Eaton 10k Dash and Summer Shoe Review

A couple Thursday nights ago was the finale, for a few weeks at least, of my post-Park City racing season, and boy did it end on a high note. Going into this race I knew that the competiton would be steep for a couple of reasons: the race doubling at the OMA Championships, and the fact that it was in Burlington, where races tend to get a good turn-out of fast runners, ranging from cross country runners from Mac, Guelph, and a couple from Queens, as well as a few Kenyans to keep things interesting. Me and my Dad arrived in great time to register, and to go on a few kilometer warmup run, followed by about 20 minutes of drills. I had ran and worked out earlier in the day, so my legs were already pretty nice and loose, so I was feeling pretty good. My only concern heading in was that after my track workout of Tuesday night, my left hamstring was acting up a bit. Just prior to the race, I noticed there were a large amount of McMaster Mauraders Cross Country Squad at the race. Went over to talk to one of them- Gabiel - who told me he was aiming for 31:30. This was after I had told him that next year I was planning to be on the team, and I instantly got a little more nervous (I am always very nervous before races already going back to elementary school) since I felt that this was now essentially a tryout. I had to impress Gab, and told myself not to get dropped, no matter how much pain I'm in. There were a few others on the team in the 10k, and a bunch in the 5k which started 10 minutes earlier. So at 7:30 we were off and underway. After being very focused on the Mauraders in the race, me and the rest of the field were quickly reminded that Fred Karanja was also in the race, a very fast runner from Kenya and living in Burlington now (who you remember from Dundas 10k last year and then getting my revenge in the marathon), when he took off about 150 meters into the race like the rest of us were standing still. I have never seen someone run that quickly, since Gab, Gatundu, and I were all running at around 2:40/km and he literally left us in the dust. But me and Gab quickly reacted and worked our way back up to him, and within the first 400m it was a three man race, Gab and Fred shoulder to shoulder and me just chillin, sheltered in behind them from the wind. That was definitely was of the most relaxed 2:55 opening kilometers I have ran. At about 1.4 kilometers after not really looking at my watch for a while because I was just looking at the back of their singlets, I could feel the pace dropping significantly since we were now heading back into the wind, and I guess Gab and Fred were feeling the effects of it. I figured I could probably stay behind them until 9.5k then surge, but based on that first surge by Fred at the start, and knowing the speed that Gab possesses, I figured the marathon runner may get smoked in a sprint to the finish. So I wanted to push them now to stay at a high pace, but at the same time I wanted to stay in a pack (to push each other along) so I didn't surge crazy hard, just enough to get the group's pace back on target. I passed Fred on the left and took the pace over (almost like in the time trials in the tour de france when the lead cyclist is spent the next guy comes in to take over the pacing). I brought us back from doing the first half of that kilometer at 3:21 pace to doing the kilometer in 3:13. From there on the about 6k nothing really happened we just got into a really nice rhythm knocking off 3:13, 3:11, 3:13, 3:13. Amazing how we were running this fast while having to make at some points very quick footed moves around the 5k runners especially on the turns where they were staying in the inside lane. Turning back north at about 7k me and Gab dropped Fred, and now it was a two man race. At 8k Gab surged really hard to try to drop me but I reacted and stayed right there. Now this was my only mistake of the race. When he surged and I caught him I should of right then and there pushed with my own surge because after his little sprint he was really tired and I should have capitalized. At 8.5k or so he gained 2 or 3 steps on me after a turn and sometimes its amazing that over a 10k race all it takes to gap your opponent is a couple steps. He instantly put down the hammer and dropped me. But the race was definetly not over. At 9k, I went really hard going 2:50 something for a bit and managed to close the gap back again to 5 meters or so. Gab looked back saw me, and surged again. Turning back south to the finish I sprinted hard as I could and if the race lasted 100 meters or so more I had him, because I closed the gap back again and lost by 3 seconds. But I was very happy with two 3:07 splits the last 2 kilometers, and shattering by PB from a few weeks ago with 31:57 in the 10k. Gab was extremely impressed and clearly pushed really hard (he was exhausted at the finish), plus the Mauraders coach was at the race, and basically I think I'm on the team. Me and the coach chatted afterwards for a bit, then myself and 6 or 7 other guys from the team and Queens cross country team went for a 30 minute cooldown. Overall a great night.

Shoe Guide

If you don't already know I own quite an extensive shoe collection. Pick any colour, I have multiples of it. Pick any distance, I have a shoe for it. I currently have 9 pairs (around 31 pairs overall) that I rotate throughout any given week - adios boost, adios 2.0, lunaracer, streak lt2, mirage3, pegasus 31, pearl izumi n2 (won these), soloman s-lab ultra, and skechers GoMeb Speed 2 (won these too) . I love talking about new shoes and their new features, here is a list of shoes that I have composed of shoes to try out for your summer training and a couple to try possibly for fall racing.

Training Shoes  

Nike Pegasus 31

In the past I had always avoided the pegasus because former versions of the shoe had a marshmallow feel, and I prefer a firmer midsole that is more responsive. The new pegasus answered my calls, and they firmed up the midsole a bit. It still offers a tonne of cushioning over the long miles, and you can certainly feel the zoom pocket in the shoe which rebounds when you strike the ground to add to the responsiveness. Yes the shoe does have a 10 mm heel-to-toe offset which would normally eliminate it from my rotation of shoes because I prefer a shoe to be at least under 6-7 mm. Oddly the heel drop doesn't feel as high as it actually is possibly because of the full-ground contact outsole,and the contoured forefoot which makes for a quick toe-off. So I have found that midfoot striking is not compromised in the shoe. Besides the responsiveness of the shoe that I love, Nike is head over heels ahead of there competition for their upper design. The shoe fits to your foot like a glove, and the narrow feel makes it feel fast despite the weight being around 10 ounces for a men's size 9 (I am an 8 so its in the 9 ounce range). My only criticism on this perfect training shoe for I would say every runner from the newbie to elites like Mo Farah (he was a critical part of the design) is that based on a run in it on wet roads the outsole rubber is not very grippy (it does slip a bit when trying to push the pace on wet surfaces). Overall though, the Pegasus 31 is an amazing shoe perfect for many different paces. In fact my first run in it was a 23 kilometer fartlek doing 10 times 1 min on/off, then 10 times 2 min on/off, then 5 times 3 mins 2 minutes off, so the pace was going from fast to slow, and back and the shoe performed well at every pace.

Saucony Cortana 3/4

In my gear guide last year I introduced this shoe to you guys, and now after putting 850 kilometers in a

pair of them I can give you a true and detailed description of how this beast performs. First off I will say that if you go out and buy the 3s, keep in mind that they may be going on sale soon since the 4s are due to come out in the US in August, which probably means they will be here in Canada sometime in 2016 (no just joking expect them to be stocked in running room a few weeks after there release in the US). Also, know that Saucony hasn't changed the 3 completely so getting the 3 over the 4 isn't that big of a deal. The only difference with the 4 is deeper grooves in the outsole to improve your transition slightly through the gait cycle and improved the fit of the shoe around the heel - although I never had any issues with the fit of the 3. So basically the 3 captured the essence of what I believe the perfect shoe is. It is well cushioned for logging big miles in them - I logged two 200+ kilometer weeks in them, and the month of november of last year, where a chunk of those 850 kilometers were logged, was my fastest month of running I ever had. Mostly the 4mm heel-drop and the light weight is to thank for the extremely fast feel of this trainer, but also the midsole has incredible responsiveness, in addition to it being extremely durable. The upper fits very well, and unlike the pegasus it has a wide toe-box. But that is not a negative. I beleive every shoe has a different character and it is up to the company to essentially put different components of a shoe together that work well together. Just like a car or a road bike, the components must work together well. And in this case the wide toe box works well for this shoe, as it allow for a whole lot of toe splay which is necessary for a shoe with such a low heel drop. I loved these shoes from start to finish. But you may ask, why am I in Pegasus now, the price tag of this shoe was too much to come to terms with. At running room it runs for 179 plus tax, so in the 200 dollar range Just too much to spend on a pair of shoes especially when I run through them so quickly.

