Positive Signs

 It's been a long winter and a colder spring then last year but this was definitely a welcome sign at the trail head today! Through the winter I get used to seeing a fairly consistent group of people hiking through the Dundas and Ancaster trails,an elderly woman with her German Shepard who counts down the weeks to my race and when I stop to chat in passing is always encouraging. She is definitely a hero of mine as I notice she covers no less than 5km no matter the weather or trail conditions. There is also a younger(mid to late 50's)couple with a brown collie,I swear that collie is part ultra runner,when he injured his paw this winter he carried a stick instead of his trusty orange ball "to slow him down a bit" his owner said. Now that the warm weather group has joined in and suddenly there are people with strollers,bikes,wrist weights,umbrellas and cameras all over. A friend said to me he dislikes it when the trails get crowded but i see it as just another sign of spring.
  Training is going well this year,the last several weeks mileage was higher than I have ever been to before and I could definitely start to feel the aches and pains.Last week I noticed the aches come to a point that everything hurt and there was little to no recovery from one days long run to the next.I was beginning to get that miserable feeling that comes with over training and decided since it was my weekend to work anyway it was time for a recovery break.Friday,Saturday and Sunday there was no running,by Sunday I had a craving to ride my bike to work but a quick look at the notes in my logbook reminded me to rest. This morning I went out for my first run in three days and it felt great,an easy paced 40k and nothing hurt,it was rainy but warm and I felt on top of the world.Hopefully with some careful attention in the next several weeks I can carry this feeling into the Sulphur springs 100 miler.Looking forward to the first week of slightly reduced distance and finding out how the winters work will pay off in the spring.

 As far as my shoe trials,after experimenting with several different ones for my longer runs I'm back in my tried and true Brooks Cascadia. The saucony shoes were amazing but once the weekly distance exceeded 160km they just didn't allow enough room in the toe box for my slightly swollen toes. I definitely plan on running a mix of both shoes in my shorter distance runs as the lighter feel and lower heel/toe was great. Other gear I've fallen in love with lately includes my Sugoi Titan 2in1 shorts and Titan short sleeve top,the shorts are great with a non chafing liner and the shirt has a nice fit and doesn't chafe even when wet. Also my mountain hardware plasmic jacket,I bought this jacket last year not even thinking about running in it,but with the weather this spring it became my go to jacket for wet snow,rain ,wind and everything else the days threw at me.It breathes well and performed flawlessly every run.

Around the Bay

 Hamilton's Around the Bay 30k road race is one of the more popular local races,unfortunately my first experience with it in 2009 left me with a bitter feeling towards the race. I had been training for a marathon and was feeling quite proud of my progress,my long runs had been over the 30k distance and I was a lean mean running machine. Leaving the start line in the pouring rain I was on fire,flying along with the greatest of ease,17km later I was a wreck my legs were cramping and I was feeling sorry for myself.I went on to finish in 2 hours and 32 minutes, it was a finish but not what I had anticipated at the start and walking up the hills with the horrible leg cramps left me never wanting to see the race again.

  Fortunately time heals all and several years of waiting at the base of the largest hill to run up with friends I have made while running I decided it was time to make amends with the Bay race. I signed up late in the fall   last year after qualifying for the "A" start corral in the Hamilton half marathon and was actually excited to run.As race day came closer I realized I would need to adjust my training a little to accommodate the race but really didn't want to lose too much time as the countdown to the Sulphur Springs 100 miler is quickly closing in.The decision was made to drop 1 long run from the front of the week to allow for a bit of a recovery for the Bay, then I would race at a relatively survivable pace and just enjoy the race.

