Technical Trails

The problem for me in training for races and events is i love running too much!   I know in order to perform at my peak i need to follow a program and certain details BUT if it’s a nice day for running and i have an oppurtunity to run a trail whether its scheduled or not i cannot help myself.

Such was the case last Sunday in Nova Scotia.   I had been re-habing my knee since the Death Race in July and had put in some easy runs with a long of 32 without incident, but i was feeling the urge to let loose.   When my work ended by 3 pm last sunday and the kids had gone back to their moms i knew where i was going.

quickly dressing and packing a few necessities, such as headlamp and matches in case im stuck over night in the woods i was off and “running”

I had told my mom where i was going and what time i should be out and set off with 3 hours daylight left.

The run starts with an easy jaunt along the old “rails to Trails” for a nice 700 meter warmup, then it cuts off onto the path into the Bluff Trails.

For the first part i met a lot of day trippers and a few weekend warriors, in the easy first 1 km of the trails, after 2 to 3 km i met a couple seasoned hikers and birdwatchers…..you can tell who’s who by the way they are dressed.  The seasoned people had proper clothing and a day pack of some sort with water……………………….after 5 km i hadn’t seen anyone in a while when i rounded a turn and scared the life out of a couple.  i guess i sounded like a moose coming through the brush.

The trail is marked BUT not so well so i took a couple wrong turns onto deer paths and had to back track………………….i was running hard……probably much harder then i should have after 3 months of non technical running, when i went over my left ankle…just enough to say ouch and pause for a moment to assess.  it seemed ok so off i went again and at 9km i went over the right ankle a bit harder…ouch again…seemed ok so off i went.

The Bluff trails dont over much elevation ( maybe 1200 feet of change over 20 km) but they are extremely challenging.  Single track through thick woods, with rocks and roots EVERY step.  sometimes you break out onto large granite boulders which are smooth and flat for 500 meters where you can break it open for 2 minutes!  running here you understand the ruggedness of NS and that there is a bit of topsoil spread over MASSIVE granite slabs for miles!

i love running here.  it doesn’t offer the majestic beauty of the west coast Rockies, but the barren “tundras” landscape offers another form of beauty.  its peaceful and serene.  occasionally you reach the height of 400 feet and can see out over these peat bogs and black spruce clusters.

there’s a few little streams to cross, and lots of short up and down hills, a bit of pine forest and a lot of bog.

Im running hard when i come upon two ladies strolling along with a little yorkie………….they are heading deeper into the trails with about 1 hour 30 left of day light and a long way from the road.  i stop and tell them this.  Someone had moved a couple of blue markers and had them heading the wrong way and they had been walking several hours and thought themselves almost out. 

i pointed them in the right direction and set off at a hard pace, working my heart at about 80%,  After 3 km i reached the yellow loop almost back to the road.  Worrying about them i had been dragging my feet every 300 meters making an arrow in the dirt pointing the way out but i was still worried about them.  so although now i was definitely fatigued and had run 15 km ( which is like a 22 km road run at tempo) i turned back to see where they were.  I came upon them 1.5 km from the yellow loop and told them where they were.  they were making good progress and felt better about their situation.  i decided to leave them as i had marked the trail well and knew they would reach the yellow loop soon and from their an easy 30 minute walk back to the main trail.

i set off again and was definitely fatiguing.  the thing about technical trail running is you DONT daydream and lose concentration….i did……running at a hard pace with very fast foot turn over and short steps means as soon as one foot touches the ground you had already better know where the other is going!  My right foot lands on a steep sloped granite rock with a light wet moss covering……………..as the left foot is in the air the right foot slips so the left lands 6 inches off my planed landing spot…this is all in milliseconds.  the left foot lands between the roots and my momentum sends my entire body weight hurdling over it….SHIT……i hot the ground, smack my head on a rock and im rolling around in the dirt saying …”please don’t be broken, please don’t be broken”  writhing in pain for several minutes i get up and test my weight on it….ouch….not good…………i start to hike out with a limp the last 2 km……..thats how stuff can happen.  a bit harder of a smack on the rock with my head and im knocked out or dead….a bit more of a firm left foot plant and its a compound fracture…………………the perils of technical trail running!

This is why i will never be an elite runner!  Well this and the fact that im way to big, abused my body too many years, and lack the proper genetics!  lol

im thinking though that a real elite runner thinking about racing in two weeks would not have done a run like this as its too risky for injury………………but im not an elite runner and i LOVE to run in the woods like this so i would do it again knowing the risks

so i drop out of my pending Vulture Bait 50km scheduled in two weeks.

