Just two and a half weeks until Voyageur 50. I'm starting to feel completely unprepared.
My trail run last Friday with Dwayne and Murray left me drained. It was "only" 26 miles, which is just a bit longer than half of my upcoming race. And it was less hilly. Granted it was really hot, there weren't any aid stations, and we were hauling everything around on our backs. And I didn't take any planned walk breaks (only unplanned ones when the heat was starting to get to me).
Adding to my anxiety are a 5k road race this weekend, and a 6k trail race the following weekend. It is going to be tricky for me to get my long runs in, and taper at the same time.
In the end, I know I'm going to have fun. Isn't that the entire point?
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Friday, June 25, 2010
Running update
I ran the Manitoba Marathon last Sunday. I achieved a 30 minute PB, coming in with a time of 4:01:11. Finishing was bittersweet, as I was aiming for 3:45, but at least with a 4:01 it's still a personal best.
It hasn't been quite a week yet, and I'm cutting my recovery period short. I'm getting anxious about my 50 mile race that's less than a month away. I ran 7 miles yesterday and 4.5 today, with planned back-to-back long runs Saturday and Sunday. My first two runs felt "ok", but the going was a bit slower than normal. I'll have to see what comes of this weekend, and if I can continue pushing myself.
It hasn't been quite a week yet, and I'm cutting my recovery period short. I'm getting anxious about my 50 mile race that's less than a month away. I ran 7 miles yesterday and 4.5 today, with planned back-to-back long runs Saturday and Sunday. My first two runs felt "ok", but the going was a bit slower than normal. I'll have to see what comes of this weekend, and if I can continue pushing myself.
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Baby explosion
I just found out what happens when a baby doesn't poo for 3 days. No, the baby doesn't explode. But there is an explosion of a different type.
Monday, June 14, 2010
6 more days
I just want to get this marathon over with... But instead, I need to agonize for 6 more days.
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Knee problems
When I woke up last Tuesday, my knee was feeling kinda funky. So I decided to play it safe and skip my run.
Yesterday (being Wednesday), my knee felt fine so I did my usual workout of a short easy run. Everything felt fine.
Today, I had a tempo run scheduled. Everything was great until after my run. Now it's stiffening up, and I'm nervous about my marathon in 1.5 weeks. I don't think it's injured per se, just hurt a little bit. I hope there's still plenty of time for it to heal up and not re-injure during the race. I need to stay injury-free until my 50 mile in July.
Yesterday (being Wednesday), my knee felt fine so I did my usual workout of a short easy run. Everything felt fine.
Today, I had a tempo run scheduled. Everything was great until after my run. Now it's stiffening up, and I'm nervous about my marathon in 1.5 weeks. I don't think it's injured per se, just hurt a little bit. I hope there's still plenty of time for it to heal up and not re-injure during the race. I need to stay injury-free until my 50 mile in July.
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Running in the heat
I had my last long run today in preparation for the Manitoba Marathon in two weeks. The forecast said it was a high of 16, so I thought everything was going to go my way. I was wrong.
It turns out it was quite a bit warmer, and quite a bit sunnier than forecasted. Had I known how far off they were, I would have scheduled my run first thing in the morning instead of over lunch. After 12 miles, I knew things were going wrong. My heart was racing, despite my relaxed pace. I had also stopped sweating. I still had about a litre of water left in my water bladder, but every time I took a sip my stomach turned. I already bailed out of one run this training cycle, and I wasn't ready to bail on another one.
Fortunately, my running route takes me through the University of Manitoba. I paused my workout and dashed into the first building I ran by. The air conditioning was heaven-sent. And for some strange reason, this building only had water fountains on the third floor (eep!). This cool-down was going to have to be earned. Managed to cool myself off by dunking my head in the water fountain and standing on an air conditioning vent until I had goose bumps. Heading out with my now cooled-down body, it didn't take long before I started suffering again. With only 3 miles left in my run, I had to take a walk break in a shady section in the hopes I'd cool off again.
With 1.5 miles left, I broke down. I stopped running and rested in the shade of a tree beside the sidewalk. Fortunately, I was able to drink again without my stomach turning. And I felt my heart rate slowing down. After about 5 minutes of resting, I managed to run back home at a normal pace.
I celebrated my failed long run with a punishing ice bath. Good thing Christine & Bean were out of the house, or they would have had to endure my screams of icy pain.
It turns out it was quite a bit warmer, and quite a bit sunnier than forecasted. Had I known how far off they were, I would have scheduled my run first thing in the morning instead of over lunch. After 12 miles, I knew things were going wrong. My heart was racing, despite my relaxed pace. I had also stopped sweating. I still had about a litre of water left in my water bladder, but every time I took a sip my stomach turned. I already bailed out of one run this training cycle, and I wasn't ready to bail on another one.
Fortunately, my running route takes me through the University of Manitoba. I paused my workout and dashed into the first building I ran by. The air conditioning was heaven-sent. And for some strange reason, this building only had water fountains on the third floor (eep!). This cool-down was going to have to be earned. Managed to cool myself off by dunking my head in the water fountain and standing on an air conditioning vent until I had goose bumps. Heading out with my now cooled-down body, it didn't take long before I started suffering again. With only 3 miles left in my run, I had to take a walk break in a shady section in the hopes I'd cool off again.
With 1.5 miles left, I broke down. I stopped running and rested in the shade of a tree beside the sidewalk. Fortunately, I was able to drink again without my stomach turning. And I felt my heart rate slowing down. After about 5 minutes of resting, I managed to run back home at a normal pace.
I celebrated my failed long run with a punishing ice bath. Good thing Christine & Bean were out of the house, or they would have had to endure my screams of icy pain.
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Slowwork and Speedwork
Had a bad run on Sunday. Went out with the intention of completing 20 miles, but only got 13 done. A combination of lack of food and heat caused my downfall. Ah well, that's the way it goes some times. Unfortunately, now I'm getting the urge to "make up for it". I know that's the wrong thing to do, but I'm also feeling like I should be increasing my mileage up into the 70s. So I'm going to start slowly increasing my Saturday runs from 10 miles to 20.
As for speedwork, I again went to the Roadkill speedwork session at the Grant Park track. It was still rather warm this evening, so I took things a bit easier than on previous weeks. Apparently, I wasn't the only one doing that. I still managed to finish the workout, despite feeling rather sluggish. I guess even a bad speed workout is better than no speed workout.
As for speedwork, I again went to the Roadkill speedwork session at the Grant Park track. It was still rather warm this evening, so I took things a bit easier than on previous weeks. Apparently, I wasn't the only one doing that. I still managed to finish the workout, despite feeling rather sluggish. I guess even a bad speed workout is better than no speed workout.
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