311690574031071.post-24668489191414280242011-05-30T17:20:00.000-07:002011-05-30T17:53:36.405-07:00Sulphur Springs 50 Mile Race ReportI have been busy the last year. Since my last post in 2010, I have run 2 marathons, 1 30k road race, and a 50k trail ultra. I have gotten more serious about my running, and hired a Coach to help me along the way - www.prsfit.com if anyone is interested, Jeff and Diane are amazing!<br /><br />This past weekend I achieved a huge goal I set for myself, and what follows is a fairly quick race report of my first 50 mile run.<br /><br />I slept fairly well but only for 6 hours on Friday night. Up at 4am, my Father-in-law picked me up at 4:45 for the quick drive out to Ancaster and the start of the Sulphur Springs 50 mile trail run. Both the 50 and 100 mile races were to go off at 6am, and I had plenty of time to pick up my tech shirt and mill around talking to lots of other runners. My FIL took off to the first aid station where he could park and lay all of my things out in the back of the SUV - I was probably the only 50 miler with a crew that day, and it sure helped out.<br /><br />It was cool and foggy and the gun went off right at 6am. Down the hill we went and onto one hell of a boggy mess. The trails were decent on the groomed pathways, but through the grassy fields it was wet. I saw people lose shoes in the muck, but once you got used to the idea of being wet, we all just dealt with it.<br /><br />The course is a 20k loop, and I had to complete this 4 times. My pacing plan was to go 2:10, 2:20, 2:30, 2:47, with about 12 minutes built in at the truck to restock and take care of any issues that arose. The "A" goal was to finish, but I really wanted to go under 10 hours. My strategy had me finishing up at 9:59 or so.<br /><br />Loop one went very well. I settled in nicely and ran the majority of it with a nice fellow named Scott doing the 100 mile, and another 50 miler named Mary-Lou. We had some nice conversation and the miles ticked by quickly. I was surprised to see a 2:05 on the board as we passed the start line, but I was feeling good and wanted to bank what I could early.<br /><br />We stuck together for much of the second loop, but eventually I pulled a little ahead of them and was running on my own for a long while. As the day went on, the trails got worse from all the runners, but I was able not to fall down all day.<br /><br />Having my FIL as crew was great - He was at the 3k aid station which was also the 9k aid station - seeing him twice per loop and having access to whatever I needed was a huge plus. Most times I would pull in and have a huge swig of Nuun, refill my handheld with Gatorade, and munch on a PB sandwich or Clif Bar. I did try to keep the stops as short as possible and stuck with that throughout the race.<br /><br />Loop 2 ended with a 2:12 - way ahead of where I thought I would be. I was feeling good and headed out for loop 3 quickly. My legs were starting to get tired, but the trails were again pretty slick in parts. Running on my own pretty much the whole loop, I was grabbing trees down the single-track around the 12k mark just to avoid falling to the ditch below. I was still able to get around in 2:28, again keeping me way ahead of the game. I was now realizing that I would shatter my goal of 10 hours, so I was getting excited, as tired as I was.<br /><br />I had a friend meet me at the start of loop 4 to pace me around the final lap. He has never ran more than 18k, but is a great athlete so I knew my turtle-like pace would be no problem for him. I didn't know what to expect in a 50 miler, so perhaps having a crew and a pacer was a bit of overkill on a looped course, but in the end I was happy to have both of them there.<br /><br />We talked for the first 5k of the last loop, and then I started to get quiet. I needed to concentrate, and all the hills I had run before were suddenly looking massive. Nevertheless, I was able to keep things together and moving forward the entire time. My fueling and hydration were spot on, and my friend was timely in when to urge me to run and when to let me plod up a bunny hill. Once we climbed up the Headwater loop we took off running and didn't stop until the last aid station. It is a nice gentle downhill of about 4-5k that is groomed and probably the driest on the course. I made up some time here for sure and refilled my bottle for the final climb to the finish.<br /><br />What a feeling to cross the finish line after running 50 miles. This still is surreal to me and it was a great moment I won't forget. My 8-months pregnant wife was there to greet me, along with my Mom, FIL, and of course, best friend who paced me around the last 20k.<br /><br />My final time was 9:35:54, well ahead of my goal.<br /><br />We headed to the parking lots for beer and a sit, cheering for the other 50 and 100 milers as they came into the finish area.