Mixed Surface Training for Fast Results

   I love running trails,spring,summer,fall or winter I really enjoy being out as far as I can get on whatever dirt surface comes my way. That being said I have come to realize that there is a certain benefit to training  on other surfaces as well to really maximize your potential as a runner.
  The trail will train your strength and agility ,you learn quickly how to scan further ahead and plan your footsteps through technical sections. Winter running can be especially good for this in southern Ontario as the trails are usually multi-use in nature and horses bikes and day hikers on a warm day can leave a really rough trail surface that leaves no time for day dreaming or distraction. The various ways of transforming your footwear for winter, traction aids or snowshoes make your feet significantly heavier supplying an added training benefit. The trails also teach you quickly how to change up your stride for sudden inclines or wild descents were it is everything you can do just to remain upright.


Haliburton,Ontario.Fast downhill but watch your step.
 

   Road running has the distinct benefit of being able to focus on consistent fast pace without having to pay attention to the placement of every step,also the grades are significantly more gradual to allow vehicles the benefit of staying on all four tires.  This consistent fast running pays off huge when you return to the trail as you become much more comfortable with the quick turnover and find yourself naturally moving at this new pace.Choosing your routes to travel down quieter country roads allows you to avoid traffic and take time to look around and enjoy the view.


Paris,Ontario

  Finally there is the treadmill, viewed by some as good others as evil, it has real benefits if used as part of a mixed surface training schedule. Don't let it become your escape from winter running because you'll be sure to miss out on the benefits of the strength training supplied by the snow and psychological effect of surviving the worst winter can throw at you,but don't be afraid to use it either. Real benefits can be gained from a treadmill run,not relying entirely on yourself to set the pace but being at the mercy of the rotating belt is a great tool for speed work or tempo runs in the dead of winter. Also being able to set the room temperature with a treadmill in the house can give you a real advantage in  hot or humid race conditions that may occur early in the year.
      At the end of the day this is just my personal opinion, the trails are still my first love but there is a great deal of fun to be found in flying down a country road or soaking your clothes in sweat during a speed session in the middle of January. After all variety is the spice of life right?





February Sun

 It might still be cold but there is nothing like a sunny day in February to give you that feeling that winter is losing its grip and soon the layers will start coming off. Today offered some perfect winter conditions with it being cold enough to be hard packed snow but the sun gave just enough warmth to encourage some really fast splits through the less technical sections of trail. Thought I'd share a couple pics from the run.

 

Winter Single Track

A  Really Welcome Sign

Stopping for a Gu Energy Gel to enjoy the view

                                              View from the High Point of the route

Winter Strength for Spring Speed

Winter is definitely not the easiest time to motivate yourself to run, there are countless excuses to skip a training day. The upside to winter training is that the conditions and piles of clothing force us to slow our pace a little and focus on the strength portion of our training. Giant leaps forward can be made by just taking that first step out the door. Having a variety of footwear ready to go helps as well. I keep a couple pairs of Brooks Cascadias  in the winter rotation of shoes, one pair has 8 screws per shoe ,one pair 16 depending on just how bad the trail conditions are. Also this year my wonderful wife and sister bought me a pair of snowshoes which means I can continue to run trails as long as it doesn't turn into a pot holed icy mess which lucky for me has only happened twice so far this year.

Snow shoe run, first tracks on the hill
 

               Pick a spring race to have a goal and enjoy the trials of winter running,the results are guaranteed to pay off with increases in speed this spring. As an added bonus your going to see some beautiful winter scenery that everyone stuck in front of their television are going to miss for sure.

If that's still not enough to get out try Gu Energy's new Salted Caramel Gel, tastes so good its like having a forbidden dessert on your run.

Happy New Year!

   If nothing else running has taught me absolutely nothing is impossible, if you decide to do something and follow that decision with a lot of effort sometimes you achieve things you never imagined.
  December 24th I received an email from Gu Energy informing me I had been accepted into the 2014 Gu Energy Pro program, an amazing opportunity for someone who consumes gels at the rate I do. Had you told me when I started running as an overweight ex-smoker that I'd be receiving endorsements to do something I love I probably would have laughed at you. I remember like it was yesterday the feeling at the end of one of my first runs over 30 km, the group had turned left to add on a couple extra kilometres  and I was in a very basic survival mode just trying to keep up a steady movement on the quickest route back to my car. Today I ran that route just for fun and added on the couple extra while picking up the pace for the last 5k, tomorrow I'll repeat it again as I start to ramp up distance to build for another year of racing.
   I took some time to relax after the Road to Hope Marathon and let things heal up again as the speed work right after the Haliburton Forest 100 left me feeling pretty sore. I took the time to go out for a couple group runs with some amazing people I have met through the Ultra community and am feeling inspired to start training again. This year will be a very similar training plan to last year with the exception of some speed work on the new treadmill, I never thought I would enjoy this but after a month of having it I can appreciate the time savings of being able to incorporate speed work and laundry into the same hours of the day.

