Yesterday I did a 35K run, four weeks out from the Vancouver marathon on May 6. My schedule had this final session over 30K a week later, but I am racing the Vancouver Sun Run 10K next week so I swapped around some sessions including this one.
As mentioned in my previous post, the past week was about recovering from my fastest half marathon ever. Then there is the cumulative fatigue from 12 weeks of record-volume training. On Saturday's 10K my energy was very low, and I struggled through the recovery run in 60 minutes.
I expected - and certainly hoped - to feel better for the 35K. We eased into the session, running the first 5K at 5:20/K before we slightly picked up the pace. Tim, who did six hours of cycling on the wind trainer in three days, turned around at 12K.
I was looking forward to the rest of the run. Listening to my iPod, I noticed how energetic my body felt, a stark contrast from the previous day. There was still a light tenderness in the quads and hammies, but nothing that prevented me from running as I pleased.
After 13.5K I turned onto Paradise Valley Road, which after another 1.5K turns into a spectacular section through lush rainforest. The moss-covered trees on both sides of the narrow road looked stunning on the warm and sunny April morning.
I turned around at 17.5K, having covered the previous 12.41K at an average 5:12/K while my heart pumped blood at an average 133 beats per minute.
It was time to pick up the pace; I ran the next 15.5K at 4:46/K and an average 143bpm, thinking about how much I love to run - and to train.
For the final 2K, which begins with 1K up the hill to get to Valleycliffe, I eased my effort to begin the cooldown and ran it at 5:31/K.
Arriving at home, Mr Garmin told me I had covered the 35K in 2:56:49, with an average heart rate of 142. I only carried a 500ml bottle of water and could have easily drunk more but chose to keep moving as I felt good. I also had a flask of Hammer Gel for nutrition.
It was an awesome long run that showed I have recovered well from last week's race. Since the start of the year, my longest runs - 30K and more - have been 32K (Jan 29); 30K (Feb 5); 35K (Feb 26); 30K (March 3); 39K on March 18 and yesterday's 35K.
Next weekend I won't run long because of Sunday's 10K race. And the remaining Sunday runs are less than 30K.
My total mileage for last week came to 112K and included a rest day on Tuesday.
April 09, 2012
April 08, 2012
Recovering from half marathon
My first week as an 86-minute half marathoner has been focused on recovering from the effort.
My strategy in last Sunday's 2012 Sunshine Coast half marathon of conserving energy when running uphill by sustaining effort, rather than pace, and using the free speed on the down hills by moving as quickly as gravity let me without extra effort had, not surprisingly, taking a toll on my quads and hamstrings.
It was, of course, a small price to pay for improving my fastest time for 21.1K to 86:54. The age-graded score for my performance is 79.64%, moving towards national class level. A runner's age-graded score is the ratio of the approximate world-record time for your age and gender divided by your actual time.
Age-graded scores have been categorized into these broad achievement levels, with 100% = Approximate World Record Level; over 90% = World Class; over 80% = National Class; over 70% = Regional Class; and over 60% = Local Class.
On Monday I ran a very slow 10K, sticking to soft trails as much as possible. I walked any incline. It was good to get the blood flowing but I decided to skip the afternoon's 6K.
On Tuesday, my legs were more stiff and sore than the day before, which is typical in delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS), so I took the day off.
Of course I had managed to Google an article online about a marathon runner who didn't recover in the five weeks between smashing his quads in a tune-up event before the goal race. I can be completely carefree, or worry like crazy; when I told Tim about this story and wondered out loud whether I had ruined my chances for the Vancouver marathon, he just gave me a look and started laughing. "You're fine," he said.
And I knew he was right.
However, the soreness in my quads was no laughing matter. Tuesday was my fourth day off in eight days; I soaked those battered limbs in a hot bath with Epsom salts instead.
On Wednesday morning, I still had to move carefully on an easy 14K. Again, I made sure to stay mostly on soft ground, taking walk breaks on the down hills to spare the quads.
Two hours later, Dr Leah Stadelmann at Chief Chiro worked almost an hour on getting my body back in shape. When I visit her, I typically point to my calves and glutes as the main problem points—this time her focus was on my quadriceps and hamstrings.
