Barrie Half Marathon

No no the blog isn't dead, there have just been so many things going on lately that I haven't had a minute to sit and update you all on the current state of affairs. Let me start by just giving a quick recap on what I've been up to the last couple months, and where I plan to go from here. If you don't remember after Around the Bay, for the second year in a row, I got injured. What's new right. This one though really came out of the blue. With previous injuries, I've usually been able to see them coming for a while, or really just ran through injuries until the point where I can't physically make a stride then take time off. This one was had a real quick progression from feeling something a little weird, a tight kind of feeling in my right hip after the race, then two days later could barely walk. Was forced to take an entire 28 days completely off running to rehab the injury, which was most likely according to both my own judgement and my clinical instructor (a top physiotherapist in Ontario) that I had a tear in a couple muscles in my hip. One of those muscles (tensor fascia latae) is a critical stabilizer to the whole hip, and proper functioning of the knee hinges on it, the other was most likely pectinues (a hip flexor, internal rotator of the hip, adductor, as well as critical for pelvic stability). Don't ask me how I managed this, cause I have no clue. But anyways, by no means did this mean I couldn't still train. Biking didn't seem to hurt the leg, and I captured my love of cycling once again. I bike over 300k per week for the first 3 weeks, then just under 500k (488km) the fourth week. Also swam a shade under 30k per week during that time period. Starting to love training like a triathlete so much I got inspired and bought a true time trial bike. Her name is Elektra. This Cervelo P2 is a lightning fast spitfire on the tarmac, waiting patiently to be unleashed on the triathlon scene.

But before then there are other matters that must be settled. In May, I made my comeback. It was a really slow start but the hip started to progress one run at a time. In the month I ran 425k, biked 1600k, and swam 80k, plus did 20 hours of strength training. One solid month. For the majority of the month, I thought that the Barrie Half Marathon was June 20, and figured I would be able to get ready in time to put fourth a decent effort to try to win for the third straight year. However, I found out not too long ago that the race was actually June 7, and this put a lot of pressure on me to rush the hip pretty substantially, and had to do a couple workouts to see where I was at. Last Monday (May 25) did my first workout in over 2 months, tried and true mile repeats. Starting with 4 of them trying to just feel it out and let the pace come to me. I went about as good as it could have. The pace wasn't staggering, but it was decent, only problem was that it was just at half marathon pace, and it felt real fast, almost like I was sprinting. That Thursday, I tried a tempo run and same thing, the hip wasn't too bad, just felt a lot harder than the pace would indicate. I've probably pushed way too hard to get back, since about 4 weeks ago I started feeling a couple bumps in the hip just medial and inferior to the ASIS (the bone you can palpate at the front of your hip). Well they went from being able to feel a couple slight bumps and thinking that it was just inflammation in the area that collected in the lymph nodes (a big network of them at that part of the hip), to being able to feel 4 distinct perfectly round and freely moveable nodules. Just like last fall this is probably a good indication that I got more calcific tendinitis due to poor repairing of the muscle tear. But I can run, it hurts like the dickens for about the first 15-20 minutes of every run, then feels progressively better. However, it definitely has affected my stride on that side. During the weight bearing portion on the right leg it hurts the most, and I'm thinking its just those little calcium buggers basically getting squished and impinged on the muscle. To compensate, and this was especially evident early in my comeback based on both the wear patterns on my shoes and the auditory feedback I was getting on ground-contact, my left foot is striking the ground much harder than my right and the last 2 weeks I've been getting some oo too familiar pain on the medial border of that "someday will be graphite" tibia. Well you might say, this really sounds like a pretty bad cycle that I'm getting into now, but Monday did 7X1 miles and it actually was solid. Not solid given my status, but solid in that if I did that last year I would have been somewhat content with the effort. Then Wednesday did a 9k tempo at projected half marathon pace, and again it went pretty well. I mean still not 100% but its run-able and decided to give it a go for this Sunday. Why you ask. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if me the two-time back-to-back champion didn't at least try to defend my title. If at 6k, where there is a steep hill which is giving me some nightmares right now and making me real nervous, there is a good amount of pain in the hip, I'm calling it there, and I'll know that I tried. I say that now, but this time I'm going to try my best to stick to the plan. For me, I know even if I feel some real pain in the hip, I'm not the type of person to pull off and sulk on the side of the road. Normally, I will push myself to keep going until I can't physically lift my foot off the ground, but I will try to constantly remind myself during the race that the future in more important, and while this race seems like the be all and end all right now it's not. However, based on this weeks two workouts, I can give it a decent effort. This race will definitely be about aerobic strength and nothing else because really with only 2 real workouts under my belt going into the race, I'm relying about 100% of my aerobic fitness that I have build up not only the last few months, but for last 5 years in change of training. The tempo run was a good start knowing at least that I could go 9k at race effort, but let me tell you thinking that there is 12k to go after that is scaring the hell out of me. I was pretty tuckered out after that, and going into the race with less mileage and less workout time that ever is intimidating. What I do have going for me is knowing that if I can push myself for 5 hours straight on every Sat and Sun for the last 6 weeks or so, pushing till I've bonked completely numerous times, or a few Sunday's ago yacking right on the lawn after, I can  push myself for 70 something minutes. It will not be a PB, and whether I win or not I will be proud of myself for trying my best. So wish me luck that the hip holds up, and allows me to be able to grind through 13.1 miles and finish.

