Cruz Control Sports Nutrition

It's Race Week!

2010-05-31T15:23:00.000-07:00

The following passage is something that I've written before every race, hope you enjoy it.

If I forget to smile during the week,......... please forgive me it's race week!

If I feel like crying when I see someone run, knowing that I can't......please forgive me, it's race week!

If I feel like I've gained 20 pounds after carbo loading for three days....please forgive me, it's race week!

If I seem like I have the "deer in the headlights" look all week...........please forgive me, it's race week!

If I have a hard time sleeping this week..........please forgive me, it's race week!

If I start wondering if I've trained enough for my race........please forgive me, it's race week!

If you hear me mumbling to myself about what the hell I was thinking about when I decided to run around in circles for 6 hours.......please forgive me, it's race week!

If I run to the bathroom every 5 minutes from all the water I need to drink this week.......please forgive me, it's race week!

If you see me eating 6 blueberry bagels in a few hours......please forgive me, it's race week!

If I start going through withdrawl from the fact that I can't run for most of the week..........please forgive me, it's race week!

And finally.....If I forget to thank all of you who read my blog and have wished me well with my race this week.............please forgive me, it's race week!

A funny thing happened on the way to the track....

2009-08-20T13:48:00.000-07:00

So there I was, sipping on my tea at 4:00 AM and trying to pysche myself up for my track workout. These track workouts are so tough and I need to really get mentally prepared for the challenge. I have been running 800 Meter repeats which is two laps around a 400M track. I have worked my way to do doing 8 sets of this and making sure that I do them in under 3:30. I have been averaging around a 3:14 or so.

Today I decided to step it up a notch and do 1 mile repeats or 4 laps at top speed. My goal was to run each mile in 7:19 or better with a rest of 1:40 in between each set. I thought about doing 6 laps but decided not to push it too much today.

As I left my house I packed all the things I would need for my track work including my headlamp since I would have to be running the laps in the dark. I had my tunes cranked and set out to run the track at Pine Ridge High School which has a very nice rubber track.

As I drove up to the parking lot I noticed the following:

Needless to say I wasn't pleased. I had to drive to another track which wasn't nearly as good as this one and then had to psyche myself up all over again.

When I got to this track I did a light run to warm-up and then I was off. I decided that 4 sets was going to be enough today even though now I was contemplating doing 6.
I managed to do each 1 mile set in an average time of 7:08. At the end of the 4th lap I took a walk around the track to let my heart rate come down and then decided to do one more mile. I managed to do that mile in 7:00. I was glad that I decided to do that extra mile and now I can build on top of that and do a 6th set the next time out. The only question is where will I do it? (LOL)

Don’t ever use the “Q” word!

2009-08-18T05:20:00.000-07:00

Wow! In a word that pretty much sums up the last week for me. It was full of positive energy and I’m still riding a pretty strong wave right now. However, it seemed like I would never get the news I got last week.

Let me give you some background so you can understand just how truly great last week was for me. For the past 3 years I have been working at Extreme Fitness as a full-time nutritionist. This year I decided to become a Personal Trainer and have also been doing that at Extreme Fitness. In addition I have my own Lifestyle Management Company (Cruz Control Lifestyle Management) and have also been working as a walking instructor for a company called Health Systems Group.

HSG manages many fitness facilities for corporations such as Proctor and Gamble and American Express. Each Wednesday I have met with a group of very dedicated women who are preparing to do the Weekend to End Breast Cancer on September 12th. I have been training them each week and have loved the experience. HSG is a company that I wanted to work for full time as I really embrace their “client first” mentality.

While I enjoy working with the clients at Extreme Fitness, I don’t really enjoy the fact that their customer service is so poor. I really believe that you can be profitable while still having a high degree of customer service. It is something that I believe sets me apart from many other people in this field and I take great pride in the fact that I am not only about the money. I think it has plenty to do with the fact that I was extremely overweight as a teenager and I understand how difficult the struggle can be to lose weight.

The other aspect of Extreme Fitness that I don’t enjoy is the fact that I only get paid on a per client basis. There have been days where I have gone into work and had client after client not show up for their session and that meant not getting paid. This made it very difficult to budget especially trying to support two young boys on a part-time basis.

As much as I love the work that I do and feel that it is what I do best, there were so many times that I contemplated changing careers just to make ends meet. I have had jobs in the past where I made more money but where I was totally unhappy. My passion lies in health promotion and that is something that I always get reminding myself about.

Then, two weeks ago I got the call I was waiting for from HSG. An opening came for a full time account manager for Franklin Templeton Financial Institute. The job would be to run the fitness studio and be an integral part of the wellness program there. I went for the interview and felt like I had done a great job. I waited for a full week anxiously awaiting a 2nd interview. That phone call came and I went for the interview last Friday morning.

Later that day I received the news that I got the job! To say that I was thrilled would be a huge understatement. I am so glad that I didn’t give up and remained mentally tough throughout this whole process. In many ways it resembled many of my toughest runs I’ve had.

Today I did a 10 mile run in very humid conditions. There were times when I wanted to stop or slow down as my breathing was getting more and more difficult. However, much like my career, I pushed on and picked up steam towards the end of the run and finished ahead of what I was hoping for.

I remember what my football coach told me many years ago. He said, “It’s ok to get knocked down but it’s not ok to stay down!” I think I have resembled those words!

Dirty Girl Race report

2009-08-09T04:37:00.000-07:00

Last weekend while doing my 20 mile trail run I decided to run the 6 hour dirty girl race the following weekend. I knew I was going to run that race but hadn’t decided on what distance/time to run. Because my marathon training has been doing mostly speed work, hill training and tempo runs, I didn’t see the need to do Ultra trail races. However, after talking it over with some very knowledgeable runners, I decided to do the 6 hour race.

Last year I managed to do 52.5 KM’s in 5:45 minutes but my goals for this race were to stay healthy and do a minimum of 40 KM’s. Anything above and beyond that was going to be gravy.

The course is one of my favourite in the Ontario Ultra Series. It is a 10KM loop with just enough hills to challenge but also some great stretches where I can really just run.

When I got to the race site just shortly after 7 AM I knew I had made the right decision to run. I was greeted by so many familiar faces and it felt so good to be surrounded by such amazing energy. Some of my friends were doing the 6 hour run like me while others were doing the 12 hour or 24 hour run.

I decided to run with my heart rate monitor for the first time ever in a race just to gauge where my heart rate was in the trails versus on the roads.

As the countdown started I kept telling myself to just go easy and keep checking my heart rate periodically to ensure that I wasn’t going too fast too soon.

I was disciplined enough to complete the first lap in under 1 hour (55 minutes) so the pace was good and I felt strong. I decided to listen to my music every other lap so that way it would really motivate me. Instead of my music, I just focused on running consistent and enjoying the feeling of being in the trails. I was even able to catch up to a few of my running idols and we all ran in together for the first lap.

The 2nd lap was much of the same and I finished in roughly the same time as my 1st lap. My music really helped to keep me going so I was glad that I made the decision to use it every other lap. Towards the end of the 10 KM loop there is a large hill that keeps getting longer and longer as the day goes (LOL). I decided to pop a few Alleve just before going up the hill to avoid any possible pain in my legs. This, as I soon found out, was a huge mistake. I felt nauseas almost immediately and really thought I was going to be sick. It didn’t help that my heart rate monitor, which was strapped to my chest, felt like it was restricting my breathing. I managed to fight through this feeling but when I stopped after the 2nd loop I decided to ditch the heart rate monitor for the remainder of the race.

My 3rd lap started out pretty well and though my pace slowed a little, I was still pretty happy with how I was feeling. Unfortunately about ¾ of the way through the 3rd loop I started to get cramps in my quads. They were so painful at times and it felt like my muscle was being torn away from the bone. I found it hard to stop though so I kept walking and doing some light running at the same time. The cramps would come and go so I just had to fight through it. I haven’t had this problem since I did my last “regular” marathon in 2007. So many thoughts went through my mind and it took me back to that dreadful experience. I made a conscious effort not to think about it because I know how the mind works so I kept going.

Amazingly enough, I finished the 4th lap pretty strong and had now run 40 KM’s. It was now 4:15 so I knew that even if I walked the next 10 KM I would get to 50 KM as I had 1:45 minutes to get there.

I knew that I was going to surpass my goal so I started to walk a little more and run when I felt like I wanted to. My cramps were still coming on from time to time but for the most part I was still able to run. I met up with a friend who was clearly struggling and he was going to walk the rest of the 6 hours. I made the decision to walk with him. Just then, a good friend (Jeff Cooper) passed me and that really motivated me so I decided to start running. He wasn’t running very fast but I decided to run with him and get some more advice for my marathon. At this point we both knew that we were going to reach 50 KM’s no matter how slow we ran. We actually joked that we didn’t want to run too fast because if we got to the start/finish line with too much time left we would have to go out for another loop.

The race is marked every 2.5 KM’s so if you head out for another loop after the 5 hour mark, you must reach either 2.5, 5, 7.5 or 10 KM or you would not get credit for running that distance. Not only that, but once you head out you will have to make it back to the start/finish line somehow (run/walk). Remember, this is AFTER running for 6 hours.

I picked up my pace during the latter part of that last lap and came across the finish line at 5:30. I told a friend who was watching that I was done and wasn’t going out again. Then Jeff came running through the finish line and said, “c’mon let’s go out again.” Of course my competitiveness got the better of me so I decided that I would go out and see what I could do. I managed to get to the 2.5 KM mark at 5:50 which made my total for the day 52.5 KM’s. I was really happy that I decided to run until the end and also happy that I didn’t walk the majority of that 4th loop. I also beat myself up a little because I knew that I could have pushed myself a little more during that 4th loop and that would have given me more of an opportunity to get to 55 KM’s.

In the end, though, I learned quite a bit about myself and I need to figure this cramping issue before my marathon in September.

Today I went out for a nice recovery run of 6 miles and will take tomorrow off to rest and then it’s back to my marathon training schedule.

A change in plans

2009-08-06T04:04:00.000-07:00

My plan today was to head to Pickering High School to do my 8 X 800M track work. When I got there I realized just how truly dark it was so I decided to drive a little further to Pinedridge HS. I was hoping that it would have been a little lighter there but of course it was not to be.

It was 5:15 when I did my warm-up lap and because it was so dark, I also used this opportunity to make sure that there was no obstructions on the lane where I was running. I decided to use lane 2 and stayed on that lane for the whole time I was there.

For my training I need to be able to run each 800M (2 laps around the track) in 3:30 or better. I did the first lap in 3:36. I wasn't happy about that so I picked it up quite a bit. Here is my final stats:
Lap 1: 3:36
Lap 2: 3:19
Lap 3: 3:21
Lap 4: 3:19
Lap 5: 3:16
Lap 6: 3:19
Lap 7: 3:16
Lap 8: 3:19

I walked/caught my breath for 1:40 seconds and this allowed my breathing and heart rate to slow down. During each lap my heart rate was about 164 bpm and my average pace was under a 7 minute mile.

Next up the Dirty Girl 6 hour race on Saturday. My goal is just to do 40KM so my body can get a feel for being out there for that distance. My main focus will be seeing how my heart rate is affected running on the trails versus running on the road.

Another great run

2009-08-05T04:12:00.000-07:00

Knowing that I have a very addictive personality, is it any wonder that I am now hooked on running with a heart rate monitor strapped around my chest? Today I wanted to do an easy pace but my legs felt good so I decided to try and do as close to an exact race pace (8 min/mile) as possible for 6 miles. I also wanted to get a better gauge as to what my heart rate should be when I run at race pace.

During my marathon there will be times when my pace will speed up or slow down (hopefully not too much though). During my run today I wanted to stay at roughly the same pace and I managed to do that very well. My average pace was 7:59 and I finished the run in 47:53 (my goal was 48 minutes). I found that my heart rate hovered around the 154 bpm range. My maximum heart rate based on my age is 179 so 154 is 86% of my maximum heart rate.

Using the heart rate reserve method is an even better way to gauge fitness as it uses your resting heart rate in the equation. This is mine:
220-41= 179 - resting heart rate (50)= 129 X 86%= 110 + resting heart rate (50)=160
Therefore, 160 beats per minute represents 86% of my maximum heart rate which corresponds remarkably well to where I was yesterday and today.

Tomorrow will be an even greater test as I will have to run close to 90% or higher of my maximum heart rate as I do my track work. Can you tell that I am hooked?

164!

2009-08-04T06:05:00.001-07:00

That was my heart rate for the majority of my run today. That corresponded to an average pace of 7:54 min/mile for 10 miles. I noticed that if I ran too fast, my heart rate elevated to 170 and I felt uncomfortable so I actually slowed down my pace until my heart rate returned to 160-164. If my heart dropped below 160 my pace was too slow so I had to speed up. It really was an interesting game to see where my heart rate needs to be in order to keep my pace.

Mile 5 and mile 8 were the only miles where my average pace was slightly higher than what I needed for my race (8:01 and 8:02 respectively). My fastest average mile was 7:45.

Tomorrow will be a slightly slower pace and less distance as well, probably 5 miles. With a 6 hour race coming up on Saturday, I have to be careful not too push myself too hard.

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly....

2009-08-02T06:35:00.000-07:00

Today was my first time ever using a heart rate monitor and I felt like a kid with a new toy. For years many of my friends who know I start out too fast, have begged me to start using one of these but I always found them cumbersome.

I was coming off doing a 20 mile road/trail run yesterday so I was a little tired but I really wanted to see what this heart rate training was all about. I strapped the monitor to my chest and off I went.

About ½ miles into the run, the strap, which apparently I didn’t tighten enough, came loose and dropped from above my chest to below my waist. Amazingly enough it continued to record my heart rate though so instead of stopping my run and adjusting it, I decided to just keep running.

I would periodically check my heart rate and my average pace to gauge where my heart rate was. I noticed that when I ran a 7:30 to 7:45 minute mile, my heart rate would climb above 200 bpm. The closer I got to my actual race pace of 8:00 minutes per mile, I noticed that my heart rate was 190 to 195 bpm. This is where I tried to keep my heart rate for the majority of the run. Again, it’s difficult to know how accurate the reading was because the strap had fallen down but I will have to use that as a starting point and the next time I go out I will check again, this time with the strap tighter.

My goal was to finish the run in 1:20 which is an 8 minute mile. I once again started out fast and this gave a nice cushion of 44 seconds at the 7 mile mark. I needed every bit of those seconds because after the 8 mile mark I was 52 seconds ahead but this fell to only 35 seconds by the time the 9th mile was finished. I lost some time as I had to stop at a traffic light. I also had to do 2 hills which didn’t help. I finished the run in 1:19:20 seconds so I was able to make up an additional 5 seconds during that final mile, most of which was again uphill.

After running 30 miles (48KM’s) in 2 days it’s time for a day of rest tomorrow.

How do you turn a 26KM trail into a 32K run?

