I'm heading into my third week of having people to run with in the mornings, and I must say it has made putting the miles in a lot more enjoyable. This is also sort of an interesting informal "block" of training in that I'm not really doing specific workouts and actually just doing base mileage, which it seems I haven't really done properly in a few years for a variety of reasons.
Towards the end of our group long run on Saturday, snow started to fall and dusted the trail in white. It got me really amped up and we started bombing down the Hamilton rail trail. I don't know where this excitement derives from really, but it happens to me with the first few snowfalls every year. I think fresh snow is quite pretty, but if there was any doubt that winter is arriving with its fury, that and a windchill of -20 quickly put the issue to bed. Which means thick mittens and doubling up on layers until April. My enthusiasm over its arrival will perish quickly, I will long for warmer temperatures, and yet I get excited all the same. Maybe it's just change I get excited for, with the promise of fresh experiences.
Speaking of experiences, my beloved Ti-Cats were pummelled last night, but at least they made it to the big game! As fans of the Maple Leafs can attest, there's always next year.
Monday 25 November 2013
Sunday 17 November 2013
It's so much fun-akkah to celebrate Hanukkah
I raced the Hannukkah Hustle 10k today in Hamilton. I've previously participated in the 5k, but thought I'd try the longer distance with the hope that some faster guys who usually show up would push me to a decent time. As it turned out, it was quite windy out on course and time became less relevant, but Charles Bedley still took us out quite hard in the downhill first kilometre in 3:06. Bedley has run some incredible times in all distances all the way up to marathon, and now as a masters runner is still putting up fast marks.
In what has become a bit of an unfortunate trend in my races recently, I developed a side stitch in my right abdomen during the race. The difference from prior occurrences was how early it surfaced, just as we moved through that fast first kilometre. As a result I let a gap open between myself and the two leaders, Bedley and a guy in a Mac singlet, but then did my best to stay close while hoping the stitch would pass. Thankfully it didn't worsen and as I closed up the gap the three of us were running as pack for about two kilometres until I put in a slight surge before halfway. From that point onward I was away and rolling to the win in 33:50. Not all that happy with the time once again, but I'll just have to keep working.
Regarding the two goals I set last week, my abdomen and groin have improved but are still not perfect, but running does not seem to effect the issue. I found out the hard way that biking does seem to aggravate what is wrong, but it has improved since. And I've found some training partners who like to run early, so I can start putting in some decent miles with other people for a change.
In unrelated news, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats are going to the Grey Cup! What does this have to do with running? Nothing. But as Hamilton is my home, I would wager that a Ti-Cats win in the Eastern final means a lot more to the citizens of this city than to the ones down the QEW. Hamilton has had a rough go of things since the decline of manufacturing which started well before I was born, and while it truly is only a game, a victory on the field is something you can swell your chest in pride about. It's been 14 years since we last won a Grey Cup after all! And there's a new stadium on the way, some new buildings finally going up in the downtown core, and by all accounts the reputation of the city is improving as a result of various festivals and other initiatives. The changes in even the last ten years have been impressive (despite the folks down at City Hall dragging their heels about just about everything), and while I don't believe it's right to deny what this town is, blue-collar in its roots, I want to see Steeltown shine. This victory puts us in the spotlight once again.
In what has become a bit of an unfortunate trend in my races recently, I developed a side stitch in my right abdomen during the race. The difference from prior occurrences was how early it surfaced, just as we moved through that fast first kilometre. As a result I let a gap open between myself and the two leaders, Bedley and a guy in a Mac singlet, but then did my best to stay close while hoping the stitch would pass. Thankfully it didn't worsen and as I closed up the gap the three of us were running as pack for about two kilometres until I put in a slight surge before halfway. From that point onward I was away and rolling to the win in 33:50. Not all that happy with the time once again, but I'll just have to keep working.
Regarding the two goals I set last week, my abdomen and groin have improved but are still not perfect, but running does not seem to effect the issue. I found out the hard way that biking does seem to aggravate what is wrong, but it has improved since. And I've found some training partners who like to run early, so I can start putting in some decent miles with other people for a change.
In unrelated news, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats are going to the Grey Cup! What does this have to do with running? Nothing. But as Hamilton is my home, I would wager that a Ti-Cats win in the Eastern final means a lot more to the citizens of this city than to the ones down the QEW. Hamilton has had a rough go of things since the decline of manufacturing which started well before I was born, and while it truly is only a game, a victory on the field is something you can swell your chest in pride about. It's been 14 years since we last won a Grey Cup after all! And there's a new stadium on the way, some new buildings finally going up in the downtown core, and by all accounts the reputation of the city is improving as a result of various festivals and other initiatives. The changes in even the last ten years have been impressive (despite the folks down at City Hall dragging their heels about just about everything), and while I don't believe it's right to deny what this town is, blue-collar in its roots, I want to see Steeltown shine. This victory puts us in the spotlight once again.