Race Report: Bay 5km

Maybe it is possible to sometimes hype yourself up so much to do something that you actually dig yourself into a hole by making that accomplishment seam like some mythical far fetched goal. Well that was basically my Sunday wrapped up in a poorly worded statement. I think I made sub 15 seem so glorious in my mind, that I actually somehow psyched myself out. I can't tell you how many things went wrong in this race since it literally seemed doomed from the get-go. I figured sub 15 was possible given my strong showing in workouts leading into the race. Two weeks ago I did 5X1km in 2:58/km avg, with only 90 second rest. Couple days before that was 25X200 in 33ish 2:45/km after a 5k tempo with a very short rest, did 12X400 at pace after a 5k tempo, 6X800 at pace and under, and then 8X600 in 2:55/km avg the wednesday before the race which was especially motivating since for some reason I just hate 600s, no problem with 400s or 800s, but 600s seem to beat me up from the inside out and doing them successfully for really the first time ever the wednesday before the race gave me a whirlwind of confidence. While all these hard workouts among others (like a 10k tempo in mid 33) were in the bank arriving in Hamilton Sunday morning, for the first time in months my mind started thinking about something else than the clock, and that was the weather. It was cold, and incredibly windy with wind gusting close to 50km/hr. I figured I would need to hammer the back half of the race where I would at least have help from the wind, but was incredibly nervous for the first half were it would be uphill York Blvd's hill and into the wind. One thing I will say is that despite competition being better at big races, I'm really not a big fan of them. Just like how I don't like downtown Toronto, or downtown Hamilton for that matter, I don't like the chaos that surrounds the start line of big races. Unlike small races where I can warmup in peace and quite and think about nothing but my game plan, rehearsing over and over in my mind the feelings I will encounter while out on course, and my plan of action for various course segments, then toss my warmups aside seconds before the gun, in big races people are walking across right in front of me while I'm warming up, and you usually need to start lining up and tossing your warmups well before the gun because it is difficult to connect with whomever is holding your stuff moments before the race. This race was no different, not saying that I didn't warmup well or anything but standing at the start line for 8 minutes without moving right before the gun since the race for some reason started late didn't help. After the delay the gun sounded and we were off, and within about 5 seconds my mind was once again wandering. Pressed start on my watch but nothing happened, pressed start again and again and still nothing. No joke the first 30 seconds or so of the race I had my head down looking at my watch, running fast still, but not really paying attention to what was around me or going on. Once I finally got the watch to start the four leaders were up well in front of me pushing the early pace, and I knew not even a quarter mile into the race that I was in trouble. The leaders were probably a good 10 seconds ahead if not more, and around me a group of 6 guys was forming and now we were turning onto York heading right into the stiff wind and uphill. I had two choices, get stuck in behind this group and draft my way up the hill and then try to close hard in the second half or try to bridge the gap between the two groups on my own into the wind and uphill. I decided to stay with the second group but quickly realized this was the wrong decision. Not entirely sure how fast the first kilometre was since my watch was started late, but based on where my watch beeped obviously after the actual 1km mark it was probably in the 3:07 range (my watch said 3:08 but it had missed the first few hundred meters which are usually quite fast). I felt like I was jogging with this group and initially had thought wow I must be feeling really good right now since the pace felt really comfortable, but instead it was actually because we were going very slow. I had to leave this group and surge up to one straggler who had fallen off the lead pack. I got him relatively quickly, and soon realize he was also going quite slow. I said out loud to him at this point, "Let's work together here to catch the leader well ahead by now," but obviously he didn't really know what that meant. I intended on him tucking in behind me for a bit to shield from the wind and draft while I push the pace hard, then he could come in front of me well I take a rest bite in behind him. Instead though he stayed on my right shoulder, and I started getting annoyed since this wasn't helping anyone. Suffice to say my mind was wandering and not even thinking about sub 15 anymore. Honestly, I just lost my focus right from the gun and the watch fiasco and struggled to regain my focus. I had built this race and going sub 15 up and this epic thing and yet it went by so quickly. Before I knew it had 1 km to go, and was wishing I could take a mulligan on this one. I tried going hard that last kilometres but still just like the rest of the race despite my body feeling fine, and feeling like jogging, I couldn't seem to get out of fourth gear. Don't know what it was, maybe I was just so demoralized by the first kilometre since I knew for sub 15 it would take a near perfectly executed race. Anyways strolled across the line in 15:46, about 50 seconds off my predicted time, in fact slower than the 10k pace that I was intending on going for the Yonge St. 10k April 19th. Wasn't even out of breathe at the end, just incredibly disappointed and confused at what had just happened. How could I run so slow, with my body feeling so good - for the time being at least.