<br /><br />Sulphur Springs is a great event, and the RD Joe Hewitt has done a wonderful job with it. Volunteers were top-notch at each aid station, and the course was marked well. Thanks to everyone involved - it was a fantastic race and I look forward to being back in the future!Brenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15505599509625616139noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2530311690574031071.post-4118892615803152002011-05-30T17:19:00.000-07:002011-05-30T17:20:06.872-07:00Blogging got boring...I had nothing interesting to say, so I said nothing at all!Brenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15505599509625616139noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2530311690574031071.post-58803765827625648032010-07-13T11:16:00.000-07:002010-07-13T11:23:25.018-07:00Been Lazy... At least with the Blog!Sorry I have been delinquent in posting. Ran the NOTL Marathon last month and made a mess of it. Absolutely dismal nutrition landed me in a death march at mile 21 or so until I could force enough corn chips into my gut to run it in the last mile. Still a PR by 5 minutes at 4:51 and change, but I was on pace for about a 4:15 on a super hot day.<br /><br />So what went wrong? Not enough calories basically. The old adage "race how you train" got thrown out the window. I was hydrating nicely with my Nuun tabs and water the whole way, and was taking a gel per hour or so. Where I dropped the ball is that I was not taking any sports drink at the aid stations. Therefore I figure I was only getting 100 calories per hour from the gels and not topping up with sports drink. Dumb ass.<br /><br />Oh well, live and learn I suppose. Why is it that common sense and a plan gets thrown out the window on race day? I shall vow never to be so stupid again. I am quite happy with my nutrition and hydration these days on long runs, so I WILL carry this over into my next race!<br /><br />Speaking of that, I am planning the Run for the Toad 50k Ultra in October. Since I can't seem to properly run a marathon, I thought why not tackle 50k? Makes sense, right?Brenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15505599509625616139noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2530311690574031071.post-54801273563992276962010-05-30T07:21:00.000-07:002010-05-30T07:33:34.568-07:00Well...The long run went ok. It was pretty warm out and by the time I hit the road it was late in the morning, so the majority of the run was in the early afternoon hours. No clouds, so it was tough for a guy like me that prefers colder temperatures.<br /><br />I ended up doing a little under 21 miles in just under 3.5 hours. Pace was 10:10 per mile, so right about where I probably should be on a long run.<br /><br />I have decided to do the Niagara-on-the-Lake marathon on June 19th and see how it goes. I will do one more long run on a cool morning and stretch it out to 22-23 miles next week and then take it easy for the last 10-14 days before the marathon.<br /><br />This race is small and features a 50k ultra as well. All races are run on a bike path adjacent to the Niagara Parkway on an out and back course starting in NOTL. Should be fun, and after running the Around the Bay in March it will be nice to hit a race with under 400 entrants instead of 8000!<br /><br />As for my hydration and nutrition on the long run, I would say it was improved. I started to get a little tight in my hamstrings towards the end, but I think the electrolyte tablets did help, especially since it was MUCH hotter than my previous long runs where I was bonking bad at 20 miles. Feeling optimistic and hoping to make a few more improvements next week when I go a little further.<br /><br />Until then, I will get in some hills on the trails, a track workout, tempo work and a swim before trying it all over again.Brenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15505599509625616139noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2530311690574031071.post-64360610638325272012010-05-28T06:31:00.000-07:002010-05-30T07:21:27.827-07:00No Posts = No NewsSince the race in March I dove in headfirst with training for a spring marathon. Kept up my mileage and was feeling ok until about a month before the proposed marathon in mid-May.<br /><br />My long runs were suffering, I felt like garbage, and I decided to take a month to rest up a little. It is clear to me that I was a little over-trained and cutting my mileage down to about 20 miles a week seems to have helped. I also started swimming once a week, so right now I am running 5 days per week along with a 2000m swim.<br /><br />I set my sights on another marathon in the local area on June 19th. I haven't done a long run in about a month and as I am typing this I am getting ready to head out and try and do about 19-22 miles. I have no idea what to expect, this could go well or it could be a disaster.<br /><br />I am hoping it goes ok, and I can get in another 24 miler next week and then start cutting back for the taper. Not much of a taper since I haven't been running long much, but this is the plan for now.