Winter Running   What I like about Winter Running is that if you continue through the fall and into the winter with a running schedule outside….you gradually get acclimatized to the on coming winter temperatures and you end up not minding the cold. In theory this works well…………My running has been sporadic throughout the fall, and into the first part of the winter I ran in Southern China, Florida, and Hawaii, as well as a tonne of Tred-mills at various hotels around the globe.  This didn’t exactly toughen me up for winter running.   This week I anxiously watched the weather network and finally decided no matter what the conditions id get out for a decent long run this Sunday.   Yesterday my buddy Patrick and I went to the Running Free store……we go a few times a year but this is our annual BIG trip where I buy enough goods to get me through the winter and spend enough money that I have to run just out of guilt!  Lol   I bought a couple new trail shoes, Solomon X Lab and Montrail, Masochists as well as a pair of Sauconys (as the past 12 pair) Street shoes.   I also bought a new pair of Snow shoes designed for running.   That should get the old cardio in top form.   I bought a pair of compression Capri style shorts, some newFox Riverwool socks and a bunch of Under Armour ts and shorts   One thing about winter running.   If you are properly dressed its fun…if you aren’t it isn’t! I dress in layers.   Of course with my obsessive nature I have records going back a few years of what I wear at what temperature so I know what I need.   Today I was thrilled to pull on those new Wool socks, although a bit apprehensive as ive been wearing one type of sock for many years………..they were great.  My feet stayed nice and warm and not a blister in sight even with wearing a brand new pair of shoes for 20 km!   I dress in layers, with a Under armour t , then a Solomon long sleeve shirt, a vest, a neck warmer, a light wind jacket, the new Capri compression shorts, and long Solomon winter pants……………..A toque and warm glove/mitts   Warm water in my bottles which started to freeze at the 15 km mark and Stinger Honey waffles in my belt   For some reason my calves and shins felt tight from the get go……I was uncomfortable with the run for 1.5 km and then told myself that im out for 20 no matter how long it takes so settle in and enjoy it……and that I did.   My shin nagged but I took in the crisp scenery, the powerful river, the busy squirrels and in no time I was at the turn around…briefly considering to continue on but wisely telling myself that I have plenty of upcoming long runs and stick with the schedule.         The run back was considerably faster, and when I got into the building I was breathing hard with a 160 HR.   A bit of stretching and core and onto the old stationary bike….I really hate that machine………a few eights and into the pool.  Ive started to really enjoy swimming as I improve each month……..a 1 km swim in 20 minutes and I was DONE for the day.   Mistakes.        Didn’t eat the appropriate meal last night.  I had a lot of fatty stuff like cheese etc.  A lot of protein and not enough carbs.   This morning I skipped breakfast.   That’s the last time I ll cheat on nutrition this year.  It affects performance too much.   Also up too late (it’s relative!  Lol….midnight)   I feel ive officially started to train for Sulphur 50 Mile now.  Its exactly 19 weeks away.  I ll ramp up mileage heavily over the next 9 weeks until I hit that magical 100 miles a week!  Then some recovery weeks and the slow decent towards less miles, more hills, more speed.    Last Sunday was the first day that Joe and the Burlington Runners do theSulphurloop 21km as a training run.  The first Sunday of each month.  I will be at as many as I can.  A great bunch of guys and specific race training.  Not to mention beautiful scenery and lots of wildlife!  

 More on the snow shoe training soon!!!!

I wonder why im drawn to races with words like Death or Hurt or Bad in them?????  Since my 100 mile sulphur run and my failed attempt to drag my sore and sorry ass to Death Race july 2011, my training has been sketchy at best….doing enough to keep a bit of a base but dealing with injuries, and a sick work schedule have made it a rough fall.   I know im always harping that there is always enough time to work in a training run however, there actually wasnt for several weeks.    Since October ive had several 24 hour work days a few 30′s and dozens of 18′s     there was no time for a run in those.   It was my own doing taking my perfectly good consulting business and adding not one, not two but three new companies to my life in which i have varying degrees of ownership in shares……………ive been around long enough to realize that type of accelerated growth is dangerous in business but……..anyway,   Enough of that boring stuff.  

My wife told me we needed a vacation, and although i said i didnt have time somehow or other i landed in Hawaii on Sunday.   As soon as i got to the beach i slept for several hours and that night i was in bed by 830 and slept through until morning….balcony door open to the sound of the waves

Alot of people enjoy vacaions by sidling up to the bar or buffet, but for me vacation is a time where i can “detox” my system.  Get in all the runs and gym time i want without worry of a schedule.