Adidas Tempo 6

With 815 kilometers in these babies through the heat waves of last year, me and these infared shoes have a special bond. We battled through tough conditions, and many long grueling runs of 40+ kilometers, and two a days totaling over 44 kilometers some days. First off if you want a shoe that you will definitely stand out in and look fast go with these. The colour-way is called infrared (a really bright orangy-pink) with navy blue accents. I remember my first ever run in them, looking down and almost getting blinded by how bright they were. The shoes are crazy light for a trainer - less than 8 ounces, and actually have some very mild support. I'll stress very mild once again, don't get these shoes thinking that they are a stability shoe because they are absolutely not that. I would say they are geared to quick runners who are used to wearing firm racing flats, and basically the very small plastic piece on the medial side of the arch is more for a psychological confidence boost (thinking "oo I can rip through these miles, my feet are supported" - But not really). Mostly the extremely firm and ridiculously snappy ride (they really pop off the road) means that your foot isn't even on the ground long enough to pronate. They have a 9mm drop which is typical of most adidas shoes, and the outsole provides unparalleled traction on any surface, not to mention the fact that is is incredibly durable. Really the only issue I had with this shoe was the upper. The overlays on the medial side were just so that they could cause some irration on the medial side of your foot. Overall the shoe performs really well, and the 110 dollar price tag from running warehouse who does deliver adidas to Canada is great. Plus they have one colour-way going for 79 bucks right now.

Racing Shoes 

Nike Zoom Streak LT2

Let me just start this review before I run out of adjectives. This shoe is crazy fast. By fast, I mean you

will never know how fast you are actually capable of running until you've ran in these once. From the upper, to the midsole, to the outsole this shoe is perfect in every way. I have zero issues with it. Ican't offer one single criticism or advice for how I think the future iterations can be improved. And heck I pray Nike doesn't do something stupid like true to make any future versions. A discussion I was having with my Dad the other day was basically that nowadays it is almost impossible to fall in love with a particular pair of shoes and say okay that's my racing/training shoe for the next decade. Sometimes the new innovations are groundbreaking, but most of the time, shoe companies and any company for that matter, is always looking to improve. Yes I want that out of a company, but also I wish companies sometimes knew when to say, this shoe or product is perfect and there is no need to change. Basically, this is my long way of saying please Nike do not change this shoe. So the shoe itself hovers just over 5 ounces and thanks to the extremely narrow and snug upper, you sometimes forget that you're actually wearing shoes at all. The shoe is super responsive, it leaps off the road. The waffle outsole is designed in a way that suits the shoe to any surface: road, rubber (track), grass (cross country), gravel, and dirt. If you want a fast shoe that based on my own experience can hold up to atleast a half marathon - after a 71 minute half my legs were fine. Although it's my go to shoe for anything up to half, most will find it suitable as a 5-10k racing flat (I would only use it for a half if your very light footed and efficient).

Adidas Hagio 2

I would say this shoe is a first cousin of the lt2. It is fast, and excels for the 5-10k range, and up to the half for those efficient runners. It is like minded to the lt2, but there are definitely some noticeable differences in the feel, fit, and ride. Again a very light shoe at 6.5 ounces - so about an ounce heavier than the lt2). That weight could be attributed to a more substantial upper material than the lt2. The shoe has a very low-profile much lower than the lt2. The lt2's heel-to-toe drop is 22mm-18mm, whereas the hagio is 17-12. So it is sitting a whole 5-6 mmm lower than the lt2. This is evidenced in the ride of the hagio. It is much snappier thanks to a very firm midsole as you can expect in most adidas shoes, and has some more pop off the ground than the lt2. And like usual, this adidas offering has amazing traction. In addition, I managed to get 450 kilometers out of these flats thanks to a very durable midsole and outsole. I would say much more durable than the LT2, which after 100 kilometers of hard racing in them are looking pretty worn in some areas of the forefoot. So more pop off the ground than the LT2, and more durable, plus a similar price tage 75-90$. So why do I prefer the LT2? Quite simply the upper is far superior for the LT2. I love adidas shoes don't get me wrong, I raced in them for 8 years. But adidas seems to have a knack for making shoes that while offering amazing traction and responsiveness, they just feel separate from your foot. If only I could put flywire's and a flynit upper on a pair of adios or hagio.

Nike Lunaracer 3

Amazing how a shoe can possibly have so much cushioning suited to the marathon but be less weight

than most 5-10k racing flats, at 6.2 ounces. Firstly, let me just say I really like this racing flat. However, it is a bit of an oddity. I don't really know how to describe the ride of the shoe. For instance, when I think of the hagio I instantly think snappy. When I think of the Lunaracer, a word doesn't instantly come to mind. Maybe a phrase, "Ridicuolously lightweight cushioning." The lunarlon midsole they use is very light, but soft. Normally, I prefer the firmness in the adidas for example, but for some reason this soft light foam really works. Although it is light enough for 5-10k, it's bread and butter would be the marathon, thanks to this cushioned fast ride. The flywire on the upper really hugs the foot nicely, and that combined with the low heel drop for a marathon flat, really give the lunaracer a fast feel. I only have two complaints with the shoe. Firstly, like previous versions of the shoe, the toe box has a very low height, so low that your toes touch the top. I can see this possibly being an issue late in a marathon. Second, the outsole pattern is not particularly well designed with lots of exposed foam in key areas which leads to poor durability of the outsole. Despite having 300 kilometers of workouts in these shoes, the midsole is going to far outlast the outsole. The feel of the shoe is still perfect, and feels like it can go for atleast a few 100 kilometers more thanks to the cushioning in the shoe, but unfortunately the base of the shoe will be torn to shreds much sooner I suspect. Notwithstanding, I think it is a great racing option for the longer distances, and even the shorter ones thanks to the weight. One last observation/advice, this goes to Nike, why would you have the option of putting in a Nike plus shoe pod into this shoe. I highly doubt any fast runners (for whom racing flats are geared towards) actually use a foot pod.

Adidas Adizero Adios Boost 

Adios Boost

For years now the adios has been the choice of some of the world's best marathoners. It seems you look on the feet of the leaders in any given international marathon and you see either nike zoom streak's or the adios. The only caveat is that while this version does carry some of the same genes as previous versions, the 2.0 and the beloved original, it is a very different shoe. As you can tell in the name, the adiprene midsole that the adios was built on and crowned world's fastest shoe changed to the boost midsole. This is essentially hundreds of small pieces of foam that have been fused together with heat, for what adidas claims it offers more bouncy cushioning, and more durability. This really did change the feel of the shoe entirely, it just doesn't do it for me. It lost that adidas responsiveness and snappiness that I had come to crave. Now it seems no matter how hard you push the shoe, it is still just bouncing around in the same manner. I haven't used these for a marathon, but based on their weight, that is the only place I would see suitable for this shoe. The boost midsole increased the weight of the shoe even more than it already was. Previous versions were already heavier than most racing flats in the low-mid 7 ounce range but the incredibly firm midsole made up for it. The boost is now 8 ounces, and the new adios boost 2.0 that just came out is even heavier. Adidas could remedy this issue if they removed some of plastic overlays that just weigh the shoe down. Otherwise the shoe is literally heavier than many of today's training shoes like the kinvara, tempo 6, asics 33 series, and others. How can this be a racing flat if it weighs more than your daily trainer. In fact, I have on occasion now just taken this shoe out using it in exactly that way, as a daily trainer. So from a racing point of view, I am not a fan of this shoe, and feel adidas has ruined a great racing flat. It seems that they are lost, and can't seem to agree upon a direction for the pedigreed shoe to go in. They aren't sure if it's a racing flat, or a trainer for up-tempo days, is it designated for the elite, or with all this structure and marshmellow cushioning is it designed to make faster shoes more available to the average runner. Durability, I am all for that in my trainers, but in racing flat they need to last for a couple A races per year, that's it. The adios 2.0 already lasted me about 500 kilometers, I don't need it

Takumi Sen 2

to last 700. Really all I cared was that it lasted 42.195. What I do know, is that if you still crave that old school feel of the powerhouse that once was the adidas adios, purchase the Adidas Takumi Sen 2. It looks like a slightly bigger brother to the hagio, with a 22-17 drop and 6.3 ounces, compared to the hagio which is 17-12.