<br /><br />One other thing I noticed on my long runs last month - Salt, or the lack thereof. I sweat like a pig and I never really did much in the way of electrolyte replacement other than a bit of gatorade during long runs. I have picked up some electrolyte tablets and am going to do this long run today experimenting with them.<br /><br />I really am starting to think that my "bonking" in the past has been me running out of salt and not being able to process my fluids past mile 18-20. Today though, it is very warm, but I feel good about having my tablets, lots of hydration, and plenty of goo's to properly fuel me through this run.<br /><br />Well, time to hit the road, this is the deciding factor for the June 19th marathon - I hope this goes ok...Brenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15505599509625616139noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2530311690574031071.post-60410322423562942782010-03-29T07:09:00.000-07:002010-03-29T07:16:30.755-07:0030k Quick Race ReportYesterday was the Around the Bay 30k Road Race in Hamilton, Ontario. The weather ended up being quite good and the rain held off for the 9:30 start. It was overcast and about 4 degrees Celsius, and by the end of the race, it had warmed to about 9 and a few sprinkles had started to fall.<br /><br />My goal for this race was under 3 hours, and a 2:50-ish time would have been great.<br /><br />The first 2/3's of the race are flat and fast, but the final 10k enters the Northshore section of Burlington and is very hilly. My training has focused on stairs and hills, so I was trying to maintain an even pace. I was running at about 5:35/km pace for the first 20k, and really pushed in the hills to maintain this. I managed to keep enough legs to really bomb the downhills and focus on being in good form for the uphills.<br /><br />Needless to say, I only started to feel tired at about the 28k mark, and at that point I was past the last of the hills and was in the home stretch into Copps Colesium for the big finish.<br /><br />I knew I was going well, but was very happy when I passed the finish in a chip time of 2:47:54!<br /><br />It was a great day and I really benefited from my running group pushing me over the past few months, so I am looking forward to continuing training with them in the next little while.<br /><br />What is next? Probably a May marathon - stay tuned!Brenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15505599509625616139noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2530311690574031071.post-14754119130569714502010-03-05T19:29:00.000-08:002010-03-05T19:34:31.597-08:00VACATION!Off to Mexico!<br /><br />The past couple weeks have been again, super busy. Between work and family commitments, the blog has suffered!<br /><br />A few highlights though - A great 20k trail run in Kelowna which was a ton of fun. Tonight I broke 50 minutes in a 10k run, I actually finished in 48:50 and I am really pleased!<br /><br />I need to focus on my long runs and being in Mexico in the heat will make that difficult. However, I hope that at least once in the week I am away I will go over 15 miles nice and slow. I am going to get up early and run most days, so hopefully I can beat the sun a little.<br /><br />Training is more or less on track for the 30k race on March 28th. I have missed a few sessions with the running group but have really focused on speed work and hills this past week to try and make up. Hence the need to get in some good distance runs in the next 2 weeks prior to tapering!Brenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15505599509625616139noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2530311690574031071.post-48441958019410567882010-02-16T06:18:00.000-08:002010-02-16T06:24:39.646-08:00Uber-BusyWell, it has been pretty busy the past week or so. My training has suffered quite a bit, but I did get in a fantastic 14 miler that kind of surprised me.<br /><br />I went out on a super-hilly course with the final 2 miles a daunting uphill, and managed to finish it in 2:11. The rest of the course was downhill and the start, and then smaller hills in between, so it was a nice combination of a long run and a hill workout. This is very similiar to the 30k race next month, and part of my route was on the actual course.<br /><br />No doubt in my mind that I can go under 2 hours in a half marathon now quite easily, as I went out pretty slow but when I saw I was maintaining a good pace, I tried to keep it up.<br /><br />So, training has not been as steady as I would have liked, but perhaps the downtime helped me recover a little to get in some decent efforts.Brenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15505599509625616139noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2530311690574031071.post-52205758840323631352010-02-10T02:41:00.000-08:002010-02-10T02:57:35.178-08:00Bad Day...Finally something not related to how cold it is outside.