I say for the time being since after the race during my cool down, where I spend the majority of the time angrily talking to myself, I felt some tightness in my right hip (in the fall it was my left hip). I thought it was probably just some usual post-race soreness, and brushed it aside. Drove back to Thornhill in silence, angry, and then even more angry when I realized halfway back that I had in fact won the 20-24 age group, and would've won a prize. Now even though I didn't feel like I deserved a prize, I still thought well if someone gave me some gift card and some apparel or something it might make me feel a little better. I was so upset when I got back I wanted to do a workout, since I really didn't feel the race took a lot out of me, and it's what I've been doing for the last year or so after shorter races. But three intervals in that tightness/pain/cramping feeling returned to my right hip, and cut the workout short. Jogged back home, ice bathed and thought that was the end of it. Monday the hip was sore in the morning, but throughout the day it felt better and better, and by 6 when I started my run it was fine. The first little bit of the run it felt sore, but nothing crazy. Halfway in it started feeling marginally better but then the last 6-7k was agonizingly painful, and had to stop a couple times to stretch it which didn't seem to help. That night it was brutally painful to palpation, and on stretch, and then in the morning the familiar feeling that I had experienced in the fall was back. I was struggling to weight bear on the right leg, and couldn't go up the stairs leading with my right. So taking the day off running, and thoughts of the fall's injury are flooding through my mind. Is this going to be another 3.5 month injury like the last one. Originally I was even planning and about to sign up on Sunday for the Jordan 5km to give sub 15 another go, but now my mind is thinking will I even be running the Yonge St 10, or the Scotiabank Ottawa Half Marathon. I cannot afford another injury, and really it was only in March that I finally stopped feeling the discomfort in my left hip. So even though I was running in December, it was really like 6 months before I think I completely healed. Feel's like Deja vu after last year Around the Bay had me on the sideline and unable to compete in the spring race I had signed up and paid for.

Frosty 5k and Training Update

As you already know this past weekend I was competing in the Frosty 5km in Burlington. It is part of the VRpro race series, and the Chilly Half Marathon was also being run, which was won by Reid Coolsaet. Arrived to the race in good time for a good long warmup run, drills, and strides. Other than my back still really bugging me, it was great to breathe the fresh air of the outdoors, not the dry desert air of the indoor track. Before the race I had thought that the competition would be pretty good, but within the first 100m of the race, I knew I would be pushing the pace from the front. The first kilometre went exactly as planned - run a sub 3 to build a little buffer. I was gunning for 15:25 (3:05/km) to act as a tune up for Around the Bay. Second kilometre was perfect as well, running a 3:05. My stride felt pretty good, nice and quick, not crazy long, but a fast cadence. First kilometre averaged 1.75m strides with 192 steps/min, and second k was 1.64m strides with 198 steps/min. Third k was still feeling good, and saw at the turn around that the win was in the bag, but I wasn't here for the win, I was hear to put up a time. Third was 3:05, still 1.64m strides with 198 step/min, so clearly in a good rhythm. Fourth k was a little rough, my left hamstring started tightened up a bit, and a small hill took a little bite out of my legs, but still got through it in 3:08.8, stride length was 1.63m and cadence slowed to 195 steps/min. But refocused and came storming back to run a 3:02 to the finish  peaking at 215 steps/min. Overall time was 15:21 beating my actual PB by 19 seconds from last year. Definitely was a good hard effort, and really took something away from the race. Basically, I strongly believe that running fast obviously takes a tonne of training and hard work, but I think the mental aspect perhaps has even more of an impact. For instance, during the fourth kilometre I could feel my hamstring starting to tighten a little bit, and literally for a tiny instant I could hear a little voice in the back of my head (I think of it like the little Devil on your shoulder) saying the win is in the bag, you don't have to keep pressing, you could slow down, lose this feeling of not being able to breathe, let the hamstring relax, and coast into the finish for the win. But I didn't listen and kept pressing, and really opened it up to the finish. Running fast is about how willing a person is to go down into that dark place and hurt, push through, and when you feel you pace slowing slightly, push harder, and not give in to the temptation. I really do believe in a saying that a great runner on my team mentioned in one of his blog posts that its about how willing someone is to tickle the reaper. If your going to run fast, it will hurt, but you need to understand that the feeling is temporary. You need to withstand that hurt and discomfort for 15 minutes. It is such a new experience, and a new challenge that I'm ready to take on, training for this short speedy stuff compared to the marathon. For example, in the 2013 Scotiabank Marathon, where I set my PB, it hurt absolutely, but a completely different type of hurt. During a marathon during those last 10k or so especially on the stretch on Queen Street on the concrete street car tracks, your body physically hurts. It hurts because, well quite simply you've been running for a awful long time. But during a marathon I never got to the point that my breathing rate became uncontrollably fast, heart rate was red lining, and legs hurting in a completely different way. I think of it like during a marathon the pain is mechanical, whereas during a 5k the pain in metabolic or physiological. The point is I love a challenge and I'm ready to try to red line for 15 minutes in a few weeks.