2009-08-01T09:41:00.000-07:00

The answer? It aint easy. I met up with a group of friends at 7 AM at the Forestream Parking Lot. I had hoped that some of them were going to run 20 miles with me but I soon found out that I had no takers. Most are training for a race next weekend so it didn’t make sense for them to go too far today. While I totally understood, it left me with a tough decision. They were going to do 26KM which was about 6KM short of what I wanted to do today. How was I going to squeeze another 6 KM out of this trail? Many thoughts went through my head, including doing the 2nd 10KM of the trail twice. Instead of that, I did some creative running and amazingly it turned out very well.

I ran with the group to the turnaround point of the first loop. This was Hwy7 and the total miles were just under 5. The black flies on that part of the route were really biting and it was at that point that I made my decision to go it alone. I decided that I would go West on Hwy 7 to the Durham/York border and then run South to Taunton Road. This added another few miles that I would not have gotten in had I went back to the same way I started. When I reached Taunton Road I looked at my Garmin and realized that I still needed to get a few more miles in so I went South to Concession 3. From Concession 3 I travelled East to Whites Road and then North to the Forestream where I had started at 7 AM.

When I got there I refuelled and then saw a few of the runners that I had left behind. I took an electrolyte supplement, ½ banana and filled up my water bottle and then went out for the next part of the run. At this point I was at 12.5 miles and again my head was spinning. I knew that even if I did the route to the Dump and back it would only be 6 miles and being as competitive as I am, I knew that this was not going to sit well with me. I took all the long routes I could find during this second half and when I got to the dump I ran another mile on the road and then headed back for the final stretch. I was at 16 miles and it was going to be a tight fit to get those 4 miles in. I again took the long way back and just as I was starting to get a little tired I heard some rustling in the trees. There was a little clearing about 5 feet in front of me and the next thing I knew there was a deer running right by me. For whatever reason this seemed to inspire me to go faster and harder and the rest of the run was a breeze.

As I finished my run I saw all my friends sitting in their lawn chairs having a beverage and food and was glad that I could join them. I managed to get in 19.6 miles (I decided to cut myself some slack) in 3:41 minutes. After the run I was talking to my friends about my training and they all offered some great advice. One even loaned me his heart rate monitor and tomorrow I will start using it. I’ve never run with one before but so many people have recommended that I do that I’m glad that I will finally be using one.

All in all it was a great day and a picture perfect weather day to be out in the trails!

Love/Hate relationship with the Rossland Hill

2009-07-30T03:25:00.000-07:00

Thursdays mean one of 3 thing. Track work, tempo run or doing hill repeats up and down the Rossland hill. Today was hill repeat day. The hill itself starts at the corner of Westney Road and Rossland and heads West on Rossland to Harwood. I run the last 200M or 1/4 mile up then cross the road, jog down slowly then start up again. Today I had to do 7 of these. Hill training has really improved not only my oxygen uptake but it has strengthened my quadricep muscles as well.

I have tried to run most, if not all, of my runs at better than my expected race pace but when it comes to the Thursday workouts I have to turn it up another notch. I'm always challenged on Thursdays because not only am I coming off of my Wednesday morning run, I also teach a walking clinic on Wednesday nights and we are walking 7KM. I really have to dig down deep on Thursday as my alarm goes off at 4 AM. Once I'm up I let my mental game take over.

I have been working through a slight pain on the top of my left foot and recently have felt a little pull on the inner part of my thigh. Once I start my run, though, nothing gets in the way of finishing what I have to do.

I was able to do each 200M in an average time of 1:27 so I was pleased with that effort.

What a difference one day makes

2009-07-29T03:49:00.000-07:00

Yesterday my first mile took 8:43 to complete, today I was able to do it in 8:28 and those 15 seconds proved to be very important because unlike yesterday, I was able to overcome those 28 seconds and finished my 6 mile run in average time of 7:49. That means I completed the next 5 miles in an average time of 7:44. I really tried to focus on just relaxing today and letting the run come to me instead of the other way around.

I knew that I was going to do better than yesterday and that seemed to make me relax more as well. Tomorrow I was going to do my track work but I may do my hill training tomorrow and then do my track work next week. On the weekend I will be doing a long run in the Seaton Trail. The last time I was there it took me 4 hours and 15 minutes to complete the 36 KM's so I'm hoping for the same this weekend.

Learning while I run

2009-07-28T04:26:00.000-07:00

As I was sipping on my tea this morning and going over my training week I realized that this was a “down” week for training. It’s amazing how these down weeks come at just the right time for me. Down weeks don’t mean that I stop running it just means that my mileage is reduced slightly. This weekend I will be doing a 21+ mile trail run and then follow that up with a 10+ mile road run so it probably won’t feel much like a down week (LOL).

First up today was a 6+ mile run and the training plan said to do it at whatever pace I wanted. I decided that I was going to just run for “feel” today and decide as I went what pace I wanted to do.

After taking yesterday off, my legs felt strong and refreshed but the start of my run is an uphill climb so I didn’t want to push myself at the beginning. In fact, by the time my first mile was finished I had run a rather slow 8:42. Once I saw that, my competitive juices took over and I wanted to see if I could shave those 42 seconds off by the time I finished my run.

I kept doing mathematical equations in my head and soon realized that I had to run at least another 6 miles and that I would have to run an average of 7:52 just to shave those 43 seconds off from that slow first mile. That would put me at an 8 minute mile average or what I need for my race.

It was quite the game of cat and mouse as I tried shave off those precious seconds. I used plenty of mental imagery to get me through. I knew that after 7 miles I needed to be at 56 minutes.

Mile 2 I averaged only 8:09, then mile 3 was slightly better at 8:01. That put me at 24:51 but still 51 seconds left to try and shave with only 4 miles to do it. After mile 4 I was at 32:49 so 2 of those seconds were gone. After mile 5 my time was 40:44 and time was running out. It didn’t help that I still had a huge hill in front of me. I was only able to shave off 3 seconds from mile 5 to 6 and was 41 seconds away from what I needed with only 1 mile left. Mile 7 was my fastest mile (7:40) and my finishing time was 56:21 or 21 seconds off from what I needed if I was going to race.

My average pace was 8:03 so I was able to shave off most of that slow start and if I had gone longer I know I would have accomplished that. It was really interesting to see this game today and it taught me not to start out too slow but it also showed me that eventually I would have caught up to the pace that I needed. Today was an important day for me and I will bank this memory and use it to help me when it comes to my race.

Coming full circle

2009-07-25T03:50:00.000-07:00

My running life really has come full circle in so many ways.

2005 is a year that I will never forget. Not only was it the year when my marriage ended but it was also the year that I discovered what my passion truly was. At the time of my separation, I was knee deep in a job which was physically and emotionally draining. That made sense because my marriage mirrored that too.

Once I had made the decision to separate, the weight seemed to be lifted from my shoulders along with the stress that came along with being in an unhappy relationship. I also made the decision to leave my job as a drug and alcohol counsellor. It was really an easy decision because it was a job which wasn’t very uplifting and I realized that I needed to be in an environment which was more positive than negative.

All of this happened within a span of a few months but the single most important thing that happened that year came in May. I met Angie Hawley at my gym and I later found out that she was an Ultra Trail Runner. At that point I had no idea why people ran, let alone ran long distances. I was working out regularly at the gym but running never even crossed into my consciousness. I still remember the first time I even ran on the treadmill beside her as I wanted to get to know her. I kept hitting the emergency stop button as I was running because it was all so foreign to me. It really was a funny sight and it’s a wonder that I managed to get up the nerve to actually ask her out.

Well, I did ask her out and got her number and when we started talking that’s when I really got a sense of her passion for running. She asked me if I would like to go for a run with her one day. Because I wanted to impress her I said sure, let’s go. I’ll never forget that first run we did together. I didn’t even have proper shoes on but I managed to run 10K with her.

After surviving that, she asked me a few weeks later if I wanted to run in the trails with her, again I said sure. That feeling I had as I ran in the trails is something that I will also remember forever. I felt so alive that day and I remember the steam coming off my body after the run.

Fast forward to July 2009 and I am running the same routes that I started running in 2005. It hit me the other day how ironic that is to be running in the exact same area that started it all for me. It also made me think about what would have happened had I not met Angie in 2005? Who knows where my life would have turned. I cannot say with any confidence that I would have discovered my passion for running because she was the person who introduced me to it.

I have met some incredible people and have accomplished some amazing people because of that decision to ask Angie out on that day in May so I will forever be thankful to her for giving me that gift. Now I am able to pass along my passion to others in much the same way that she did for me. I take that responsibility very seriously because I know how much running has helped me and I know that others feel the same way.

TRAINING UPDATE

Yesterday I ran ½ marathon through the streets of Ajax and it was a nice easy run. I have to remember to not push the speed on these runs too much but that is becoming more difficult as my conditioning increases. I also have noticed that my weight is finally starting to come down under the 160 mark and with 2 months until the race I want to see if I can hit the 150-155 pound mark before the race. I have decided to put my weight training on hold in order to try and get to that weight by race day.

I have had to juggle some of my runs this week so today I will be doing a race pace run of 6-7 miles and then a recovery run tomorrow.

Now THAT was a tempo run!

2009-07-23T04:32:00.000-07:00

If yesterday was considered a “fast” run then today I have to redefine the word fast. I just finished a really good tempo run. How do I know that it was good? Well let’s just say that I thought my stomach was going to come up my throat.

I did the first mile at an average pace of 8:01 and then did the next 3 miles at an average pace of 7:26. By the time I was finished I was really feeling like I had pushed myself to the limit. The main thing I wanted to accomplish today was not just to build up to a fast speed but to “hold” that speed for a good length of time. I was pleased with what I was able to do today and now I have another benchmark with which to work with. That was my fastest 5 KM time ever and I know that I really pushed myself hard today. It is very satisfying to see just what can be accomplished with each workout. Although this training is harder than anything I’ve done in recent memory, I am embracing the challenge of it.

So much has happened in the past 10 days!

2009-07-22T03:30:00.000-07:00

Has it really been 10 days since I last posted?

I moved out of my house on July 12th and have been feverishly trying to settle myself into my new digs. I am very happy about the move and I know it will be the best thing for me in the long run. Moving can be stressful and that was surely the case. In fact it took me 12 hours to move on that day. Even though I knew that moving was going to take plenty out of me, it didn’t stop me from running 12 miles before the move started. I had such great support from my family and from an amazing friend. Thanks Kelly for being there throughout the whole weekend!

After taking the 13th off from running I set out on my first run out of my new house on the 14th. I am such a creature of habit and you have to remember that I have been running the same routes from my old house since 2005. That day I had an amazing 10 mile run and discovered that it really didn’t matter where I was, I was going to adapt to wherever I was. That took so much pressure off of me. In fact, that 10 mile run was probably one of the better runs I have had in a long time.

The rest of that week as I settled into my new surroundings I found more running routes and that seemed to rejuvenate me. I also rediscovered my love for trails last weekend. I met up with some amazing friends and we did 36 KM in 4:15 and it was one of the best experiences I have ever had. It wasn’t just because I was running in the trails it was because of who I was running with. The Seaton Mud Puppies are a group of amazing runners and I am fortunate that they have “adopted” me into their “pound.” They have accomplished so many things with regards to running and whenever I am with them I cannot help but hang onto every word as they offered up advice for my marathon training program.

Unfortunately I found out that one of my running idols has prostrate cancer. He is someone who I really look up to so this was a huge shock to me. He is a man of great character and strength and I know he will overcome this because this.

After the 36K trail run on Saturday I had a relaxing soak in my jacuzzi tub! On Sunay I came back to the trails to run another 10K. After the run I noticed that my big toe was black on the sides. It was painful to the touch but didn't compromise my running. After talking with one of my friends who is a nurse, it was determined that I had an ingrown toenail. I have treated it with some ointment so it seems much better. I will wait until after the race to have it looked at.

I hit the roads for a 10 mile run on Monday and took yesterday off to rest. I just finished running 5+ miles today at a fast pace and will continue with my training as my marathon is now only 9 weeks away!

Must be the new shoes

2009-07-11T06:11:00.000-07:00

I just completed my fastest 9 mile run so far during my training. I ran in 1:10:15 seconds which was a full 15 seconds faster than I ran on Tuesday. I actually thought I was not going to reach my goal of 1:12:00 (8 minute/mile) because I had to stop twice to take a gel. As I started off today I realized I had forgotten to take my usual 1/2 banana. That started to play mind games with me as I knew that I had only brought along 2 gu chomps:

I tried these several weeks ago during a long run and found them very effective. I have tried so many different gels/bars etc. during running but this one seems to do the trick for now anyway. (LOL)

figured that I would take one of these at 3 miles and then another one at the 6 mile mark. The walk break took an average of 56 seconds. I used it to bring my heart rate down slightly and to make sure that I chewed the GU chomp completely. There is nothing worse than having these things stuck to my teeth while I'm trying to run a sub 5:00/KM (LOL).

At the 7 mile mark I was at 55:03 and I needed to be at 56:00. This meant that I had built up a 57 second "cushion" for the remaining 2 miles. I kept going through the math in my head. I needed to do 9 miles in 1:12:00 which meant that I had just under 17 minutes to do 2 miles (8:30 minute mile). This is where I really had to dig down deep and not settle for just doing that. I wanted to average at least an 8 minute mile for the final 2 miles. That would still have put me at 1:11 or so and I would have been happy with that. It was amazing to see how I just relaxed at decided to just "run" and not think. I did the last two miles in 15:12 or an average pace of 7:56. I was very happy when I finished but also very light headed. Now it's time to get to work with this moving business...

This will be a stressful weekend with moving but I know that without my running, my peace of mind will be disturbed. Here is one of my favorite songs, enjoy:

Paulo Nutini (New Shoes)

"Woke up cold one tuesday,
I'm looking tired and feeling quite sick,
I felt like there was something missing in my day to day life,
So I quickly opened the wardrobe,
Pulled out some jeans and a T-Shirt that seemed clean,
Topped it off with a pair of old shoes,
That were ripped around the seams,
And I thought these shoes just don't suit me.

Hey, I put some new shoes on,
And suddenly everything is right,
I said, hey, I put some new shoes on and everybody's smiling,
It so inviting,
Oh, short on money,
But long on time,
Slowly strolling in the sweet sunshine,
And I'm running late,
And I dont need an excuse,
'cause I'm wearing my brand new shoes.

Woke up late one thursday,
And I'm seeing stars as I'm rubbing my eyes,
And I felt like there were two days missing,
As I focused all the time,
And I made my way to the kitchen,
But I had to stop from the shock of what I found,
A room full of all my friends dancing round and round,
And I thought hello new shoes,
Byebye them blues.

Take me wondering through these streets,
Where bright lights and angels meet,
Stone to stone they take me on,
I'm walking to the break of dawn.