Eating only Fish ( mostly RAW Hawaiian POKE style) and fresh fruit……no fried foods or empty carbs

Ive known about the HURT for sometime and had seen some pictures and heard about the infamous 25,800 feet of Elevation change over the 100 miles.   Also knowing a bit about vegetation i imagined the network of roots and volcanic rock, slippery mud and bamboo groves…..perfect for a trail run.

Today after a great breakfast of pancakes and pineapple, i drove to one of the Aid station markers at the top of one of the high points on a 20 mile loop.  Brand new trail shoes, my lucky Sulphur Springs t top, two hand held water bottles, and i was off and running.   Immediately i knew that this was going to be fun and that i may break an ankle or something if i wasnt extrtemely diligent and not day dreaming of racing the  course in record time.

It s exciting stuff for a Canadian boy to be running through a rain forest and hear all the strange Parrot noises, the eerie bamboos clanking in the wind……….One thing I know for certain is that with in those first few steps the stress of work was shedding off like a layer of skin from a snake.

I know I was running to fast for such a technical trail and being alone without appropriate gear but I was having so much fun.  Its been raining an unusual amount in Hawaii these past weeks/days so the trail was ankle deep mud over 40% of it…the rest was exposed roots, baseball size lava rocks, and fallen bamboo.

One thing about running technical single track trail is you need to look immediately at your feet, 3 steps ahead and 20 steps ahead all at once…make nano second decisions about where your foot will land…….my decision making seemed a bit slow as I jammed both toes and ankles into rocks and sharp sticks……barrelling down a section of dry creek bed I had a thought that the rocks were very slippery and I should…..too late, from one boulder dropping down onto another a meter below and trying to turn at the same time I was down!    Thank goodness for my well rounded Gluteus maximus ( fat ass) from all the unhealthy eating id been doing this fall as I landed squarely……stood up…checked things out……car keys still in hand held…nothing broken…..ok lets go.

I was smelling ginger (a favourite smell and taste of mine) when I realized I was running over the exposed roots of hundreds of wild ginger plants…..this gave me a smile as one item I always carry on ultra runs is ginger to calm an upset stomach….none of that required here…just tear up a hunk of root on the run and gnaw at it

I barrelled out of the woods at the Manoa falls surprising a group of Japanese tourists who had hiked in the 800 meters from the Nature Center…….once back in my hotel I realized why they looked so wary…..my face was full of mud like war paint and my legs had blood and mud all over…….wearing my death race skull cap and eyes blazing wide open I must have been quite a site…..quickly mumbling and confirming directions with their trail guide I was on my way up the mountain…..a much slower pace on the 1900 foot climb.

I only managed 10 miles of the 20 mile loop and im a beat up……I can only imagine running 10x that distance and through the night on the crazy technical path of roots and rocks and strange eerie noises………..Yup, gotta put that HURT 100 on the list…………first better get this carcass back into shape.

This is pre-training….training for Sulphur50 starts Jan 3^rd, 2012

Now tomorrow……………the other half???   See how sore my butt is first…..

Its been a rough few monthes……….im not sure why or what exactly happened but just when i thought i was about to achieve some balance in my life the bottom fell out.     After the 100 mile run a new calmness fell over me and i was content.   My business simpily exploded and it became a bit unmanagable for a while……….my running sporadic and more for pleasure than for training as i allowed my body to heal from 3 years of steady monsterous mileage.

I consider today my first training day of my new goal for May.  Next May in Sulphur i not only plan to run the 50 mile but to compete in that race.    i have crafted a very detailed and well thought out plan on how to get there at a competitve level injury free……..i cant wait for the time to “Fall Back” to where it will be a bit more light in the morning as im tripping over roots and rocks now.

even in fall there is beauty in nature if you look.   The flowers above which only appear this time of year are a great example.

i wont be blogging as frequent but i will be running and posting progress occassionally.  I havent set an official goal for the 50 miler at Sulphur but i imagine i will need to aim for a sub 8 hour!  We will see,  I also want a fast Marathon on file before im too old to call anything fast….PR now is 3 hour 28 minutes……id like to nudge that closer to 3 Hour 10

Age of Sail

Its been a while since ive blogged.  The fact is I haven’t done much interesting in running.  I had 1 amazing run down in Scottsdale AZ a few weeks back but other than that ive been in full business development mode.  

Ive been doing a bit of running..mostly without a watch or a scheduled distance….just running.