Today was one of my hardest workout in a really long time. Monday, Tuesday I kept the pace pretty easy (but the mileage was still pretty big) to recover from Sunday since after the race I threw in a broken 1500: 200,300, 400, 600 small but mighty little post-race Alberto Salazar style workout. So today was 3X1mile at 15 minute 5k pace, then a 200m+x amount at the same pace until I started feeling uncomfortable. The 200 was just to make it 5k of work, and wanted to just stay at the pace right until the second I felt the pace starting to dip. The key with this workout, and with any I guess, was the rest period. I kept the recovery jog in between the repeats at 1min. The first one went splendidly at 4:48 for the mile or 2:59/km pace. Then the second mile beat me back, and I got destroyed. I really wasn't anticipated how short the 1 min recovery in between would feel, as in the past doing 6-10 by a mile workouts my rest has been a lot longer in-between, in addition to the pace not being nearly as quick. When my watch starting counting down the seconds to the next repeat I was caught off guard, and my heart rate had only got back down to 162, so I was starting the next repeat already breathing pretty hard, and by about 500-600m I was feeling it. The pace slowed big time, and I ran in at 4:57 or about 3:05/km pace. The third one I tried hard to rally and was able to get back to 4:52, and then ended up adding on 310 meters at 2:58 pace. Overall, I was content with the workout. I was a little upset about the second mile but happy with how I tried to rally back on the third. Still, considering the roads weren't great, and that I was on my own, to get that close to a race effort made the workout a success. With elite 5k training the majority of the workouts are usually 400s or 600s or 800s mostly because to get pumped up enough to hold 5k race pace for mile repeats in a workout on your own is pretty tough. In fact an article I was just reading on elite 5k workouts talked about how though some elites need to get in 3x1mile on a minute rest to feel ready for the race, but that those athletes are very rare. Anyways, so I'm enjoying right now putting a lot of thought into my various workouts trying to make them as specific as possible. On Friday I'll be doing 8x600 in 1:45, and I'm eager to get after it. And I'll see maybe in a couple weeks I can give one more go at the 3X1mile. Below in just a short clip of the race on the weekend (it could be seen in 1080p just change the setting on the bottom right).

The Pavement Beckons

Ah finally, exams over, and now 1.5 weeks off before a 6-week placement at a Sports Medicine in Ancaster, finally getting to do what I came to McMaster to do. Did well on exams, and now my focus shifts 100% to training for the next little bit. As you know, last Friday I raced a 3000m at UofT. Going into the race, and during, I was not feeling close to 100%. I would say besides Around the Bay last year, I've never felt less motivated to start a race with my back feeling like there was a knife at the left sacroiliac joint, plus fighting through a cold. And as everyone probably knows when you have a cold, with congestion, a headache, and just overall feeling like garbage, your sleep is affected. So I really didn't sleep very much that week, and really did not want to race. Not to mention in the morning I had my OSCE, the practical exam, at 8am which for everyone is extremely stressful. And with the race starting at 9pm in Toronto, let's just say it was a long day. However, I felt compelled to race. For me, I can't stand the thought of committing to something, and then not following through with it. If I didn't race that night or at least give it a try, I would never forgive myself. It's the same reason I raced Around the Bay last year on a stress fracture. So I raced. Let me tell you, people can question my speed, if I have the talent to make it big in athletics, or my training practices, but no one on this green (white) earth can question my ability to push through, grind, and my overall mental toughness. As soon as I walked into that building at UofT, I could feel the dryness in the air hit the back of my throat. For someone with a cold, I knew this would be tough, and it was. In the past two races, I've started feeling the burning sensation reach the back of my throat after the first 6 laps or so, but this time off the gun I felt the discomfort, not to mention feeling the pain in back as the vibration from the every initial contact to the ground traveled up my leg to my pelvis, and to my back. Despite still not making the 8:45 time I set out to achieve (finished 8:54 - 2:58/km), on this night in the condition I was in, I was happy to finish the race. I do actually believe that it was one of my better tactical races that I've had. Through the first 200 or so I was dead last (not surprising given the good competition at this meet). I worked hard to pass one guy in front of me, then the next lap the next guy, then another, to eventually leading the pack. If not for one unfortunate sequence on the bell (final) lap would've actually finished in third. You could see in the video, as the bell rang I got completely boxed in by three other runners, and there was literally no where for me to go. I couldn't pass them not because they were running too quickly for me but instead because I had no space to stretch my legs out and let loose. Between 3rd and 10th place there was only a 2 second difference so it was an incredibly tight race. Usually I would have said an incredibly enjoyable race, but trust me, if you were there anywhere near the track you could see that I was in a world of pain. I felt like I couldn't breathe, and was panting start to finish. It was rough during, and even more so afterwards. It felt like I swallowed a ball of fire. I couldn't stop coughing, and it hurt just to breathe. This actually continued for a good 3 days afterwards - it wasn't until Monday that I couldn't feel the burning sensation in my throat anymore. Still I'm glad I raced because I learned another thing about myself. That's the purpose of racing, and of running in general - to experience something that you can't experience in any other realm of life, and to learn about your true self down to the core. In other words it allows you to learn what your made of. And well, I learned that I do have what it takes to be a great runner because simply stated no one can possibly push themselves harder than I do and grind like I can. Think about who do you know that after an experience like that on Friday night, would be looking forward to their 5k race only 9 days later. And that's where my focus lies now.