Another week almost in the books

2009-07-10T04:04:00.000-07:00

Friday is always a day for me to look at what I have accomplished and what I have to do. I can honestly say that this was one of my better training weeks because I met all my training objectives. In fact I'm still on a high from yesterdays track workout.

Tomorrow is race pace run of 9 miles and that is followed by an easy (thank goodness) run of 12 miles on Sunday.

Mission accomplished!

2009-07-09T05:10:00.000-07:00

1188 seconds! That was the time it took me to run 6 sets of 800 Meters (2 complete laps) this morning at the Pickering High School track. That works out to an average time of 3:18 per 800 Meters. My goal today was to run each 800 Meters at 3:30 or better so I am very pumped after today.

I was actually feeling very light headed after the 4th lap but was proud of myself for sticking with it. I kept breaking the workout down into "mini" workouts and that seemed to help. I purposely put some very inspirational, to me anyway, running songs on my mp3 player and when I hear songs like "Running on Empty" or "Running Down a Dream" it's very hard for me not to give it my all.

Who knew that 1188 seconds would be so tough but that is what it was today!

Time for some new shoes

2009-07-08T18:18:00.001-07:00

I can always tell when it's time for me to purchase a new pair of shoes. My feet hurt more than usual, especially the arches and at times it feels like there is no cushioning between my feet and the pavement.

Unfortunately I always have to order my shoes because I have very flat feet and the Mizuno Wave Alchemy are my shoes of choice. I remember wearing a much heavier shoe when I first started running (Brooks I believe) but have been using the Alchemy's for at least 2.5 years. They provide me with great support and I would not trust my feet with any other shoe.

Today I did a 4 mile run in 30:45. I was supposed to take it easy today but I felt the need for speed. I may come to regret that decision as tomorrow I will need that speed as I do my 6X800 repeats at the local track. I would like to complete each 800Metre run in 3:30 seconds.

Back at it today

2009-07-07T03:59:00.000-07:00

With 12 weeks left to go and having taken yesterday off from running (I did some core and stability work) I was back at it today. First up was a 9 mile run through the streets of Ajax at 5:30 this morning. My goal was to finish in better than 72 minutes. Well despite feeling tired this morning, I was able to complete the run in 70 minutes and 30 seconds.

I felt sluggish this morning and wondered if I had any juice in my tank. Once I got started, though, I was able to relax and just let the run come to me. I utilized lots of mental visualization techniques and I pretended like I was at the race. I purposely did not look at my Garmin too much but would glance at it just to make sure that I was on pace. I was always about 1 minute or more ahead at each mile and that cushion allowed me to relax as well. I stopped for about 20 seconds to eat 1/2 a banana and then headed back for the last 7+ KM's. I actually picked up even more time during that last stretch as I kept my pace under 5 minutes for all but 35 seconds of the last 25 minutes of the run. There was even a few runners who I saw and who I know so that made the run even more special. At one point I was chasing down of them and again I used that as an example of what I will be doing on race day.

Tomorrow will be an easy 4 mile run but knowing me it will probably turn out to be an all out sprint.

12 weeks to greatness

2009-07-05T06:15:00.000-07:00

September 27th, 2009. I have that date implanted in my brain. With 12 weeks to go in my training program, this week is a "step down" week which I am very much looking forward to it. The intensity remains but the mileage will be reduced for my long run next weekend.

This week I will be doing a 9 mile run on Tuesday, 4 miles on Wednesday, track work on Thursday then a race pace run of 9 miles on Saturday and a LSD of 12 miles on Sunday. I may flip those two days around as I'm moving next weekend.

With all the stress that goes along with moving, one constant in my life continues to be running and that will continue no matter where I live. In fact, one of the first things I did was scout out the area for running routes so that will be an easy adjustment for me.

LSD..........Another type of drug

2009-07-04T07:12:00.000-07:00

Today I did my Long Slow Distance run of 17 miles. While my training during the week is primarily built around speed, the LSD runs are all about bringing the pace down quite a bit. The main reason for doing this is so that the body can get adapted to running for long periods of time. The combination of speed work and LSD is critical to marathon training. My run today took 2 hours and 30 minute and my pace was 8:50/mile. That is 50 seconds slower than what I need for my marathon. I ran from my house (Church and Delaney)to the waterfront at the end of Liverpool Road and to the Rotary Park pavilion in Ajax, stopped for some water and then headed back home. I had to contend with some nice hills and a strong wind gusts but I felt very strong all the way through.

I had thought about running with 3 different groups today, all of whom asked me to join them. Unfortunately they wanted to go at different times so I decided to just run alone.

I am glad that I made that decision because sometimes, most times actually, I need to be alone wih my thoughts. When I'm training during the week, my runs are so fast that I don't really get a chance to process things in my head. Today, though, I was able to really look within myself and do some reflecting. I know that this is an important thing for me to do on a regular basis. To me, running is more than just a recreational activity; it is a therapeutic tool that I must tap into on a regular basis.

I am still on a high, hours later and I do not want to come down from it. I always know when I have had a successful LSD run because nothing hurts on me. Had I pushed the speed more I know that most of my body will be in pain. I also feel like I could easily have gone for much longer today or even go for a run later. Both are signs that my pace was a good one.

Yesterday I was telling my friend about how lucky I am that I have never suffered an injury that has prevented me from running. I honestly do not want to think about what my life would be like without running. I could probably go longer without eating than I could without running. I NEED running to help me clear the junk that is in my head. All those negative thoughts and demons must be exorcised on a daily basis.

These LSD runs really reinforce why running is so important to me. I never want to take this for granted and every time I finish a run I tap my heart and look up to the sky to say thanks for getting me through yet another run injury free. I know that I have a special angel looking down on me from above.

Floating Fartleks today

2009-07-02T03:20:00.000-07:00

It was back to basics for the workout today and that meant doing some floating fartleks covering a total of 5.5 miles. After warming up for 1.5 miles I alternated running fast (4:00 to 4:30 min/KM) for 1.5 minutes and then running slow for 2.5 minutes. I did 8 sets of this and by the end I felt amazing. Tomorrow will be a day of rest from my training. This weekend my long run jumps to 17 miles so I need to be rested for that one.

A nice testimonial

2009-07-01T03:33:00.000-07:00

Greg played an integral part in my preparation for the Chicago, Hamilton and ultimately, the Boston Marathon in April, 2009. Without his experience and nutritional expertise, I am convinced that I would not have achieved the success I enjoyed in all three marathons. Greg’s knowledge about food, when and how to fuel, and his approach to guiding his clients is excellent. I would encourage anyone who is thinking about adopting a more healthy lifestyle or perhaps thinking about how to prepare for a marathon, contact Greg and develop a proper nutritional program. You won’t regret it!

Kathy De Carlo

Back to the laboratory

2009-07-01T03:02:00.001-07:00

I swear that sometimes I feel like a mad scientist as I constantly try to find the right running "mix." Today I redeemed myself a little bit and in the process MAY have discovered a good starting pace.

I really just wanted to have a nice easy run today, honest. After yesterdays 8 mile run, I did another 7 KM walk with the walking group that I teach. Those combined 20 KM's on my feet do take it's toll after awhile. I did my first mile in 8:37 and felt good about that. I seemed to pick up speed during the next mile because I noticed that I had run Mile 2 in exactly 8 minutes. Mile 3 and 4 was run in 7:43 and 7:33 repectively. Unlike Tuesday, I seemed to get faster as the run progressed. My average time was exactly an 8 minute mile, the same as Tuesday but I felt much better about the effort today.

Tomorrow I am either going to a quick track workout or a tempo run.

Not my finest hour

2009-07-01T01:31:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I suffered my first mini-setback and although I ultimately achieved my goal for the day, it didn't come easy.

My training called for an 8 mile mid-tempo run. Not too fast, not too slow. I have been trying to run most of my runs at better than race pace however. After starting out too fast and burning out towards the middle of my run on Sunday, I decided that I would start out slower and see if I could pick it up towards the final 2/3 of my run. The problem was that I started out too slow and I had to work like crazy to make up those precious seconds. It became a game of catching seconds as each mile I had to make up 10 or more seconds. As a result I ended up doing 7:15 and 7:20 minute miles and even that just barely brought me to my goal time of exactly 64 minutes.

That is something that will be very difficult to do on race day so back to the laboratory I go as I continue to work on my race. Today I will do an easy 4 mile recovery run as my body is still feeling a little tired. I am also in need of a new pair of shoes so that is effecting my performance.

Time for some zzzzzz's

2009-06-28T05:58:00.000-07:00

I was clearly feeling the effects of the training and adventure of the past two days. I think I clocked my total mileage between walking and running at about 50 KM. As I stumbled out of bed this morning, knowing that I had to do a 8 Mile run at race pace I had two questions; How and Why am I going to get this done?

I suppose I could have done the run tomorrow and taken today off but I know how much that would have eaten me up inside and that wasn’t really an option for me. Instead I took my time this morning just trying to wake myself up and psych myself up at the same time. I decided to download a few motivational songs to keep me going. By the time I had finished my cup of tea and eaten my ½ banana I was ready to at least attempt this.

In order for me to reach my marathon goal I need to be able to run an average of an 8 minute mile or better for 26.2 miles. These race pace runs are designed to prepare my body for how that pace “feels” like. There are many factors that lead up to keeping or “holding” a certain pace including temperature, elevation, and wind. Of course the main factor is how I’m feeling on that day in late September. I’m sure my body will not be as beaten up as it has been these past two days so that was in the back of my mind as I left my house.

As predicted I started out very fast and finished the first 4 miles in 7:54, 7:52 and 7:48, 7:53 respectively. I have a bad habit of starting out too fast while trying to “bank” some time for later on during a race. This practice doesn’t always work however and by the time I started my 5th mile my body was really starting to tire. Mile 5 was 8:05 and I wondered if I was going to be able to continue. With still 3 more miles to go, doubt started to creep into my mind. I started thinking about any excuse to stop. My breathing was shallow and I know I was starting to wonder if I had made the right decision to run today.

I decided not to quit but I also decided that if I didn’t hit my goal today then I wouldn’t be disappointed. This seemed to take some of the pressure off and I finished my 6 in 7:55. It certainly helped that I was running some of that mile down the same Rossland hill that I do my hill repeats at. By the time I reached the bottom of the hill, I had two miles remaining.

At that point there was no way I was going to settle for anything less than my full effort for those two miles. I kept saying to myself that even if I average my race pace I will be finished in 16 minutes or roughly 3-4 songs on my mp3 player. I was glad that I had downloaded those songs because they really helped me through those last two miles. Mile 7 was exactly an 8 minute mile and Mile 8 was my fastest at 7:29! I have no idea how I pulled off that last mile because when I glanced at my watch and saw that I still had ½ mile left I got really upset as I thought I was closer to finishing than I was. ½ mile is another 4 minutes, not much unless you have already been pushing yourself for over an hour without stopping.

In the end I finished the run in 1:03:07 which works out to be a 7:54 pace. I learned a great deal about myself today. It amazes how powerful the body is when the mind relaxes and allows the body to do what it needs to do. It is almost like the mind is the antagonist and the body just sits there and takes it all until it decides that enough is enough and decides to fight back with reckless abandon.

I also realize the importance of rest and that is what I will be doing between now and Tuesday morning. My body is beaten and needs to recover now more than ever. All I need now is a comfy couch and big sized pillow…………..

Sometimes I am too hard on myself

2009-06-27T07:06:00.000-07:00

After yesterday’s “adventure” I returned to my own training this morning. My training schedule for this weekend calls for a long run of 16 miles and a pace run of 8 miles. Ideally the pace run is done on Saturdays and the long run is done on Sundays. It doesn’t really matter, though, which one is done first as both require different techniques and running speeds.

I decided to do my long run today but instead of going on the road I decided to go back to the Seaton Trail. I KNOW after yesterday you would think that that would be the last place I would want to go but the trails were calling me this morning so off I went.

I wanted to run for approximately 2.5 hours. Because running trails is more difficult than running on the road I figured that that was the equivalent of how long it would take me to do 16 miles on the road.

I started out at the “dump” and made it all the way to the Whitevale Road and then turned around and headed back. I managed to escape the first half unscathed but wasn’t so lucky on the way home as I fell a few times and suffered a little cut on my knee.

On the way home I passed several of my friends who had started out an hour later. It was nice being almost done as they were just starting.

As I was nearing my car I noticed that I had done under 12 miles. Once I saw that I got upset with myself and decided to run along concession 3 until I completed the full 12 miles. I’m not sure if I was more upset with not completing 12 miles or more upset that I couldn’t just stop short of 12 miles and be happy with my run.

The whole time I wondered if I had cheated my training by not doing 16 miles today? I think the fact that I have a hard time “settling” for anything but my best is a good thing but I also need to cut myself some slack from time to time.

Quite the afternoon

2009-06-26T13:58:00.001-07:00

Just when I think that I have done everything I can with regards to running, along comes a day like today which reminds me otherwise.

My morning started out with training one of my clients at 7:30 AM. It was a good 5K run and she has been progressing nicely each week. Today she was able to run for 6 minutes without stopping after only being able to run for 1 minute this was quite an accomplishment for her.

After that run finished I met another client and friend (Karen) for our weekly trail run through the Seaton Trail. We had to cut this one a little short but she did amazingly well and I can’t wait until next week when we complete the whole first half section of the Seaton Trail.

By now it was 10:30 and I was feeling good but a little tired. Krista, the third of my running clients today, and I set off on another tour through the Seaton Trail. The pace was a little quicker and the hills were a little tougher but she managed amazingly well. As we climbed to the top of the one of the last hills I stopped to give her one of my energy gels. I then noticed that my car key was no longer in my pouch.

Unfortunately time was not on our side as Krista had to head back home so we had to abandon looking for the key at this point and instead we finished the loop. She gave me a ride close to my home and at that point all kinds of thoughts were going through my head. I really had no idea what to do but I was hoping that Karen, who lived not too far away, was going to be home. Off I went to her house which was about 2 miles away.

Thankfully she was home and she offered to take me back to the Seaton trail along with her son Keith so we could all walk there and try and find the key. Thankfully we were able to find it but not before another climb or two up more hills. Of course then we had to make the long trek back to where the car was.

All told I must have run/walked well over 25 KM’s today on a day that was supposed to be a rest day (LOL). I can’t thank Karen and Keith enough for being there today when I needed them. It was an experience that I will not soon forget. Even though I do love the Seaton trail, I think I have seen enough of it for one day……..then again there’s always tomorrow……

Training Update

2009-06-26T03:24:00.000-07:00

If I hear one more person complain about the heat I think I will blow a gasket. I remember all too well how cold this past winter was and even though I never missed a run, I certainly prefer this weather over that.

What I love about this time of year is that I get to run as the sun gets up. I actually get a kick out of the fact that I get to see the sun rise every morning.