I get to the car 20 minutes before dark.  I had given my business card to the two ladies asking for a text when they reach their car.  I get a text 20 minutes after dark.  they thanked me profusely and said they were going directly to bed.  what started as a couple of km hike in the woods had turned into a 6 hour technical hike leaving them exhausted.  it could have been a bigger adventure if i hadn’t come along with a partial or whole night in the woods without light, warmth, food, water or proper clothing.

these adventures and experiences enrich our lives.

im sad about my foot, but the day was amazing.  22 km, took 2 hours 45 minutes ( instead of my usual 1 hour 45 minutes).  i burned 2100 calories!

i ice heavy but it’s too late.  i wake up the next day to a foot that’s swollen to the size of a grapefruit and turning various shades of black and purple………….unfortunately i need to work in the kitchen all day for the next two days so my feet wont get the needed elevation and rest they need. 

i wear a pair of compression socks which helps a lot.

it’s wed before i see a doctor.  prognosis, severely torn one of 3 main ligaments.  no fractures, minimum of 2 weeks off running, 10 days off swimming…………………..so what to do?

work on core and upper body.!!

Most runners i know ignore the upper body.  One i like to look good and want to maintain a decent upper body, seeing as it’s not likely i will be running in competitive circles anytime soon, and two these technical trails require strong, abs, obliques, lower back, torso and shoulders.

the stronger the core, then the quicker the reaction time when something goes wrong..apparantly im not quite quick enough!

The good news is i shaved over 30 minutes off my time from the last Bluff trail run i did.  I can’t stop thinking that NS could have its own version of Death Race with this amazing trail.

Cant wait to get back there and do it again.

to me extreme trail running is what it’s all about.

i run roads simply to get me to the trails!

Cant wait for my next running adventure………………….i will be working hard this winter on stregthening my ankles, and small conective muscles in feet and lower legs so i can run these trails harder…………………….last year i worked very hard to get ready for Death Race, but this year i will work even harder and hope to arrive there injury free so i have a shot of actually finishing…………………..what?…………….everyone knew i had to go back and try death race again!  i cant leave something like that unfinished!

My 30 week training schedule will start getting posted in november in sections.

Stretching

 

I have always said DONT stretch BEFORE running……well im going to write about that shortly!   Retraction!

Hill training……………….3o Days to death race

I love running hills.  Its a real mind game.  After about 5 of them if you are doing it right your mind tells you little things just after half way up.  “dont over train”, you dont need to work this hard”, you could hike up them instead of running, it would be easier on the knees and feet!”    You need to make a concious decision to run what you are scheduled to run.

Today I was scheduled to run 15 hills, which is a 900 meter loop.  Its a hard switch back hill on asphalt.  I am supposed to do a 1.5 km warmup but today I wanted to also test running hills with poles so I went upriver with Diana 3.75 km first and filmed a bit of pole running.  ran back to start my hills.

Last time out I ran steady but slow.  This time I wanted to kill them.  Im at a point now where I want a break and want the race to be here and get it over with.  On the other hand I tell myself to be greatful for the extra days to train as I will need all I can get.

Today at 5 I already started playing mind games and thought maybe I’ ll quit and just run some flat distance today.  I pushed that thought aside and started doing the old trick of counting down instead of up. So instead of saying thats 5 hills out of 15, I said 10 left, then 9 left etc.  This technique works well for me, but by the time I reached 9 I was thinking, thats enough you should go home.  Your knee is twinging you may get injured.  I stopped and examined my knee.  bullshit, its fine.  my mind is playing with me.  I thought  verity wouldnt quite now.  Tracey Garneau sure as hell didn’t quit in the Western 100!!!!!!  I made a deal that every time i thought about quitting I would add a hill.  As a result today I  did 19 hills, and covered 21 km in 1 hour and 55 minutes.  4000 feet of elevation change.  Great training run!

I hit the gym for my 20 minutes of core I promised myself for the next 25 days!

Its July.  I’m officially in the home stretch now!    30 DAYS

35 days left to Death Race…………Ultra training and the Taper

Raining hard today….temperature is a nice 18C.  Last night after dinner i was a bit cranky thinking about running a 42 this morning but then i watched some You Tube stuff on badwater and western states 100, as well as a bit of the 2009 Death Race CD and as usual that inspired me.  Went to sleep by 11 and up at 6 ( slept in) and a quick bowl of fresh berries and vector and out the door with Diana.  We ran really slow and time went by fast as she left me at 14 km.  This is the infamous Marquis de Sade 21.1 km loop and it is as hilly as you can find here in TO.  I had barley broken into a sweat, by the end of 21.1 although you wouldnt know as i was soaked through from the rain.  The first loop was ultra slow at 2 hours 27 minutes so i thought id crank it up and ran a 1 hour 59 minute secound loop with the last 5km in 23 minutes.  felt great.  it is so amazing to be in this condition.  i owe alot to my coach Stephen Bogardo ( his link is on here) as he really changed my running.  before i was running hard but not with a clear and concise plan.  i was running 5 to 6 days a week and having many “issues”  He has me on an intence 4 day running program and every run has a purpose.   I have progressed so much as a result its hard to believe.

