Tim and I were both lucky enough to secure a spot for the First Half Marathon in Vancouver next Sunday. The race sold out in a few hours and seems to attract top runners, judging from the results from previous years.
That should make for an inspiring race. The course looks good, see here.
I haven’t raced a half marathon since April 2008, when I ran a PB of 88:13 in the Sunshine Coast half marathon. It’s been a bit of a roller-coaster half year since then. But my last three races were solid, and I was glad to set a PB in the Victoria marathon.
I did a 10km in December, and one in January. Both were flat courses. The January race was very cold, with a few icy spots on the road making me careful about my footing. While I ran a relatively comfortable 40:26 in the December 10km, I struggled to finish in 40:36 in January. Both races fell short of my 39:51 PB, set in January 2008.
When I put my December 10km time into Merv's Running Calculator, I theoretically would end up with a 89:53 for a half marathon. I find this tool helpful to make comparisons of theory and practice, and to calculate a pace per mile or kilometre for a race.
This calculator takes into account that you fatigue as the distance increases, so it allows you to see what time you theoretically should be able to run for a certain distance based on a time you actually did run recently for another distance.
Using this tool, my half marathon time seems often to be slightly ahead of my 10km and marathon performances.
For example, I ran a half marathon in less than 90 minutes for the first time in September 2006 (89:29 on a certified course). My best 10km time then was 41:39(!), though the calculator shows my half time translates to a 40:15 for the 10km. (Based on my actual best 10km time then, the calculator suggest a half marathon of 92:35. The first time I ran a 10km in less than 41 minutes was in December 2007 - 14 months later - when I did 40:24.
My 88:13 time translates to a 39:40 10km and a 3:05:11 marathon, neither of which I have accomplished yet. My most recent marathon time of 3:07:10, run in October 2008, translates to a 40:06 10km and an 89:09 half marathon. Of course I'd like to aim to get close to 88:13 again, and ideally a bit faster. To do so, my pace will have to be 4:10 per kilometre, or 6:43 per mile.
My legs have been tired from the increasing volume as I prepare for the Vancouver marathon in May. But this Sunday, my long run is only two hours (40 minutes shorter than the previous two weeks) and next week my volume is light as well, with some short but intense speed sessions.
So I'm expecting to be on the start line more rested than I feel today. As always, I am looking forward to testing my fitness. My pace goal in the first half of the race will be 4:10-4:15, a relatively comfortable pace that should leave energy in the tank to pick it up in the second half.
February 07, 2009
February 05, 2009
It's Never Too Late to Start Running
Just like before a long run or a speed session, I need to mentally prepare myself to start writing for a book I'm working on. I usually read a few pages of another book. Today I flicked through Alberto Salazar's Guide to Road Racing and a few sentences about the late Mavis Lindgren caught my eye.
"The late Mavis Lindgren, of Portland, Oregon, for example, began running in her early 60s, ran her first marathon at age 72, and by age 93 had run 76 marathons."
Wow. I Googled her name and found articles about her in the New York Times and Sports Illustrated. There seems to be some confusion about a few statistics in the various resources but regardless of which numbers are correct, this woman was amazing! Especially since she began running marathons in the 1970s.
Women were not allowed to compete officially in the Boston Marathon until 1972 and the women's marathon wasn't introduced to the Olympics until 1984.
Click here for the Sports Illustrated article from 1978.
Click here for a link to the NY Times article from 1993.
If this woman doesn't inspire a can-do attitude, I don't know who or what else could.
"The late Mavis Lindgren, of Portland, Oregon, for example, began running in her early 60s, ran her first marathon at age 72, and by age 93 had run 76 marathons."
Wow. I Googled her name and found articles about her in the New York Times and Sports Illustrated. There seems to be some confusion about a few statistics in the various resources but regardless of which numbers are correct, this woman was amazing! Especially since she began running marathons in the 1970s.
Women were not allowed to compete officially in the Boston Marathon until 1972 and the women's marathon wasn't introduced to the Olympics until 1984.
Click here for the Sports Illustrated article from 1978.
Click here for a link to the NY Times article from 1993.
If this woman doesn't inspire a can-do attitude, I don't know who or what else could.