Yesterday my workout consisted of doing 5 hill repeats up the Rossland hill at the corner of Westney and Rossland. It is a 2.5 mile run to get to the hill so I used that as my warm-up and subsequent cool-down afterwards.

The total amount of time it took me to do all 5 sets including the slow run down the hill was 20 minutes. It was a very tough 20 minutes that’s for sure. I was very happy with the fact that my 5th set was the fastest one of the 5. I was able to keep my pace at about a 4.5 minute/KM. My main goal was to keep myself as upright as possible and really use my arms to keep my legs going. I was also trying to work my quads so I would make sure that my stride was high and long.

As I “trotted” home and that IS the best way to describe it as my legs were feeling very heavy, I thought about how I seem to have a good start and a good finish but somehow in the middle I stumble. It is something that I really want to work on as this will be very important for my race in September.

It is hard to believe that I won’t be doing a race until August 8th (Dirty Girls Trail Race) so I’m thinking about entering a smaller race like the Durham ¼ marathon at the end of July. I could use that race, or another similar one, to gauge how my speed is coming along.

Today I will be doing the equivalent of a running trifecta. I will be doing three different runs with three different people all at three different paces. Two of these will be in the trails. It will be interesting to see how tired I am at the end of the day.

Fast feet today

2009-06-24T11:38:00.000-07:00

Today I decided to do something different. My schedule called for a 4 mile run. This was supposed to be a somewhat easy run but I had other plans in mind.

After listening to a good friend about running most of my runs faster than my race pace, I decided to make this a very fast tempo run. If this was my race pace then I needed to finish this run in 32 minutes (8 minute mile).

When I took off I could feel a slight pain on the top of my left foot. I think this to do with me needing new shoes and also the fact that I am pounding the pavement more now than ever before in terms of quickness and foot turnover.

The pain lasted for the first ½ to ¾ of the first mile and then I decided not to think about it. It truly is amazing what the mind will do when you decide to focus your attention on something else other than the pain.

I picked up the pace and before I knew it I was doing a 7.5 minute Mile. Once I saw that I really wanted to try and maintain that for as long as possible. When I finished the run and saw that I had done the 4 mile run in 30:31 I was extremely happy and satisfied. I actually think that I can run faster than that and I’m hoping that by the time I am done I will be able to run 4 miles in under 30 minutes.

Tomorrow I will be doing some hill training and instead of speed, I am going to focus on working my quads as much as possible.

Today I was asked to be a part of a health fair at Nielsons in Markham. My presentation was on trail running. It was and still is amazing to me that people are coming to me looking for information on running in general and trail running in particular. I have had the pleasure of turning many people onto running and each and every time that happens I get chills because it makes me so happy to know that other people are getting the same satisfaction that I am.

Many of the people I saw today kept saying how they can’t run but when I relayed my story to them they seemed to understand that anybody can do anything as long as they really want to. I think that the people there could really get a good sense of how passionate I am about running and I hope that I was able to turn more people onto this amazing activity.

Back to work

2009-06-23T03:51:00.000-07:00

After talking things over with a very experienced trail runner, I have decided to slightly modify some of my training. He told me, and I agree that the majority of my runs need to be faster than my expected marathon pace. Today I put that into practice during my 8 mile run.

I was feeling the affects of some not so good eating over the weekend and I could actually “feel” the heaviness. This got me very frustrated initially. When I reached the 1.5 mile mark, I was about 15 seconds behind where I should have been. This may not sound like much but in running it can be very tough to make up. I started to feel a little better after the 2 mile mark and that’s when I picked up a little more speed. It helped that I had a slight decline going down Westney Road to Kingston Road. As I turned the corner and headed East on Kingston there is a hill about ½ KM long. I knew that I had to charge up the hill so off I went. I was clearly winded after that but happy at the same time. I allowed my breathing to gradually return before turning the corner at Harwood Avenue.

I headed North on Harwood and there is a slight incline in the road so that added to the challenge. I have done this route so many times that I know every piece of sidewalk there is. At the 5 mile mark (corner of Harwood and Rossland) I was now seconds ahead of where I needed to be. However, I was starting to feel tired. Even though I was heading home with 3 miles to go and a long downhill in front of me I had to fight the urge to slow down.

I thought about my race and how I’ll have to go through some ups and downs and how some of the race I will be ahead of my pace and other times I will be behind. The bottom line is that I have to finish strong and in control. That seemed to help and spark me as I picked up the pace even more now.

I needed to finish the 8 mile run in 64 minutes and my final time was 63 minutes so I managed to make up the 15 seconds and then shave off another full minute. My last mile was actually my fastest mile of the trip.

Trying to stay on course

2009-06-21T05:47:00.000-07:00

After doing 3 Ultra marathons since the end of April I now find myself in a training dilemma when it comes to doing my long runs on Sunday morning. Typically I would do anywhere from 3 to 4 hours or more, for a long run as I was preparing for these Ultra races. Now that I am in marathon training my “long” run today was what my mid week runs used to be. I almost felt like I was cheating myself by not going longer than what the plan has laid out.

I just concluded the end of week 6 today with my 10 mile long run and as you can see, the training starts to intensify more and more each week. I will stay the course even though sometimes it’s difficult to do so. Today, for instance, I was supposed to run 45 to 1 minute slower than a “normal” run which for me should have been about a 9 minute/Mile. I had a very hard time staying within that range today and averaged an 8:35 minute/Mile instead. This despite the fact that I walked a little bit and also stopped off at Tim Horton’s to have my water bottle topped up.

I have three goals for the Scotiabank Marathon. One is an Ultimate Goal where all the stars will have to be aligned for me to be successful. One is a Realistic Goal, meaning that I will be very disappointed if I fail to reach it and the other is a finishing goal meaning that I want to be able to finish the race healthy and injury free. I will keep these goals a secret until after my race in September.

53:48!

2009-06-20T17:34:00.001-07:00

So far, even though my training is still in the infancy stage, this is my fastest 7 mile run to date. The average pace was 7:42 per KM and I could really feel the "push" today. Running in the rain just added to my excitement today.

What I really found interesting was I was doing a 7:30 or better clip but then I remembered that the goal is to simulate my marathon pace of 8:00/Mile so I would slow my pace down a little. However, just when it felt like my pace was about an "8" I checked my gamin and noticed that it was about 7:45 pace. I will need to get better at what an 8 minute mile feels like but right now I'm pleased that I could hold onto a faster pace for that amount of time.
Tomorrow an "easy" 10 mile run.

Thoughts of Niagara Falls

2009-06-20T03:23:00.000-07:00

Today I will be thinking about a race that I cannot attend. It is a race that I have done 3 times since 2006 and that is the Niagara Falls 50K race. It is the race where I did my first 50K and I will never forget that experience.

One of my favourite running pictures (see above) was the finish line of that race and I still get Goosebumps when I think back to the finish of that race. It is a 25K out and back with aid/water stations staggered every 5KM. We run to the great falls and then turn around and come back. Obviously we cannot restrict the roads to just runners so when we actually get to the falls we are darting in and around many visitors who are there taking pictures or mingling with friends.

Like any other Ultra race, it’s a mental challenge to know that you will be on your feet for better than 4 hours. It usually takes me about an hour or so to get into a good “zone” and after that my mind just takes over and my feet follow.

Two years ago at this race I actually got lost towards the end and added an extra 2-3 KM’s. At the time I was very upset but now I can look back and laugh at the experience. In fact, I have gotten lost a few times at other trail races so it’s something I am used to (LOL). Whenever I am in my zone I tend to pay less attention to what is around me and simply run. I have to do a better job of staying on course. Thankfully I won’t have to worry about getting lost at the Scotiabank Marathon in September.

While I do wish I could be there with my friends, I also know that my son takes priority over anything else and today is my son’s birthday party. I had seriously thought about running the race and then coming back for his party but I could tell that he wouldn’t have been happy with that and I really hate disappointing him. There will be other races in my future but today is his day.

I took a good friend and client into the trails yesterday and she did an amazing 4.5 mile loop in the Seaton Trail. It’s amazing to watch her progression in the trails and I am so proud of what she has done in such a short amount of time. It was one year ago that we were training for her first 5K race and now she is blazing the trails like a seasoned pro!

Today I am doing my 7Mile run. I have to do this in 56 minutes or less as that is the goal for today according to my training plan.

Doing what is right isn't always easy

2009-06-18T02:58:00.000-07:00

1009 seconds! That was time spent running my 5 X 800 metre repeats at 5:00 AM at the Pickering High School this morning. This was an average of 3:36 seconds per 800 Metres (twice around at close to top speed).

What made today interesting wasn’t just the rain, which I was OK with, it was the swirling wind that I had to contend with. I’m sure the wind played a part in my overall time although it was amazing to see that half the track I had the wind with me and the other half the wind was against me. Checking the weather network I saw that the gusts were about 30 KM/Hour so that affected my running to say the least. I was hoping for a minimum of 4 minutes to do 2 laps so I was very pleased with the results.

Getting up daily at 4 AM sometimes takes it toll on me and the fact that I have to do all my training on my own makes it difficult at times. I know in my heart that I will never sleep in or get and decide not to run and yet I do get a lonely feeling sometimes.

I’m sure that’s how it is with my clients who are trying to change their eating habits and lifestyle behaviours. At times it can seem like you are all alone and to a greater extent you are right. The one and only person we can never escape from is ourselves. That is something that I will be figuring out next month as I venture out on my own after 18 years of living with someone (between my ex-wife and sister who moved into my house after my separation).

I am hoping and counting on, actually, my running to help me get through this and I am confident that it will. I think that is why running is so appealing to me. It allows me to build my confidence up and is always up to challenge me just when I think I’ve conquered every challenge out there. Don’t be afraid to work on what you need to work on for yourself. Sometimes it’s important to be selfish at times because how else are we going to make the improvements on our own?

Training recap

2009-06-17T11:45:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday I did my first run of the week and it was a very nice 7 mile run. I decided to do a little bit of a tempo run for the last 3 miles and it is getting easier and easier to switch gears. I really need to practice running a little slower at the start so that I can pick it up in the middle part of the race. In the past I have been guilty of going out too fast and then not having enough “juice” towards the middle. For some reason I always seem to pick it up for the last 2/3 of a race so it is the middle part that I need to focus on.

Today, I did a 4 mile run at a nice steady pace. I have come to accept these recovery runs for being a very important part of my training. I used to “have” to run at least 8-10 miles per day or I felt like I hadn’t done too much. Now I am appreciating these small runs because my intensity levels have increased dramatically. At the end of the run today I did some core work and some weight training.

Tomorrow I will be doing speed work at the track near Pickering High School. The training calls for 5X 800 metre repeats and I will attempt to run this as close to race pace as possible. For me that translates into running each 800 Metre distance in 4 minutes or less. In between each set I will be walking about 200 Metres to catch my breath.

A few weeks ago I was able to do 4 sets in less than the 4 minutes required, so I will have to see how the addition of 1 extra set affects my performance.

Yesterday at the gym I decided to check my body fat and weight as we have recently purchased a new fancy digital scale/body fat analyzer. Much to my surprise my weight was 162 pounds and my body fat was 9%! I was completely caught off guard by those numbers and felt very good about where I am in my training. I knew that I was making some improvements but I feel that now I am right on track to getting to 150 by the end of September when my race arrives!

Mind controls everything

2009-06-16T01:33:00.000-07:00

For the past 10 weeks I have been teaching a walking clinic for the employees at American Express who have signed up for the Weekend to End Breast Cancer 60KM walk in September. It’s amazing to see the transformation of these amazing women who had a tough time completing a 5KM walk and who are now doing 16 KM walks as part of the training I have given them.

It reminds me of how powerful the mind is and how we have really only touched the surface with regards to what we are capable of. The more ultra races I do, the more I’m convinced that it is my mind that needs to be trained as much if not more than my legs. Physically I think I can do just about anything I set out to do as I feel that I am taking the proper steps to keep myself in the best shape possible.

My mental game, though, needs some fine tuning. There are certain parts of each race I’ve done this year where self-doubt has crept in and I must figure out why that is happening and what I can do to overcome it. I am proud that I have been able to fight through this but it would be nice to have a race where I didn’t have to. However, maybe that is the point of these ultra races. The longer I am out there, the more my mind begins to wander. Surely in a shorter race I wouldn’t have time to think about too many things but when I am out there for 4, 5, or 6 hours it seems like that negative self-talk is inevitable.

During my training I am paying very close attention to keeping my mind relaxed and also doing some visualization exercises. I am imagining that I am actually at the race and I am at the half-way mark where fatigue starts to set in. This will allow me to be as prepared as I can be mentally for the challenges of running a fast marathon.

Good and Bad Days

2009-06-14T08:38:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I was approached by two of my neighbours. The two ladies asked me if I was a personal trainer. Without missing a beat my instincts took over and I said, “Yes I am.” They asked me if I had a business card and I went inside to get them each one.

As I was walking inside I asked myself why they thought I was a personal trainer. I decided to ask them that as I handed them my business card. They both remarked that I was in really good shape and that they have seen how dedicated I am to my running. This caught me off guard because I am so hard on myself and I don’t see what others see. It was a truly nice compliment and yet I had a hard time accepting that. I know that has plenty to do with my Eating Disorder and distorted body image from my teenage years. I don’t suffer as much as I used to and yet I still have good and bad days.

I think that one of the main reasons why I remain so dedicated to staying in good shape is because I do have a hard time seeing what others see and I am constantly trying to improve my personal appearance. Hopefully one day I will see what others see but until then I will live from day to day and try my best to take the compliments at face value. Yesterday surely was a good day though!

A return to the waterfront trail

2009-06-14T08:26:00.001-07:00

I am so lucky to be surrounded with some truly beautiful places to run. There are three nature trails within 15 minutes of each other (Seaton, Greenwood and Rouge Valley) and then there is a little beauty called the Ajax waterfront trail.

It has been over a year since I ran on this trail and I am so glad I decided to pick today to do my long run there (14 miles).

I started at the end of Liverpool Road in Pickering right beside the marina. The weather was great with just a slight enough breeze which kept the humidity down. It’s always nice to run by the lake as the temperature is a little cooler there than in most places.

The trail itself is mostly flat but there are few hills thrown in. At just over 3 Miles was the Rotary Park Pavillion and I was able to refill my water bottle there. The remaining 4 Miles consisted of some rolling hills. There were plenty of people out riding their bikes, rollerblading or just walking. It was one of those days that I was thankful for just being alive and taking in all the beauty around me.

When I reached my turn around point at 7 miles I felt very strong and wanted to go a little further but decided to stick with my plan. Instead of going further, I followed the suggestion of my marathon plan which said to run the last 2/3 of the long run at a quicker pace so that is what I did.

By the time I finished I felt so much better for picking this spot and I guarantee that I will be back there again from time to time. Because I run so much, sometimes all I need is a change of venue to re-energize myself.

I'm Mr. Brightside...