3 times 5k

Canada Day 5k - Belleville

A quick turnaround after my win in Barrie on Saturday with a 5k race on Canada Day. Since every year we go to Trenton to visit my grandparents, I figured while I'm already going out that direction may as well run one of the Canada Day races in Belleville close-by - plus my grandparents would get to see me run and maybe win. After the 10k in Barrie on Saturday, on Sunday I had run just 20k at a easy pace. On Monday I wanted to get my mileage back up to usual levels so I went on a 26k run in very high heat and humidity. Afterwards my legs still felt pretty solid so I went down into the shop downstairs (my gym in the basement with everything you could possibly need from my bike trainer, to a boxing heavy bag + speedbag, a bench, swiss balls, medicine balls, resistance tubes, weights, etc.) to do a real solid workout hitting the core hard. Then onto the race. Arrived in Belleville in good time, perfect for a nice 4k warmup, and about 20 minutes of drills. Off to the start line to begin sizing up any competition. One athlete stood out from the rest, and I went over to him for a chat to find out he was from Queens Cross Country Team, and he was aiming for around 16 and a bit. Even though it's not a world class time, I had never ran a 5k race before, and this was this guy's specialty, so I figured he probably knew pretty well how to work his pace and may still be a tough competitor. At the start, the course was explained to us, anytime a course needs extensive explanation, I just pray that they have a lead bike so I don't make a mistake - they did. Gun sounded, well not really, the gun didn't really work, but we were off. The race started in a position similar to that which you would see in the 3000m in high school - just before a wide curve taking you the other way. So that's exactly what I thought about and jumped into the inside "lane" to power through the curve and accelerate out of it like a formula one race-car. Quickly realized I was moving very quickly at 2:30 pace (25 km/hr) and was very quickly up out on my own. Went through one kilometer at 2:51 (holy smokes that's fast). At about 1.3k turned south into an extremely strong wind off the lake and ran a 3:09 second kilometer. Going into the third kilometer I got a slight burning sensation for about 15 seconds or so, just some lactate build-up after I most likely surpassed my pace at lactate threshold (what pace you can hold just before you start making lactate faster than you can clear it) but my body quickly cleared it as if it was never there and the legs were back to normal. Definitely a new feeling since I never hit that pace in a marathon, or a half. Although as I have found throughout my training over the year's even if I reduce the rest time between intervals to 15 or 30 seconds my body is still more than capable of clearing the lactate. I kept thinking as my pace slowed slightly Queens back there would come up right beside me and pass me, but then took my one and only look back as I made a turn and Queens was no where to be seen. 3:13, 3:14 splits on three and four - number four should've been a lot quicker although I really slowed down substantially on a confusing part of the course where there was a turnaround. When your not really sure where you're going you always subconsciously slow down. Came back storming on the fifth and final kilometer but as I was getting ready to unleash my finishing kick at the end the race ended unexpectedly at about 4.86 kilometers. So the time was a great win in 15:16, but if I extend my average pace for that last kilometer out for the full thing even though I would have been sprinting that last hundred would have been 15:40 give or take a couple second faster or slower.

Post Race 

After the race and a quick cooldown, it was pretty much right into a post race workout inspired by Alberto Salazar. After shorter races like the mile, or 3000 his athletes like Mary Cain or Galen Rupp do post-race workouts which his athletes reap huge benefits from. Mostly because the legs are a little tired already so you are pushing your limit a little, and also if the race was a mile or in this case a 5km if the workout is at 10k pace for instance it will feel like walking pace compared to the race, while on other days it may be a strain. So the workout was 12 km with just under 6 km of pace work. After a little warmup did a broken 3000 where I did a 1000, 800, 600, 400, 200 (all adds to 3000m), followed by a broken 1500 (600, 400, 300, 200, 100), then a few 400s. All the intervals were around half marathon pace (which felt really easy despite being 3:20/km). I think most of the benefit comes from that 600 at the start of the broken 1500 because by that point despite the pace feeling easy compared to the 5k race pace, the miles at a fast pace start accumulating and the legs are getting very tired. So a solid workout, and quickly into recovery doing just 20-22k runs for the next couple days with bunches of strength work to re-build.

Skechers 5k 

After thinking for the entire week that the 5k in Hamilton on Saturday was in the morning, I found out the night before that it was actually at 7pm. This kind of through off my plan for the day, but decided to just flip the day. So I went on an easy 10k run in the morning, followed by a half-hour of core stuff in the shop, then relaxed while watching the quarter final games, and had a nice nap through the most boring first half of football I've seen in my life in the Netherlands vs. Costa Rica game. Then off to Hamilton to try to win a free pair of shoes and get a solid workout done in the process. Did an easy 3k warmup and some drills through Bayfront Park on the waterfront, where the race was being held. Wow, such a beautiful spot for an evening race, with the sun shining over the water, beaches, people rowing dragonboats, cycling, fishing, etc. I'll keep this spot in mind when going to Hamilton in the fall. The course was a certified 5k, and a very simple out-and-back, doing a turnaround at 2.5k. The path was nice and wide so I wouldn't really have to struggle weaving around people, but the wind was hollowing, and the course was a little more challenging than the Belleville 5k, with some steady inclines. Off the start I darted once again into the lead at 2:22/km pace for a little bit, and established my lead. My plans for these races is quite simple, bolt out at the start and demoralize any challengers from wanting to follow. I enjoy running with the lead, because that feeling of someone chasing me down pushes me along, even though as of recently nobody has got within 1 minute of me in the last few races. After realizing about 30 seconds into the race that the director selected a lead biker who was obviously new to this and poor at judging my pace based on the fact that I was getting pretty close at times to his back tire, I had some fun with him and pushed as hard as I could to stick on his back tire, he was clearly struggling, and I actually passed him twice. Not to sound cocky or anything but some people don't realize how fast I'm actually moving until you get right beside me - think about it for most of the first kilometer I'm going faster than 20 km/hr and maxed at 25.2 km/h - that's pretty quick for a mountain bike. A good second 3:07 kilometer, and a challenging third kilometer really pushed me being into the wind for the first half. Got a stitch on my right side - probably just too shallow of breathing while I started pushing really hard on that third split, that hurt like hell but just tried to go into kenyan trance mode until the end and finish real strong with back to back 3:11 ks and 15:41 overall. Here is the finish (My Dad in the background nicely clearing a couple toddlers from the finish area). On the ground wheezing hard afterwards but got some water and downed a couple bottles and that settled the cramp. Very happy with the performance, and I think I have learned the key the 5k and how I can improve. Basically here is how it is: Normally the half-marathoner and marathoner in me wants to go hard in first couple kilometers to get into the lead pack, and then settle nicely into my rhythm. However, in the 5k there really isn't any time to settle, and if I ease off and coast then I can't keep sub 3min pace. Essentially, I just have to keep pushing harder and harder from start to finish which is very different then a marathon where it is run fast then settle down and maintain a comfortably hard pace for 2 and half hours. In the 5 there is no comfortable, one bad kilometer and the time is gone. The thought processes are very different, for the marathon the running conversation in my head is: This is so easy just ripping right now -- Okay come down sparky they don't hand out the medal at 5k -- Wow got to the halfway in wicked time, o wait that was only half, yikes -- Okay still feeling good, 30k Nice -- When is the next water station I'm dying here -- Then the brain goes silent for a while -- 41k: how does it go again right-left-left no no that's not it -- 42.2: Man that's tough but damn fast, okay how much do you think I can eat from now until nighttime. For the 5 is much simpler: Woo fast start -- go harder -- your slowing, I said faster -- faster - come legs turn over faster I command you. Anyways a fun and fast race, free shoes, an amazing black bean veggie burger afterwards from the You Gotta Eat Here made famous diner Jack and Lois, great night.