My SIJ is still hurting, talked to a couple other runners today and they said they've both got that when they've jumped into indoor track workouts too quickly. Apparently it's something about how sharp the turns are on the corners of our track, and just puts an incredible amount of stress on your joints. But obviously, I'm still ticking, and will obviously still race on Sunday. Workouts this week have gone pretty well. Monday was 3X6min tempo-ish pace, Tuesday was an easier run day just a 60 minuter was 5Xa big long hill (about 400m long) then an hour of weights, then today (wednesday) was I'd say one of the best workouts I've had in a while despite feeling my back throughout, just kept grinding through. Workout was a 5k warmup, then 10 minute tempo run on the road at 3:12/km then headed up to the track for 3 sets of a broken 1500. This is an Alberto Salazar workout that I love and have done twice before, once in Park City, and then once before my Pb 10k later in the summer. It's 3 sets of 600m, 400m, 300m, 200m - 1:15s rest between the 6 and 4, 1 min between the 4 and the 3, and 45 s between the 3 and 2 then 1:30s between sets. 600s were done in 1:47, 1:45, 1:44, 400s were 1:10, 1:10, 1:08, 3s were 52, 52, 51, and 200s were 35, 35, 32. The last set was done in spikes hence the 2-3 seconds faster. Overall everything averages out to 2:53-2:55/km so I was very happy. Even threw in a good swim afterwards. So Sunday is a 5k in Burlington. Don't know what the conditions are going to be like, I guess you never know for a winter race, so it's kind of tough to set a goal time. But overall my goals for 2015 besides competing for the Canadian Cross Country Championship later in November, are to run a sub 15 5k, a sub 31 10k (something like 30:58), and a sub 1:10 half hopefully 1:09:30ish. But I'm not aiming for the sub 15 this weekend. This weekend I'm aiming for a good hard effort running 15:25ish or 3:05/km pace. This may sound kind of conservative, but first or all let me say 15:25 a'int no breeze, and would technically be a PB, even though last year I ran 15:16 it was on a short course. Second, everything right now is building toward the Around the Bay 5k at the end of March, which is in fact where I'm going to be aiming for the sub 15 given the faster competition, hopefully better conditions, hopefully a healed back, and a much faster stronger Frank. This year I'm tentatively setting my training plan right now and what I'm planning on doing is incorporating a much more periodized schedule into my program. I want to work in 4-week microcyclyes, where I run big mileage with lots of speed work for 3 weeks, then reduce mileage by about 50% for the 4th week, then repeat the cycle again but with higher mileage over the 3-weeks. In terms of racing, I'll try to work my schedule out so that at the end of each of the easy weeks at the end of the 4-week cycle I race. So for instance, 3-week block after Sunday, then easy week with Around the Bay on the weekend, then 3 weeks hard, then 1 week easy with a 10k on that weekend - maybe Toronto Yonge St. to try to get sub 31 given the downhill or the course. So that's what happening for now, until next time as the Kenyans say Train Hard, Win Easy. (The UofT video is below)

