Well Let’s Try This Again

So over a year since the last post, I know sad. It was a big year though baby, house, promotion at work. So now I am back to training for a new season of races (likely all MEC races due to cost) and another outdoor season of soccer.

Goals this year, break the 25 minute mark for a 5 km race and then carry that pace up as my distance increases. Possibly find a Try-a or Sprint Triathlon and give that go as it is on the bucket list. So lets see how this all goes and I will hopefully be able to post a little more often, and possibly my wife can find time between baby and all her other activities to join in the posts as well.

All journeys start but with a single step. So here we go!

Just checking in

So i have not posted in a while, unfortunately it has been a  string of injuries. Plantar Fasciitis is finally healing and along comes a strain of my right quad while playing soccer. So back on the mend again, hopefully back to training and ready to race the Burlington MEC trail race on April 18th. I so miss running, but at least I am still hitting the spin bike and looking forward to using my brothers pool this summer to do some laps. Maybe finally not a sprint triathlon off my bucket list.

Plantar Fasciitis, you are a cruel mistress

So we are welling into the running season and I have run a single race, sad days. In April i was slowly increasing my distance again and was up to about 10 km runs again with short runs during the week ranging from 3.5 km to 5 km. Ran a trail race through MEC at the end of April and then outdoor soccer season began. This is where it all fell apart, first game comes and no subs, this meant 1.5 hours on my feet running 75% of the match if not more. and the left foot gave it up. Woke the next morning to heel pain but nothing major. So figuring that it was just a hard plant during a kick that lead to this I continued my routine. Bad idea, stubbornness is ones worst enemy sometimes, as the pain became more intense and longer lasting. Ice helped and massage but I felt it would pass as I had not researched what it could be. 2 weeks later with it not improving I took to the net and discovered the likely cause Plantar Fasciitis. So here we are beginning a 2 week rest and rehabilitation. Stretches, strengthening and massage, are on tap along with advil to help with the swelling. I am hopeful that in 2 weeks I can start over and get back to training so I can run a race I failed to compete at cause of poor preparation and a warrior dash that both come around mid July. Joys of age and immaturity in the sport.

Lesson learned on this one so hopefully I will not make the same error again.

Head in a Cloud

So this Saturday is my first race of the year. MEC (Burlington) trail race, starting off small with a 5.5 km run through the Dundas Valley. I have been looking forward to this for a month now, getting more excited the closer race day came. I am excited as I love trail races and running above all others and I have a new pair of trail shoe to race in, my Spyridons. However I was lucky enough to get a sinus infection compliments likely of my son, only days before the race. This is a huge disappointment as I have been getting faster and was shooting to try and complete the race in under 26 minutes. It is still my goal but it was a stretch even if i was healthy and rested, so I fear it will be a goal I will need to carry to another race. I will try an load some photos of the race and give some feed back on the course and how my new shoes have preformed. Fingers crossed I will also be able to post that I was successful in accomplishing my goal.

Gadgets keep you going

So I was strolling around Boxing Day, looking for a new MP3 player and headphones for my longer runs this year and when I am on the track, to keep motivated. When I came across the Fitbit display. My co-worker had been talking about getting one for a while, though he has found other uses for his money so far. Anyways I picked up the flex and looked at what it had to offer, and thought why not I have the cash from Christmas and I can still get my MP3 player and headphones. Also I figured if I used for a week a and was not impressed I could just return it.

We are now a month down the road and I have no plans on returning my Fitbit Flex. It is not that it is the most accurate or best item on the market. It is because of the goals it sets daily automatically for you. For someone who hates to see goals go incomplete, it makes for a huge driving force to do that little bit extra everyday. Those little smiley faces that appear when you sync up and see the work done will make me continue pushing. At the same time I am only using this to help motivate, not actually track my true progress. I am still using my Garmin on runs along with the heart rate monitor, but for what the Fitbit is I think it is worth having to keep your daily motivation high.  Especially if people who know you think you have a little OCD, cause it will get you walking on the spot at the end of the day or going for a run to meet your goal.

Side not the MP3 player I got was a Sony Walkman 8 gb, great little player so far, little being the important thing. The headphones were a set of Yurbud Duro and I am very impressed by those as well.

Running into Winter

So the weather has changed and snow is now on the ground. Normally it should make me want to hide in the house, but I learned last year that some of the best runs i could have would be in the frigid snow covered trails around my home town. By best runs I mean the most enjoyable and serene runs I would ever have. But don’t get me wrong I still use the indoor track for the short runs that require more pace. The public indoor track is great to have in town, cause no matter how bad the weather is I can’t find an excuse to not be able to run. Plus it makes for a good driving force to train as the local track team uses this track in the winter. So it gives me some incentive to push and not let them pass me as easily.

Long runs outside or on the track will be the next thing on my to do list. I was sorely disappointed with my performance at last years Around the Bay. The fact that I had to walk any of the race is not acceptable to me, so I need to get in gear and get those kilometers under my belt. This year is as good as any to make it a run for the whole time, in the process hopefully I can knock off a few minutes.

Will try and update a little more often my progress and hopefully have a few more reviews of some shoes I have been training in.

A day of awesome feats.

So today a record of 28 years fell. The Canadian woman’s marathon record is now Lanni Merchants, congratulations on well deserved recognition for an amazing performance.