Monday 11 November 2013
Uncertainty
Coming off the half-marathon I was pretty sore, more than I expected to be honest. I've also been battling some issues in my groin and abdomen, so I decided to take it easy and see how the week progressed. My legs felt oddly out of sync with the rest of my body on when I race for the first time on Wednesday, and again on Friday, but they seem to have come around.
I'm a little unsure of what my next course of action should be now. I have stated to some people that I would like to race the Ottawa Marathon in May if training progresses favourably. However, it's too early to start training specifically for that race, and I admittedly want to do some faster work while also building mileage. I'd also like to do some running with other people given that almost everything I did this fall was solo, and darkness in the mornings and evenings now makes it harder to get out the door. I definitely need some sort of plan here.
This can an issue with self-coaching: doubts can creep in about what you're doing, and what your next step should be. I feel I have a rough handle on the elements that make for good running in the 5k-21k range (note that I said "rough"), but the marathon is a completely different animal, as evidenced by struggles of those in the Schumacher Oregon group (among others). And because the volume of the workouts needs to increase to prepare adequately for the marathon distance, having training partners for even a few days a week is even more crucial.
I'll see what I can do in the next week to:
a) Resolve the abdomen and groin pain
b) Acquire some training partners
And then take it from there.
I'm a little unsure of what my next course of action should be now. I have stated to some people that I would like to race the Ottawa Marathon in May if training progresses favourably. However, it's too early to start training specifically for that race, and I admittedly want to do some faster work while also building mileage. I'd also like to do some running with other people given that almost everything I did this fall was solo, and darkness in the mornings and evenings now makes it harder to get out the door. I definitely need some sort of plan here.
This can an issue with self-coaching: doubts can creep in about what you're doing, and what your next step should be. I feel I have a rough handle on the elements that make for good running in the 5k-21k range (note that I said "rough"), but the marathon is a completely different animal, as evidenced by struggles of those in the Schumacher Oregon group (among others). And because the volume of the workouts needs to increase to prepare adequately for the marathon distance, having training partners for even a few days a week is even more crucial.
I'll see what I can do in the next week to:
a) Resolve the abdomen and groin pain
b) Acquire some training partners
And then take it from there.
Sunday 3 November 2013
A win is a win
I've written in this blog before that I've won very few foot races in my lifetime. So few in fact that I can count them on one hand. I wouldn't be in this sport if all I cared about was winning, since only one person can win on any given day, but I'd also be lying if I said I didn't enjoy the odd victory. 2013 has been good in this regard: I have beefed up the career wins category by three: the Versailles 15k, a Parkrun in Poland, and today at the Hamilton Road2Hope half-marathon.
Recap:
Off the start Fred Karanja, a Kenyan living in the area, took off in the lead in a full Santa Claus suit for what I later learned was for some sort of record attempt. After letting a bit of a gap open while I processed whether Fred was serious or not, I decided to close it up before 3k. For the next seven or so kilometres we rolled together, each of us putting in slight surges that were more about testing the waters than a serious attempt at breaking away. I noticed Fred's breathing seemed to be more laboured than mine and attempted to surge away around 10k, but he remained on the edge of my shadow and I let up soon after. I tried again around the 11k mark and was clear this time, kickstarting 10 kilometres of solo running. I was enjoying myself a fair bit until the final six kilometres when cramping concerns became a serious concern (an issue I'll need to solve if I want to do more longer stuff). I slowed to a pace that would prevent a full blown side stitch and thankfully had enough of a gap over a late charing Michael Gill that I was able to take the win in 1:13:56. The time wasn't great, but for the weather being windy and chilly, I was happy given the circumstances. A win is a win! Fred finished a respectable third in 1:15 and noted how hot the suit had been during the run. I can only imagine...hopefully he got the record he was gunning for.
Recap:
Off the start Fred Karanja, a Kenyan living in the area, took off in the lead in a full Santa Claus suit for what I later learned was for some sort of record attempt. After letting a bit of a gap open while I processed whether Fred was serious or not, I decided to close it up before 3k. For the next seven or so kilometres we rolled together, each of us putting in slight surges that were more about testing the waters than a serious attempt at breaking away. I noticed Fred's breathing seemed to be more laboured than mine and attempted to surge away around 10k, but he remained on the edge of my shadow and I let up soon after. I tried again around the 11k mark and was clear this time, kickstarting 10 kilometres of solo running. I was enjoying myself a fair bit until the final six kilometres when cramping concerns became a serious concern (an issue I'll need to solve if I want to do more longer stuff). I slowed to a pace that would prevent a full blown side stitch and thankfully had enough of a gap over a late charing Michael Gill that I was able to take the win in 1:13:56. The time wasn't great, but for the weather being windy and chilly, I was happy given the circumstances. A win is a win! Fred finished a respectable third in 1:15 and noted how hot the suit had been during the run. I can only imagine...hopefully he got the record he was gunning for.
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