Progress and Time

First blog of 2014, comin' at 'cha! 

Sorry about the late post this week--this really should have been the last blog of 2013, but social activities diverted my attention elsewhere. 

I raced the Boxing Day 10 Miler last Thursday. It was my fourth time doing the race, but unlike the previous editions, the course was different thanks to the bureaucrats at city hall. The organizers did a good job working with what they had, making it essentially an out and back on the waterfront trail. I do miss the escarpment section (yes, even the climbing!) of the old course though. 

The new course was also certainly faster, but how much so I can only speculate. I ran 54:02 this year vs. 55:38 in 2012, finishing sixth behind my training partner Ryan Tice. Regardless, even with the course changes, I'm fairly confident I'm in better shape this year, and I was happy enough with the effort despite having to deal with some cramping in the sixth mile.  

I already sort of re-capped my year in my first post resuming regular blogging back in October, so I won't bother with that again. I will simply say that 2013 on the whole was a very good year for me, even if the final four months since returning from Europe have brought a bit of adversity. The key words in that statement are "a bit". All factors considered, it was probably the best year I've had since I started university. And for that I can only be thankful. 

If I follow the template for how these types of posts are supposed to work, I should probably state some running specific goals for the upcoming year. But to be frank, I don't have specific times in mind as a much as I hope to be consistent as possible over the next 12 months. When I started running seriously, I was better than average but not elite. I continued to improve through high school by running what I thought was a fair bit (though I chuckle when I look back on some of my training logs now) and staying healthy. 

My training at Waterloo became more focused and scientific, but also highly erratic as a result of the work I needed to put into my academics. Following the passing of Terry Goodenough, my mindset shifted from the bigger picture of long term development to the goals I wanted to achieve each season. I had some performances I am particularly proud of, but also spent a lot of time in the wilderness of trying to get into decent shape following a layoff for exams or injury. 

For some reason I got a reputation for being a high mileage runner in university. I will concede that I ran more than most of (if not all) the other guys on the team at Waterloo during the season, but often I was (unsuccessfully) trying to make up for lost time. I have never run more than 110 miles in a single week, and am not sure I have ever strung together even a month averaging over 95 miles. My average mileage values for each year would be depressingly low if I ever felt the urge to calculate them, which I haven't. I am a high mileage advocate, but struggle on the follow-through. 

This is a whole lot of words to say that I want to continue improving this year, and in order to do that I need to run consistently moderate mileage (at the very least) or stick with cross training when issues inevitably creep up. The last five years have been a product of my own design, and the trick will be becoming a consistent runner once again. 

Onward to 2014!  

Gotta live with it

I have personally never liked using genetics as an "excuse" for why one person is able to run significantly faster than another. As the old saying goes, hard work beats talent when talent doesn't work. The East Africans that become champions work very hard indeed, often over a period of many years. Mo Farah was mediocre on the world level until he switched up his training after joining Alberto Salazar (I hope it's really only strength training that resulted in such dramatic improvements). However, I cannot disregard the fact that genetic potential is a reality; if I started training tomorrow to become a sprinter and run equivalent performances to my longer distance PBs, I believe it unlikely if not impossible that I would achieve such a goal. 


When I stop and think about it, my body spends a lot of time and effort suggesting that I am not built to be a runner at all. Overuse injuries aside, I have some peculiar issues that make running less than ideal. 

For starters, I don't seem to be built for any particular climate, hot or cold. In the winter I have to layer up my extremities more than would seem logical, wearing thick mittens on my hands, with the material from the arms of my long sleeve pulled up as far over my wrists as they will stretch. I tuck the bottoms of my tights into my socks in order to prevent inevitable frost bite if I leave my ankles exposed below zero. In running with many groups over the years I have learned that neither of these levels of protection is necessary for most of the general running population. Despite my efforts, the skin on the front of my ankles often still darkens from exposure over the course of the winter and I often lose feeling in my wrists and hands by the end of runs on particularly cold days. 

In warmer temperatures, I sweat excessive amounts in comparison to just about anyone I've ever run with. I would love to be tested just to see what my perspiration rate is, because I can almost guarantee if would be several standard deviations above the normal level measured. One of the more daunting prospects of running a marathon is my expected fluid loss, and by extension how much liquid I will have to consume to keep within the range that does not result in diminishing performance.


It seems I'm more aptly built for sweating competitions they have on gameshows in Japan than for running. But I enjoy it enough, so I guess I'll just keep running. 

This past week was a good one from a mileage standpoint. I'll be interested to see how the Boxing Day 10 Miler goes and if there's any residual lead in my legs. 