This is something that I hope to help drive myself to get back to training. It has been an upheaval recently with our family routines. Lisa has a new full time job that has lead to me now biking an average of 70 kilometres per week for my work commute. However this also chews more time and has made it difficult to make it to the gym and out for our usual runs. So training has fallen to the way side, but that is all changing this coming week. I am looking forward to this as well as Lisa. Hopefully all goes well this week and the fire is ignited once more so we can set our goals for next year. Around the Bay is my monkey on the back since I failed to running the full distance last year. I am not a fan of leaving things unfinished. So we shall keep you posted, just keep putting one foot in front of the other.

Living Large in an Average Sized World

So as a warning this is mainly me venting. I am not a small man, nor am I a giant, I am 6′-6″, currently am 270 lbs and am active and training daily on running and biking. I am doing this to be healthy and fit, to set a good example for my son. I know I can shed a few pounds and hope to, but I also know that I will never be “average” size.

Now I have recently started to get into trail running more, mostly after running the 5 peaks trail race at Rattlesnake point. This has led me to start looking at new gear, first was shoes. I end up with a pair of Altra Superiors, which are great shoes, but anyone who has bought Altras knows you are to go up by a half a size. Which is great till you make it past 13 then you have to go up by a full size. Normally not a huge issue but in a very wide toe box it can make the shoe feel sloppy, plus it leaves more chance for sliding during descents and accents in the shoe. Again these are still great shoes but if you are going to make the shoe require a half size increase you should offer that increment from your smallest all the way to your largest size.

The next item I was after was a new hydration pack. The one I liked was by Ultimate Direction and is part of the signature series ( AK race vest). I saw this compact but versatile vest and was excited to get it, also it was on sale at Runningfree.com. So I researched, as you should always do, all the reviews I came across seemed to be good. So i checked out sizing and they come in S-M and M-L and the largest size chest it would accommodate is a 40″ chest. Currently that is 8″ to small and so I decided to email the company and ask if they do have any products that would accommodate a larger frame. After reading a friendly email the final verdict is NO. Closest is a vest that goes to 43″ chest. I looked around and anything that seems to be vest like, generally more secure, is made for the “average” sized runner.

So in the end I would be fine if to get these things in my proper size, if I had to order from the supplier or pay a slight premium, but an option should be available. There are people who are bigger and will never be as thin or have feet smaller feet as those who these products are geared towards. However I do participate in the same events as them and am hoping to increase my distances and who knows if all goes well start into ultras. So why can’t I have the same products as everyone else just cause I do not fit the mold they have in their heads.

Why we sabotage ourselves!

So about 3 weeks ago Lisa and I set out on our first trail race, the 5 peaks Rattlesnake Point race. Well in the lead up we had been preparing to move and as we all know that can be all consuming. So running took a back burner for about a week and half, only exercise besides lifting was soccer on Friday nights. I am sure you can all see where this is leading.

The eve before race we had our soccer game and thinking that we would not likely be placing well the next day at the race, Lisa and I did not hold back. We then followed that with a few beers and some appetisers to celebrate a great game, again thinking that we were doing no harm on our chances the next day. We would be mistaken.

The next morning came all to early and the breakfast was rushed and incomplete. The drive gave us time to convince ourselves further that this was going to be an unfavorable race. We arrive with plenty of time to warm up and get the bathroom stuff out of the way, even had time to enjoy watching the kids do there little run. It is always a good feeling to see kids being active and enjoy the outdoors. Then the warning that the first groups are to go to the start line, cause they have staggered the people into 5 groups to help with the single track areas. Group 3 is called and Lisa and I line up, here we go, fist bump to Lisa and then wait for the whistle.

So we start off running up a tiny incline up a grass hill, that felt massive for heavy tired legs. I was convinced I was doomed as I came up to the trail, I was already feeling drained and huffing. Though a few meters into the actual trail and everything changed. I was energizer and passing people like they were standing still. It had started to make me wish I had prepared better, but I was still sure I was not going to place in the clydesdale division I had entered. So the race continued and it was glorious I continued to pass those ahead of me all the way to the turn around at the first aid station. Up till now it had mainly been a steady decent, now it was time to go back up. This was a steep single track that was mainly boulders you had to scale. Every slowed to a crawl, legs began to burn and lungs seared in pain. Cause of the terrain I had no time to check my watch, though if I had I would have realised I was off the pace I had set before the race. So I plugged along and ran when I was not ascending in single file up at least two more steep and rocky climbs. I felt drained as we left the trail and head to run the grassy hill in reverse to the start/finish line. I sprinted across and finished my first trail race, Lisa was about 10 minutes behind. She had been running even less than I, cause of a new job and the move. We still both felt good and despite our lack of training we enjoyed the race. Then the standing were posted. I was two minutes back of the first place clydesdale and was sitting in fourth. Anger set in cause I now knew if I had prepared properly and taken it easy the night before at soccer I could not just have placed but I maybe could have challenged for first in my division. So again I let that little bit of doubt we find leading up to a race take over and the cost was potentially a first place finish. Needless to say these mistakes and set backs are not going to happen again. Next year will be all business, and no excuses as to why I failed.

Always remember, the voice in your head saying you can’t do something, is liar. Word that I will remember next year are and all other coming races we enter.

Moving!

So we are moving to a new house and unfortunately that means we are not getting any training in. But once we are settled I can recap our last race and we can prep for a new one.