She expertly worked on restoring my legs and lower back, starting with the left quad and then moving to on the right, before flipping me on my side to release those just-as tight hammies. As usual, the treatment was at times uncomfortable, but never painful; she knows exactly how much strength to use, and always double-checks if I flinch.
After she got me to lie on my stomach, she dug further into my hamstrings and upper calves, before releasing my lower back. I felt so much better after her treatment, she's fantastic.
In the evening, I went for a 45-minute walk with Tim and Luka on the trails as Leah had recommended.
The following day, I woke up with a much-restored body and looked forward to a double run. I ran 24K in the morning, sticking to the slower end of my long run pace, followed by 6K at recovery pace in the afternoon.
On Friday, I did 13K, again at recovery pace and on Saturday, I did another 10K.
Today, Sunday, is my last long run exceeding 30K before the Vancouver marathon, and my plan is to run 35K. Four weeks to go!
April 03, 2012
A unexpectedly light week of 69K
Last week had its ups and downs. It certainly the lowest volume this year after 12 very consistent weeks of preparations for the BMO Vancouver Marathon on May 6.
On Monday I ran an easy 10K, but skipped the afternoon 6K.
Tuesday was the second day in 2012 I did not run.
Wednesday had a solid workout with 20K including 6 X 1K repeats on the track in between 3:44 and 3:48.
On Thursday I was floored by what I believe to have been dehydration.
On Friday I was better but not good enough to go for a run.
On Saturday I ran an easy 11K and felt much, much better after plenty of rehydration and the rest.
On Sunday, I raced the Sunshine Coast April Fool's Run half marathon in a personal best of 86:54. My warmup and cooldown were about 6K, so a total of 27K for the day.
That brought the weekly total to 69K, a little short of the 137K that was on the menu.
I am not worried by the missed sessions, though of course I would have preferred to have been able to run them. The previous 12 weeks of training have been so consistent; a second half marathon PB in less than two months shows it's paying off.
On Monday I ran an easy 10K, but skipped the afternoon 6K.
Tuesday was the second day in 2012 I did not run.
Wednesday had a solid workout with 20K including 6 X 1K repeats on the track in between 3:44 and 3:48.
On Thursday I was floored by what I believe to have been dehydration.
On Friday I was better but not good enough to go for a run.
On Saturday I ran an easy 11K and felt much, much better after plenty of rehydration and the rest.
On Sunday, I raced the Sunshine Coast April Fool's Run half marathon in a personal best of 86:54. My warmup and cooldown were about 6K, so a total of 27K for the day.
That brought the weekly total to 69K, a little short of the 137K that was on the menu.
I am not worried by the missed sessions, though of course I would have preferred to have been able to run them. The previous 12 weeks of training have been so consistent; a second half marathon PB in less than two months shows it's paying off.
April 02, 2012
Best half marathon yet at Sunshine Coast
Sometimes it takes four years to improve on a personal best for a distance, sometimes it takes only seven weeks.
In April 2008, I ran 88:13 in the Sunshine Coast April Fool's Run, a certified half marathon distance. Aside from the 88:30 I ran in the June 2010 Scotiabank Half Marathon in Vancouver, I didn't manage to get under 89 again, or even 89:30 for that matter (89:39, 89:44 and 89:46) until the First Half Marathon seven weeks ago.
At the First Half in February I ran 87:27, my first improvement on the 21.1-kilometre distance in almost four years—and by 46 seconds. Wow.
After my dehydration fiasco earlier in the week, I wasn't sure what to expect for the Sunshine Coast half marathon on Sunday. I hoped that the forced days of rest on Thursday and Friday would have helped; at least I felt normal again on an easy pre-race 11K run on Saturday.
My goal for the race had been to do another marathon goal race pace run, aiming for 4:15/K, or a time of just under 90 minutes.
However, looking at my splits for this race four years ago, I realized that the undulations of this course made it a little challenging to aim for a steady pace per kilometre. Then there was the lure of another 87-minute time, perhaps even a PB.