Beamsville Bench 5k

The last rep of the 5k series was today out in Beamsville. This one was very different than the other races since this time around I was not going for a spectacular time or anything because the 5k route has been called one of the toughest 5k in Ontario. The race took place at the Mike Weir winery nestled in the vineyards, and started (I said started) on a hill, the longest of the course, 1k long. After this hill, the route had more gentle rolling hill, one steep downhill (about 100m long), and one steep uphill (another 100 meters or so) right before the long hill. Best part this had to be done twice as it was 2 times around the 2.5k loop. I ran the course to warmup and to scout out where all the hills were and set my plan of attack. Essentially after running it I decided to attack the pace hard from 1.25k-1.8 on the first lap and the same section 3.75-4.3 on the next lap. The idea was that at 1.2ish k there was the steep downhill mentioned earlier, and what I would do was essentially let it all loose on that downhill and carry that speed into the following half a kilometer or so which was on the only flat section of the course. After my drills, the race started. Unfortunately the kenyans who were at the Peachbud 10k a few weeks ago didn't show, which was dissapointing since I wanted to test myself against them again, especially now being in even better shape, fresh off a monstrous workout on tuesday. So it looked like I would once again need to do all the work on my own with no one to really push me along. So off the start got to just under 3 minute pace around 2:53-4, then got to the 1k mark already way out on my own at 3:02. The second kilometer was one of my best ever since it really didn't feel super hard. The plan worked perfectly and at 1.24 hit 2:18 per kilometer which is 26 kilometers per hour and maintained 2:35 pace for a few hundred meters and hitting 2:22 per kilometers again at around 1.7k, all to run a 2:55 second kilometer. 2:18 though is most likely the fastest I've ran in a race - did the math and that is a 13.7 second 100m dash. So that was awesome feeling, and then the 3k kilometer came with the entirety of that 1k long hill, and it slowed my pace to a crawling 3:25 km split. But once again on that second lap the gameplan came in nice and handy and ran a 3:03 kilometer and then a 3:18 to finish (got the first half of the hill going into the finishing chute). Overall really happy with the time (15:57 - course was 5.05 according to the watch) since I was hoping for 16 minutes on the tough little course, but really was anticipating around 16:20ish. Once again would have loved it if a few kenyans had come out to push me maybe a little harder even though it's not like I was holding anything back really. However, you could imagine when looking back at 1 mile and not seeing a soul could subconsciously work to slow you down slightly since you know the win is already in the bag - went on to win  by 2 minutes and 10 seconds, a blowout win in any race but especially for a 5k. This is precisely the reason I believe that cross country next year will really do wonders for my running career since I will be training with some really really fast 5-8k runners on daily basis on the team, and then against others at meets. With this race I do believe that a sub 15 5k would be more than possible for me on a flat course with good competition, and I do think I do have some talent in the distance.  However, I still feel most comfortable with the half marathon distance in particular. What I do know is that these shorter races have helped me immensely to recapture and activate some of the raw leg speed that I carry. If anyone had ever seen me play ball hockey, or basketball when I was a kid in elementary, or soccer, etc. you know there is definitely some speed present in my legs. The marathon sapped some of that out which is why I think cross country will be amazing for me. If I can get my legs comfortable at sub 3 minute pace then 3:08 for 42.2 kilometers will be possible, which is what I need to run for the ultimate goal - Olympics.

Peachbud and MEC 10 and 10 Recap

Peachbud 10
After the landslide victory in Barrie on the weekend, I headed over to Grimsby for the mar-key event of the Niagara Running Series, and one that always boasts a fast field despite a somewhat rolling hill-type course, the Tim Hortons Peachbud 10k. Unfortunately the weather was atrocious and for some time it looked like the race may not even run with major lightning strikes across southern ontario and in the immediate area. Also a 20 car collision on the 407, meant zig-zagging from jane, to steeles, to the 400, to 403, and finally back onto the 407, and the QEW. Let's just say it was a long drive which horrible driving conditions (torrential downpour). Thankfully, my Dad, the champ, battled through the rain and got me there just in time and was able to get atleast a 10 minute warmup in before the race. The rain had slowed but the humidity was off the charts with the air temperature in only the mid-20s but the humidex was making it feel 37. After already starting to sweat up a storm during warmup, I took note of the other elite runners in the race. Wow what a stacked field with 5 Kenyans (3 men, 2 women) including 2:09 marathon runner Thomas Omwenga, Daniel Kasia, and winner of the around the bay and 29 minute 10k runner Terrance Attema. Suffice to say my goal turned into trying to finish top ten. I wanted to run a fast race for this one but despite my legs and lungs feeling stronger than ever, I didn't expect to PB with a. the humidity factor; b. the hilliness of the course; c. running a race at 7:30 at night which I've never done before - although I did race the 3000 one time in high school at around 6 o'clock because the director wanted to wait until the extreme midday heat died down a little; d. after just racing a half marathon less than 72 hours before my right calf was still very sore. The gameplan was really just run a 3:05ish first kilometer, then settle into my pace, and if I felt Terrance's pace to be maintainable than try to stay with him for as long as possible.

Other kenyans are out of the picture on the right, beside the
Kenyan girl in yellow.

Gun sounded and we were off. This was a very strange opening by myself, and the 3 others in the top group: Terrance, Kasia, and Omwenga. We had the lead car with a digital clock on top of it with our time, and we passed by the 1 kilometer sign under 3 minute/km pace 2:59. It was pretty amazing as soon as the four of us saw the time and split we all instantly slowed substantially (almost tripping over one another) as if all four of us knew this was not going to be sustainable. The second kilometer my pace slowed to 3:15, and with that the pack was broken Terrance, Omwenga and Kasia up ahead, me and another Kenyan runner, Gatundu, left behind. Third kilometer, I pushed back and left Gatundu behind on a steep little hill with a 3:12 kilometer. So for the fourth kilometer until about 6.5 I was on my own trying desperately to catch back up to the three lead guys, with a 3:14 fourth kilometer, but then the humidity really started getting to me and on an incline over a bridge at 5k may pace slowed significantly to a pedestrian 3:22 for the 5th and 6th kilometers. My mindset wasn't very strong at this point and I started counting down the kilometers saying in my head okay 5.5 to go, 5 to go, 4.5, etc - essentially "this feels awful when is this going to end". Obviously, when this happens the pace suffers. But, at 6.5k I got a little more motivated and distracted myself since Omwenga was dropped from the lead group up ahead, and I made it my goal to catch back up to him. Obviously, I wasn't the only one effected by the conditions since even though I had a garbage 5th and 6th kilometers, the lead group wasn't exactly pulling away from me, they were still in sight. I quickly closed on Omwenga and actually passed him for a moment thinking how cool is this I'm beating a 2:09 Kenyan marathon runner. But he caught back up and we ran side by side for 2k. At 7.5k he put in a fast surge but I responded and stayed with him.