   Race day was perfect weather and at the starting line I was relaxed,I planned to run just under 2 hours and 15 minutes to achieve a silver medal and put the bad feelings behind me,in the back of my mind I knew a 2.10 would be possible if things went well.The race start was fast as everyone takes off to try and get some open road,I didn't worry too much when my first 5k was faster than I wanted to be.The second 5k somehow slipped by too fast as well,at this point I took a quick assessment of how I was feeling and decided to push the pace for another 10 I was feeling good. At the 17km mark doubt crept in ,am I making the same mistake again,this is the fall apart point,am I running too fast? I did another assessment and decided no things are good,smarten up ditch the negative thoughts and go, the hills are coming and unlike 2009 that is where I feel good now. Now that the brain was back under control the ease came back to my stride,I let the hills loosen things up a bit waved or smiled to a few friends who were spectating and hit the big hill .I knew Mike would be waiting to run up the hill with me and its amazing what a distraction can do to take the bite out of a hill,a few more km and it was all over 2 hours and 7 minutes.

  I'm definitely glad I ran it again,it's amazing how far things have come since 2009. I think the biggest change has been the mental side of running and how to drop the negative feelings,every race has a low point or tough spot but being able to put it aside and not dwell on it has made a huge difference. It doesn't hurt that I have realized I can't charge out full speed and expect not to turn into a stiff legged zombie at the finish line.
 

First Hints of Spring

  Had a great run this morning,five degrees and you could feel the heat of the sun on your face,it really doesn't get any better than that in March.Everywhere I looked as I ran through the trails there was activity,snow melting off rocks, squirrels running across logs and a group of deer feeding in a newly exposed clearing in the trees. The trails were a little sketchy at times with ice and ruts but overall it was a good day to run.

 I guess part of what made this day so perfect is the fact that Wednesday night I was hit with a stomach bug that took me to a childlike state.I was curled in the fetal position on the couch,moving only to ingest some chicken broth made by my wonderful wife and once to call my mom like any grown man needs to when truly sick. Thursday brought more of the same and I really didn't start to feel better till late afternoon.Feeling much better now and from the state of the trails today I guess tomorrows long run will be back on the road to get a decent workout in,here's hoping for more sunny days for us all.

P.S. Mom called back last night to make sure I was feeling better,you can't beat a good mom.

Inspiration by treadmill

  The latest sloppy winter mess finally drove me to a place I never thought I would go,the treadmill. Tuesday night after work I was watching the weather forecast and I decided if I woke up and it was really messy I'd give it a try.I have listened to my friend James speak highly of treadmill training in the face of uncertain weather so how bad could it be, he's an intelligent man and dedicated runner with some excellent marathon finishing times.
  I further stoked my enthusiasm with some new songs on the ipod and thoughts of running free of all my winter gear in a nice warm place with dry feet the entire time,a welcome relief after months of pruned appendages.I arrived at the gym early selected a sturdy looking machine in the back row with a good view of the dozen or so televisions and started poking at the buttons to fire it up. This is when some alarm bells should have started going off, the timer maxed out at  ninety nine minutes, no consideration for someone wanting to get a long run in.Oh well I guess I can restart at a nice even mileage say 10 miles, poked a few more buttons for a nice steady pace of 8.13 per mile and away I went this was going to be a piece of cake. Ten minutes passed I had found the incline button and set a steady grade of 4(whatever that means but it felt good) and was questioning myself as to why I hadn't tried this before,so nice and warm.Twenty minutes in and I realized all the daytime t.v. shows were about buying, building or renovating your home,one t.v. playing the same 2 minutes of news over and over and a cooking channel of all things, not overly exciting after all. Thirty minutes in cranked the tunes,who cares about some rich guy trying to decide which three million dollar home he likes more but my feet are warm. One hour in my wife waves as she comes in to see her trainer,this will help pass some time, I can watch and maybe pick up some tips for core exercises from what my wife has shown me this trainer has some excellent ones that really work. Nope they are around the corner in another area,so much for that idea.Two hours in the t.v.'s are driving me crazy the clock seems to have stopped and I think when I'm not paying attention the treadmill is counting miles backwards.
  It really fell apart from there,I managed to finish the planned marathon but it was pretty ugly,at twenty miles I actually dropped the pace to get it done and by the time I hit twenty six I was begging for wet feet and a cold wind blowing in my face. Would I do it again? Not for awhile but in hindsight I can see some benefits, definitely an advantage to the ground controlling your pace for keeping things steady and your feet stay dry, that's about it.