2009-06-13T05:35:00.000-07:00

Why am I Mr. Brightside? I have suffered through many tragedies in my life including the death of a fiancé at an early age. I’m sure many of you have gone through similar circumstances in your own life and I’m also sure that you could justify giving up because of that.

Having to deal with the passing of someone who I thought would be with me for the rest of my life has really strengthened my inner being. I know that when I run she is with me and everytime I finish a run I tap my heart and look up to the heavens to say thank you for touching my life so very much. There are many things that I had to go through while my fiancé battled for her life but I won’t go into too much detail here. However, when things get truly tough for me emotionally I can think back to what she had to go through and it puts my issues into perspective.

As I was running today the song Mr. Brightside, by the Killers, came on my mp3 player. I thought to myself, I truly am Mr. Brightside because I keep battling and fighting no matter what circumstance I am given. I want Ingrid to be proud of who I am and what I am doing with my life. I know that I have a rare gift of helping people and I take great pride in that. It is not something I take for granted. The thrill I get when a “disciple” starts following my guidelines and then start seeing great results is something that I cannot put a price on.

Today was supposed to be a 7 mile run but I was feeling good so I gave myself an extra mile to do. I wasn’t running any particular pace as my training didn’t call for one today so I took the time to practice switching gears and I also wanted to get used to feeling what running a 5 minute KM pace would feel like for an extended period of time.

Tomorrow will be my long run of 14 Miles and I am really thinking about running by the Ajax waterfront for a change of pace. I haven’t run there in years it seems so it will be a nice change of pace for me. My pace needs to be significantly slower tomorrow so I will obey Mr. Higdon’s training because so far he hasn’t disappointed.

A good time to reflect

2009-06-12T02:11:00.000-07:00

I find Fridays a good time for me to reflect on the week that was and the week that is upcoming.

One week ago I was preparing for my third Ultra Marathon since the end of April. Even though my focus this year is squarely on the Scotiabank Marathon, I wanted to do a few Ultras so that I can maintain the great contact with the many friends that I have made since I started running in 2005. Well, mission accomplished.

I will be missing a few Ultra races that normally I would have run in (Niagara Falls next weekend and Creemore Springs Race in July) but I have to remember why I am training. I will also have to put my love for trails on the backburner as I concentrate on running on the roads more. Normally I would run in the trails at least once or twice per week but these days will now be spent doing speed work and hill training. I already have noticed a difference in my oxygen uptake and I am able to sustain a faster pace for longer than I have in the past so I know that the training is paying off.

My training calls for running 6 days per week with Fridays being my day of rest. I have swapped that for Mondays because I train two clients on Fridays (one on the roads and one in the trails).

Training for Ultra races required me to run ridiculously long weekly mileages, sometimes as much as 100 KM or more per week. Now I am doing about half that mileage but the intensity has increased substantially. My “long” run this week is 14 miles where normally that might be considered a normal run during the week. Every run used to be the same and I know that my body was simply getting used to the pattern I was doing so I wasn’t seeing much of a change. I realize more now than ever how important it is to have a varied program. One day I’m doing hill training, the next day I may do a tempo run and the following week I may be doing track work at the local high school.

Even though I consider myself an experienced runner, boy that sounds funny coming from me, I know the benefit of having someone else to be accountable to. For me that comes in the form of a training plan. It is the reason why I firmly believe in either journaling or having my clients follow a meal plan. If you are honest and not afraid to put down exactly what you are eating from day to day it can only help you to see your pattern more clearly. I haven’t done a meal plan for myself in quite a long time as I feel that I do have a handle of my eating pattern/habits but it’s something I am seriously thinking about doing for myself once I move at the end of the month.

Running is my life

2009-06-11T04:10:00.000-07:00

What would my life be like if I didn’t have running? I really wish I never find out.

Ever since I got separated 4 years ago, running has been the once constant in my life. It doesn’t matter if it’s snowing, raining, hot, cold, thunderstorms or clear skies. It is there for me when I’m feeling happy or sad. It has gotten me through the heartache of losing my dog and the heartaches of failed relationships. The only thing that running ever asks of me is to take care of my feet with regular tune-ups (new shoes). Other than that, little is asked in return.

I always start my day off with a run. Now and then I’ll take a day off here and there, usually to recover from a race, but, knock on wood please, I haven’t had to take more than 3 consecutive days off from running since 2005.

My favourite time to run is without a doubt first thing in the morning. I need that “fix” to start my day off right. It’s difficult to describe the feeling that I get from a run and unlike many of my friends who like the feeling they have after the run is over, I actually love the feeling I get WHILE I’m running. I’m able to really look at my life when I run, the good and the bad. Mistakes I’ve made and the things that I have accomplished.

Running is more than just a physical activity for me, it’s a way of life and it is no different than brushing my teeth or taking a shower. It is a routine that is unlike any other I have ever experienced and it continues to feed me positive feelings day after day after day.

I’m lucky because I get to see the sun come up while others are tucked away in their beds. A friend of mine is going through a rough time with his workouts and hasn’t been at the gym for a few days. I wish he could get the same feelings I get from running that he gets from lifting weights. If I am depressed then running lifts me up. No it doesn’t make everything better but it does give me an escape for an hour or two and I usually come back with a much better attitude about things. The guilt of not running would eat me up inside and would make for a very long and depressing day.

Today I did a 45 minute tempo run. I had forgotten how gruelling this workout was but I quickly found out. I started out running at a comfortable pace (5:10 to 5:15 min/KM) for the first 13 minutes. After that I picked up the tempo quite a bit for 20 minutes (4:25 to 4:30 min/KM) and then finished with 12 minute cool down. I really wanted to push myself today and I was happy with what I accomplished.

Building blocks to success

2009-06-10T05:06:00.000-07:00

Today I did my required mileage, ok so I went 4 miles instead of 3 but it was close enough. I'm really starting to find out how to gauge my speed. Each run I have I have thoughts about the Scotiabank Marathon. I try to imagine that I am running the race while I'm training and that keeps me focused.

Even though the race is still months away, I need to train properly in order to reach my goal. I am laying down building blocks so that my foundation will be strong. My goal weight is still 150 to 155 and right now I am about 10 pounds away from where I need to be. I know that I will achieve this weight as long as I stay the course and keep my workouts as varied as possible. In addition I will be slowly increasing my carbohydrates, reducing my protein intake and keeping my calories under 2000 per day. I want to keep my carbohydrates relative high since I am doing so much running. Protein isn’t as necessary for me right now because I am not building muscle. It will probably represent about 25% of my diet with Carbohydrates and Fats at 55% and 20% respectively.

Running “light” for me is so important and even though I am not there yet, I can actually feel lighter now. I may have to sacrifice some muscle in order to get to that weight but I know it will help me run faster so I am willing and able to do what I need to do.

The only weight training I am doing right now is an upper body workout once per week using mostly bands and some free weights. I do this every Wednesday after my 4 mile run. I am also doing some core work to work my transverse abdominals, obliques, and spinal erectors (lower back). I am avoiding doing any leg work since I am running 6 days per week and sometimes twice per day as I am teaching some clients how to run as well.

Next up: 35 minute Tempo Run tomorrow morning at 5:00 AM

Creating a healthy atmosphere is so important

2009-06-09T04:08:00.000-07:00

I went for my first run of the week today. It was a nice 7 Mile run through the streets of Ajax and my plan called for an easy run. About mid-way through, though, I decided to do a little bit of speed work. It was a nice feeling and I was surprised at how much energy I had even though I had just finished a race 2 days ago.

Even though my training plan does not call for running an Ultra, it was important for me to surround myself with my friends and that was one of the main reasons why I did the race on Saturday. The friends I have made since I started running are irreplaceable and they have so much information to share with me that I feel like a kid in kindergarten class hanging on every word that the teacher has to stay. They have positively influenced my life and having those kinds of people in my life is crucial for me. It allows me to stay focused on my training even when things get tough.

Last week I had a nutrition session with two women, one was my client and the other was a friend. Throughout the whole session the friend of the woman kept putting down my client and was telling her that she couldn’t do what I was asking her to do. I made sure I kept as little eye contact on that woman as possible and pretended like she wasn’t there. When I saw my client the following week I specifically asked her not to bring that woman to my session ever again. I also asked her how she felt about the woman. She started to realize just how damaging a negative person can be.

I firmly believe that we all wear an “aura” around us and that it is either positive or negative. My advice, seek out the positive ones and run like hell away from the negative ones. Ask yourself if a true “friend” would spend more time discouraging you or encouraging you? Are they supportive or jealous of your success? Do they fit into your new lifestyle or are they part of a lifestyle that you no longer find appealing? If you can honestly answer these questions, you will find out who your true friends really are.

Kingston Race Report

2009-06-08T02:49:00.000-07:00

(Preparing to run for 6 hours)

( This was at about the 2.5 hour mark)

(I was happy with my strong finish)

I usually update my blog immediately, or close to that, after a race but I needed to do some thinking about this before putting it down on paper.

Saturday was a day filled with many ups and downs. I wasn’t able to achieve my goal of 60K although I was still pleased with my 55.5 K effort.

Throughout those 6 hours I suffered through hypothermia, chaffing, dehydration, nausea, cramping and hit the mental “wall” of pain and doubt. Eventually, though I also was able to find the inner strength to continue and actually picked up the pace on the final 1.5 hours of the race.

My speed training, although still in the infancy stage, really paid off for the first 2.5 hours and I was ahead of my predicted schedule by a few KM’s. Reality, though, kicked in after that and I suffered through feelings of self-doubt from about the 2.5 hour mark to the 3.5 hour mark. I kept asking myself why I was doing this? I am supposed to be training for a marathon not an ultra marathon. I hated that I was having these thoughts and that made me angrier than anything else. I started to convince myself that once I hit the 42.2KM mark (a full marathon) I was going to stop and call it a day.

At this point I was feeling cold and the tips of my fingers were starting to get numb. I had had these feelings before at a race and I remembered how hard that was to overcome. The inner parts of my thighs were burning as chaffing started to set in and no amount of body glide (a product similar to Vaseline) seemed to help. I was able to ask a friend for some Advil as the pain was become a little too much to handle. He actually gave me some Aleve which kicked in right away and that helped me tremendously. The aid station also had some anti-nausea medication so I took two of those as well.

While I was upset with myself for that middle part of the race, I was equally as proud of myself for the remaining 1.5 hours as I really picked up my pace and was able to finish strong. It truly is an amazing mental battle that takes place during these races.

Once the 5 hour mark hit and I had already secured 50KM, the rest of the race was gravy and I was able to complete another 5.5 KM. I was happy that I didn't allow my mental demons to take over.

I spent yesterday going through things in my head specifically about why I seem to have these down parts of my race. I know that I need to just focus now on building up my speed and endurance so that once my marathon arrives I will be able to sustain a good pace for the whole marathon. My 24 hour rule is I will allow myself to relive my race for only a period of 24 hours and then I must let it go and focus on something else. That is what I did yesterday. I went over what I did right and what I did wrong. I examined closely the things that I could have done differently and also allowed myself to be happy for what I had accomplished. I ran farther on Saturday than I did last year at this race on a tougher course (last year it was held at a horse track). Although I didn’t reach my goal of 60KM I can still be proud of what I accomplished. I ended up finishing 18th out of 50 runners.

Now my main focus will be on my marathon training. I will not be doing another race until August although I may look into doing a 5K or 10K race just to work on increasing my speed and endurance.

T-minus 24 hours

2009-06-05T09:25:00.002-07:00

Tomorrow I will be running in Kingston as part of the Ontario Ultra Series set of races that I compete in. This will be my 2nd year doing this race although last year it was held at a different venue. This year I will be running around the Royal Military College in Kingston. I have been told that it is very scenic although after 6 hours I’m sure it will lose some of it’s appeal.

I will have a full report on the race tomorrow or Sunday.

Over the hills and far away

2009-06-05T09:25:00.001-07:00

15 minutes. That was roughly the time it took me to run 4 hill repeats of approximately 300 M at about a 4.4 minute KM/pace. This also included the time it took me to gradually bring my heart rate down to where I didn't I was going to throw up (LOL). I ran to my favourite hill on Westney and Rossland which was just over 2 miles away and then began the hill repeats. I would run to the top of Rossland and Harwood, cross to the other side, catch my breath and then slowly run down the hill and start over again.

I am really glad that the training only called for 4 hill repeats today and I decided to stick with the plan instead of going ahead and doing another 2 more. This type of training uses so much oxygen and it’s forcing my body to respond by going beyond my normal limits. This will all pay off in September when I do my marathon.

Enjoying the shorter runs? Who ME?

2009-06-03T04:41:00.000-07:00

I always told myself that I wouldn’t get out of bed, especially at 4 AM, to run for anything longer than 10 miles (16 K). Anything less and I found it difficult to talk myself into getting up. After all, I was always training for distance races so I firmly believed that running more mileage was the trick to prepare myself for running 50K or longer. There were weeks where I wasn’t happy unless I was running a minimum of 50 to 60 Miles per week (80K to 100 K).

Fast forward to today, and I was more than happy to just run 4.5 miles. I actually looked forward to running a shorter distance as that allowed me to do some core work and a little bit of weights afterwards.

I kept the running pace at a mid effort level pushing myself just a little bit towards the end. After yesterdays’ tough run, it was a nice change of pace. Tomorrow I will be running between 4-5 hill repeats along the Rossland Hill which is approximately ½ a kilometre. I will run to the hill which is about 2 miles away, do the hill repeats and then run home.

Feeling like a nascar driver

2009-06-02T03:04:00.000-07:00

Today was my first run of the week and even though I have a race on Saturday, I’m sticking to my training schedule. My run started as always with a 4:00 AM wake-up followed by a cup of tea, ½ a banana and then out the door by 5:00 AM.

My plan today was to do an interval run of 6 miles. The first two and last two miles I wanted to run at a nice comfortable pace which for me is about a 8:30 to 8:45 minute mile. Sandwiched in between those I wanted to do a speed or tempo run for 2 miles. I like to call it “switching gears.” Those two miles I really wanted to push myself as much as possible.

Sometimes it’s easier to just start fast and keep that pace so I had to really hold myself back for the first two miles even though I wanted to run fast. I was disciplined enough though to do this and when my Garmin read 2 miles I took off. I wanted to really feel the burn today and that was accomplished. I ended up running a 7:50 and then a 7:35 minute mile.

I found the transition back to running slow very interesting. As I finished the tempo run and eased into the recovery portion I thought I was running slower than I was. Much to my surprise, my recovery portion of the run was an 8:32 and 8:36 minute mile. I had to laugh at one point because when I was training for my ultra races, those WOULD have been considered fast for me.

Tomorrow will be an easy 3 mile run followed by a core workout. I swore I would not get out of bed for anything less than 10 miles but I have been impressed with the training schedule that I am on and now I am a believer of the less is more theory.