<br /><br />My Grandfather died today and within minutes of learning this I needed to to go for a run - I really needed to go for a run. As I started out I was talking to my wonderful wife on my iPhone and she reminded me that running has become my release. It officially is now something that I really think I need in my life.<br /><br />I have been staring at the screen for the past 5 minutes and I never would have thought that running would help me feel better today, but it did.Brenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15505599509625616139noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2530311690574031071.post-21688892749516651002010-01-27T10:52:00.000-08:002010-01-27T11:00:26.499-08:00Busy WeekWell, it has been a busy week both work-wise as well as training. Last Friday I was able to get in my long run out in Edmonton, Alberta during a snow shower and on slippery roads. The elevation out there is a little higher than I am used to as well, so my 13.1 miles was a slow 2:06, but overall I was rather pleased. The hotel we stay at is near the airport and to get to a decent running trail it is 3 miles through an industrial park with no sidewalks and deep snow and ice. Still, the run felt decent and I was glad I could get it in as the next few days were super busy at work.<br /><br />Saturday I was in Cancun for the day and it was MUCH too hot for a run. 30C and no clouds at all, so I decided to get in 4 miles on the treadmill upon my return to Edmonton on Sunday.<br /><br />Monday night I headed down to the Runner's Den to get in a workout and try to keep my attendance up with the clinic. Mat sent me out for a 10k tempo/fartlek which I completed in 51 minutes and change on an icy, hilly course. Believe it or not, I believe that was my fastest 10k yet and I am positive I can break 50 minutes now on a fairly flat course in good weather.<br /><br />Last night was another run with the group doing a little over 5 miles easy. I didn't feel that great and it was pretty windy, but I was happy to get out.<br /><br />Back for more stairs tonight, but I am going to take it easy as tomorrow night is a big speed workout and I want to be able to keep up with the pack..Brenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15505599509625616139noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2530311690574031071.post-8649388085014691072010-01-20T10:28:00.000-08:002010-01-20T10:40:41.379-08:00Delinquent!Well, I have been away at work for the past few days and unable to run, or post. Unfortunately I missed 3 days of running, although I would have used one of those as a rest day anyways.<br /><br />Saturday past I had a great long run with my running club, doing 10 miles in 1:34, which was a 9:30 pace. Pretty decent for me considering how slow my marathon pace was in October. I really feel that my proper speed workouts combined with more hills/stairs has increased my potential by a significant margin.<br /><br />How about running with people MUCH better than you? I think that this has been an amazing thing for me personally. One that same Saturday long run I ran with 3 other people that are light years ahead of me in both conditioning and talent. It was great to go that far and feel like I actually belonged in that group considering 2 of them are world-class triathletes, and the other qualified for Boston in her first marathon!<br /><br />Joining this running clinic and having these sorts of opportunities has kept me very motivated during some brutal training weather. If you have access to this sort of clinic or group, you really should give it a try - I am glad that I did!<br /><br />So now to get back on track after some fantastic training last week. It is now Wednesday and I have 0.0 miles logged so far. To try and remedy this, I went out and did 3.1 miles really easy this morning. This is in addition to the stairs workout I have tonight at 6pm. That will get me back up to the 5 miles or so this week, and I am going to try and stretch out my next few scheduled runs to hopefully end the week in the 25-30 mile range.Brenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15505599509625616139noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2530311690574031071.post-42967295016131220122010-01-13T19:53:00.000-08:002010-01-13T20:10:12.374-08:00Something New...Last night was another group workout with my running club. Had a really nice run and it was great to talk while running, something I am not used to at all. I also got myself some new shoes before the run. Turns out I have been in the wrong type of shoe, and for the first time since I started running my right knee was bothering me to the point where I was starting to worry a little.<br /><br />So yesterday I headed down to the Runner's Den and got properly fitted by my coach Mat. I was in a pair of Under Armour neutral shoes, when it turns out I really need something with more support as I tend to be an over-pronator. I now have a new pair of Mizuno's and my knee is feeling better already after only 2 runs on them.