  Today I hit the trails feeling inspired,it didn't matter how wet my feet were I was outside and felt alive. It started out cool and lightly snowing but postcard perfect to look at, a couple other sets of footprints on the main trail but none as I headed up the escarpment. It warmed up after an hour and started to rain lightly but that's OK it was way better than the treadmill.Two hours in the snow was soft and several spots I broke through the ice crust under the slush to find myself shin deep in water but again yesterdays treadmill experience had me laughing off any discomfort. At the end of the day I squeezed in thirty six kilometres I was cold wet and extremely happy, who knows that treadmill might be good for something after all.

  The good news is everything was slippery so the ground and rocks were the least of my worries.

Road Miles

 All my excitement over the snow is over now,I'm ready for spring,really ready! The beautiful snowy trails have melted and re-frozen into a pot-holed icy mess.I'm sick of trying to figure out just how many layers it will take to get through a long road run and as usual the roads are taking there toll,aches and pains from to many miles on a surface that is just too flat.
  The only upside has been getting in some faster runs than normal and getting some longer miles in my Saucony Triumph 10's,a shoe I switched to for my longer road runs after deciding the Asics Nimbus was just too much shoe. The Triumph has been great,providing the protection needed for multiple long runs in one week while still feeling light and responsive on the feet. Fast looking colour too!


 Hopefully the next couple weeks brings a good thaw ,I'm definitely ready for some mud and sunshine. Three out of four groundhogs said yes to an early spring......so bring it!

Snow storm running

 We finally got a good storm in southern Ontario! This one really delivered,Friday I ran about 20k in the morning and had a really good workout the snow in the eyes got a little annoying while facing the wind but overall it was a great day.

I didn't see another person out there which surprised me a little,I figured the cross country skiers would be racing to be the first ones out.Ran past this small doe and she just stared at me,I guess she didn't want to leave her sheltered area in the pines

 Saturday morning I met with my friend Mike at the trail head for a repeat of the same and we had one of the toughest runs I've ever done.The first 10k was manageable,slow going but we kept up a steady pace and managed to find some footing in the loose powdery snow.We ran a short 4k road section to loosen the legs back up before tackling what I figured would be the easier half of our loop. My wife had went out early in the morning on snowshoes with a friend so I was sure we wouldn't need to break trail through this section.Unfortunately after she went through a few cross country skiers did and the trail they left was like walking a tight rope in ball bearing shoes.
 Overall the day was a real character builder and I know when the tough times come in the race this spring I can look at it as "at least there's no snow on it".

Joys of a Cold

  I knew it was coming last week already,I was having a great week training and running very comfortably,my poor wife on the other hand was suffering miserably. The joys of a winter cold had their grip on her and she hardly ever gets sick, and this time she really had it, stuffy nose, hacking cough the works. I was eating oranges by the dozen chewing vitamin C tablets like candy and taking cold FX ,but Sunday morning I woke up a little sneezy and by Sunday night I was the 200 pound baby in the cold medecine commercial.
  Monday I had planned to run a 20k morning tempo and speed work at night in Paris but switched it out for a 30k trail run at a very easy pace. The cold air cleared my nose and although a little more tired than usual it felt OK.Today I woke up with one plan, sit on the couch and be a giant sick baby.The plan was going well,had my first coffee brought home by my loving wife after her night shift, watched a little news and generally felt sorry for myself.
 It was at this point I recieved my inspiration to get off the couch, my friend and fellow runner Krista DuChene posted a great entry on her blog entitled perseverance (see it at kristaduchenerunning.blogspot.ca) if it doesn't help you get out the door I don't know what would. I read the entry, layered up in my running gear and headed out the door. There were a few little trails I had wanted to explore around Dundas Valley and I figured a nice slow easy run wouldn't hurt. Ended up having a great time the weather was good and I feel better for having been out.