Another week another race.....

2009-06-01T14:20:00.001-07:00

OK, I promise, well sort of (lol) that this will be my last race for awhile as I prepare for my ultimate goal in 2009 which is finishing the Scotiabank Marathon in 3:30 or better.

This Saturday I will be running around in circles, literally, for 6 hours. Each lap is just over 800 Meters (or 1/2 mile) and each time I pass the checkpoint it will be clocked. At the end of 6 hours my distance will be measured. It is a unique race and I've done a couple last year and vowed never to do another one so why am I going? The answer is that I love and crave the competition that I have with myself. Last year I ran over 55KM and this year I'm trying for 60.

The other reason I am going is because of the great friends I'll get to run with. They are so inspirational and I can pick their brains about my training. Hey, what else am I going to do for 6 hours right?

The volunteers at this race were amazing last year and I would expect nothing less this year as well. I'm going to follow my training program as any other week and just treat Saturday as my "long run." for the week.

Quality versus quantity

2009-05-31T06:29:00.000-07:00

The most important thing that I have learned throughout these last 3 weeks of training is that I wasn’t pushing myself as hard as I needed to. Then again, I was running without a real goal and for me that is not something that works for me. I need to stimulus of a goal in my sights to keep me focused and that will push me to work harder and harder. I am constantly referring to the movie Forrest Gump when talking about goals. Remember when he is sitting on the bench and the feather keeps floating and floating with no real direction, going wherever the wind would take it? I want to be in control of where I go and that’s why goals are important to me.

When training for Ultra Marathon races (50K and higher) the main emphasis is on running long distances at a slow comfortable pace. The idea is to prepare my body for the rigours of being on my feet for a long time, sometimes as long as 18+ hours. There is no denying how difficult that training was but at the same time I had done so many of these ultras that I had to compensate by not running at top speed.

Now that I am training for a marathon I see what I have been missing and my body is responding in a way that I haven’t seen in years. I’m also craving more carbohydrates than usual and I’m seriously contemplating switching my diet to vegetarian at least for the majority of the time so that I can get the necessary carbohydrates into my system.

The training program I am on switches from slow to fast to medium tempo runs and always keeps my body guessing as to what is coming next. I’m also doing more core work than ever before since I have more time to do this after running shorter distances. Planks are becoming a staple now and I am doing these 2-3 times per week. All of this is helping me to become stronger and stronger.

In the beginning I had hoped to get down to about 150 pounds but I’m not sure how much strength I would lose if I did that. I am going to keep my weight around the 155-160 range which means losing about 8-10 pounds. I am confident that I will accomplish that before my race at the end of September.

Another great training week

2009-05-30T05:45:00.000-07:00

Today I had another great run and it has been amazing to see how quickly I have been able to pick up the speed work even though I haven’t trained like this in a few years.

I had to run 6 miles at race pace or better today which for me means at least an 8 minute mile. I was happy with my track work on Thursday but wasn’t able to rest enough on Friday as my training plan requires so I had no idea what I was going to be able to do today.

I started off fast and was able to keep a strong pace throughout. I would check my watch periodically just to see if I was on target. There was a little bit of a wind on the way back and that affected me slightly but I fought through that and finished the run in 46:26 which works out to be ahead of where I need to be.

My goal is a 3:30 marathon time or better so I know that I have more work to do but I am happy so far with 3 weeks of training in the books. Tomorrow I will be doing a slow recovery run. I never thought I would appreciate these slow runs but after 2 really hard runs this week I know that I will.

I saw a really good movie yesterday called “UP” and I encourage everyone to go see it. Disney really does know how to pull at the heart strings and this movie was no exception. I know my son enjoyed the movie but I think I liked it even more than he did. Without giving too much away, what I liked best was the message it sent which was putting the past behind you and building a new adventure. With so many things happening in my life lately, this movie was just the ticket to remind me that it is time to start building a new adventure.

Embracing change can be difficult

2009-05-27T06:23:00.000-07:00

I often talk to my clients about the changes they need to make in their life to achieve the goals that they want. Well, nobody is immune to change, including yours truly and I'm about to embark on a big one soon.

After 7 years living in the same house, it's time to say goodbye as I'm going to be moving to a smaller place with me and my boys. My thoughts have turned from fear and apprehension to excitement and then sadness.

Saying goodbye to something that has been so much a part of my life is going to be hard but in many ways it's something that I need to do for myself. I need to establish more independence and this is a big first step. I know that there will be difficult times ahead but I'm also optimistic that there will be some good things to come from this as well.

During my run today I thought about how familiar the streets are to me around my neighborhood. It will be refreshing to learn some new routes and lay down some fresh tracks in my new neighborhood.

I can either fight this change and be miserable or I can accept this change for what it is and work with it. It all starts and ends with a great attitude and that is something that I have learned from the many long races I have done. There comes a point in every race where I have to dig down deeper than ever before and have the courage and heart to continue. I am going to view this change in much the same way and I believe that that will help me.

I am really enjoying the variety of my training program. Today's run was only 4 miles and that allowed me to do some core training afterwards. Tomorrow I will be running the track at Pineridge School in Pickering as I will be doing 4X400 metre repeats.

It's amazing to me how quickly my speed is already picking up. Today was supposed to be an easy run but when I looked at my watch I realized that I was running faster than I was supposed to go.

50K Race Report

2009-05-24T05:32:00.000-07:00

Today I am sore, tired, bruised AND loving every minute of it. Why you ask? Because I know that I truly left everything I had on the course yesterday.

The day started with me getting up at 3:45 AM. The weather was perfect for running which meant a warm day with little humidity. I really couldn't have asked for a better day. My goals for the race was to go all out for the first 30K of the race and then see what I had left in the tank for the final 20K. I had to complete a 10K loop of the course which included a massive hill climb which seemed to take forever to get to the top of. Once the 10K loop was completed, I had to run 2, 20K loops for a total of 50K. I was very familiar with the course as I had attempted my first 100 mile race there just a year ago. This helped me prepare mentally for what I had to do.

I was very happy with my 10K time of 55 minutes and I know that I really pushed myself. The first 20K loop I finished in 2:08 which put the first 30K at 3 hours and 3 minutes. I was looking to do a 3 hour time for the first 30K so I wasn't too disappointed overall.

The final 20K was extremely difficult as I felt like I had run out of gas. I kept telling myself that this was a training run for my race in September but I still felt like I hadn't given my all at times. With about 10K left in the race I got a burst of energy and really picked up the pace. I ended up passing runners who were about 5 minutes ahead of me at one time. This also fueled my confidence greatly and I picked up the pace even more during the final 5K.

The finish line featured a steep incline and I was in no mood to walk it so I pushed up the hill and sprinted to the finish line. My legs started cramping badly and as I crossed the finish line my legs seized up. Although I was in pain, it was well worth it to know that I had really pushed myself hard.

My final time was 5 hours and 26 minutes which placed me 8th in my age category and 19th overall out of 55.

I improved from Seaton by 1 hour and 20 minutes so I know that the speed work I have been doing has paid off. I also learned that I didn't need or want to use my mp3 player. There were times when I was really tired of listening to music and I simply turned it off. This is something new to me as I usually listen to music the whole time.

Today I am recovering nicely and will probably go for a long walk in the Seaton Trail and reflect on my race. My rule is that I have 24 hours to think about my race and then I must let it go and work on my next goal.

Putting the past behind me

2009-05-22T14:11:00.000-07:00

'C S Lewis' Quote

"Has this world been so kind to you that
you should leave with regret? There are better
things ahead than any we leave behind."

And so, I am about to embark on yet another race. I've lost count actually about how many I've done but I'm sure it's somewhere in the 20 to 30 range, maybe even more. This year will be like no other because I really want to put to rest the bad race I had in 2007 at the Mississauga Marathon. Rather than keep talking about my disappointment, this year I plan to actually do something about it.

Even though my first love is still trails, I feel that for me to really go forward, I must get over this stumbling block. Tomorrow I really want to do well, although I am keeping my time goal a secret. I want to come away exhausted both mentally and physically and leave everything I have on the course.

Thanks to all of you for your support, I really do appreciate it.

It's race week again.....

2009-05-20T01:36:00.000-07:00

Today will be my last run before my race on Saturday morning so I'm going to enjoy every step I take. As I write this, it's 4:30 AM and I'm about to head outside and enjoy the solitude of the roads knowing that won't be many people around.

The following passage is something that I've written before every race, hope you enjoy it.

If I forget to smile during the week,......... please forgive me it's race week!

If I feel like crying when I see someone run, knowing that I can't......please forgive me, it's race week!

If I feel like I've gained 20 pounds after carbo loading for three days....please forgive me, it's race week!

If I seem like I have the "deer in the healights" look all week...........please forgive me, it's race week!

If I have a hard time sleeping this week..........please forgive me, it's race week!

If I start wondering if I've trained enough for my race........please forgive me, it's race week!

If you hear me mumbling to myself about what the hell I was thinking about when I decided to run 100 miles.......please forgive me, it's race week!

If I run to the bathroom every 5 minutes from all the water I need to drink this week.......please forgive me, it's race week!

If you see me eating 6 blueberry bagels over the course of a day......please forgive me, it's race week!

If I start going through withdrawl from the fact that I can't run for most of the week..........please forgive me, it's race week!

And finally.....If I forget to thank all of you who read my blog and have wished me well with my race this week.............please forgive me, it's race week!

Bookmark it and remember it forever!

2009-05-16T06:03:00.000-07:00

8.12KM in 39:29 (average pace of 4 minutes and 51 seconds per KM)

These were the results from my tempo run this morning and I will remember this today as my training intensifies in the weeks and months to come. I had not done a tempo run in such a long time that I had no idea how it was going to turn out this morning. The conditions were great, for me anyway, with a cool breeze and overcast skies, I was begging for the rain to come down on me and thankfully that's just what happened.

I'm a big believer in the "bookmark" theory and today is a day I will file away and keep as a reminder of what I am capable of. Ironically enough, I was hoping to just be able to do an 8 minute mile so I exceded my goals. Bookmarking can apply to anything we do in life and should be used whenever you feel that you cannot meet a challenge head on. Whether it's eating, running or dealing with tragedy, you must remember your past successes because that will trigger your mind to deal with things more clearly. Knowing that you have overcome similiar obstacles in your life will allow you to be more positive with your choices in the future. We tend to focus on everything that we don't do right instead of remembering what we did do right.

This has been a great week for me and I feel invigorated and ready to challenge myself next weekend at my race. I know that I will remember this day when I feel tired next weekend and it will give me the strength to keep running. Tomorrow I will do a long slow run and this will give me time to reflect on the week that was and look ahead to next week. I have some goals that I want to accomplish with regards to my race next weekend but I'm keeping them under wraps for now.

It's been quite the week

2009-05-15T07:26:00.000-07:00

As I prepare for my Marathon in September, I also have a few races I want to compete in before then. That left me with a little bit of a problem. Do I start my marathon training now and then skip a week because I have a race next weekend? What distance should I run next Saturday? (25K or 50K) What should next week look like as far as training?
Well, I decided to start my marathon training plan and it was a great decision. One day I ran fast, next day slow, next day up and down hills and tomorrow I'm doing a run on the track followed by a long slow run on Sunday. I really like the variety of the runs even if they are shorter than what I am accustomed to. Sandwiched in between those runs were two really good core/stabilizing workout so it's been a great week of training and dieting.

Next week I will follow the 2nd week of my training but will probably take Thursday and Friday off in preparation for my race next Saturday.

The hills were mine this morning

2009-05-14T04:10:00.000-07:00

If you live in Ajax or Pickering you probably know the hill that starts at Westney and Rossland and continues East on Rossland to Harwood. Today, as part of my training, I ran 4 sets up and down that hill. The distance was about 300 Metres and each week I will lengthen the distance and increase the sets (I'll alternate between the two). This was the first time I had run hills in more than a year. Whenever I see a hill during a trail race it means that I get to walk but because I am marathon training I have to prepare my body in a different way and that means increasing my speed. The first two sets were hard and after the 3rd set I was ready to pack it in but I kept pushing myself to finish because I knew how much I would have beaten myself up for not finishing. Nobody has to guilt me into doing anything, I'm very good at that myself.

I have had a good first week of preparation for my training. I'm still a few weeks away from my actual training program but I wanted to use this week as a preparation for what is to come. Next weekend I will be either doing a 50K or 25K trail race in Sulphur Springs. Right now I'm leaning towards the 25K but you never know.....

Happiness is not given to us it must be earned

2009-05-12T03:50:00.000-07:00

If I've learned anything throughout my 41 years on this planet it's that as much as I want to wish for something to happen it really isn't going to happen unless I make it happen. That goes for all aspects of my life whether that's relationships with my kids, financial issues or my running goals. How much time do we waste each day wishing instead of doing? It's something that I'm getting better at because I understand how precious time is and how we must live every moment in the present instead of thinking about the past or future. While I think we can learn from our past and use it to build up our strength, there is more to be learned if we look at our lives in present.

Today I did my first floating fartlek run. This was an intense run where I ran at a slow pace for 3 minutes and then did a 1 minute sprint. I did 4 sets of these and ran a total of 6 miles. The run brought back so many good memories of when I was training in the winter of 2006 for the 2007 Mississauga marathon. I'm on a mission and I won't let anything get in my way. This requires some mental discipline and that is something that I thrive on. Whatever your goals are, keep them close to your heart and don't let anyone or anything invade that positive space.

Committment is a beautiful thing

2009-05-10T08:57:00.000-07:00

I have decided to run in the Scotiabank Marathon on September 27th. Why is stating this so important to me? It's simple. Once I have a goal there is little that gets in my way to achieve it. In fact I am more motivated than ever to try to get a personal best time in that race. The best marathon time I've done is a 3:39 and that was in Jacksonville Florida in 2006. I would love to get a 3:30 or better for that race and that will require some serious training which I'm looking forward to. I also want to run at the lightest weight possible and I'm aiming for a 145 to 150 pounds which is about 15 pounds lighter than I am right now. I really believe that the extra weight lost will translate into more speed. In addition, I will be focusing on improving my core strength and doing agility training instead of weight training. I may even throw in some yoga as well.

Looking back at my previous races has really got me motivated. I was able to do a 1:40 half-marathon and a 1:13 10 miler. Both of these races are good indicators of what I can do and my hope is that I'm an even better runner now than I was when I posted those times.

Unfortunately what that means is that I'll have to cut back on my trail races somewhat. I'll likely compete but only in the smaller distances (25K). This will allow me to continue to support my trail running friends but won't burn me out as I prepare for my race in September.

My next race will come at the end of May and that is the Sulphur Springs race near Hamilton. I will most likely run the 25K trail race and then stay on to support my friends who are running the 100 mile race there.