February 04, 2009
About Weight, Diets and Nutrition
I just came across some papers dated November 27, 1998. It is a Microfit Fitness Profile, compiled by a gym in Toronto that I was joining then.
That was just over 10 years ago. I'd been running for nearly three years, though was lacking much knowledge or guidance about basic training principles. But - as I mentioned in an earlier comment on this blog - I was running and liked it.
My first running race was the 20km of Brussels in May 1997 and I also finished a 10km and a 16km race that year. And at the end of 1998, I was thinking about training for my first marathon.
There were some promising results from my test. Each aspect was rated according to the following categories: Unfit, Fair, Average, Fit, Athlete. My highest score was on my Rest Heart Rate, which put me well into the Athlete category. My second-highest score was for Flexibility, which also ranked me as an Athlete. My third-best score was for Aerobic Fitness, which put me in the upper range of the Fit category.
My body fat percentage was calculated at 23%. That put me in the lower end of the Fit category. My weight then was 158.5 pounds, or 71 kgs (the test was done at night, wearing clothes of course, and I even believe shoes though I am not sure.)
Reading this now, I went to the scale to check my current weight (done at noon, wearing clothes and Ugg boots): it's now 139 pounds, or 63kgs. (I don't know what my body fat percentage is currently but it would obviously also have to be lower.)
Much of that difference in weight can be attributed to a transition to regular training. After that fitness test was done, I ran my first marathon in May 1999, and tried a triathlon a few months later. In 2001 my approach to training changed from a DIY-one to hiring a coach (triathlon). Since I decided to focus on running, I enlisted my current running coach in June 2005.
Ten years after that fitness test, I am training for my 11th certified marathon (I've run five marathons as part of Ironman triathlons, as well as a couple of off-road just below and above the marathon distance). Consistent training over the years changes your body, and weight.
But my lower weight also has much to do with a change in nutrition.
In many ways I eat anything I want to - the key is that there are many "foods" that I simply do not want to eat.
I do not hunger for typical junk food: no fries, burgers, sodas or pizzas. I do not care for cookies or chips. I will not eat any food that I cannot recognize because it has been deep-fried and/or covered in sauce.
But I do love a big steak with baked potatoes and salad with, say, feta cheese. I will eat a bigger plate of pasta with tomato-based sauce than anyone I know (including my partner Tim who is a hungry triathlete). I love cinnamon bagels with raisins, filled with ham and cheese.
While I do not care for cakes in general, I love a quality mud cake. Dark chocolate is hard to resist, as are certain types of jujubes. I love peanuts, cashews and almonds. Fresh and dried fruits are great snacks too. I love crackers with hummus, especially combined with a glass of bold red wine.
I always have breakfast, always. Most of the time I have cereal, though only if it is one without added sugar. (My favourite is made by Alpen. The dried fruit makes it sweet enough). If not available, I will have a sandwich with ham and cheese (cottage cheese is even better). As many experts have said, breakfast is the most crucial meal of the day. And I certainly know it is for me.
I once read that the closer a food is to its natural state, the better it is. So that's generally what I try to look for. I always read labels on food packaging, to check for fat and sugar content.
Noodles are a good example. Some of those will have close to 20 grams of (unhealthy) fat per 100 grams - I stay away from these. But others have about 2 grams of fat per 100 grams - that's OK.
Fat and sugar are not bad per se, quite the opposite. For example, the fat found in cashews and almonds are good for you (I eat them in moderation, a couple of handfuls - not the whole bag in one go). And the natural sugars found in fresh and dried fruit are good for you as well. I always pay attention to dried fruit: raisins, dates and figs typically don't have any added sugar, but most of the time things like dried pineapple and mangoes do. I tend to stay away from the latter.)
My weight has come down slowly over the years and I believe I've reached my natural weight. Depending on the time of year (more food in Canadian winters to stay warm) and what race distance I am training for (more calories burnt in those 3-hour marathon training runs), my weight seems to fluctuate between 60 and 62kgs if weighed in the morning before breakfast. (My height is 178cm).
I say, seems, as I rarely reach for the scales. I did check more regularly 10 years ago, when losing weight was still a main motivation for my running. And of course the weight issue is still important, but now it is a result of my regular training and better eating habits rather than the main motivation for them.
Particularly running, but of course any exercise, helps you to get in touch with your body. Fuel it well with the right food choices. It doesn't have to be hard.
