Pogo stick

An up and down week to say the least. Let's get this post rolling…

A couple things happened to me for the first time at the Waterloo Classic 5K this past Sunday. The first was that I dipped under 16 minutes on the road, despite feeling the effects later on of passing through the first kilometre in a fraction over 3 minutes. The second novelty was a reward for my efforts: $50 cash for my third place finish. 

I want to state right off the bat that running fast gives me all the satisfaction I'd ever require. If I have to choose between prizes or quick times, I'd choose a good effort 10 times out of 10. But since most races insist on providing participants with some sort of finishing medal, it's really nice to see of that money being used towards a cash prize for once. Despite competing in road races since grade nine, I can't once recall actually winning any money. Most races I've done don't even offer straight cash to top finishes, which can still be okay if something comparable such as gift certificates are offered- as long as they are a reasonable dollar amount. Last December I ran a race in Hamilton that awarded gift certificates to the winners that were less than the entry fee. I finished second and was presented with a whole $10 to be used at the Running Room. Anyone that has ever browsed through John Stanton's chain of stores knows that $10 isn't enough to even purchase a pair of socks, never mind any else of practical use. Had I gotten the win, my winnings would have amounted to $25, with a net loss of $15 when taking into account the entry fee. Now I don't run races just to pick up prize money, but with over 400 finishes and a bevy of finishing medals and t-shirts available, I don't see how even offering to pay back the entries for the top 10 finishers would hurt the overall profitability of a race. Especially considering I don't need nor do I want another finishing medal to clutter my house or end up in a landfill. A better scenario would see the price of a race entry decrease by doing away with medals and t-shirts altogether. If the run raises some money for a local charity (and many do these days) that means that the price can remain reasonable with most of the proceeds still going to a good cause. More often than not the shirts provided are irrationally ugly and made of obviously cheap dry-fit material that chafes like sandpaper anyhow. I can probably survive buying my own running shirts that are functional, easy on the eyes and not a walking billboard for the local fun run. 

All of these reasons make twilight track races seem like a gift from the heavens. For an entry fee usually around $15, you buy yourself a spot on the line, and (assuming you finish) a time beside your name on the results page. There are no frills- just a chance to race your best with a group of other guys there to do the exact same thing. The only reward for running fast is the personal satisfaction that comes with it, which is the best perk in my opinion anyhow. 

…but this means it sort of sucks when you're banking on a little personal satisfaction and come up empty with a weak effort. For my second race of the week, I ran 4:10 over 1500 metres on Friday,  but it would really be a  stretch to call what I was doing "racing".  I was at the back of the pack at the start, but never moved up and eventually fell off as the race heated up. There was a 10 second spread between the winner of the heat (4:02) and the slowest finisher, so there was more than enough bodies to chase. But my legs ached through 800m as if they were being over-stretched, and my chest burned like I was racing indoors. Looking at a video of the race was telling- I looked pretty defeated my last lap. 

I've been struggling to determine what went wrong. Granted, my mileage this summer has been pitiful by my standards, and that always tends to hurt my performances at any distance. But I felt good enough both Sunday and Tuesday (during a brutally hot workout) that I thought the pieces would come together for a good time. Devon and Justin both had great races for personal bests, so what could my excuse be? 

I'm hoping that it was just a bad day. I briefly entertained thoughts of not running the 5000 in London two weeks from now, but figured my road performance has the potential to translate alright onto the track. This is assuming my foot holds. It's been hurting this past week, and since I've determined the Asics mess up my IT band even if they save my foot from taking a beating, I've got to be careful with my choice of shoes at the moment. Wish me luck! 

Back on the track

I'll admit it- I'm a total hypocrite. How can I possibly complain about other bloggers not providing a regular update if I don't do so myself? Not that it's a valid excuse, but the past two weeks have been pretty rough in the school department. I haven't slept nearly as much as I've wanted to, and I feel like my body is paying the price now. Regardless, it's time for another running update- sorry about the delay. 

My last post alluded to my pitiful lack of speed and confidence on the track at the time of writing. Since that post, I've done three workouts on the track. The first was one was simply vicious given the lack of any prior speed training: 800m tempo followed by 2x400 w/ 100 jog b/w, 3 minutes rest, 3x300 w/ 100 jog b/w, 3 min rest, 3x300 w/ 100 jog b/w. The 300s and 400s were all significantly under current race pace, and hurt a fair bit. This preluded my summer debut on the track, a 3000 in London last Sunday.