<br /><br />Tonight I did stairs for the first time with the running group again. There is a huge escarpment near our house and the stairs are daunting with 263 steps and a total ascent of around 200 metres or almost 650 feet. I did 4 reps up the stairs which includes a short flat run around the park at the top of around 250 yards.<br /><br />A huge part of our training is based on negative splits. Everything we do is focused on being faster the second time. This is true for the stairs and I was able to come in at 4:56, 4:40, 4:32, and finally 4:06 when I really pushed on the last one. I am hoping to continue this ideology through the training, and eventually at the 30k race as well as subsequent marathons.<br /><br />Tomorrow night is a tempo run on some gradual hills and the weather is looking warmer - should be fun.Brenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15505599509625616139noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2530311690574031071.post-80224418577412797792010-01-10T19:08:00.000-08:002010-01-10T19:38:17.756-08:00Out of Town...I have been busy at work this week. I was out of town from Wednesday through Saturday in Regina, and was unable to run outside for obvious reasons. It was -35C for the majority of my stay, so I did a 3 miler on the treadmill Wednesday, followed by a 4 mile on Saturday morning before flying home. I did take 2 days off in a row due to long workdays, but I had run 6 days consecutively prior, so it was a welcome rest.<br /><br />Today I headed out at home for a long run. I did 9.3 miles too fast yet again, but it was not the greatest weather. As per usual, I picked the pace up too much and probably negated the benefits of a long run by a little. Oh well, I was freezing.<br /><br />The other interesting thing that I did this week was join a running club. I have no actual experience working with a coach, and I figured that it was about time I get some formal instruction. Tuesday night was the first workout, and the program is designed for the 30k race I am doing in March. I met a lot of great new people that live close by, and I look forward to keeping motivated and having some options for people to run with. I have always ran by myself, so being able to head out for a run with somebody with similar goals should be a lot of fun.Brenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15505599509625616139noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2530311690574031071.post-30700486257773473902010-01-04T10:18:00.001-08:002010-01-04T10:24:15.111-08:00Starting to Sound Like A Broken RecordGuess what? Cold again! It was supposed to warm up quite a bit, but it didn't. Today was about -10C with a wind chill of -17C. I look forward to being able to post without mentioning the weather, but it has been so bitter that it really messes things up.<br /><br />Today was an easy 8 miler. However, I got so cold that I went perhaps a touch fast as I finished in 1:17:25 for an average pace of 9:41. I know that I really need to slow down on my longer runs, especially as I start to build into the mid-teens in the coming weeks, so that is something I will work on.<br /><br />Continuing to enjoy listening to running podcasts - perhaps I will go into more detail on that on non-running days coming up.Brenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15505599509625616139noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2530311690574031071.post-22573122062733857732010-01-03T12:19:00.000-08:002010-01-03T12:27:00.894-08:00Brrrrrrrrr...Same day as yesterday - Windy, a bit of snow and -12C with a wind chill of -22C. I got wrapped up and went out looking for a 4 mile pace run. My pace should be around 10 minute miles for a marathon, or about 9:45 for a 30k I figure.<br /><br />As with yesterday, I sped things up a little because it was so brutal and ended up doing 4.1 miles in 38:38 for an average pace of 9:23, which was a touch fast. Average HR was 150, which is ok, but something I still hope to work on.<br /><br />Saw nobody on my run and most people in cars stared at me like I was a lunatic. They are probably right. 8 miles easy tomorrow.Brenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15505599509625616139noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2530311690574031071.post-86327717601866593672010-01-02T11:06:00.000-08:002010-01-02T11:25:27.232-08:00Here's a Resolution...I am going to be much better with keeping track of things. Not just with running, but I am really going to work on being more organized this year. For the purposes of the blog, I am logging all my runs with RunningAhead, a website that I can automatically upload my run data to from my Garmin.