Look at the amount of sweat on that singlet.

However, at 8.5k he put in another surge, and this time I couldn't respond. Despite the middle of the race really taking any chance from PBing, I was really happy with how I finished with back to back 3:15 kilometers. Ran in through the finishing chute in 33:08 and fourth place overall. Initially, I wasn't very happy with the final time but then realized that Terrance, Kasia, and Omwenga who finished 16 seconds ahead of me, all ran 2-3 minutes slower than there usual times and that was obviously due to the conditions - humidity and wet roads. So i figured that time may infact be equivalent to around 31 minutes.




MEC Barrie 10


After getting in pretty late Tuesday night from
the race, I was exhausted and decided after lots of thought to break my running streak of 28 days in a row without a day off. So Wednesday I took it as a recovery day with an hour on the bike just to loosen out my legs and some strength work. Thursday I was back at it but still using the 20k run as more of a recovery run. With all this racing it feels so different because I'm not really doing true training, it is really just race-recover-race-recover-race-recover, etc. So the runs in between races are all really just at a comfortable pace, and no workouts. Sure I'll surge a few times over the course of a 20k just to make sure I don't lose that feel of the turnover, but no structured track work. Another 20 on Friday, and then Saturday was off to Barrie for a 10k race. This race looked like it would be alot of fun, and it definitely lived up to it. It was on the Oro-Medonte Rail Trail in Orillia which was in a beautiful spot. So beautiful that I think I've decided to live in Barrie someday down the road. The trail like any other rail trail is dead straight, no steep hills just steady inclines, on crushed gravel, and very similar to one of the trails I ran on in Park City called the Farm Trail. With trees lining either side, and some open areas with the sun shining through it was just beautiful, and looked like a perfect spot for tempo runs if I was to live in Barrie/Orillia someday. I knew the gravel would be slightly slower than the road but I do love running on gravel since it's a bit easier on my legs, and I did do alot of running on gravel in Park City so I was pretty used to it's feel. After the 15k race started, us 10k runners were off. It was kind of cool because most of the field recognized me from the Barrie half marathon the weekend before, and came up to shake my hand or give me a high five. I felt like a celebrity. My stomach was a little upset throughout my 3k warmup, and drills, but my legs did feel pretty good. Race started, and I quickly seperated myself from the field with a 3:08 kilometer. Quickly settled into my rhythm and clocked off 3:17, 3:14, 3:17, 3:16 kilometers. By 3.2 kilometers I caught up and passed most of the 15k runners who started their race 10 minutes before us 10k runners. At 5k made the turnaround and realized I was way up on the other 10k runners, and my legs felt unbelievable. They got that same feeling I had last weekend in Barrie, as it felt I could wind my legs and turn them over as fast as I wanted with nothing holding me back. A slower 7th and 8th kilometer at 3:21 a piece as I had to do some weaving around the 5k runners but then really turned on the jets. A 3:10 9th kilometer, and then a 3:00 minute final kilometer my fastest final kilometer to finish any race, a sprint finish. Final time a new PB! 32:32 -3:15avg pace for the 10k. Won easily by 5 minutes, got some prizes from MEC at the end, and felt awesome. After a 4k run to cooldown before getting in the car to go for breakfast, and then another 4k run at night my legs still felt great, and fully ready to race again soon on Tuesday. Here (top right corner for some reason) the final push at the end filmed by my Dad.

And one more thing, got the pics from barrie half marathon, here are a few of them.

I like this one with the sky in background.

Barrie Half Marathon Post-Race

Wow what a race yesterday, let me tell you all a little about it. Got there in nice time, perfect time to do my 20 minute warmup of drills. I've been tweaking and polishing this routine for 5-6 weeks and now it goes really smoothly, and I absolutely love it. Much more then what I would do in the past which was pretty much just running ABCs, and some hamstring swings. This one really gets every single muscle group in the thighs, hips, lower legs (including tibialis anterior which in the past can sometimes fatigue on me when I'm in my flats), and even the feet. The warmup could actually be a good workout in itself as you work up a pretty good sweat in the process. I could tell pretty quickly that besides Tyler, another competitor invited to the event to try to break my course record from last year (he had come second at the Mississauga Half Marathon 7 weeks ago), and another guy which looked scarily similar to Lionel Sanders with his muscles, it wasn't, but yes I walked up beside him to see if he had a tattoo on his arm to make sure it wasn't Lionel, this was going to be a two-man race since I was really the only person of 1500 competitors warming up (btw sorry for the long run-on sentence). My word of wisdom to those mid-pack runners out there, or even back-of the pack weekend warriors, do a proper warmup before your races it will really make a huge difference in your stride's form and snappiness, and your finishing time in the end. If not don't complain at 6k or so that you leg's are tightening up because it's your own doing.

So after a solid warmup over to the start line looking smart in my amazing new racing kit including an awesome Nike singlet, and brand new Nike Zoom Streak LT2 racing flats - the newest edition to my shoe family and the lightest by quite a bit. Normally, I wouldn't recommend to other runners out there to race in a brand new shoe literally right out of the box, as these were purchased just the night before the race. But then again this is a no-nonsense racing flat that probably doesn't require much break-in period anyways since it is essentially a very thin sheet of material to cover you feet and the thinnest, smallest piece of foam as the midsole. So really there isn't a whole lot of midsole and bunches of EVA that really needs to be broken in anyways. These nimble shoes weigh in at just 5 oz which to put into perspective, for a shoe that a wide range of people can relate too even though I don't really consider it a true running shoe, is anywhere from 2.5-3.3 oz lighter than Nike Frees depending on whether you wear the 3.0-5.0 varieties. More importantly, these shoes are 2.8 oz lighter than my Adidas Adios Boost racing flats which come in at 7.8 oz. For those thinking 2.8 isn't much think about the overall weight of the shoe, if the shoe only weighs 5 oz and the other is 7.8 oz that is more than 50% heavier. Plus according to the most recent lab studies every oz lighter a shoe is equates to roughly 3 seconds per kilometer faster. So let's do the math, if this shoe is 2.8 oz lighter than the adios (round to 3 to make things simpler), than the streak Lt2 is 9 s/km faster. Let me put this another way if that doesn't sound significant to you, 9 s/km faster is equivalent to 3 min and 9 seconds over the distance of a half marathon - which yes is significant. Getting back to the story, the reason I decided to go with a shoe other than the adidas adios boost goes back quite a bit. First off, if you remember I was not 100% sold on the adios 2.0 going into the Scotiabank Marathon last October, I even wrote a whole blog post pretty much dedicated to the issue. Problem was that after running in the original green Adidas Adios - of which were a feature to a poem I wrote last August or so on the beauty of running two-a-days, the 2.0 didn't have quite the same feel. They were somewhat clunky, and noisy hitting the ground. The original adios fit like a glove, the upper was simple and comfortable. Then with the 2.0 they changed the upper of the pedigreed shoe that smashed the world record on multiple occasions, to one that for some reason had more overlays, a thin plastic heel counter, and a small piece of plastic on the medial-posterior arch that seemed to me like a whole bunch of useless weight. I believe why adidas chose these components is quite obvious. Here how I think that story goes:

Original, light, simple, and bright Adios smashes the world record  on multiple occasions by the world's greatest runner of all-time Haile Gebrasallasie. Average runners see this and wonder what shoes Haile is wearing, and want them for themselves. Adidas reacts and says, well the everyday run of the mill Joe Blow can't run in a shoe as simple and lightweight as Haile, who ran barefoot for the first couple decades of his life, westerners require chunks of plastic and highly engineered stitched overlays to keep there pathetically weak feet from disaster. Let's release the adios 2.0 sell it for more the original, and market it as the world's fastest shoe even though it is completely different from the original, but now accessible to the everyday runner. Brilliant.