The problem with that is I was supposed to be training for “ The Age of Sail” marathon in Port Graville,  Nove Scotia.    Port Graville is a very small town in NS, over looking theBay of Fundy.  Its where my Mom, and her mom, and her mom are from.  We summered there as kids so its special to me.   The brooks and rivers still run clear and are full of brook trout.  The people are still friendly and not suspicious or paranoid.  The air is clear and clean.   I love the place !!!!

So after my 100 Miler in early May, my body decided it had enough running for a bit.  I continued to try and train for Canadian Death Race including a hilly 50 km run in CreemoreOntarioin June.  After Creemore I realized I wasn’t having fun with my workload and the state of my body and dropped out of The Death Race.  I thought, “ok ill do some speed work and rock out the Age of Sail”, …………………hmmmmmmmmm.

Life being what it is I ended up running maybe 8-10 times in the 6 weeks after Creemore so needless to say I was worried early this week about running aMarathon.  

The thing is after the 100 miler I know I can run a Marathon on any given Sunday………..but its about how badly I want to suffer after…………..The past week ive been in NS with my kids and because I had such a heavy workload and wanted to have fun with them I was working from 7 AM until 11 AM and then from 9 pm until 3 AM……daily………not so healthy!

A few nights ago I decided to run the half marathon instead of the full.  Not my style to downsize but a good decision.

After a fun filled week with the kids, my sister Ava and I loaded the SUV, and packed in a few kids and headed out toParsboro,NS.

We used to do that trek every summer in the mid 70’s, so it was a bit nostalgic to be trucking along in a car jammed to the roof with squealing kids.

The weather was gorgeous, so I had the pedal down to get there and get the kids to the beach after 4 rainy days in a row inHalifax.

Got there we did. 

What an amazing day.  Blue sky, warm….the idealic summer day.  

The kids and I went straight to the beach where we promptly settled in and built a large dam on a small brook.  Collected clay from the river which they turned into bowls, flew a kite and of course made a bonfire. 

Im not sure I have enjoyed an afternoon more in my life!

My siblings and mother showed up at dinner with a picnic of Spaghetti……my first campfire beach spaghetti.  Home made strawberry shortcakes.

We had an early night and I left the kids with my mom to get a good nights sleep at the Parsboro mansion B and B

Next day I was up early and drove to the starting line and collected my kids who were adorned with Volunteer shirts.

My sister Ava, gave a quick run down of the rules, and a bit of inspiration, my daughter Elyse blew a whistle and off we went.

The group was halves and full marathons together so it went out fast.

I settled in to an easy pace and set out to enjoy myself.   

The run starts at the bottom of a 750 meter hill which has 400 feet of elevation so that gets the blood moving.  As you round the first big turn and start downhill at 4 km you have an incredible view of the Bay of Fundy andCapeSplit

At 6 km there is a spring gurgling out of the side of a mountain which I have stopped to get fresh water from since I was a kid.  It is the coldest most delicious water I have ever had and I was looking forward to this part of the run for a long time.   It was already plenty hot out so I dunked my head under and filled my bottle.  It was worth the couple of minutes lost……..a couple runners passed and looked at me a bit oodly.  

  There were plenty of well manned aid stations but I am so used to carrying a bottle from distance training that I do so even on short runs.  I always have a blend of carbo and electrolytes. 

The aid stations were so helpful and friendly, with bananas, oranges energy drinks, water that it was hard for me not to stop and have a chat…..i wasn’t in a hurry but I still wanted to finish before it got much hotter.

At the turn around I had only 5 people ahead of me for the half…….the full runners carried on for a longer out and back.

I thought ……briefly…….i could suck it up and catch the lead pack……NO.

I was out for a nice run that wouldn’t punish my body, as I had to fly to TO and work all-night that night!  Just to prove that point to myself I jumped into the field beside the road and scooped a handful of blueberries from the literal carpet of blue around my feet.

Anti oxidants! 

The whole run was a bit surreal in that it was a story book summer day with blue skies and fluffy white clouds.   You expected to see a red fox running through a field at any moment.      Very few cars passing and wide graded shoulders on the road.

   At 16 km my tendon in the right foot was screaming and causing my stride to have a slight limp. Apparantly im still not fully healed.

 I was extremely glad at that point I didn’t run the full.

I found the 4 hills coming back to be tough but manageable……like the switch backs in Old Mill, or Maple inDartmouth……..

I had way to much energy left I thought guiltily as I made the final 400 meter surge at the finish to a leisurely pace of 1 hour 55min. hmmmm perhaps I shouldn’t have stopped at the spring or picked blueberries during a race. Lol  Yeah right!  That’s what makes these types of small Marathons.

My daughter hung my beautiful “ Age of Sail” medal around my neck.  The medal has a picture of the Tall Ships from the age of sail.