<br /><br />So here is today:<br /><br /><table class="DataForm" id="ctl00_ctl00_ctl00_PageContent_NavigationContent_TrainingLogContent_m_info" style="width: 43em; border-collapse: collapse;" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr> <th>Date:</th> <td style="width: 100%;">1/2/2010 11:43 AM</td></tr> <tr> <th>Type:</th> <td style="width: 100%;">Default</td></tr> <tr> <th>Distance:</th> <td style="width: 100%;">5 miles</td></tr> <tr> <th>Duration:</th> <td style="width: 100%;">44:54.64</td></tr> <tr> <th>Pace:</th> <td style="width: 100%;">8:59 / mile</td></tr> <tr> <th>Heart Rate:</th> <td style="width: 100%;">Average: 157 / Max: 171</td></tr> <tr> <th>Weather:</th> <td style="width: 100%;">-12° C, Sunny</td></tr> <tr> <th>Statistics:</th> <td style="width: 100%;"><b>VO<span style="font-size: smaller; vertical-align: sub;">2</span> Max:</b> 34.6</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br />Further to my contention earlier that I am going to add miles to the training program I am following, I have decided to keep things simple. Since the program is in kilometers, and most people deal with miles (me too), I am simply going to round all of my runs up to the next mile. For example, a 10k run that is 6.21 miles will become 7 miles for my training purposes. This keeps my mileage up a little, as well as keeps things simple on the blog for my neighbours to the south that use miles.<br /><br />So, about today.. It was cold. And not just a little cold, but -12C with a wind chill of -21C. I was to do an 8km pace run, but it turned into a slow tempo really. I was just wanting to get it over with as it is difficult to keep your face covered with a scarf and still be able to breathe, so I sped it up a little bit.<br /><br />Overall, I felt ok and did the 5 miles in just under 45 minutes for a pace of 8:59. This is quicker than my marathon pace by quite a bit, but maybe a little slower than my usual tempo runs. I would like to think that I have gotten a bit faster since my marathon in October, so my numbers seem to constantly be changing.<br /><br />One thing I do not really like is my heart rate. Average of 157 and a max of 171 as I finished coming up the hill towards the house. This is too high, I need to work on this.<br /><br />Overall, a good run in bad conditions, so I am happy. Tomorrow is looking even worse for weather, so I may change things up a little. I am supposed to go an easy 8 miles tomorrow and on Monday do a 4 mile pace. I think I will switch these around and go 4 tomorrow and do the 8 miler on Monday when it is supposed to be 6 degrees warmer.Brenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15505599509625616139noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2530311690574031071.post-14833453180873534232010-01-01T11:52:00.001-08:002010-01-01T11:58:54.576-08:00What I Do While I RunEveryone does something different while they run. Music, books, deep thought - I have tried them all. But my latest favourite is podcasts! About 2 months ago I got an iPhone and since then I have been listening to running podcasts almost exclusively while I run.<br /><br />I have been enjoying them so much that those that are listed on the right side are completely responsible for me even doing a blog in the first place. I sometimes even toy with the idea of a podcast myself, but I do hate the sound of my own voice on tape...<br /><br />Anyways, this is nothing more than a quick thank you to everyone who takes the time to do their podcast and keep me motivated while I am running. Check out the links and I am sure that you will find some great listening!Brenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15505599509625616139noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2530311690574031071.post-89232697560668959102010-01-01T11:19:00.000-08:002010-01-01T11:51:38.013-08:00Out With The Old ...So, it is 2010. Looking back, 2009 was a great year for me, and running was a big part of it. It was last April that a friend of mine that runs marathons convinced me to give it a go. I haven't looked back, and my trusty Garmin 305 shows that I logged 980 miles in 2009, almost all of it from April on.<br /><br />So, moving forward in 2010, I am going to shoot for 1500 miles, the 30k "Around the Bay", and probably two additional marathons.<br /><br />I am looking closely at the Outer Banks marathon next November - it looks amazing, and it can be tied in with a trip to Myrtle Beach where our family has a vacation condo.<br /><br />I am also very interested in some sort of trail run, and my other marathon of 2010 very well may be something of this sort. However, I have lots of research to do to figure out what event could fit the bill.<br /><br />The only other thing I intend to do this year is compete in races more. It is easy to fit in some 10k events here and there while training, and I hope that this can help me out in marathons. My first marathon could have gone a little smoother if I was used to the process - I found that my heart rate was through the roof even before starting, and this eventually led me to hit the wall around mile 22. I think that running more organized races will allow me to be more focused and controlled at the start which will allow me to keep a lower average heart rate.