Being alone versus being lonely

2009-05-10T07:40:00.000-07:00

(Seaton Trail MudPuppies)

When I first started running 4 years ago, (wow that seems hard to believe) I used to call the Running Room in Pickering my "Mecca." Every Sunday morning groups of runners congregate and then run various distances. It becomes addictive and something that I would never miss. As I started to progress in my running I discovered my love for running in the trails. There's something special about them that's hard to describe but I feel more at home there than on the roads. I started running with a different group of runners who were more experienced running in the trails and they taught me everything I needed to know. They are affectionately known as the Seaton Trail MudPuppies and I am proud to call myself one of them.

When I ran trail races there were large stretches of time where I wouldn't see any runners for up to 30 minutes at a time. This hardly ever happens during a road race. I had to condition myself to use my own inner strength to motivate me rather than trying to catch up to a runner who was ahead of me. What this taught me was that I didn't NEED to run with anyone to stay motivated. Although running is an individual sport, the group aspect cannot be discounted and that is what makes places like the Running Room so appealing to most.

I has been about 2 years or more since I ran with the group from the running room but today I decided to give it a try. I ran from my house to the store which was about 5K away. When I got there I realized that I only recognized a small handful of people. In the past I knew everyone there. I ran with the 1/2 marathon group who were doing 20K. The run started off ok but I soon realized that this was not for me. At about the 1/2 way mark I made a detour, put on my mp3 player and just took off.

The run was amazing and I don't think I would have had the same experience had I continued with the group. It had nothing to do with the speed that they were going but there just was just something missing and I couldn't pinpoint what it was. As I started to run longer my thoughts became more clear and I was able to just relax and go at my own pace. I realized that I don't like running with groups of people because I do my best thinking on my own. I NEED to run on my own so I can process the week that was and think about the week that's coming.

There may be the odd run or two that I'll do with my trail running friends but when I'm on the road I prefer the sanctitiy of my own peace of mind.

Embrace the struggle don't hide from it!

2009-05-09T07:05:00.000-07:00

Whether it's dealing with a death in the family, a relationship that has ended, selling your house or any other number of different stressful situations, people turn to substances to help them through the pain. Instead of allowing the emotions to hit them full on, they take an alternative route. The problem is that the detour usually leads to more problems because when the pain returns, you realize that the issues haven't been dealt with.

We all have to find balance in our lives and that starts with doing some serious soul searching about who we are and what triggers our emotions. These are things that are not always pleasant to deal with because it reveals our vulnerability and many people see this as a sign of weakness.

I'm coming to grips with these issues myself and I realized why I am so afraid of being alone. The main reason is that I'm afraid that I won't be able to control my eating at times, especially at night when nobody is there. Many people with ED will hide and hoard their food and will purposely not eat in front of people because they are afraid that they will be judged. It's not something that you can explain to people who don't have ED but those who do have it know exactly what I'm talking about.

Now I'm confronted with my worst fear and that is really doing some soul searching on my own to see what makes me "tick!" I can only do this one day at a time and each successful day lays the building blocks for a great foundation.

I've decided to train for another Marathon in the fall. Although I have done many marathons and ultra-marathons (50 Mile and above), this will be my first attempt at running a fast marathon since 2007. The training and diet will be intense but I am looking forward to it.

Once I get the program I want, I will post it and continue to do regular updates so people can follow along if they so choose.

Has it really been that long?

2009-05-04T15:15:00.001-07:00

I was reminded today that it has been a few, make that many months, since I've updated my blog. So much has happened since that last post but fear not, I am still alive and kicking.

I completed my certification for Personal Training and now I can do both Training AND Nutrition counseling so that is something I'm proud of. I train clients in the basement of my house or take them out for runs in the Seaton Trail.

The one thing that has not abandoned me is my love for running. Whenever I'm down or need to be inspired, a run will almost always do the trick. While others may turn to alcohol, drugs and/or gambling, I usually find my "drug of choice" on the pavements or better yet in the trails. To me it is more than just a form of exercise, it's something that clears my mind and allows me to let go of things instead of bottling them up. I am, and will continue to be a positive person and I don't want negativity or hatred to enter into my heart as I know it is a wasted emotion.

Well, there you have it for now. It's been awhile since I posted and hopefully it won't be that long again.

It's been a long and winding season

2008-10-08T15:35:00.001-07:00

My training started in November of 2007. I wanted to accomplish a few goals as I entered the 2008 Ontario Ultra Series. My main goal was to complete my first 50 Mile trail race in April. My second goal was to compete in as many of the 50K and longer trail races as possible. These are a gruelling set of 13 races that start in April and end in October. These races not only test your ability to run long distances but also they test your ability to do these races every other weekend which doesn't allow much time for your body to fully recover.

Last season I didn't do very many trail races as I opted to do more road races instead. 2008 would be a return to the type of races that I love the most.

The training was difficult and challenged me more mentally than physically but by the time April arrived I was ready for the challenge of doing my first 50 Mile race. I was able to complete that race and then my goals suddenly changed. Instead of just doing what I wanted to do, I was talked into trying my first 100 mile race in May. Unfortunately I wasn't able to fully complete that race (I stopped after 69 miles) but this allowed me to re-focus my attention on the rest of the season.

From May to September I completed another 6 Ultra races. This included doing some races where I had to run as many miles as possible in 6 hours.

Last weekend I completed another 50K race and next Saturday I will be doing my last OUS 50K race of the season.

All in all, I have completed 9 out of the 13 races and ran 69 miles in the only race that I didn't complete (LOL). My body is starting to feel the effects of all the pounding as my knees, shins and feet are in need of some serious rest.

I thank you all for all the support you have given me this past season. Next year a group of friends and I will attempt to complete our first 100 mile race. I'm hoping that if I can focus all of my attention this off-season to that race, I will be more successful than my last attempt.

Wow, it's been a long time hasn't it?

2008-09-09T13:19:00.001-07:00

After making daily journal entries into my blog I can't believe that it's been a month since my last post. During that time I have discovered the one thing that seemed to be missing in my own life and that was balance.

Running was, and still is, my passion in life but it was starting to become too much of a priority. I discovered that I could still run but that I didn't have to run so much everyday (10 miles).

This past weekend I completed my 9th Ultra race of the year (50K at Haliburton). I had originally signed up for the 50 Miler (80K) but I ended up running a shorter distance instead. One of the main reasons why I made that decision was because I didn't want to spend the whole weekend there. It would have taken me 12 hours or more to complete that distance and I would have had to drive home the next morning. I realized that I could still have a good time running 50K, which took me over 6 hours, and then drive home and enjoy the rest of the weekend.

The other reason was that I didn't want to be away from my kids for more days then I needed to. I also wanted to be able to run and not have to worry about taking time off after the race.

I have never regretted a "gut decision" and this one was no exception. After the race I was able to drive home and still have a great weekend with my boys. I also ran on Sunday and though my legs were tired, I managed to feel better pretty quickly.

My run today was also good and I feel like I can push myself a little longer tomorrow. I only have 2 races left (both in October) and then I'll be able to take some time off and start doing some strength training.

Sorry that it has been so long since my last post!

A time to reflect

2008-08-10T06:38:00.000-07:00

As sore as I was this morning, I realize the importance of doing a good recovery run the day after a race. It would have been nice to sleep in for a change, and just do nothing but those who know me realize that that is something that I have a hard time doing.

My recovery run (just over 10KM) was at a nice easy pace and the main objective was just to loosen up my leg muscles. It was during this run that I was able to reflect on my race yesterday. I was very pleased with how well I was able to run considering that this was my 7th Ultra Marathon race since April. Eventually all those miles start to wear on you so I'm sure that by the time my last race is over in October, I won't have much left in the tank.

Yesterday I was able to run quite a bit with several of the elite runners. Even though I realized that they were going much slower because they were running longer than I was, it was still nice to pick the brains of these amazing runners. More than anything else, though, it made me feel like I belonged. Even though I've been running now for 3+ years, part of me still feels like I have something to prove to the veteran trail runners. All the trail runners who do the OUS races are all so supportive and encouraging and it's like a family reunion when we all get together at the races. In fact, the best part of the race is the fun we all have afterwards.

I travelled with one of my Ultra running heroes yesterday and it was nice listening to him talk about some of the races he has done. I am planning on doing an Ultra race in Texas in December and I'm hoping he can come along.

After today I will begin to focus on my next race. This will be one of the most challenging races I've ever done. Running in Haliburton is an experience that I'll never forget and I know that the 50 Miler will require me to be as focused as possible.

An amazing day from start to finish!

2008-08-09T16:43:00.000-07:00

I just arrived home from my race and it was the best race I've done this year. The race was a 10K trail and I entered the 6 hour portion of it. Basically I ran as far as I could for 6 hours and at the end my distance was measure, but back to that in a moment.

I felt very strong throughout the race and was even able to turn on the jets at various points. Normally I would hold back some but today I wanted to let it all out and see what I was capable of doing.

The first two loops were amazing and I felt stronger and stronger as the race went on. I probably went out a little two fast because by the end of third loop I was feeling a little gassed. A friend and very good trail runner passed me at one point and that's when I really turned it on. I was very motivated to not let him beat me so I took off after him and eventually passed him at the end of the fourth loop (40K).

He also was motivated and eventually he passed me once again and this time he was at least 20 minutes ahead of me. I figured that there was no way I was going to catch him but I continued to run at my pace. To my amazement I eventually caught him once again and this time I wasn't going to let him catch me. I really dug down deep and finished the 5th loop (50K).

I had about 30 minutes left to go in the race and the race was marked every 2.5K. I knew that I was going to get to at least the 52.5 mark so I pushed it again. I reached the 52.5K mark with 12 minutes left in the race. Unfortunately that didn't leave me enough time to get to the next checkpoint so I decided to stop there. I knew that I would have gotten at least another 1 and possible 2 K so I was very happy with my accomplishments.

I knew that I had given everything I had and my legs were cramping as a result. The weather started out nice for the first 2 hours but then it rained for the rest of the race.

As they announced the overall winner and age category winners I was pleasantly surprised to learn that I had finished 3rd in my age category. Beyond that, though, I knew that I had run the best race of the season so I was very proud of that accomplishment.

My legs are a little tender but overall not too bad. I will be doing a light recovery run tomorrow morning just to get the blood circulating again, and then it's time to start training for my next race in September.

Finally!

2008-08-08T17:47:00.001-07:00

After 5 long agonizing weeks without a race I have tomorrow to look forward to. I'll be running a 6 hour race in Mansfield, Ontario. The good thing about timed races is that it doesn't matter how far you go, we all have to run the same amount of time. What that means is that pacing will be more important than ever. My legs have been rather heavy all week so I have no idea how I'll perform tomorrow. I'm hoping that the excitement of race day and seeing all my friends will give me the added boost I'll need.

I've been running stress free for the past two weeks and that has allowed me to focus my attention on other areas of my life. While I will always love running, it's nice to know that I can spread myself around to other areas equally as important.

Running stress free has allowed me to enjoy my runs much more and at the same time it has allowed me to focus on my technique a little more. Even though I have not made public my goals for this race, I do have a good idea of what I'm capable of and I'm hoping that that will pay off tomorrow. Expect a full report by Sunday!

Finally, it's race week again

2008-08-05T11:07:00.001-07:00

It seems like such a long time since I've had a race (5 weeks) but this weekend I'll finally have a chance to shake off the rust as I run a 6 hour timed race on Saturday.
The course is a 10K loop in the trails near Mansfield, Ontario. From what I have heard, it is a challenging course. I have a certain goal for myself but for that to happen, I have to have as close to a perfect race day as possible.

My legs have been extremely "heavy" lately, despite that my weight has started to drop. I plan to do more resting than running this week as I want to be at my best for that race. Knowing how difficult that is for me, I will have to keep myself distracted as much as possible.

I really felt the trail run this morning and if I don't get more rest this week I will be in for a rude awakening on Saturday.

I've cleaned up my diet considerably over the past two weeks and have eliminated gluten from my diet completely. I have noticed a big difference with regards to how I'm feeling after a meal. I have incorporated more brown rice and brown rice pasta into my food choices. In addition to eliminating gluten, I have also decreased my intake of dairy. I have been using both almond and brown rice milk exclusively and have also been pleasantly surprised at both the taste and how I'm feeling.

Positive influences can make a big difference

2008-08-03T05:53:00.000-07:00

One of the things that running has taught me is that I have a very strong mental "game." I can count on one hand the number of times that my mind has gotten the better of me with regards to finishing a run or race. The truth is that without my mental toughness, there would be no way I would be able to accomplish the things that I have with regards to my running.

This has also had a huge impact on the rest of my life but there is still areas of my life that need improvement. I've noticed that because I run so much I can get away with more than most people with regards to nutrition. However, I also know that I would be a much better runner if I became just a little more disciplined with my diet.

I'm lucky that I am surrounded by people who are willing to push me to limits beyond I thought possible and that has turned my life around in the past two weeks. My diet has never been "cleaner" and my body is reaping the benefits as a result. I have never felt this lean before and that has more to do with my nutrition than anything else.

We all need people around us who will offer support when we need it as well as a kick in the pants from time to time. Most people, unfortunately, surround themselves with negative influence which makes it more difficult to achieve their goals. In the end, though, the choice becomes your and yours alone. If you keep your eye on the prize and realize that without proper nutrition you will never get what you want, then things will start to come into focus.

My life has never been more complete these past few weeks and I'm running with more peace of mind than ever before. I know that things will only get better and that is something that I'm excited about.

Fear

2008-07-29T05:49:00.001-07:00

Just that word alone brings up different memories for different people. Maybe it's something that you are afraid of or maybe it's something that terrifies you because you've never done it before. It could be an object or animal. It could be an upcoming event. Fear can do so much to ruin the psyche of so many people that you have to wonder how we accomplish the things that we do.

In my case, I try to use fear to motivate me. Each day, when I think about the Haliburton 100 Mile race, I ask myself whether I can do this or not. I am fearful of lots of things when it comes to that race but mostly I'm afraid of not finishing. It has more to do with how I feel about myself than how others perceive me. Weeks after the race, whether I complete it or not, people will go on with their daily lives. Meanwhile, I'll be the one who has to live with the memories. It's a long off season and that means lots of time to think.

There are other times, though, when I envision myself crossing that finish line and how amazing it will be. Obviously I try to think more positively than negatively. Taking on a task of this magnitude is something that not too many people are willing to attempt. I can feel proud that I am attempting another one this year. That won't be enough to satisfy me, though, as I am driven to complete my first 100 miler.

My run today was a tough one. My calves were really tight and after the first mile I wondered if I was going to be able to run much further. I did so much running and walking in the trails on the weekend and my calves really took a pounding. Thankfully I was able to block out the pain long enough to complete my 11 mile run. The cumulative effect of all the miles I've run since April (760 miles, 135 hours) are starting to have an impact on my body. My ultra friends have told me that by the time the season is over, I won't have much left in the tank. I guess I'm about to find out if that's true or not.