Heres my program for next week.  I will also swim twice for 30 minutes and Core twice for 30 minutes.  There are really only 14 days of which can have a positive impact on the outcome of the race so i have to really focus now.  Its tough with work week of 60 hours and two to three travel days a week but what can you do????

if it were easy then EVERYONE would do it

Sunday — 42K @ 7:00/km. or slower (on trails at mid-day)

Monday — Complete Rest

Tuesday — 1.5K Easy; 20K Tempo @ 6:00/km. or faster

Wednesday — Cardio-based cross training

Thursday — 1.5K Warmup; 15 Hill Repeats; 1.5 Cooldown

Friday — Strength Training

Saturday — 46K @ 7:00/km. or slower (on roads at mid-day heat))

Have a great week!

Training vs jogging

Although going our for a run everyday is certainly good for mind and body you really wont increase your fitness level after a point.  Your body is a very smart piece of equipment which can adjust to any conditions thrown at it in a relatively short time.  You need to TRAIN to increase your level of fitness.

Serious training for improved fitness consists of various parts during the week. 

Sundays are the Long Slow Distance runs.  Most Marathons occur on Sundays so it makes sence that you get used to running long on Sundays.  These runs are to be done at the slowest pace possible.   Distance is key here.  Distance can be increased by 10% a week

Generally Mondays are a day off

Tuesdays are generally a Steady Run which is at about 70% of your max speed for a 6-8 km distance

Wed are a serious training day which could be tempo Runs, about 80% of your maximum speed, or Hill training which consists of a warm up 2 km, and then series of hills which should be 2 hills the first week and up to 10 hills by mid training schedule.  The hill should be about 600 meters up at 20% incline.  Focus on hills should be maintaining intensity Not speed.  Be sure to stay upright and not lean forward.  Form is critical.  Working shoulders in the gym and core helps considerably with this run.  Hills are my strong program and during marathons I ALWAYS pass people on hills.  Take care not to run down hill too fast as the impact on hip flexors and knees is harsh.

This run is a 10-12 km run for me

 Later on in the training schedule it is good to do speed work on these days.  There will be an entire blog later on speed work

Thursdays are SR day for me as I hit hills so hard.  Many people do Fartleks this day but I don’t have it in me.  Fartleks are run steady for a while then increase speed to 80% for a period and back to sr and so on. For 6-8 km

Fridays are an optional day for me…if I feel good I do a fairly fast run like tempo for 6 km or I ll just hit the gym or take it off completely

Saturday I find hard as it’s a sr for 6 km but I feel like going harder…..i shouldn’t as tomorrows the big day.

During the early weeks of training I generally get 3-5 days at the gym also.  I will be doing a blog of efficient gym work outs in 30-40 minutes…people spend too much time at the gym for minimal results.

My training schedule for a marathon is about 16 weeks from a starting point of good fitness.

How to prevent injury from a small pain…recovery

 

I ve been suffering for 8 days now without any running……..mentally suffering.    Self imposed break……..its not like i cant run.  I could run easily with this level of pain.   Its what could happen if i ran with this!  This discomfort could turn into full blown de-habilitating injury very quickly.  i dont take that lightly……

So i had to “Practice what i was preaching” and take some down time.  It was alot easier to tell others to do this than to do this myself.

The first days were a disaster to me mentally  I was slipping into a depression.  With my addictive personality i was “hooked” on running.  The high of it all.   In fact my sister and i were discussing this last night and agreed that its nice to run and train but the quest of all of that is that final 2 minutes of a race.  Its such an emotional rush. I cant imagine another way to get that feeling.  Especially when you run 42.2 km.  

At anyrate, i turned my attitude around and realized it was the perfect oppurtunity to focus on my body where id been neglecting a bit.  So the last 8 days i hit the gym 6 times for 2 hours or more.  I concentrated on Core, Abs, lower back and hip flexors.  I hit the bike and realized that it hit my Quads harder and faster then a run.  Also it hit my Gluts!  My butt is sore!  I worked all of the upper body hard. 

Now i realize that i can swim bike and run….hmmmmm always wondered about IRON MAN Triathilons…..may be a plan in the future.

Hopefully im back at the running tomorrow.