My mother had already shown me a path down to the icy cold spring feed river below where I went and “iced” on a rock for 20 minutes.  Sitting there on that rock in the red river, listening to the crowd cheer for people as they crossed the finish line and the kids trying to fish for trout on the river, I thought this is the kind of marathon I like!

When all the runners came in we assembled in the fire hall for big bowls of fish chowder, or seafood chowder, or corn chowder with home made biscuits, rolls, and pies of all flavours and types.

It was hard for me to leave that perfect day and drive back to the airport and the hectic life I lead

…I cant wait to train next year properly and return…….

Thats it thats all.   I simpily cannot continue to run on these feet!   They are shot.  Caput.   My right ankle is permanently swollen.  Right shin muscle in a constant state of tightness.  Left Planteur screaming, left big toe tendon angry, right big toe is at the point where i may cut it off to get rid of the pain!

PK and i went out to Creemore yesterday morning bright and early.   I broke all the rules of pre-race prep that i usually adhere to.   Late night the night before.  An un healthy meal ( no pasta!!!), only a banana for breakfast.  up at 4 AM and drove out to the race site.

An almost perfect morning with promises of a hot day.

An extremely well organized race with a small group of about 200 of the usual suspects.

the 50 KMs set off at 8 AM and after runnin g about 8 km, i found myself thinking….”im not up for running 5 hours through the woods today!”……………i settled into an easy pace in the middle of the pack and enjoyed the scenery.  A very beautiful setting along the river.   After several fairly decent hills, we came to a sign saying first hill!  WTF?   ok so this is a hill.  1.8 km of climb up 400 meters of vertical to the top of the Niagra Escarpment………..a decent hill.  A few more of these big hills with corresponding decents.   I noticed i made a few small gains on others on the up hills, but passed many on the down hills where i would hit speeds of 3:25 min/km………..apparantly my down hill running has improved considerably.

At 15 km i just wasnt in it mentally.  PK was running a 25 km ( hes a bit smarter than me apparantly) which started at 9 AM.  I found myself thinking…”i’ll just run a loop of 25km and call it a day”    well of course i came in decently strong with a 4:26 km at number 23, and i knew without serious injury i wouldnt intentionally DNF, but it felt good to pretend i would for a few moments. 

With one lap down it was time to go at this thing and finish up.   I had a good strong start of the secound lap and passed several other runners.  I ran most of the up hills and all the down hills as i knew no matter what i could muscle through another 20 km or so.  

The heat and humidity had built up now and was becoming a factor.  Also my skipping breakfast was starting to take its toll.   Id been sucking back a Hammer Gel, every 30 minutes and drinking Carbo Pro and Heed religiously but i was feeling weak.  Starting to “bonk” from lack of glycogen.   with all the hill running id been averaging a heart rate of about 148 which was a bit high and realized id better slow it down a bit.

heat in the open corn field and up on the 3 km stretch of un shaded gravel road was getting quite extreme.  Id estimate it was 38 C with the humidex and i was really suffering at 44 km.  I was putting ice cubes under my hat at each aid station with was helping a bit, but i was definately suffering.  My right foot was in quite considerable pain from the injured tendons ( from the Sulphur 100 miler last month) and badly swollen.  I was starting to favor it considerably and that was really messing with my stride which in turn was having a bad effect on the right hip flexor.

Even though it was “cool” to be out with all these other runners and doing a 50km trail race, i cannot say i was enjoying myself.   In fact this was a whole lot like a job i had to get done…another task on the never ending list of many.  

I stumbled in at 5 hours and 39 minutes…slow but in a decent palcement on this hilly course.

At this exact moment i knew i was finished with running Ultras for this year/summer………………………..thats it!   No Death RACE

I realized i just dont have the desire, hunger, mental fortitude left to go up to Alberta and run through the mountains all day and night!   

The Creemore vertical challange had 5800 feet of climb and decent in 50km, where the CDR has 19000 feet in 126!!!!!!   The longest climb on Creemore was about 1.8 km, where the longest climb on CDR is about 6 km up leg 2!!!!!

Im done!  Packing it in for another year.  I will do some nice early morning 6-10 km runs and swim the rest of the summer.

My feet are going on vacation!          

i started the running for a hobby which would promote good health but on top of my insane work schedule im becoming un healthy, burnt out and exhausted.

I must tell anyone in Ontario who is contmplating CDR to go out and do the Creemore vertical.  Its the only local race which even gives you an INKLING of what it will be like in Grande Cashe.

Good luck  to all you Death Racers and part of me will wish im there…..that part will NOT be my feet!