Stuck in a Rut, Why not poor on the Bad Luck

Thought I would try to squeeze in a quick update post just before class. As you know last weekend I was racing in the Windsor Team Challenge for the 3000m. I was shooting for 8:45, and up to 1500m everything was going precise to plan. My 1500m split - 4:22 (8:44 pace). Not only was the pace perfect I felt comfortable (well not comfortable but felt sustainable for another 1500). At 2k my pace has slowed just barely but was still on pace. Then I got taught a good lesson when it comes to track and field. You always have to be cognizant of the pace. You cannot shut off and cruise through your splits. In the 15 lap race, all it took was shutting off for 3 laps. Now I don't physically mean I stopped running but I took the lead in my pack of 10 guys or so, and just got into my own rhythm. No one passed men so I just keep cruising. In track, it seems as though there is no getting into a rhythm. You have to press from the start to finish, and when you start to feel some fatigue in your legs you need to press harder. I had 3 laps: 11,12, 13 when I went into what I would call my marathon mode. Where I locked in to my pace, and stopped listening to the laps. Why? I don't know, maybe natural habit, maybe because I find it difficult to be a slave to clock for just under 9 minutes, and stay mentally engaged for each and every lap. All it took were those three laps and I was behind my pace by a substantial margin, and even though my final 400 was 68sec, with the last 200 being in 32, I could not make up for that lost time. Finished the race in 8:55 which is a PB for me (technically by 8 seconds since york was on a banked track so my time of 8:57 on Jan 31 got converted to 9:03 and here at Windsor it was a flat track), but obviously not the time I was looking for. Obviously the injury I sustained has affected me much more than I thought. In the mornings especially my hip still hurts, and on uphills and quick changes of pace I still feel it. Despite my legs just not feeling like they used too which has had an impact on my confidence level and stream of thoughts at the start of the race where now I'm usually thinking about will my hip be able to hold up, will my hip give out on my once I accelerate out of that first turn, I have performed so well in workouts which makes me even more frustrated. The Saturday before Windsor we had our toughest workout session scheduled of the year. For me it was 5X800m @3k pace, and even though 8:45 would mean the 800s should be in 2:20, I was finishing in 2:18 consistently, which is 8:37 pace. In my head I just keep running through how could I string that workout together, and not get at least 8:45. Really though the bigger frustration is the fact that I know I can run faster, I know that I should be able to challenge for the win in these races. I know what I capable of running, and even though I get glimpses of my old self from 2013 or from last year post-Park City, and just haven't been able to sustain it for 8 minutes and change. Maybe it's unrealistic to think that after 3.5 months lost due to injury, and having to start literally from square one again (if you remember I started with a walk to run program in nov/dec after the injury), I could be the same guy I was training 200k a week in the mountains, or 200k weeks with roughly 3 track workouts a week in Aug/Sept of 2013 before Scotiabank. But still, I still have that a memory engrained in my head, and its hard not to think about it. Also it's the fact that after that season in 2013, I thought in was just a stepping stone to bigger and better things in my career, and I wouldn't be sitting here in 2015 thinking of what I need to do to get back to the shape I was in back in 2013. In other words it was supposed to be a building block to a successful career, not a career highlight. So I have one more race on the track this year on Friday night, one more chance to try and get that time of 8:45, and prove myself. However, I guess sometimes when you're in a rut, the more you try to dig yourself out the deeper you sink in. Earlier this week on Monday, I felt some tightness in my lower back, and than during our workout on Tuesday night I had to shuffle back home because I could extend my left leg because of the amount of pain in my back. Wednesday morning got up, and it was worse and the only way I was able to practice my practical stuff for my exam on Friday morning was to take a bunch of advil to relieve some of that pain. I feel like I am walking around like Frankenstein, stiff like a board and upright not able to turn or bend over. Thought okay no problem maybe I'll just take a few advil prior to my race and I could push through it. However also Wednesday morning the little tickle in my throat which I though was just lingering "track hack" was now a full on cold. Thursday morning here as I writing it I got a box of tissues being demolished, and now even though I can't take my temperature I can feel my forehead radiating heat. So the guy who gets sick once every decade or so, gets sick the week before a race. And if my race was a 10k or half marathon, or something like that I would say whatever I can still race and just push through. But in an event that starts fast and ends faster, I don't know if  I can fake it and soldier through, especially on a track where the air is already bone dry and makes someone even without a cold start coughing. Basically, I think on the track, you can't hide your weaknesses like you may be able to in a longer road race. There is no hiding, because if you have a problem or a weakness the track will bring it out. Well off to class now but first to Shoppers Drug Mart, actually spent a little time this morning on the Canadian Centre for Sport and Ethics looking up which cold and decongestant I would be allowed to take. Good news Robitussin ins't banned, thank God cause that's worked in the past for my lifetime's previous two or three colds. The Windsor race is below - you can change it to 1080p.

Building blocks

So this weekend was the long awaited beginning to my track season and competitive racing season period post a long 6 month hiatus. How'd it go, "Meh." Not great, not bad. I'm usually very good at judging my fitness level and predicting a time going into races. Heck in 2013, I said very early in the year I would run 2:34 in the Scotiabank Marathon, only in October to cross the line in 2:34:03. Three seconds difference between my goal time and actually time in a 42.195 km long race. I found for this race since the 3000m was unfamiliar territory for me, I was unable to accurately judge and predict my time based on my workouts. For example, in workouts the last 3 weeks I had been running times that would equate to a sub 8:30 3000m only to run a 8:57 (2:59/km) on Saturday. So initially, I was very disappointed in myself since I expected a lot faster. Really my difficulty in the race was that I stupidly decided to not wear a watch for the race. I thought going into the race that the start may be a little congested and hecktick so I didn't want to worry about having to push start on my watch. I wanted to just focus on getting to the inside lane as fast as I could. I also thought that I could get splits on each lap from coaches but it was real loud during the race and I couldn't really hear anything specific from the sidelines. Because of these different factors I was virtually unable to judge my pace effectively. Sure on the first couple laps I could see the clock hit 32-33 seconds for the first lap, and 68 for the 400 m split (8:30 pace) then see 2:18-2:19 for 800m (still on pace) but when it starts to get into the 4:20s and 5 minutes on the clock, I'm great at math but its really tough to try and determine if a 5 minutes and however many seconds if that last lap split was too slow or not. I had to run purely by feel, and although normal I could gauge how fast I'm running on the road based on numerous factors like how hard I'm breathing or my stride's feel and length, the track is a new domain for me. My heart rate was already pretty high because I was very nervous and the atmosphere was just different. I'm not used to people standing a few feet from where I'm running on the sidelines yelling, cheering. You just don't get that in road races often, apart from the final few hundred meters of Scotiabank, but even then people on the sidelines are far enough back that they are not really in your field of vision.