So to keep things somewhat short, they royally messed up a perfect racing flat with the adios 2.0. Yet, it still served as a good option since despite completely messing up the upper, the outsole was still unparalleled with the continental rubber. From there adidas released the adios boost, taking the same upper pretty much from the 2.0 adding more plastic stuff for some reason, and replacing the midsole with boost technology. Now the shoe was officially destroyed. The boost completely changed the responsiveness of the shoe, in that there really isn't any, now you try to push the pace in the shoe and no matter how much you push into the ground the shoe is still just squishing along in the same manner. It has brutal responsiveness, not to mention being ridiculously heavy for a racing flat, and really just feels separate from your foot. So after a hard workout called the Lumberjack Workout from NAU which is 5X400, then 4k tempo, 5x400 (5k pace), 4k tempo, 5X400 (10k pace) in the adios boost I decided my eight year long relationship of racing in nothing but adidas was over. The shoe felt like garbage, and I wanted something different. So to make a really long side-story short, went with the Streak LT2 which is great for any surface including cross country, gravel, grass, road, and even rubber.

Back to the race. Waiting around at the start line just before the race I was feeling very nervous. Not really sure why but my heart was already racing. Maybe it was the pressure I had put on myself to set a PB, or that I had been thinking and rehearsing this race in my mind while out on the roads/mountains in Park City, Utah for so long now. My gameplan that I had thought about was to run the first 5k with the lead pack of runners then at around 5k where I remember there being a good sized hill put on an early move and leave the pack in the dust. Basically use my hill climbing prowess that I gained running up the mountains in Park City to gap my competitors on a comparatively tiny incline in Barrie. Well, strategies are always good to have going into the race, but sometimes you just have to roll with what is given to you on the day and trash your plan. Essentially, about 35 maybe even less meters after the gun sounded I was out on my own. Going at 2:40 pace for the opening minute and a half I built an already sizeable gap, and felt quite comfortable. I wasn't going to hold back and run a loping 3:30/km pace just to run with a couple people after all that training. If nobody decided to come up with me so be it, I'll take control and run my own race. A little disappointing that Tyler or any of the other competitors couldn't stay with me and push me along for any of the race, but then again I do believe that on this day and after 800k put in at 7000ft and above I was at a different level than anyone and would have taken control and dominated anyone on this day. After a 3:07 opening kilometer, then 3:17, and 3:18 to follow I was quickly in rhythm, by roughly this point I stopped thinking about anyone potentially behind me, and just decided to focus ahead at the lead bike about 30 meters or so ahead. At 5k approached one of the bigger hills on the course and galloped up it like nothing really happened putting in a 3:22 kilometer. Hit the 5k mark in 16:26. Would have liked to have taken the turnaround pylon at 6k a little smoother, but after accelerating out of the turn looked up and didn't see anyone coming towards the turn around for a while. After finally seeing 2nd place, and then 3rd a little later, then the masses started coming, and after waving to first couple, stopped and focused ahead back on the lead bike, and went into what I've referred to in the past as trance mode and felt unstoppable. The oxygen was flooding into my body, and really I felt like my legs were just on autopilot, turning over faster and faster without straining too hard. Really I kept looking at my watch and the effort level and pace didn't really match. If I saw my pace drop to 3:25 which was a little faster than my former personal best pace at the half, I just simply quickened the cadence slightly and was back at 3:20 without killing myself. Not to say I was just chilling out there, after a 3:17 9th kilometer there was one more hill at 10k which did sting a little and really slowed that split to 3:29 (10k mark in 33:25), but recovered with a 3:20 and 3:22 on 11 and 12. After passing to the right of the finishing chute to start the final 4k out and 4k back on the gravel section of the course the lead cyclist made a wrong turn and cost me about 10-15 seconds. Onto the gravel section which even though it is clearly slower than the road, which I could tell by the fact that at the same pace I had to increase my effort level, my legs will always welcome a softer surface. 13-16k went smoothly, it was heating up a bit but my legs still felt full of running. At 17k don't really know what happened but after the final hill of the course I got a little out of rhythm, lost a little focus, and had a slow 3:32 km split. But on the final 4k of the race, I have never felt better during the latter part of a race. The final four splits were 3:20, 3:20, 3:20 and then 3:17. Really the last 4k my legs felt beastly and I could accelerate faster and faster. In fact in the finishing chute I hit a speed of 27 km/hr. Clocked in at 1:11:03 smashing my PB by 1 minute and 19 seconds, plus had I not made that wrong turn wasting some time would have been even quicker. I did what I said earlier in the month and dismantled any competition winning by 6 minutes, and beat my course record from last year by 3 minutes. Had this race been on the all pavement all downhill Mississauga Half I believe I would have been 1:08:30-45 - based on the fact that after last year coming into Barrie in great shape my time was 2 minutes slower than Mississauga so those 2 minutes are due to the course. Regardless, for me this was the most flawless race I've ran with my legs really feeling amazing throughout. From here onto the Peachbud 10k on Tuesday Night. The last couple days here post race my right calf has been pretty sore, I'm guessing from racing in 5k racing flats for a half marathon, but I'll still look to set another PB assuming the weather holds off (calling for some storms). Until next time, happy running.

Goodbye PC I''l be back soon

Just finished up an quick and easy 20k run to say goodbye to the mountains and Park City. Really a perfect trip in every way you can imagine and exactly what I needed. After the Around the Bay race at the end of March I felt broken, and defeated. Taking time off to nurse my injury was agonizing. Stress levels were definitely on the rise with final exams around the corner not to mention interviews for physiotherapy schools in the coming year. After receiving news that I had not been accepted into the various programs, I felt like all that hard work I did in university was a waste, since I had absolutely nothing to show for it. In fact, I recall on the plane ride over to Denver, the kind gentlemen in the seat next to me, with whom I had a nice conversation throughout the flight, asked me at one point what I plan to do next year after I had told him that I was graduating June 16. When he asked me that, I paused for a moment, and actually had to think for moment of a decent answer, because I was uncertain and really had no clue what the future would hold. And for me, there is nothing in the world that I hate more than having no direction. That goes for my studies, and for my running. It is why I always need to have a race on the calender to give my training some direction, some purpose, and therefore some meaning. Not only was I uncertain of what my academic future held, I was nervous and unsure of how my training would go in Park City. After the slew of injuries that lasted essentially from mid-November until May 16, I knew that there was a definite possible of the entire trip being a disaster. I was running again after the injury sustained to my right tibia sidelined my for a few weeks, however, my left tibia had actually begun to give me some issues and discomfort during my short runs at the end of April/early May. As a result, my mileage was quite low hovering anywhere from 70-90 kilometers. This was in fact a running trip, and I had an overwhelming fear that I may not be able to run very much, and what if I try to run a lot of mileage because after all I am here to run, and as a result I aggravate my fragile tibias, once again leaving me sidelined for the entire trip. Well my first day here I ran three times, and everyday after multiple times oer day for 10 straight days. Took one day off and then ran 17 straight days, overall running around 800 kilometers, climbing the equivalent of about two-times up Mt. Everest, and training for over 90 hours for the 27 day period. My legs survived, and really I couldn't have dreamed I would have been able to run that much without re-injuring myself. In fact, I wouldn't have thought I would have been able to run that much even 100% healthy. Great workouts throughout, and I feel stronger than ever, especially after yet another huge workout Friday morning which was lightning fast. As I imagine most people experience, yesterday afternoon I felt a little blue while packing up my stuff, and thinking that Sunday I would be back to running the flat concrete streets of Bathurst and Dufferin with nothing but suburbia surrounding me. But then I decided to for a long walk around Park City, not really going anywhere specific, just walking, thinking, breathing in the clean mountain air, and soaking in the beautiful views of the mountains. I ended up walking for an hour and half and realized something that really made me feel better and reinvigorated. Most people go on vacation and buy some souvenirs to remind them of the good times experienced on the trip for years to come. For me I realized that my souvenir was much much more. My souvenir was literally a part of me. I am taking a part of Park City back with me, and that is the blood running through my body, the new mitochondria, new heavily networked capillary beds integrated into my muscles, my fatigue resistant, powerful yet light and speedy leg muscles, and a new sense of mental toughness, not to mention a new idea of what a hill looks like. A great trip, and I am more than excited to test out my body and mind in competition in the coming weeks. Plus, I got an email from McMaster saying that I have in fact been accepted into there physiotherapy program to start in September. Basically, everything is great right now. The schedule for the next coming weeks is graduating Summa Cum Laude on Monday, then defending my course record from last year at the Barrie Waterfront Half Marathon on Saturday, then a few days later a fast 10k in Grimsby, then a 15k back in Barrie the next Saturday, then a 5k in Belleville, followed by either another 5k in Beamsville, or a 10k on the track in London, or a longer trail race in Collingwood - Apparently they advertise the course being tough and technical on Blue Mountain, I laughed and thought Blue "Mountain" and tough, I've summited the 9000ft Bald Mountain, Murdock Peak, Bald Eagle Mountain, and more on rocks, roots, and with mountain lions nearby watching my every footstrike. Until next time, here a a couple pics from that walk around PC,