A little collage of the 6 mnths leading up until the 100 mile run at Sulphur Springs.    It seemed so long looking forward and now the blink of an eye looking back.    all kinds of weather throughout the winter and spring…..coldest running day was minus 28 C with windchill at minus 35C………………rain, snow, sleet, it was all there to toughen us up!

Sulphur fades into a memory and the training for the Canadian Death Race takes over.

Yesterday we ran Sulphur with some of the guys who helped us on our race.   Morten, vincent, Andrew, Neil, Patrick, Katherine, Jai and Yumi and i ran a loop yesterday in perfect weather conditions.  The trail was nice and dry.

we did a loop in 2 hours and 3 minutes.  just 4 minutes faster then the first loop i ran of my 8 loops during the race.

Morten and Vincent would have been suub 1 hour 40 if they knew the route as wed find them waiting at intersections asking the right way.  Amazing runners

I was a bit disappointed in my performance and can see that even after 3 weeks my body hasnt healed completely.  I found it alot of work to tackle the hills.  Going down was fine and i had lots of quad strength, but going up i just seemed to lack the inner strength.

Guess i ll have to work harder as going up is what i ll be doing in Grand Cache Alberta for death Race…..going up, up ,up!!!!!

Stay tuned

So after a couple weeks of recovery and alot of thought, i have decided to proceed with the original goal of running the Canadian death Race in late july.   I went back into regular training this week but with only 82 km of running.

My sister Ava has agreed ( insisted) in coming to crew for me.   We arent going out to socialize or party.  Im going out there to run this thing as hard as i can possibly run it without permanent bodily harm………

Here is the up coming weeks schedule

Sunday              run sulphur springs trail with the boys  FAST     21km

Monday             Off

Tuesday           AM  run 6 km fast( LT) on tredmill, core 30 min, swim 500 meters

                              PM   run/walk 15 hill repeats for 14 km total  slow

Wed                 Steady Run for 24 km, hilly route

thursday            AM  run 6 km fast( LT) on tredmill, core 30 min, swim 500 meters

                               PM   run 1o km Steady Run

friday              Off OR Gym for Core and Bike, hike 11km in evening

saturday           40 km Long Slow Distance

Total                   121 km

Sunday              50 km Long Slower distance with hiking breaks in between every 4 km or so

n

So last week at this time i was at 16 km into the first loop of 8 loopsof 20.2 km.  What was i thinking at that time?  Nothing.  I was running through the forest in the early morning fog, admiring the scenery and taking in my surroundings.   For the past 24 hours i had mentally retreated to NOW…..somehow i had been able to slow my busy mind and be only in the present.  i had no thoughts of the past, my work, or any stressor.  i didnt for a moment contemplate the task ahead of completing 100 miles.

I was hoping I would be able to compartmentalize like this but wasnt sure i could.

The day was foggy and wet.  The trail was awash with water and mud.

I had heard much advice in the past 48 hours, and had filtered it down into my race plan.   A few things I heard and didn’t question as I believed them to be accurate were:

“Do not think of the race in its entirety or it’s too overwhelming!”……………this could be applied to any major task or life challange…….if we try to manage the outcome of something we usually will become over whelmed.  all we can do in life is focus on what we can control and that is only our preparedness, our actions at that moment.

“Start slow and then Slow down“………Again another life lesson…..when ever we get ourselves in a hurry we generally get flustered and make mistakes or become inefficient……lifes an ultra marathon…find a pace and stick with ot…its a long run…focus on the task at hand

” Run your own race“….again in life if we get caught up in what our neighbors have or are doing we lose our focus on ourselves and start to have un-realistic expectations of ourselves and doubt what we are doing. This is most apparant in the “lottery dreamers”….imagine if i won a million dollars????  This is dangerous thinking as its so unrealistic and it takes us completely out of focus on what we can do in life……

“Pain is inevitable, suffering optional“….never liked hearing that but so true.  One thing we can be assured of in life is we will go through some challenging times, some sadness, regret, and pain.   How we respond to that is all we can control.  We cannot control people, places and things….ONLY how we react to those things……….alot of work there for me!

“ No pain no gain”…this is so often mis-intrepreted….this doesn t mean to go out and hurt yourself or work through injuries…this means that the only way to growth ( especially spiritual) is by going through pain or discomfort…………………and that brings us to the question WHY???????

Why train for such a monumental challenge as to run for 100 miles?

For me why was difficult to vocalize.  What I knew is I needed a major goal in my life that would allow me to focus and dramatically alter my life style.  I knew the goal had to be big enough that i would be fearful of shirking the day-to-day responsibilities of the training and discipline.   100 mile run worked nicely into that.   you skip some training for a monster like that and you will find yourself wishing you hadn’t some point during the run!