<br /><br />So that is what I am looked forward to in 2010. I also hope to get my marathon times down to the 4:00 - 4:20 range which I think is a realistic goal.Brenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15505599509625616139noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2530311690574031071.post-64256737882288363492009-12-31T15:34:00.000-08:002009-12-31T15:56:59.998-08:00Running in the COLD!My training is following an outline on the Around the Bay website as this road race is a strange distance. 30k training programs are hard to find, so I thought I would give this one a shot.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.aroundthebayroadrace.com/training.htm">http://www.aroundthebayroadrace.com/training.htm</a><br /><br />Moving into the second week I had a 6k, then hills, and today, an easy 3k. These distances are so low that I have been adding about 10-20% per workout as I want to stay in some sort of marathon shape for the spring.<br /><br />All 3 of these runs went well, but for some strange reason my right knee is bugging me a little bit. Not really when I am running, but more so when I am just sitting around. This happened a little during my marathon training in the summer, but I am not really too concerned about it.<br /><br />I ran my 6k on the 29th and it was brutally cold. It was -10C with a wind chill of -20C. 33 minutes for this run with an average heart rate of 154 bpm. As you will come to see, I need to work a little on keeping my heart rate down, and perhaps losing a bit more weight will help out. I am down to the low 190s which is a lot less than I have been lugging around the past few years.<br /><br />My wife and I headed down to Niagara Falls for a couple of days on the afternoon of the 29th so my next run was right next to the Falls. I needed to do hills, so I found a brutal quarter mile stretch going from next to the falls up to the Fallsview section where all the new hotels are. Did some hill repeats (3), then jogged around a little bit enjoying the scenery. Finally, found a nice 80 yard ramp at a good incline and did another 10 or so sprints up that. Still brutally cold so I was only out for about 30 minutes.<br /><br />Today we got home from the Falls and I headed out for what was to be a 3k easy run. I cannot bring myself to only run 3k, so I did a 5k in a constant drizzle. It has warmed up though and it was an alright session. I did the 5k (3.1 miles) in 27 minutes flat and felt not too bad considering I had beer and wine the night before.Brenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15505599509625616139noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2530311690574031071.post-91752121849810411932009-12-26T19:12:00.000-08:002009-12-26T20:01:15.026-08:00Off and Running!Since this is my first post, I am going to provide a little background so you can get to know me a little. As mentioned on the sidebar, I am 35 years old and have been married for 9 years. We live in a little town called Waterdown which is about 45 minutes west of Toronto.<br /><br />I have always been somewhat interested in running, but it never amounted to much. I ran a couple of 10k's over the past few years for charity, but it was last April when I made the decision to train for a full marathon.<br /><br />My original plan was the Toronto Scotiabank in September, but due to a new job I had to push the date back. I ended up running the Niagara Falls International Marathon on October 25, 2009. It was an amazing experience and I attained my primary goal of simply finishing. I was a little disappointed in my time, but I tried to focus on the experience and not worrying too much about the time of 4:56.<br /><br />Hey, it is a new PR, right?<br /><br />So, I decided to start this little blog to follow my training and hopefully keep myself motivated moving into 2010. I have also recently started reading other blogs and listening to running podcasts which have been a great source of motivation and knowledge. This blog will hopefully allow me to meet other runners and continue to learn more about the sport.<br /><br />So what is next? For me, I am in week 2 of a training program for a 30k road race called "Around the Bay". It actually is older than Boston and takes place on March 28th, 2010. I thought this will be a great tuneup for some harder training in the spring, as running in the winter up here can be challenging.<br /><br />After the 30k race I am on the fence but leaning towards two more marathons in 2010, one of which may be a trail run. I love running trails, so I think that that could be a lot of fun.<br /><br />So that brings you up to speed on what I have done and where I am at with my training. It is my plan that this blog will focus on the technical side of running a little bit. The upcoming posts will describe my training runs (all done with my trusty Garmin 305) and provide some insight into some of data that I love to pore over after a workout.<br /><br />Please feel free to get involved with insight or comments. I can be reached by email as well as on Twitter and Facebook under the name "runningcanuck".Brenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15505599509625616139noreply@blogger.com0