I was asked about my race goals and expectations by a few people prior to the gun that evening, and given my total lack of confidence, said under 9:20 would be an okay day, and 9:05 would be a pretty good one. I've always found it tough to predict a performance with little to no track work- I'm never sure how my body will respond to any pace. 

As we lined up, we were told Matt Suda would be pacing for 8:50 (the cut-off between the slower heat and the fast guys toeing the line later). Off the start, I got out slow and was spiked twice in the first hundred metres as I made the snap decision to move up and follow the group going with Suda. My racing instincts rewarded me this time- the gap opened in that first lap wouldn't close for the rest of the race. 

Settling in behind the rest of the group, I passed through the first kilometre in around 2:57. It didn't feel terrible, but I also couldn't go any faster, and so was content to sit on message board legend and Master extraordinaire Steve Boyd. His pace remained steady past 1500m, where I began to drop back into no-man's land and had to grit it out for the second half of the race. 

Coming into the final 200 metres I heard the split and knew I needed to run under 35 seconds to break nine. For most decent track runners I'd say this is not overly difficult to do the worst of times, but my best effort towards the finish still only snuck me under the barrier by 25 one-hundredths of a second. Regardless, it was a positive result given my expectations, and I was moderately happy about it until I realized I was faster at the start of indoor track season in January. 

Track workouts on Tuesday and Thursday this past week were run on remarkably little sleep; Tuesday took the title for the week though with only 1 hour, non-consecutive. 

Despite less than ideal recovery, I banged out some decent enough 600s with the boys in the wind on Tuesday. Thursday Liam and I decided to do some 1Ks and averaged 3:05 for five of the last six after opening up in 3 flat (2 minutes recovery) on a day where the conditions at Resurrection were actually ideal for a change. I was pleased with the effort, and am hoping it translates to a decent 5K tomorrow at the Waterloo Classic. 

I'm hoping mileage creeps up again soon. It seems school or injuries are happening on alternating schedules to make sure I can't run as much as I desire. I'm hoping issues with my IT band stay quiet as school calms down for a couple weeks. 

Rain on the parade

Yesterday was miserable weather to do just about anything. So after running 60 minutes in the rain and cold of the early morning and having wet feet after biking around campus during the day, I wasn't feeling the least bit excited to meet Justin for an evening slog (even though I had made the initial suggestion that we run in the evening). 

My decision to make this the first easy day double in a few weeks was poorly planned. The 5PM timeframe coincided with a torrential downpour of biblical proportions that only increased in volume as we waded through the creek formally known as Erb Street. After reaching the Line, the only motivation for continuing stemmed from the knowledge that the wind was actually at our backs, leaving us with an even more unpleasant second half for our out-and-back. 

On our return trip, we were reduced to squinting and groaning as the rain and wind pelted us like a rigged game of Whac-a-mole. I remarked that it was the wettest run I had ever done, and Justin agreed with the sentiment- the rain had never let up, instead alternating between bad and brutal. 

Not surprisingly, my legs were sore this morning, especially my hamstrings. Justin and I met up with Dave at Resurrection in order to pace him through a tough workout: 3 x 800 on full recovery, progressing from current to goal pace for 1500. We were both quite confident that hitting Dave's prescribed paces would come easy, and planned to do some 400s in between each 800 while he recovered. 

The first 800 was a complete shock to the system. Aiming to run 2:22, we came through 400 in 75, and closed in 70. The wind on the home stretch was strong, but I was absolutely expecting to hit the proper paces. 

The rest of the workout did not go any better. We managed to hit 2:20 on the second 800, two seconds slow, and for the final 2-lapper could only pull Dave through 400 before turning him loose to hammer home on his own (which he did successfully). 

I'll admit to being disappointed. Injuries aside, a 70 second 400 should not feel hard at this point in the season, and it completely saps out any excitement I may have felt on Thursday. 

Twenty days until London 1500m night. I have a need for speed. 

Sunday: Ottawa Half Marathon (1:28) 

Monday: 53 minutes

Tuesday: 4.8 miles am + 3.5k w/u, 3x(4x 2 min w/ 1 min jog), 3 minutes jog b/w sets, 4x150m fast, 3.5 k c/d

Wednesday: 61 minutes 

Thursday: 4.8 miles am + 4k w/u, 12x300 w/ 90sec b/w, 4k c/d

Friday: 60 min am + 55 min PM 

Saturday: 4k w/u, 800-400-800-400-400 (2:25, 69, 2:20, 67, 66), 3x80m easy stride, 4k c/d