I knew that because of my past and my current work load and life style I was becoming numb……finding it difficult to feel who I am.  By pushing past limits pre-set by my mind on what I am capable of I was able to strip away layers of false pride, ego, and complexities to get down to the simplicity of who I am…….a man….small and fairly insignificant in the giant world…….nothing to prove to anyone.  Nothing to gain or lose from trying.  Just be myself and exist as peacefully as possible.

We all have one life.  We can do with it what ever we choose.  The amazing thing about being human is we can change who we are and how we interact with life at ANY point in any day.  We can start over at any time.  We can try again and if we don’t succeed we can try again and again.  There is no real failure in trying and not succeeding.

The only failure in life comes from not trying!

Why????

Everyone is different.  each of us has our own character defects and weaknesses.  The one common flaw I see in most of us is our lack of faith.  Faith in something greater than our selves.  Lack of belief in who we are, what we can do  and our self-worth.

Everyone doesn’t need to go out and run 100 miles to better ourselves.  For some there Sulphur Springs could be to go for a walk, get to the gym, eat a bit healthier, quit smoking, be more gentle ( on themselves and others), lose a bit of weight.

All to often we give up.  In business most entrepreneurs give up just before they would have succeeded…………………..success is the ability to get back up after being knocked down NOT the ability to not get knocked down!

Do I recommend for others to go out and run 100 miles?  NO…….i mean if that’s what you want to do then go for it.  Read up on it make a plan and do it……….however there are other ways……………and it all boils down the same way.

If you want something or want to change something about yourself. make a plan.  Make a plan that is realistic, achievable and will benefit you and the people around you.

there aren’t any quick fixes.  you want to lose weight?  make a plan and stick to it.  the most important thing about losing weight is to know what you are eating.  write down EVERYTHING you eat for a few weeks.  EVERYTHING…assisgn the caloric value to those items and see what you eat per day. Research what your TRUE caloric needs are per day and aim to get slightly below that over a period of time!  eliminate some of those un necessary calories…there are generally some easy ones. Then slowly and steadily go forward without looking back, without comparing yourself to others.

You want to get ahead financially?  Write down your expenditures for a month or so…….understand your exact income.  Then eliminate some expenses where necessary and make a REALISTIC plan with timelines based on what you now understand.

In any of these plans we need to leave room for error.

When I made my plan to run this 100 mile race I made three plans.

Plan 1, try to break 20 hours….a very aggressive plan considering the elite runners would do this in 18 to 19 hours……not that realistic for my first race of this length.

Plan 2, try to break 24 hours….a realistic goal based on what I saw in my training runs and given my level of fitness

plan 3, try to finish……this was extremely realistic pending I didn’t get injured, or go too hard to early.

As soon as I did the first 20 km I knew i was now already on plan 2!  I could see that if I didn’t slow down given the conditions I would risk not finishing at all………………………………….somewhere around 50 miles I readjusted my plan again to simply finishing.  To try any faster could jeopardize my chances of finishing at all…………..

We must be fluid in our expectations of our selves.  Not so rigid that the very thought of starting a task makes us quit!

So WHY…………………….I have tried to capture some of that here but i will never be able to completely explain to others WHY go out and train 18 months to try to run 100 miles, while working full time in a mentally and physically demanding job.

Did this change my life?  Yes.  It may be subtle but it definitely had a profound and humbling effect on me.  It gave me a greater appreciation of what I am capable of but also gave me time to contemplate my insignifigance in the world as a whole.

We are all capable of far more than we know.  Only through trying to push past our perceived boundaries, implied by our preconceived thoughts of what is possible, can we truly succeed and grow.

Now what?

Well I would like to do some more of these physical challenges.  I am registered for the Canadian Death Race in 7 weeks……………the issue i am having now is my business has become very successful and requires a lot of attention right now.  To add-on all of those hours of training and to take time away to go and run these races, and recover is a bit irresponsible of me.  My children don’t live with me either so it means taking time away from them and all my loved ones.  Do i want to make more of those sacrifices?  Not really. 

This doesn’t mean i have made my decision on “What now” but it gives me pause to stop and think and prioritize my life….regroup and see how i want to spend the hours of my existence.

My only message to anyone reading this…anyone who wants to experience positive change and growth in their life………….make a plan, throw away your preconceived notions of what you are capable of, and go for it.

Its your life.  You can live it anyway you want.