My plan was to stay within a certain comfort zone; it would still be a challenging effort, but comfortable compared with the 10K of last weekend.
As had been forecast, there was wet snow when I walked Luka in the dark at 5:30am in Squamish on race morning and it was raining steadily as we drove toward Horseshoe Bay at 6:15am.
However, when we got to the ferry about 40 minutes later the weather had cleared. By the time the school buses had driven us from the ferry in Langdale to the race start in Gibsons, conditions were perfect; cool and dry.
We had about half an hour to pick up our race packages and do a warm-up; we ran about 2K and did three strides. Perfect. Then it was time to start.
It didn't take long to settle into a rhythm that felt good. I focused on conserving energy on the up hills and using all the free speed I could get on the down hills (hence, my fastest split being a 3:38).
Here's my race in numbers—I didn't press my watch hard enough a couple of times, hence the longer ones, and I stopped taking splits after 16K, though checked my watch at 17K and remember seeing 1:13 though I don't know the seconds.
From my kilometre splits you might think my pace was all over the place but that's just the nature of the course. I felt I ran a very well-paced race and focused on sustaining a steady effort: 4:10, 8:00, 4:17, 4:21 (5K in 20:48), 4:18, 8:00, 3:38, 4:16 (10K in 41:00), 4:11.8, 4:04, 3:58, 4:07, 4:29 (15K in 61:49), 4:43. At 16K, I had taken 66:32, or an average pace of 4:09.5.
I ran the remaining 5.1K in 20:22, or an average pace of 3:59.6, still maintaining my strategy of conserving energy on the final 1.5K left of the main 3K hill and using gravity on the way down—you can imagine what my quads feel like today hammering those down hills:-).
I crossed the finish in 86:54, another personal best by 33 seconds. W o w!
Running my second half marathon PB in less than two months gives me a lot of confidence that the training I have chosen since July last year is the right path for me; I have barely had time to wrap my head around the 87:27, and now my best time starts with 86.
I couldn't have asked for better motivation in the final five weeks of training until the BMO Vancouver Marathon on May 6.
My next, and probably final, race before then is the Vancouver Sun Run 10K on April 15, where I am hoping to improve my 39:51 PB, set all the way back in January 2008. Since then, I've run Sub-40 only once, in March 2008 when I did 39:55, though I've run close to 40 minutes a few times.
In the 2011 Sun Run I ran 40:09, according to my watch, but found out afterward that my timing chip had been mixed up with someone else's from the Pacific Newspaper Group Pacers team. I believe my official time, listed under another name, was 40:07. It was the closest I have come to 40 minutes in three years. I ran 40:15 at the Squamish 10K in August that year.
The other Squamish runners had solid races too; Tim ran his second-fastest half marathon (his PB is 89:06 from 2009), and his 90:10 earned him third place in the 45-59 age group. Next up for him is a 10K in Toronto in three weeks.
Volker proved he's getting in shape for another Sub-3 marathon next month with a swift 84:44, after running the First Half seven weeks ago in 87:23.
Zoe earned her first Sub-90 half marathon with an excellent 89:29 finish.
Sean, who has spent most of his winter coaching a soccer team, was pleased to kick off his running season with a 91:01.
Last but not least, Heather who did her first half marathon in 2011 earned 3rd place in the 60-64 division.
This was the 35th edition of this annual event and, just like Tim and I remembered from four years ago, it was superbly organized. If you haven't tried this scenic race, I would highly recommend you do next year.
Overall winners were David Palermo in a blistering 70:57, or 3:22 per K, and Lisa Brooking in a swift 81:56. For full results, click here.
In April 2008, I ran 88:13 in the Sunshine Coast April Fool's Run, a certified half marathon distance. Aside from the 88:30 I ran in the June 2010 Scotiabank Half Marathon in Vancouver, I didn't manage to get under 89 again, or even 89:30 for that matter (89:39, 89:44 and 89:46) until the First Half Marathon seven weeks ago.
At the First Half in February I ran 87:27, my first improvement on the 21.1-kilometre distance in almost four years—and by 46 seconds. Wow.