 I would love to give more details on the play of the race in terms of my performance by kilometre or lap but: A I don't have garmin information for it, and B quite frankly I don't remember that much - it seemed to go by way to quickly. What I do remember is starting pretty well, then making a good move around a few guys. Unfortunately I let my teammate who I was planning on running with go somewhere around mid-way, and by the time I realized that I should start working my way back up to him the race was almost over. Not to mention the fact that for the group of 3-4 guys I was in, I was doing 100% of the work. At one point a western guy passed me, and I retook him on the turn. I thought he would try to pass again and we could work off one another to work our ways back to the leader, but after that one move he didn't do anything. Finished the race 6th of 16. I learned a lot from that race, and in Windsor I will be looking to run at the very least sub 8:50 and hopefully 8:45. Overall I learned it's better to suffer momentarily in the beginning to stay with the leaders then losing contact and then trying to work your way back up to them. I also hope in windsor I can judge my splits better, and I need to find that next gear. The hip was fine no issues there, but I just didn't have that pop in my legs like I had felt racing last summer. I feel strong, and fast, and like I could hypothetically do some real damage in a half-marathon because honestly tempo runs as of late at 3:15 or so feel like jogging. Seriously last wednesday during a tempo run prior to our indoor track workout, I was almost carrying on a conversation despite rolling the first kilometre at 3:14 and staying right around there.

In hindsight, I shouldn't have really been so down and disappointed after the race. After all, I suffered a major injury not too long ago, and the fact that I raced period without any real pain in my hip should've been enough. I know Windsor will be better because of what I learned at this race, and because of the experience I had. I'm a firm believer that in order to race well you need to get used to the pain and the discomfort you feel during a race. Workouts are one thing, and ya I've felt like keeling over after a couple of them, but nothing can really replicate the feeling in your legs that you get during a race. Before Saturday I hadn't felt that feeling since the 10k race early in July. Not to mention the fact that that was post an 800k month in mountains of hard sustained training so my legs were even more accustomed to feeling that pain.

I'm a perfectionist when it comes to my running, so I'm not going to solely rely on my previous experience at York to guide me to success, but I'm going to train harder then ever these next two weeks. I don't care how much pain or discomfort I am in during workouts I am going to power through, and succeed.

Change to 1080 to see.

I'll finish off with another poem:

After you do up your last lace,
You begin to uncontrollably pace.
Your heart starts to thump against your chest,
Your legs start to feel the unrest.

They feel like they could give out any time
As they protestingly march up to the line.
Your mind thinks "Is this supposed to be fun,"
No it's all about the challenge now just wait for the gun.

That's the purpose of racing,
All those nights spent pacing,
Wondering I'm I strong enough,
Do I have the raw stuff,
Am I capable of achieving my goal,
You'll never know unless you commit your heart and soul.

Sure the feeling before the gun
Feels like on your chest is an anvil weighing a metric tonne.
There is nothing else that could produce such stress,
And at the same time make you feel such success.

That's what life is about,
Pushing ourselves to break out.
Break out of monotony and routine,
To learn we are not just this simple machine,
No, we are a species that has no limit,
And in life time flies by faster than a New York minute,
So push yourself to do something that you thought you couldn't do,
Who knows maybe your lying on the edge of a break through.

Venturing into the Unknown

Even though it now seems long ago, incase you were wondering what did I do over my break, well that is simple, I trained. How much you were wondering well: since Dec 11-Jan 4 I put in:

Total Hours: 96 hours 

Running Distance: 390km 

Swimming Distance: 135 km

21 hours of Strength Training 

A few Sufferfest Workouts on the Bike 

Calories Burned: 52,000 (equivalent to 15 lbs of energy used) - or in terms other may understand based on the time of the year very roughly 24 entire 9 inch apple pies

It really was the best, and one of the toughest blocks of training I've done in my life. Definitely the most amount of time spent training that I've ever done. It really made me wonder and dream about becoming a professional athlete because I could see myself doing that day in day out. Maybe some of that was because I hadn't been able to train like that in a while with my injury, but mostly although I enjoy physiotherapy and can see myself one day treating the world's best athletes, I don't think I will ever enjoy anything more than feeling I get when I'm outside grinding through the miles, or in the pool pushing myself harder and harder, or in the gym doing pushup after pushup.

Since the break training has actually still been going very well despite a heavy workload from school. I do feel quite run down and exhausted by the end of most days, well maybe sometimes right in the middle of them, but I have been able to get some real solid training in, especially when it comes to running. On Monday, I was out with some team members battling through the bitter wind for a long fartlek style workout. Tuesday was more of a easier 75 minute run, and then Wednesday I hammered my best workout in what seems like an eternity. I was supposed to do a split tempo run for roughly 25 minutes, since the rest of the team was doing a workout inclined to a 1000 or 1500 meter runner and I'm not just yet able to rip off that pace. However, since I would be doing the workout on my own anyways, I just didn't see the point of doing a split tempo run. Monday's workout was already a fartlek type workout doing a timed pyramid of sorts ranging from 6 minute to 2 minute intervals and back up, and that was done at tempo pace for me. I didn't see how doing such a similar workout a couple days after would benefit me in any way, and really felt that the only way I was going to be ready to get back to doing some of the quicker workouts, like the one the rest of the team was doing, was to do a quicker type of workout. So I delved deep into my training logs, and thought about for a good amount of time the night before about what I wanted to do. What I came up with was:

•  2X1000m at roughly 10k pace
• 2X200m (here is the speed component) at 3000m pace
• 2X1000 again at 10k pace, 
• 2X200m again at 3k pace
• 1X1000m at 10k pace 
• 1X200m at 3k pace 

The 1000s had 90s rest in-between each and the 200s had a good amount of rest at a 1 min, but then transition from the 2X200 back to the 1000s had only 1 min. Overall the workout went better than expected and it was a huge confidence boost and big step towards my debut on the track in 3ish short weeks. Initially, when I woke up and saw lots of snow on the ground my pace prediction seemed like a huge stretch. I decided to run over to Bayfront Park, which is roughly 5k from my house - which made the workout overall 20k, since it is always cleared. It actually made for just a gorgeous view to have during a workout to see the sunlight over the bay (the path is literally maybe 6ft from the water or ice in this case). Only problem was that despite the paved path which is pretty wide (maybe 12 ft) being cleared of the deep snow, there was a thin layer left on top which made for some slippy conditions. Despite having my feet slip back on every stride I was able to really grind hard (the heart got up to 190 thanks to the conditions) and was able to hit 3:15 for the 1000s and 34 sec avg for the 200s which works out to 2:50 per km.

Friday's and the weekends runs and swims went equally well, especially my run on Sunday. I really felt my stride was finally starting to really open up and I could let loose for a few stretches on the back half of that run. Then came today - Monday. After a bright and early start to the day, ran over to the pool for the 7:30 swim, and swam that fastest I ever have for 100m repeats. Ran, back grab my running stuff, and warmup ran over to the coach's house for the Monday Road Workout. I won't delve too much into the details because you never know who is listening. I will say the 15 repeats were all done at 3:10/km or under on the slippy road surface. Luckily and thankfully, it wasn't as bad as it could've been as the coach amazingly shovelled a path through the snow around the entire block for people to run on. So after that workout and then some core, I'm feeling great, tired, but great. Just finished a few hours of research for my various courses, and off to "class" to discuss a few case studies in a bit.

I also came up today with a great New Year's Resolution while I was running back from the pool, that I'm thoroughly excited to try and commit to. I don't think that anyone on the planet can say what they eat is healthier than me, specifically in terms of the content of their food. I pack in plenty of protein, complex carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals into my diet, and maximize their absorption by combining various nutrients with other specific foods. However, the timing of my dietary intake really needs some improvement. Everyday, I eat breakfast (banana, protein granola, 0% Greek Yogurt, and coffee/esspresso) then train for 4 hours, and then eat a huge meal (a healthy one but a huge one - muscle milk, cliff bar, coffee, bagel w/ peanut and banana slices on top). My problem is not really the size of the meal, because after all that is not only serving as my lunch but also my post-workout/run/swim meal. Instead the problem is the fact that after eating this major meal, I'm still hungry. I need to restrain myself from immediately eating afterwards because I know at that moment I don't need it. So I wait until late afternoon where I'll have another Cliff Bar, then later dinner, and then after I'm done all my work and am ready to sit down to watch something before bedtime, another meal acting as a dessert/treat/having to catch up on my calories for the day because I'm usually behind by that point. So the resolution is that I want to start fuelling during my workout much better, and that includes gels, and more water. I used to have gels quite often in the past during very long runs, but lately I haven't really used any because I never really felt I needed to. I basically got so accustomed to running on empty throughout workouts and training in general that I have never actually felt hungry or thirsty for that matter during a session. So this resolution is not meant to help quench hunger or thirst that I've had during exercise, instead it is meant to help stop the feeling of eating a huge meal post run and not being full at all, because essentially my body at that point has gone so long without food (usually 6-7 hours between my breakfast and my post-workout meal) that it is just packing it calorie after calorie without any effect. I'm still going to have that post-run meal, because I need it after all that training, but now I hope that after that meal I feel satisfied. Also by adding a few hundred calories during the workout sessions, I will reduce the nightime treat meal accordingly by a few hundred calories to stop me from having this massive meal right before bedtime.

To finish this post, my mindset throughout this particular training block is pretty simple, "just do your best." I'm not aiming to win any of these track races given my strength lies in the longer distances. Despite feeling incredibly nervous at times for these races since it is uncharted territory for me, I'm really trying to look at these upcoming track meets as an opportunity to improve as a runner. The way I figure it is the fast I run the 3000, the faster I can run a 5k, the faster I run a 5k the faster I can run a 10k, the faster I run a 10k the faster I can run a half-marathon, and the faster I can run a half marathon the faster I can run a marathon. In addition to building some speed, I hope that some of the anxiety eases as my hip continues to improve by the workout and by the week, and that I can actually maybe have some fun doing something that after next season I will never in my life have another opportunity to run indoor track. Until next time, happy training.