A bite from the cold

A large portion of North America has been experiencing below average temperatures for December. Southern Ontario hasn't avoided this trend, and I had my first instance of frozen elbows since the previous winter on Thursday. 

The undefined problem around my 2nd and 3rd metatarsals of my left foot seems to have disappeared with the help of a few days off. Needless to say I didn't end up running a whole bunch this week, but got a faster effort in on Thursday and a long run on Saturday, so it wasn't a complete wash. 

Results and Analysis

I won't beat around the bush- here's what went down with my experiment: 

My 5th metatarsal on my left foot didn't worsen after I adjusted to landing more on my forefeet. In fact it started feeling quite a bit better as the week progressed. 

But...the 5th metatarsal on my right foot started to hurt in what I believe was a result of more forefoot running. I took a day off to be sure it didn't worsen, and once that initial concern was over with I was back in the game. I ran for 2 hours on Saturday feeling alright, though my left foot was again a bit sore more towards my 2nd and 3rd metatarsals, probably because my shoe was a bit loose during the run and allowed the metatarsal pad to shift. 

On Sunday I felt an intense pain in my left foot within the 10 minutes of running, and though I eventually found a suitable placement for the pad that allowed me to hobble home, the damage appeared to be done. 

So what did I learn? 

Well, despite the setbacks that did occur, none of what I experienced was a worsening of pain in my 5th metatarsal on my left foot. I proved that running through that issue isn't complete stupidity...BUT...I need to be careful how changing my foot strike can impact the rest of my body, especially my right foot (this really should be obvious I suppose). As for this new pain on my left foot, it's more localized in the 2nd and 3rd metatarsals as I mentioned...in fact closer to the original issue I was having with my foot back when it all started in 2010. 

This is a scheduled down week, so I can let this new problem resolve itself...I'm hoping it's nothing exciting. 

Experimentation for the future

I might be embarking on the road to injury, via Stupidity Way. As I've chronicled a bit in this blog, I've been burdened with issues with my left foot for a little over 3 years now. Originally the pain was focused around the metatarsals of my 2nd and 3rd toes, but from using a metatarsal pad to take pressure off this area, flare ups in my 5th metatarsal are more common now. Last January at the start of the track season the pain was intense enough that I thought I had a stress fracture, but a re-adjustment of the pad and some days off had me rolling again in a few days. During my half-marathon build up this fall, I experienced another flare-up. This time I added another layer to the metatarsal pad (after experimenting with other solutions) and found it helped immensely. 

This past week I've been experiencing pain again, and against my better judgment I'm going to push through. My logic is this: if I want to run a decent marathon, I need to be able to handle the training load, which includes a heavy dose of high mileage. If I can't handle consistent weeks of high mileage in the base phase, I'll crumble when I add in workouts with a specific purpose. So this week will be an experiment. I could injure myself, thereby learning that pushing through the flare-up will get me no where, or I could learn something else about my limits. This will probably end badly...but I'm treating it as an experiment for the future. 

Help carrying the weight

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. 

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.

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. 

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. 

2013

I've gone most of the year without writing a blog post. This is a bit embarrassing given I have notably called out people who fail to update their blogs (assuming of course they haven't written a final post to say "sayonara followers, I'm no longer writing!"). The past year has produced some of the highlights and lowlights for both my running and my life. I can't possibly summarize it all and do it justice, so I'll just provide some stats as of this writing:

4 PBs set: 4:06(i) 1500m, 8:45(i) 3000m, 10k road(+) 32:56 (en route in a 15k race), 15k road 49:27
1 Degree Earned: Bachelor of Applied Science, Honours Chemical Engineering
5 weeks spent in Jonquiere, Quebec: For the Explore program learning French
9 European countries visited: England, France, Switzerland, Italy, Poland, Germany, Belgium, The Netherlands, Scotland
3 Parkruns: 1 in London, 1 in Krakow, 1 in Edinburgh

The 15k race was held on the Palace of Versailles grounds (the start is pictured above). I actually finished tied for first with Menouar Benfodda (green shirt in the centre), after catching him around the 5k mark and agreeing to share the workload. Passing 10k in 32:56 had me already satisfied, and to hold the same pace for another 5k (with it being quite a humid day) and finish holding hands with Menouar in victory was one of the best running experiences I've ever had. While it was technically a road race, there was also a large portion run on grass, so I consider it one of my best performances to date. 

I'm racing the Road2Hope half-marathon next Sunday after a fall of pretty mediocre races which I've mainly been using to get myself into shape. I'm hoping I can pop out a good one since training hasn't gone terrible as of late despite some setbacks related to the metatarsals of my left foot once again.