Enlarge to see the PC sign on the hill. 

Erythropoiesis is cooking now

Monday: Started the week with an easy 8k to loosen up followed by a 45 min Indiana Core Workout. From there it was time for some 400s. Unfortunately the football team was having practice at the track - my goodness the punter on this team was awesome, just pounding the ball and had some sweet backspin on it - so the workout looked like it was going to be on the road behind the track. However, after the first couple repeats I could tell that this wasn't going to work with too many cars and a slight curve in the road which meant that I would not be able to see the oncoming cars well in advance. So I stopped the workout which was going to be 20X400 with 200m rest in between and dropping a hammer interval every 4th repeat (so 5 overall), and headed over to one of the baseball diamonds. Chose the one where just prior to HR fence there was a red clay warning track because I figured I would be able to go fast on it versus the other diamonds which were completely grass. So after measuring out the diamond around to mark off my 200m split restarted the workout back at number 1 (even though already did 2). Turned out the two 30-40 meter grass sections between first base and the warning track and then from the warning track to third base made it tougher workout then it should've been since running fast on the grass took alot of energy. Still completed the goal of the workout averaging 74 seconds for the 15 tempo 400s (so 3:05 per kilometer pace) and then 69 seconds for the 5 hammer intervals (so 2:52 per kilometer pace). Overall I was pleased with the hammer intervals, and once again focused on each interval, but I believe that had the workout been on the rubber track it could've been about 3 seconds faster per interval. Nonetheless the legs felt snappy, and turnover was nice and quick. Been really working on two things for the last while, one is getting better, the other still needs work. One, been working on keeping shorter levers as my legs push back which has been working well to speed up the cadence. The other is after watching some videos of me running on the track and watching them frame by frame I realized the my left leg is badly overstriding, and been doing so since atleast STWM 2013 after looking at that video as well frame by frame. I've always been aware than my left thigh is probably a good inch and a half larger in circumference than my right, so there is a muscle imbalance there for sure, but is that the cause or the result of the overstride - probably a good 2-3 inches longer stride then my right based on going back to the clay and looking at the difference between the right to left and then left to right footprints. Still after trying to fix this for a few weeks, the problem is still there. What is the result, maybe nothing, but also remember back in end of nov/dec I had a bad stress fracture in my left tibia, that yes from time to time will still experience some discomfort. Obviously I should fix this, but obviously since I've been doing it for so long it is kind of turned into my natural motion now, and I'm not entirely sure how to solve it.

But anyways after that workout went out for an easy 10k on a nearby trail.

Tuesday: In the morning headed out to the diamond again to do another hour long core workout and form drills. From there off to Gamble Oak Trail nearby for an easy pace 24k with 2000ft vertical (a few big climbs). From there back to do a big stretch, then watch episode nine of game of thrones season 4 - not much happened there, and then a smooth 6.5k around town, and to the grocery store. On that note, here has been my normal diet for the last 4 weeks:

Breakfast: Okay pretty simple start to the day, really just packing as many carbohydrates into my morning meal as possible for the long day.

-Big bowl of Honey Bunches of Oats w/ almonds with a sliced banana on top to get that potassium to prevent cramping.
-2 Slices of Whole Grain Flaxseed toast (for some Omega-3 to lessen any inflammation) with bunches of peanut butter spread on top for some protein, and some good unsaturated fat - plus my favorite food item in the world.
- 2-3 cups of Dark Roast Coffee depending on how much water I put in

During Runs: 2-3 Gels depending on the distance and water - historically I'm pretty bad at properly hydrating during runs, usually I have to consciously remind myself to drink before it's too late. So what I started doing to get myself to drink more is just put my gels into the water so I'm basically forced to drink.

Post-Run: GU Recovery Brew - loaded with glutamine for non-essential amino acid synthesis (transamination reactions), a little protein (8g) + antioxidants to prevent free radical damage, and lastly bunches of simple and complex carbohydrates to replenish the stores.

Pre-Lunch Snack: Clif Bar

Lunch: - Whole Grain Buckwheat Pancakes (usually just two massive ones), with muscle milk protein thrown in (it also has bunches of vitamins and minerals), and another banana.
- Another 2-3 cups of Dark Roast Coffee


Mid-day Snack: A bunch of red grapes for some resveratrol, and an orange with a 28mg Iron Supplement to promote erythryopoesis (RBC production). The orange is eaten immediately after the iron supplement since vitamin C promotes iron absorption.

Pre Dinner Snack: Another Clif Bar

Dinner: The main usually millet and legumes to make a complete proteins with bunches of veggies. On the side a salad with an oil based dressing to have some fat so that I could absorb the at soluble vitamins in the spinach/kale, and if especially hungry a big bowl of low sodium butternut squash soup.

Snack: Two slices of toast with peanut butters, and a big bowl of muesli - which has dried cranberries, oats, barley, and 5 other grains, sunflower seeds, and more.

Side Notes: Throughout the day drinking as much water as possible to stay hydrated - so whenever I'm sitting there is a glass of water there. Also having my bottle on the bedside table to take a drink whenever I wake up during the night.

Wednesday (Tempo Day): Off to the diamond for an hour worth of core and drills. Back in and off to Jeremy Ranch Rd for another 12k tempo. Started with 4k warmup, and a little dynamic stretching and then off. As said in the title of the post - was just hammering, same effort level but way faster than last week - feels like the blood is getting nice and syrupy filled with RBCs. There is no better feeling that lacing up the flats, taking the top off, wearing my split shorts, and hearing the countdown on my garmin watch for the start of the tempo. Starting at 3:18 per km pace and was able to lock into the pace within about 300 meters. When I felt that rhythm (by the way it just took me 4 attempts to spell rhythm correctly - Damn that's a tough word) set in that quickly I knew this would be a good one. Hit 3k in 9:58, 5k in 16:30, slowed a bit by a steep 200m long hill at 7.5k and hit 10k in 33:30 but bounced back and cruised into 12k in 40 minutes. 3:20/km pace at altitude, nice, I was thrilled. Plus based on the HR data I know I could go even harder averaging around 173 throughout, peaking at 192 on one big hill near the end. I was so happy with the tempo, the 10k cooldown back to the bus flew by. Right now off for a quick 20-30 minute run just to stretch out my legs.