…Endurance – it’s more than just competing in distance races – it is more than simply running. It’s the lifestyle of never looking for the easy way out. It’s finding opportunities whatever the situation. It is a freedom, if you have the courage to seize that freedom. It’s an exploration towards the edge. For each of …us this ‘edge’ will be in a different place. And that place will be constantly changing. It is the journey to find that edge which maybe teaches us more about ourselves. – Lizzy Hawker

Last years blog on Motivation………..needed a boost

Motivation

 I wake up every morning at 519AM  my coffee is set for 520.  I don’t even need to think about it any more.   I stumble out and pour the coffee even as it’s trying to finish brewing.  My stuff is ALWAYS laid out in the same spot so I don’t need to look for it.  I sit on my balcony a few minutes contemplating the fact that im tired and sore, and tired…….then I gulp down my coffee and put on my gear and RUN……………………………….if I didn’t lay out my stuff I may think about not running.  A while back I made a deal with myself to go out for at least 1 km and if I still don’t want to run then to come home.  It hasn’t happened yet that I took myself up on the offer as once im out I say “well as long as im here…”   I have several personal reasons for running and don’t need to share all of them in this public forum yet but I can tell you running can DRAMATICALLY change your life like no other sport.

I have many means of motivation but most often I run because I can.  There are tones of stories about inspirational people who run.  People who have overcome incredible personal pain, diversity and struggles…mental and physical problems yet still run.

The most often heard excuses I hear about reasons not to run are….”I’m worried about my knees”  to that I say “I’m worried about my heart”

My knees used to bother me a bit until I started taking Omega 3 Capsules at 1000 mg a day from Ocean nutrition.  Amazing.  After only 2 months the pain is gone and all my joints feel well lubricated.  Another big excuse is “I don’t have time” I can’t even answer that one with a straight face………….take a look at my schedule.

Often when I run through the various city streets I see homeless people and people drunk and/or on drugs and I pick up the pace a bit and say “by the grace of god there go I”   several times when I thought about quitting a run on an especially tiring day I will see someone on crutches, or missing a leg, or another physical impediment to running and I say thank you god for my good health and I pick up the pace a little.

There has never once been a time that I regretted running after a run but many times I have regretted not going for a run.  Recently running has taken precedence over other facets of my life.  Other things have become slightly less important.  I run for my health, for my sanity, for my personal time.

I imagine at the end of my life if I have time to reflect I will not say boy I wish I had slept more!!!  The average person who lives until 80 will have slept 26 years of their lives.  Seeing as I sleep only 5 hours a night I will have slept only 16 years!!!!  Imagine.  I will have been awake 10 years more than some other people.  If I use that 10 years productively I will have personal, professional, spiritual and financial gains at a much greater level than had I been asleep.!!  Also I sincerely doubt I ll see 80 with my misplaced and destructive youth, but im certainly going to be awake for as much of my time on earth as possible!

You pass other runners on the street and give them a nod or a smile.  Most times there is a fleeting glance and a connection in the eyes.  A connection only runners can share with each other.  The fraternity of running.

Often now if I am facing an issue in business or personal life I will put it out of my head until I run.  Ultimately after a run each obstacle becomes more easily dealt with.  Each issue a bit less troublesome.  I don’t lay in bed obsessing over things (unless I lost my running watch or something)

Running is a great gift.  One which cannot be shared verbally.  To give this gift you can only keep running so people can see that it is a wonderful and positive experience and if they are lucky they will give it a try.

I run because I can!

519

Sometimes Sundays I ll sleep in until 619

Take time OFF before injuries!

Shoes…………………93 days left for DR

Im going to start a discussion on shoes here tonight.    Its one of the most important and confusing subjects for runners.  Im retiring the NB though.  they just cannot support the heavy trail running.  I am getting the Addidas Cascadias next week, but am also looking at the Salomans as well.  Im going through a pair of shoes every 6-7 weeks now.  crazy!

Training……………Having a coach

 

I ll add more on this later this week. 

I am at a point in my training where my mind is starting to wander and im having difficulty focusing on specific training for the up coming Death Race, so ive had to hire a coach to focus me.   His name is Stephen Bogardo and you can find him on his web site  MyRunningCoach.net,    His prices are excellant and the guy has tonnes of knowledge and advise from years of running.

STEPHEN BOGARDO, founder and CEO of MyRunningCoach, is ranked among the top North American runners in his age group.  And his experience over a 30-year period has enabled him to serve effectively as an instructor and coach for hundreds of fellow runners.

As a competitor, Stephen runs all standard distances from 5K to marathon and has finished first among his contemporaries in 16 of 18 races over the past year and a half.  His times have been good enough to qualify him for automatic entry into the New York City and Boston marathons in 2009 – a year in which he will also participate in the World Masters Games in Sydney, Australia.

 

I ll make a blog about his comments towards my schedule and what he does to mix it up for me!