You can do it!  Your worth it.

picture one the buckle……picture two after 60 km!……picture 3………trying to get my shoe off after 164 km with Morten looking on…..eventually Morten had to undo my shoe!!!

WHY???????????  This is the question i was most frequently asked during my training……….and if you plan on trying this then you had better ask yourself the same thing and you had better have a freaking good answer because somewhere around 70 miles you will need one!

I knew from all my reading and from friends that this was a task that was not to be taken lightly.  This task would require planning and specific training.  Discipline to get the training done!  Those many many times that people who didn’t quite understand would try to  ask and cajole me into socializing instead of doing a training run, couldn’t understand the importance of each training run!  All I thought was…..somewhere during that 100 mile race I will be very glad i didn’t skip this training run!   I was right!

I will never capture all i want to say in this blog and quite honestly im still having a bit of trouble concentrating after only 22 hours recovery.  I will probably have to write another more detailed one as there is a lot to cover.

We stayed over night close to the starting line at the dirtiest ugliest, stinkiest hotel i have ever been in.   Up at 4 AM for instant oatmeal and bananas…………..we were definitely an organized team with our huge tent near the start line and enough equipment and first aid for 20 runners.

Lap one I knew i had to keep my ego in chk and i ran at a nice slow pace.  I only watched my heart rate not the speed.  I knew I had to limit the amount of lactic acid my body produced and could only do this by keeping my HR under 145 BPM…not easy to do on a hilly course.  If I made a mistake here it was that I hammered the down hills pretty hard and as a result hammered my Quads!

PK passed me looking great and happy.  I didn’t see him again until the tent where he was already leaving when i got in.   I didn’t see him again for quite a few miles.  

Lap two I held my same steady pace and came in right on schedule for the marathon of 4 i needed to run this day.  I felt as though id been out for a little hike and was barely sweating.

Lap 3…I knew this lap would suck.  it was just a lap that needed to get done.  Nothing special as its distance wasnt anything new and it wasnt even half way.

Lap 4…this is where it was getting exciting.  I was still right on scheduled pace and I knew that ever step I took after leaving my tent would be new distance for me.  well a couple of miles out.  I had run an 87 km before.    As this one ended I was facing another Lap I wasnt looking forward to. 

Lap 5…as I left this point i knew that PK would be finishing and relaxing with our friends at the tent…..it was a tough one.  Honestly I don’t remember any of that lap.  Except that is where the blisters started.  My feet had been wet for 12 hours and when I tripped going down hill and smashed my toes into a root or rock I knew id be losing toenails later!  Upon arrival back at the transition I couldn’t stop thinking of Diana and my coach Stephen who had suggested trying the 100km run for the first big Ultra…sure sounded good now!

Lap 6… exciting…it was getting dark…I was alone.  A lot of runners were finished and there may have been 75 people out there on the trails.  The trails were MUD SOUP by now and almost no footing going up and down hills.   I turned on my little head lamp and started out on this adventure.  My first hallucination was when i saw the camel on the path…i found it curious there could be camels here in canada..i went right up to him with my headlamp inches from his glowing eyes…he snorted and sprayed me with his stinky breath!..a while after I passed him I realized it must have been a deer! lol…………………..  I started mumbling and talking to myself as i trudged along the dark path.

Lap 7…..Probir led me back out into the dark wet forest….I knew I had to be smart here.  i wasnt close enough to push…i had to reserve what little strength i had left.    We ran a little and hiked alot.  I had no more up hill running and very little down hill.  Probir encouraged me gently to try to maintain a decent pace and i think we were moving on average at 13 minute miles……..lol….sounds slow but believe me its all that was in the tank…….that lap isn’t clear in my mind any more….i will have to think about it and comment more later.

Lap 8,,   I knew I had it.  i could crawl the rest of the way in 8 hours to come in under the cut off.  there wear many people in far worse shape than me, throwing up, bleeding etc.   Morton and i ran for about 1 km and then started hiking.  I m not sure how much more we ran but he constantly reminded me to take it easy and ensure my finish as i could only make up a few minutes by trying to push.  We saw about 15 deer and a couple racoons…he saw them too so they were real.   He didn’t see the huge Vultures flying through the brush around us and occasionally swooping in….he thought it was a shadow cast from my headlamp on his elbow…hmmm..not sure.   This lap was only a focus on one foot in front of the other.   I couldn’t think until we hit the 2nd last aid station 8 km out.  There everyone was “comeon…push and you will break 24 hours!”    I didnt give a crap!  I was just trying to survive.    i think i asked Morten every 250 meters how much further…he would patiently respond…………..suddenly Diana was there in the woods…another hallucination??  No she was there.  my wife alone in the woods  deep woods at night!  she said 2 km to the aid station….OMG i could do it.  I don’t remember a bit about those steps but i do know when i hit the aid station i could smell the finish about 800 meters out….it took every EVERY oz of energy to make it up the last hill and suddenly i was running to the finish line ( well it sure felt like i was running, maybe i was staggering im not sure)……i crossed it and dropped into a chair just passed it……..wasted, elated, in agony and extacy!