After my dehydration fiasco earlier in the week, I wasn't sure what to expect for the Sunshine Coast half marathon on Sunday. I hoped that the forced days of rest on Thursday and Friday would have helped; at least I felt normal again on an easy pre-race 11K run on Saturday.
My goal for the race had been to do another marathon goal race pace run, aiming for 4:15/K, or a time of just under 90 minutes.
However, looking at my splits for this race four years ago, I realized that the undulations of this course made it a little challenging to aim for a steady pace per kilometre. Then there was the lure of another 87-minute time, perhaps even a PB.
My plan was to stay within a certain comfort zone; it would still be a challenging effort, but comfortable compared with the 10K of last weekend.
As had been forecast, there was wet snow when I walked Luka in the dark at 5:30am in Squamish on race morning and it was raining steadily as we drove toward Horseshoe Bay at 6:15am.
However, when we got to the ferry about 40 minutes later the weather had cleared. By the time the school buses had driven us from the ferry in Langdale to the race start in Gibsons, conditions were perfect; cool and dry.
We had about half an hour to pick up our race packages and do a warm-up; we ran about 2K and did three strides. Perfect. Then it was time to start.
It didn't take long to settle into a rhythm that felt good. I focused on conserving energy on the up hills and using all the free speed I could get on the down hills (hence, my fastest split being a 3:38).
Here's my race in numbers—I didn't press my watch hard enough a couple of times, hence the longer ones, and I stopped taking splits after 16K, though checked my watch at 17K and remember seeing 1:13 though I don't know the seconds.
From my kilometre splits you might think my pace was all over the place but that's just the nature of the course. I felt I ran a very well-paced race and focused on sustaining a steady effort: 4:10, 8:00, 4:17, 4:21 (5K in 20:48), 4:18, 8:00, 3:38, 4:16 (10K in 41:00), 4:11.8, 4:04, 3:58, 4:07, 4:29 (15K in 61:49), 4:43. At 16K, I had taken 66:32, or an average pace of 4:09.5.
I ran the remaining 5.1K in 20:22, or an average pace of 3:59.6, still maintaining my strategy of conserving energy on the final 1.5K left of the main 3K hill and using gravity on the way down—you can imagine what my quads feel like today hammering those down hills:-).
I crossed the finish in 86:54, another personal best by 33 seconds. W o w!
Running my second half marathon PB in less than two months gives me a lot of confidence that the training I have chosen since July last year is the right path for me; I have barely had time to wrap my head around the 87:27, and now my best time starts with 86.
I couldn't have asked for better motivation in the final five weeks of training until the BMO Vancouver Marathon on May 6.
My next, and probably final, race before then is the Vancouver Sun Run 10K on April 15, where I am hoping to improve my 39:51 PB, set all the way back in January 2008. Since then, I've run Sub-40 only once, in March 2008 when I did 39:55, though I've run close to 40 minutes a few times.
In the 2011 Sun Run I ran 40:09, according to my watch, but found out afterward that my timing chip had been mixed up with someone else's from the Pacific Newspaper Group Pacers team. I believe my official time, listed under another name, was 40:07. It was the closest I have come to 40 minutes in three years. I ran 40:15 at the Squamish 10K in August that year.
The other Squamish runners had solid races too; Tim ran his second-fastest half marathon (his PB is 89:06 from 2009), and his 90:10 earned him third place in the 45-59 age group. Next up for him is a 10K in Toronto in three weeks.
Volker proved he's getting in shape for another Sub-3 marathon next month with a swift 84:44, after running the First Half seven weeks ago in 87:23.
Zoe earned her first Sub-90 half marathon with an excellent 89:29 finish.
Sean, who has spent most of his winter coaching a soccer team, was pleased to kick off his running season with a 91:01.
Last but not least, Heather who did her first half marathon in 2011 earned 3rd place in the 60-64 division.
This was the 35th edition of this annual event and, just like Tim and I remembered from four years ago, it was superbly organized. If you haven't tried this scenic race, I would highly recommend you do next year.
Overall winners were David Palermo in a blistering 70:57, or 3:22 per K, and Lisa Brooking in a swift 81:56. For full results, click here.
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