Full Speed Ahead

Monday: The week started with the longest run of the trip, a 35 kilometer trek up the mountain here at Park City Mountain Resort, and across the famous midmountain trail to the Canyons Resort. Definitely a different 35k run then those that I did last July/Aug/Sep in my buildup to STWM. Lots of tricky rocky sections over 3000ft of vertical gain and consistently at over 8000ft altitude, a little different than Bathurst. The first chunk went incredibly well, but the last 5k or so was very tough. My feet had enough of the rocks, and my toes were starting to hurt bad. But battled through and finished. Some stunning views along the route, I can see why this route is a must-do classic of Park City - although most people do it on a bike, not on foot.

Tuesday (A 6 mile trip to Kenya): Jeremy Ranch Rd. is the tempo run road of choice for the Alberto Salazar coached Nike Oregon Distance project featured Dbl Gold Medalist Mo Farah, and Silver Medalist and AR holder for the 10000 Galen Rupp. Now, I can see why. After watching so many documentaries on Kenyan runners, as well are North Americans going to train in Iten, the running mecca of the world, a common discussion point about the training environment is the bumpy dirt roads meandering through the village. Jeremy Ranch road is the exact same, an amazing dirt road going forever, bumpy, and the road weaves between mountains very close on either side -creating somewhat of a tunnel. The road is absolutely perfect for race simulation tempo runs since has rolling hills throughout, and the atmosphere with the mountains on either side creating that tunnel really helps to just lock into your pace and stay there. After a 4k warmup, and some drills/strides I was off for a 12k tempo run. However, I didn't want to set a specific pace to hold, I wanted to just go by feel and wanted it to be at a comfortably hard effort. Started off really well clipping off 4k in a row around 3:25, then was hanging in at just over 3:30 the next 4. The last 4 however my legs got destroyed by a stretch with 4-5 good hills which sapped the pace and energy out of my legs, but the last kilometer was able to push through the extreme fatigue that overcame my legs and ran in for a decent 42 min 12k. At sea level 3:30 avg isn't going to blow anyone away, but I was very happy with the effort level evidenced by the HR avg of 172 - right at the comfortably hard level of about 85% HRmax. After a 7k cooldown back to the start and over to the bus for a good end to a solid workout. From there lunch, and then in the evening a 6k flushing out the legs run, and a 30 minute circuit workout on the track that I learned from Team Indiana Elite.

Wednesday: Wanted to work on some mental toughness in the morning by pushing through a 22k at a medium pace on a very hot day with zero water and no gels. First 17k went well, and last 5k accomplished exactly what I was looking to do: I felt dehydrated and tired, but kept it rolling and finished. It's exactly what I did all last year in my build to STWM running on those extreme heat alert days with no water or gels, and then thinking back to those and using those for motivation on the cool October morning of the race. After the run, off to the track for an hour long workout of drills and the same circuit workout. In the evening, a very high intensity but very different workout. Went to the biggest hill in the area - 25% grade average, and did 20X100m (9k with warmup and cooldown) all out sprints up the hill to work on form mostly, and put a different type of demand on my legs this time using power and strength instead of my aerobic base. Holy smokes, this was tough. Just gasping for air after each repeat, and with only about 30 sec rest in between each, started the next sprint already breathing hard, plus HR peaked out at 197.

Thursday: The final day of three day stretch of hard workouts and lots of speed work. After a 30 minute core workout in the morning, a 4k run over deer valley at 7300 ft for another speed workout. This time it was 8 X 1km with 600m rest in between each - so a decent amount of rest about 2 and half minutes so that I could turn my legs over fast for each of the repeats. This was a beastly workout, and I could see the sprint work up the hill last night paying off. Despite being at 7300ft still managed to run well under half marathon pace, in fact actually under 10k pace. A 3:12 avg per km for the repeats, and managed to actually get to the halfway point of one of them at 2:50/km pace. Even though I was flying, I felt in control and smooth. In addition, after about 4 years of training, I think I have finally mastered one of my biggest issues, and that is thinking about the workout as a whole instead of focusing on each individual interval. In other words, when I'm on interval #2 let's say, thinking "Wow, I have like 6 more of these to go, so leave some energy in the bank for the next one," or "okay two down 6 to go." I have been trying to overcome this way of thinking for a while now and after the last couple workouts I think I have finally have worked through the problem. The key thing during any workout is to focus 100% on the interval you are doing, not the next one or how many more there are to go. What ends up happening is subconsciously, or maybe consciously, you slow down on the current interval, because you are trying to leave some energy or the next few. This is especially evident on the second to last interval where you go a little slower than your goal because you want to hammer that last one. However, the goal of the workout is not necessarily to get faster with each split (sometimes that may be the goal) but instead to run an even pace from interval number one until the last. This time out I was able to focus on interval number one and only number one, then interval number two and only number two, and so on. As a result, the splits were consistent and fast. Here is a tip that I learned from the McMillian group training out of Flagstaff: Let's say you doing a pretty standard workout of 400m repeats, and let's say your doing 20 repeats. To prevent the workout from just accelerating start to finish every 4th repeat throw in what Greg calls a hammer interval. So for instance, do the first three 400s at say 69-71 seconds, and then the fourth at 64-66. Then repeat this pattern throughout. So the 4th, 8th, 12th, 16th, and 20th 400 is a hammer interval, the rest are all at tempo pace. Essentially what this does is prevent the workout just getting faster and faster since those hammer intervals will knock out some of the energy in your legs and keep you in-check. Back to the day, after another 4k back, chilled for a while and finished the day with a 10k run on the Prospector trail in the afternoon.

Friday: Okay so this was kind of a chill out sort of day, and let the legs recover from three tough days of training. So started the day with a 13k shakeout run, and over to the track to just do some dynamic stretching - mostly working on my left hamstring that had been getting a little angry with the heavy amount of speed work the last three days. Back in, had some breakfast than went out for another 13k this time up Armstrong Trail at an easy pace but still with about 1500 ft of climbing. From there, over to the bus to go for an hour long swim. Chilled out in the afternoon, and then in the evening went back over to the track to do another 30 minute Indiana strength circuit. O and I almost forgot, check out these two guys who were just chilling about 30ft from the door of my hotel for about 8 hours. Click on the picture to enlarge, it's tough to see because the camera is designed for high resolution up close, but not as good further out - pretty much nearsighted, plus there is no zoom, but I assure you I am standing about 15ft from the two of them (the other is behind the birch).

Saturday: Started the day with a 30 minute strength workout, and then was off to do a trail close-by that I hadn't done yet at Park City Mountain Resort. I have no clue what happened to the go-pro halfway through, it seemed to restart and erase the first half of the run, where the majority of the climbing was done. But anyways the run was 24k at an easy effort, but with 2500ft vertical gain - most on this one ski run that I ran up just for kicks. Afterwards it was time to take a nap, and then a speedy 6k run just before sitting down to see the Belmont. On that, what terrible tactics by California Chrome. He had the inside lane, but quickly let himself get boxed in, and Chrome is notoriously poor running from that position. The jockey made a terrible move, breaking to the outside of four horses in between he and the fence, trying to overtake the others on a turn. Every track runner in the world could have told you when he did that the race was over. This killed all Chrome's energy. Boy that was disappointing. For the video threw in some CCR and Jimmy Hendrix, in case over the last 3 weeks of videos house music isn't really your thing.

Sunday: And last but not least, the week ended with some drills/strides followed by a 32k long run where from 30-60minutes I did a minute on at marathon pace/a minute easy, and then the same from 90-120 minutes - so 30 minute total at marathon pace just to shake things up along the way and keep my mind occupied. After that a core workout, and that was it for the week. Overall, my second biggest every mileage week at 214 kilometers - ya that's right, a good serving of speed workout, and to top things off lots more elevation gain.