That was just over 10 years ago. I'd been running for nearly three years, though was lacking much knowledge or guidance about basic training principles. But - as I mentioned in an earlier comment on this blog - I was running and liked it.
My first running race was the 20km of Brussels in May 1997 and I also finished a 10km and a 16km race that year. And at the end of 1998, I was thinking about training for my first marathon.
There were some promising results from my test. Each aspect was rated according to the following categories: Unfit, Fair, Average, Fit, Athlete. My highest score was on my Rest Heart Rate, which put me well into the Athlete category. My second-highest score was for Flexibility, which also ranked me as an Athlete. My third-best score was for Aerobic Fitness, which put me in the upper range of the Fit category.
My body fat percentage was calculated at 23%. That put me in the lower end of the Fit category. My weight then was 158.5 pounds, or 71 kgs (the test was done at night, wearing clothes of course, and I even believe shoes though I am not sure.)
Reading this now, I went to the scale to check my current weight (done at noon, wearing clothes and Ugg boots): it's now 139 pounds, or 63kgs. (I don't know what my body fat percentage is currently but it would obviously also have to be lower.)
Much of that difference in weight can be attributed to a transition to regular training. After that fitness test was done, I ran my first marathon in May 1999, and tried a triathlon a few months later. In 2001 my approach to training changed from a DIY-one to hiring a coach (triathlon). Since I decided to focus on running, I enlisted my current running coach in June 2005.
Ten years after that fitness test, I am training for my 11th certified marathon (I've run five marathons as part of Ironman triathlons, as well as a couple of off-road just below and above the marathon distance). Consistent training over the years changes your body, and weight.
But my lower weight also has much to do with a change in nutrition.
In many ways I eat anything I want to - the key is that there are many "foods" that I simply do not want to eat.
I do not hunger for typical junk food: no fries, burgers, sodas or pizzas. I do not care for cookies or chips. I will not eat any food that I cannot recognize because it has been deep-fried and/or covered in sauce.
But I do love a big steak with baked potatoes and salad with, say, feta cheese. I will eat a bigger plate of pasta with tomato-based sauce than anyone I know (including my partner Tim who is a hungry triathlete). I love cinnamon bagels with raisins, filled with ham and cheese.
While I do not care for cakes in general, I love a quality mud cake. Dark chocolate is hard to resist, as are certain types of jujubes. I love peanuts, cashews and almonds. Fresh and dried fruits are great snacks too. I love crackers with hummus, especially combined with a glass of bold red wine.
I always have breakfast, always. Most of the time I have cereal, though only if it is one without added sugar. (My favourite is made by Alpen. The dried fruit makes it sweet enough). If not available, I will have a sandwich with ham and cheese (cottage cheese is even better). As many experts have said, breakfast is the most crucial meal of the day. And I certainly know it is for me.
I once read that the closer a food is to its natural state, the better it is. So that's generally what I try to look for. I always read labels on food packaging, to check for fat and sugar content.
Noodles are a good example. Some of those will have close to 20 grams of (unhealthy) fat per 100 grams - I stay away from these. But others have about 2 grams of fat per 100 grams - that's OK.
Fat and sugar are not bad per se, quite the opposite. For example, the fat found in cashews and almonds are good for you (I eat them in moderation, a couple of handfuls - not the whole bag in one go). And the natural sugars found in fresh and dried fruit are good for you as well. I always pay attention to dried fruit: raisins, dates and figs typically don't have any added sugar, but most of the time things like dried pineapple and mangoes do. I tend to stay away from the latter.)
My weight has come down slowly over the years and I believe I've reached my natural weight. Depending on the time of year (more food in Canadian winters to stay warm) and what race distance I am training for (more calories burnt in those 3-hour marathon training runs), my weight seems to fluctuate between 60 and 62kgs if weighed in the morning before breakfast. (My height is 178cm).
I say, seems, as I rarely reach for the scales. I did check more regularly 10 years ago, when losing weight was still a main motivation for my running. And of course the weight issue is still important, but now it is a result of my regular training and better eating habits rather than the main motivation for them.
Particularly running, but of course any exercise, helps you to get in touch with your body. Fuel it well with the right food choices. It doesn't have to be hard.
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