WHY??????????????  I’m going to think more about this and write another blog in the upcoming days….now im just going to try to recover…my feet are hamburger, my brain is numb and im walking like a druken penguin!

There are so many people to thank in here im worried I will miss someone.

But here are a few people who deserve my immediate thanks and if i miss your name its an oversight from my exhausted mind and doesn’t diminish what you did for me.

My wife Diana………….OMG………where do i start.  All those weekends where all i did was run and then too spent to even go for a walk with you…….all those weird hours you would wake up and i was gone for a run, or the altering of personal schedules so i could train. meeting me at the ned of my long runs to help me on those last miles   BUT even more amazing, the fact that you were such an incredible CREW.  I mean for someone who doesn’t do camping and has never read an article on crewing for an Ultra…..you were so organized and efficient.  No way I could have done it without you….especially when I was 120 km and hinted around that i should stop……..you said ” get out there and get this finished!”  lol……………you managed my hydration, nutrition and clothing.

My sister Ava, and my FB running community friends Verity, Laura, michael, Neil, John, Cheryl, Rose, Geoff, Norman, Vladamir, Donna, Paul, Scott,  Lourdes….countless others who offered me advice, encouragement and support i apologize to all those i missed here but you know who you are and that you helped encourage me.

AVA…this is all your fault!  You got me into this running thing with the little “hey want to run a Marathon with me 9 years ago….then the Hey wouldn’t it be COOL to run 126 km DEATH RACE about 8 years ago.   lol….

My family especially Yvette who constantly gave me the old “you can do it”

Patrick ( PK) my running buddy.  All those times you adjusted your running schedule to fit mine so i had someone on part of my long runs.  all the discussion and sharing about equipment.  Congratulations to you on your first 50 miles!

My pacers………..Probir, ( a 3:10 marathoner) who drives out to Sulphur in the middle of the night, to encourage support and watch out for my well-being from 120 km to 140!  Probirs a city boy so wandering around in the forest with someone barely able to manage a occassional slow jog for 750 meters at a time.  Although at one point he did say we hit a 530/km pace!!!   Constantly updating me on the distance remaining and comparing it to our local training routes

Morton!  Holy crap man.  You are an incredible person.  So much patience.  I know how busy your schedule is this time of year…wow….you drove out there at our pre planned time only to find me several hours off pace….waited around in the wet night and then set off with me on what you knew would be a gruelling and slow grind of 20 km!   Constantly advising me on where to step at every technical point ( which was most of the trail with the rain!)     Morton you acted so selflessly I am humbled to be your friend!

Dr Ian………..if there is a better sports doctor i havent met them!  Talk about committed to helping me achieve my goals and then driving out to Sulphur on your birthday to see if i needed any medical treatment…which i did.  surprisingly not my legs but my neck which you adjusted and bought me another 20 miles of pain free running.  Without you i wouldn’t have made the starting line!

Lorraine my compassionate and caring massage therapist.  you are excellent at what you do and gave me a tonne of encouragment…….an excellant runner your self.  i think im looking forward to seeing you toady….a bit nervous as im not sure i can be touched anywhere!

The Kingsway runners gang…WOW….what a bunch.  Such great friends.  You can’t understand how much encouragement you gave PK and i by showing up to cheer…..every 2.5 to 3 hours!!! as we came through.   Jay and Katherine…your excited and positive vibes carried me back out on the course again.  Rod, Andrew, Noah,Grace,  Islay, Stephen, it meant so much to have a support team

My coach Stephen Bogardo……constant support, encouragement and a bit of ass kicking.   He did such a great job of keeping me focused on the task and to stay specific in my training.  A good coach and a great friend.

The race organizer Joe Hewitt, an awesome guy with 15 x 100 milers under his belt, knew exactly what to say for a motivational speech.  Extremely organized.  The entire volunteer staff who were so amazing at the aid stations.  Especially the gang at the station 8km from the finish line….so on top of it you even told me i wasnt rehydrating enough anymore as you had noted what I had drunk in between stations…amazing people

More later…..this was the broad strokes!  I will have to write what it really means to do this and what happened out there on the trail at about 75 miles!