That's it for now, wishing everyone a happy new year and may your first step out the door come easy.

Road 2 Hope

 

   During the short training period I had for the Hamilton Marathon I continually heard the same thing  "a marathon, that's like a sprint for you right".This or "that will be a walk in the park for you",it would be nice if this was anywhere near the truth.The truth is the marathon hurts,every time,no matter what you've run before. Ultras are a long drawn out period of pain,the mind adjusts and sometimes even forgets the pain but in a marathon you jam all that pain into a full speed assault on a 42km run and just hope you hold it together until the finish. There was definitely some advantage in the fact that mentally the distance was not nearly as intimidating as it had once been.
    Training for this event was largely based on shorter tempo runs, my friend Henry once told me you can't run a three hour marathon without running a forty minute 10k first and I used that theory as the building block in my training.The sudden switch to pavement after a whole year of trail running played havoc on my Achilles and feet,while it was a lot of fun to hammer out some shorter runs I'm looking forward to the return to soft muddy trails.
   Race day temps were perfect and I had a sub three hour goal in mind. Gord from Hamilton Runners Den had recommended holding pace and letting the downhill in the second half help me run a negative split in the second half unfortunately the wind had other ideas. The turn onto the downhill section brought little to no advantage this year,the wind was pushing hard into my face all the way down leaving me feeling like there was very little left in the tank when we got back into a more sheltered section. Looking back at  my Garmin I actually accelerated after the downhill. The end result,3:00:41 a personal best in the marathon by 15:19 . I definitely have no regrets,every race is a stepping stone and I really think the sub 3 is coming yet.

  Road 2 Hope Marathon is a great event,it's well organized and the course is definitely fast and interesting,if your looking for that Boston Qualifier this is the race to do it in!

Now back to some mud!

 

The October Wind Down

  It feels great to be able to let go of the strict training schedule for a little while and just enjoy running for the fun of it.Sure the Road to Hope Marathon is just around the corner but the key races I really wanted to focus on are over and there are no major injuries to contend with so I'm happy. I ran a little on the road through the end of September and first two weeks of October but with the leaves changing and cool weather coming  it was time to give the feet a break and get back on the trails again.

  I'm  looking forward to racing in Hamilton this weekend, the marathon course is fast and the thrill of the start line of a big race is always an awesome feeling. On the other hand I'm also looking forward to the slow build of miles on some beautiful trails leading into another winter of strength training, I'm sure there is a little more speed in these legs just a matter of coaxing it out.

P.S. Gu Energy has a new flavour "Salted Caramel" this should definitely help in the snow it tastes amazing.

Exciting news Hamilton Runners Den with the co operation of Brooks will be taking care of my Cascadia needs next year. Runners Den has always been great to me and I can't say enough about how much I love the Cascadia!

Haliburton 100 Mile Victory

 

 

The elusive Haliburton victory is finally mine,still hard to believe. I ran the course this year in 18.36:03 a personal best for me in this race by more than an hour.Trying to summarize everything that went into this race will be tough,but first and most importantly I need to thank my wife Robyn,between the long hours training and trying to balance our busy schedules she does an amazing job supporting me.Waiting at a finish line for almost 19 hours for someone to finish a race while hearing horror stories of injuries in the forest and bear sightings has to be a ridiculously stressful event in itself,but she does it for me time and again.

 

The race went really smooth this year,trails were in good condition and the weather was as good as it gets for a September race.I ran a large portion of the first half of the race with my friend Mitch who was completing his first 50 miler and had a great race with a second place finish,having someone to run with for this long in a race was a first for me and a welcome diversion from the job at hand.Going into the second half of the race there was the feeling of running out front with no idea of how close second place was keeping the pressure on so I continued to push as hard as possible.Haliburton is a double out and back course with a loop at the end so as I started to see some familiar faces of friends and other racers I received excellent motivation.You cant help but be inspired watching each individual runner work through their own struggles,everyone travels through highs and lows during these long events and the cheering and smiles from everyone along the way really helps keep you thinking positive.Near the end of the race my stomach was giving me some difficulty,I think it was largely due to the humidity of the day and miscalculating my salt intake early on in the race.The last 10k was a struggle but the aid station volunteers were amazing,a few huge smiles and handshakes and I pulled it together for a strong run into the finish.

 

Haliburton is a very beautiful course and I definitely encourage anyone to try one of the events there,Helen, the race director puts her heart and soul into the event and it really shows.The fact that it is a more remote location encourages everyone to camp on site and the result is more of a family reunion feel than a race,if you get the chance go,you won't regret it.

 

My gear for this race was the Sugoi Titan 2 in 1 short and Ready T,these shorts are amazingly comfortable and light. Shoes were of my Brooks Cascadias as usual they performed perfect with not a single blister after 100 miles and for a first time I didn't even lose any more toenails.

 

Thanks again to all my friends for the congratulations and encouragement,I am truly blessed by all of you.