Memories of a first race

2008-07-27T19:12:00.000-07:00

Reflection on 12 week Learn to Run Clinic with Greg.

-week #1, started with 1 min. running and 2 min. walking

-week #12, 10 min. running and 1 min. walking

-Nutrition, nutrition, nutrition - the most important part

-exciting and exhausting

-positive thoughts only

-must have running shoes for running only

-keep your head up - especially on hills

-heel toe, heel toe

-pump your arms, feet will follow

-Keep Hydrated

-Keep smiling

My Current regime - weight training 2xweek, run 3xweek

My goal was to run my first 5K race. As a person who never ran before and
not an athlete, learning to run with Greg at my side was always positive,
encouraging me with constant feedback during training sessions. Each
session I set the pace and he kept that pace for me, when I was tiring I
knew to keep pumping my arms and the feet will follow. When I started this
journey in 2006 I was overweight and unfit, and through your nutrition
counselling I lost 60 lbs in 9 months and became physically fit. I have
learned to step outside my comfort zone and try new things. When I am now
asked to try something new, I never say no, usually I say yes and give it a
try and see where the journey take me. My current goal was to learn how to
run and this was achieved, 5K run, July 26 at Whitby Waterfront 38.05 min
with you by my side. Next goal 10K with the best nutrition possible, can't
wait to get started.

Greg, thanks your patience, professionalism and expertise in nutrition and
running. I now know anyone can learn to run at any age.

The journey continues, stay tuned.

Karen Macfarlane

My Motto - Want it, Own it , Do it.

A night to remember

2008-07-27T09:06:00.000-07:00

After running in the rain during my 3 hour run at the Seaton Trail earlier in the day, it was time to put my focus on someone else. Last night my first running client completed her very first 5K race at the Whitby Waterfront. Watching her get ready as the race approached, reminded me about how I felt going into my very first trail race. So many thoughts went through my head, most of them were questions about what I was doing. Even though she was properly prepared, our mind tends to create self-doubt by bringing up negative thoughts. So much of running is having a strong mental foundation so I was glad that she was able to focus on the race itself.

We kept a nice even pace throughout and she did an amazing job of following my instructions and finished very strong towards the end. Many people who know that I do Ultra Marathons will ask me why I'm teaching a learn to run group. The reason is simple. I get great job by helping people find their passion in life. Many have followed my lead and are now running themselves. It really doesn't matter if you run for 5K or 50K but what does matter is that you enjoy what you are doing.

My client is already thinking about her next goal we will resume our training next week. I'm sure she had a tough time sleeping last night and I hope that she celebrated her achievement in high style because she deserves to!

Way to go Karen, I'm so proud of you!

This decision was easy

2008-07-26T12:37:00.001-07:00

After a great trail run and an even better conversation with my trail running friends who I look up, my decision to enter the 100 Mile Haliburton race was an easy one. I will attempt another 100 miler and this will be no easy feet (pardon the pun). Thankfully I have secured some incredible support for my endeavour and I'll be needing them every step of the way.

I feel like my training is where it needs to be and my diet has never been better. I've been switching to eating more of a Vegan type diet and eliminating many foods such as flour, even whole wheat, and as I result I'm running much better and look leaner than I have in months.

My goal is to run the Haliburton race at 150 pounds and right now I am 9 pounds away from that goal. There should be no reason that I can't hit that target weight even when the training starts to decline as the race becomes closer.

What I need to start doing is to practice walking for long stretches of time. This is one thing that I didn't do for my Sulphur race and it really cost me as a result. Tomorrow I will be running 15-20 miles (haven't decided yet) and then I'll do a 2 hour walk in the Rouge Valley later in the afternoon.

I am so fortunate to have amazing friends who not only inspire me but also motivate me to do more and more. Even three years after I started running I still didn't think that I belonged in their inner circle. I know realize that I do and that is a nice feeling to have. The friends who I run with are in their 50's and 60's and we they joked about how I should be kicking their butts on the trails. They have no idea of the amount of respect I have for them as they have already done things that I probably will never do. Two of them will be running the same race as I am and another 2 will be helping to pace me at night. I couldn't have asked for anything better than that.

The Holy Grail of ultra running

2008-07-25T05:21:00.000-07:00

When I first started trail running I was doing the shortest distances available, usually 25 to 30 K's. At these races were lots of runners who, after I had finished my race, were still running for hour and hours more. I'll never forget one time when I had really pushed myself to finish a 25K race in a good time. I was chasing down a runner and with about 100 metres left to go I sprinted towards the finish line and overtook him. The finish line was split into 2 sections. One was for the 25K finishers and the other was for those crazy runners who were running another 25K. I noticed that the runner who I had worked so hard to pass, was heading out for another loop. Suddenly the joy I felt in passing him turned to a feeling of amazement that he was heading out for another loop.

From that day forward I decided that I wanted to be that guy who was going out for the longest races available. This brings me to this year and my decision to run the 100 miler or not. The more I talk about it, the more it becomes a real possibility. I even joked with my kids about how Daddy will be running with bears and wolves in Haliburton. They both encouraged me to go for it.

What I need to decide, and rather quickly, is how far am I willing to go to get my goal? Physically I'm in the best shape of my life and barring injury, I'm confident that I have the ability to do it. The next part is the mental aspect of the race. Do I want to walk in the middle of the night for hours and hours? Do I risk injurying myself and then not able to run for months afterwards? These are questions I really need to answer this weekend. Once I commit, there's no turning back.

What lies next for me?

2008-07-23T05:29:00.000-07:00

We become what we think about all day long.
— Ralph Waldo Emerson

These last few weeks without a race have given me lots of time to think about what goal I want to accomplish between now and the end of my racing season in November. I have already earmarked a 6 hour race in early August and then comes my biggest decision to date. I have been strongly encouraged to attempt another 100 mile in Haliburton. Each year I have increased the distance at that race and my thought was this year to do the 50 Miler. Even though I made the right decision to stop running at Sulphur after 69 Miles, a part of me is still feeling guilty for not finishing. It's easy to look back now and say that but at the time of the race I made the smart decision. However, my competitive spirit still tells me that I should have toughed it out. Had I done that, I wouldn't be thinking about doing another 100 Miler but now I am.

There is still time to find a running crew who will help me and I have enough good friends who would surely lend their support. The decision really lies within me and how badly I want to erase the memory of that last race. Can I afford to wait until next May or should I attempt another 100 miler in September? Stay tuned.....

Forget Monday......

2008-07-22T05:20:00.001-07:00

I say throw away Mondays because my week truly starts on Tuesday. For me, it has more to do with kick starting my running week with an amazing 6 mile run in the Seaton Trail. It certainly has all the elements that I love about trail running including soft terrain, technical climbs, a closeness to nature and because I run at 6 AM, some truly breathtaking scenery as the sun starts to rise. Today I had to deal with rain which I love, but running in the trails in the rain is far more challenging and fun than running on the roads. My trail shoes are muddier than they have been in quite some time and thankfully they have held up amazingly well. After going through pair after pair of Brooks Cascadias, I'm glad they have modified their shoe because I'm able to run in these without having to worry about them ripping at the sides.

Trail running will always be my first love with regards to running and each run is completely different from the one before. I never know what I'll encounter in the trails which makes it something to look forward to.

Running in the trails certainly helps to build up my core strength as the constant up and downs of the trails forces me to be more precise with my running. If I start to get lazy on the trails with my running, which can easily happen on the road, I know that I'll likely take a tumble. It's starting to get a little easier for me to let go of the fact that I may fall, twist an ankle or worse. The more I worry about that, the less I'm concentrating on just enjoying the fact that I'm running in a place where I love. There are lots of runners who will not run in the trails because they feel like they cannot go fast. Trail running requires you to let go of that need to always worry about speed and instead allows you to just run like you would if you were a kid again. Unfortunately many of the road races that I've done haven't grasped that concept as they are too competitive for what I want right now.

I'll gladly run a slow trail run over a fast road race any day of the week, which for me, starts on Tuesdays!

A big week ahead

2008-07-21T10:51:00.000-07:00

After having a great 14 Mile run in the rain yesterday, I stayed on my training program and took the day off from running to lift weights instead. Even though I wasn't able to run on Saturday, I don't want to try and "make up" a run because that doesn't make much sense. Instead I did the smart thing and lifted weights. I'm starting to really feel the benefits of the weight training and today I increased the weights on my most of my exercises. Although the reps are high (30) I still get a good burning sensation in my muscles so I know it's working.

I'll be either running trails or roads tomorrow as well as Wednesday and Thursday then the fun starts. On Saturday I will be heading up to Paris Ontario to run in a training run for a race I'll be doing in October called Run for the Toad. A group of us will be running 3 loops there (37.5 K). I'm sure I will see many familiar faces there because with no race for still 3 weeks, many of us will use this opportunity to get ready for the second half of the racing season.

That same evening, one of my clients will be running her first ever race in Whitby and I'm so psyched for her. I have been training her for the past 12 weeks and she has done an amazing job throughout our sessions. This will be the culmination of all those weeks and I couldn't be any more proud.

Even though my legs will probably be tired from running in the morning, nothing could keep me from running with her as she completes her first race.

When we ran together last week, I told her about the learn to run group I taught in 2006. I'll never forget running in all of my students and they were so excited to fulfill their goal of finishing that race. Even though many of them have stopped running, I know that they'll forever remember that event. Being able to have an impact on someone's life in a positive way, makes me feel like I have accomplished something myself and it's something that I take great pride in. I often have said that I can do a great job of keeping someone motivated but that I can't GET them motivated for that lies within.

Whatever motivates you, make sure you never think about quitting and try to stay as positive as possible, even when times get tough. The world is filled with people who take great pride in what they "used" to look like or have accomplished, make sure that you are one of the few who continues to cherish the present and looks forward to achieving more in the future.

For those about to run.....I salute you!

2008-07-20T07:12:00.000-07:00

I wish I could truly describe how magical it is for me to run in the rain. Then again, maybe that's the point. Something that provides me with this much joy, shouldn't have to be explained, it just IS and that will have to suffice.

My 14 mile run started north along Church street and took me to Concession #5. I've been trying to increase my hill work and that certainly happened today. I headed East on Concession #5 up two hills, one of which is affectionately known as "puke hill" (for obvious reasons). I've been practicing doing "criss/crosses" while running up hills and this has really helped. I do short choppy strides and go from one side to the other instead of charging up the hill. I've noticed that I can maintain better speed this way and my focus shifts from the top of the hill to just running from side to side. It's almost like I'm cross crounty skiing up the hill if that makes sense.

After running up those two hills I come to Westney Road where I go North. I pass Greenwood conservation park, Taunton Road and then come to Williamson Road where I go East. This takes me to Harwood. There is another hill climb from Harwood to the Rossland and then I continue North along Harwood until I come to Ringer street. I head East on Ringer until it takes me to Salem Road. From Salem I run to Highway 2 and then from there I go West to Westney Road then Westney back to Rossland and then back home.

I saw a few other runners today and they also seemed to be enjoying themselves running in the rain. Throughout my 2 hour plus run today, it rained continuously and I loved every minute of it. Whether you run long or short distance, for fun or for competition, it's something that you know you enjoy doing and you can't seem to get enough of. Therein lies the difference between a runner and everyone else. We are a special breed of people, not easily defined by words. Our passion lies in our ability to push ourselves further and harder than before. Our goals are only limited by our imagination. Above all else, we define ourselves as a runner first and that's what makes us special.

You need to find what moves you

2008-07-18T03:56:00.000-07:00

Part of what I love most about my job is the interactions I get to have with my clients. There isn't a day that goes by where I'm trying to inspire, motivate or investigate what makes my clients "tick." I would say that the majority of the clients I see go to the gym because they feel that it's the only way that they can get some legitimate exercise. There are those who really do love going but I can probably count on both hands the number of clients who fall into that category. No, I would say that one of the biggest struggles I have is trying to convince them that they must do some sort of exercise daily in order to achieve their results. I hate to burst everyone's bubble but 3 days per week is not going to get much results unless their diet is 100% accurate and very few people have the ability to do that.

It really doesn't matter what type of exercise you do as long as you find something that you like to do. Opening yourself up to new experiences is the real key I believe. It may happen when you join a sports team like volleyball or basketball or maybe individual sports such as tennnis or badminton are your thing. It may be as simple as taking your bike to the rotary park and biking for an hour each night. Whatever it is that you choose, make sure you understand that this needs to become a regular part of your life. This will ensure that not only will you get your goals you will be able to maintain them.

Yesterday I decided to stray away from my comfort zone and ran a different route. Fortunately I use google maps to outline the route that I wanted to go. Unfortunately google maps doesn't account for road closures due to construction. I ended up having to double back to find my way home.

I've been lucky to have run in rain for the last two days. Today was a weight lifting day in the morning and then I'll be running in the afternoon. I think I'm getting a little "itchy" for a race but with nothing planned until August 9th, I'll have to settle for some long runs in the Seaton Trail.

Where will these shoes take me?

2008-07-16T05:38:00.001-07:00

Another new pair of shoes, another running journey ahead. I retired my last road running shoes on Sunday and today was the first day running on the roads in my new Mizuno's. It was fitting that the day started out with some rain, a little bit of lightning and then the sun came out. Knowing that the my favorite weather to run in is the rain, I'm sure the running Gods were smiling at me today.

My last running shoes took me through well over 600 KM's in the two months that I had them so who it's going to be interesting to see where these new ones take me. Stay tuned......

Today at the Pickering Running Room they are having a 20 minute challenge. I urge anyone even remotely interested in walking or running to come out tonight at 7 PM. It's a great way to get motivated to try a new sport. Who knows, you may end up hooked like I am. I've often told people that running has changed my life and it continues to get better and better because I found my passion. I would not have found it, however, if I had not been open to trying new things. Come on out tonight, what do you have to lose?

My favorite part of the day

2008-07-15T05:36:00.001-07:00

This is the closest picture I could find which describes my Tuesday morning highlight of the day. It's towards the end of my trail run and has the most breathtaking view that is hard to explain. I guess there is a certain risk involved, I mean a train could come by at any time when Ken and I are running on the tracks but it's not something that either one of us even thinks about. When I'm running on those tracks it's as close to being "suspended" myself as I'm going to get all day. I truly am lucky to be surrounded by some amazing nature trails such as the Seaton, Greenwood and Rouge Valley.

Today's pace was faster than I've gone in quite some time but I seemed to have lots of energy today. I think I'm finally getting to know my way around those trails. Tomorrow I'd like to do a mid-week long run but that all depends on how early I want to get up tomorrow. The minimum I'll shoot for is 11 Miles.

Finding balance can be tough at times

2008-07-14T05:56:00.000-07:00

It is probably the one thing that I continue to struggle with in my own life and finding the proper balance between my running and everything else can be tough. I know that my scales are tipped slightly, some would say tilted, towards running. What makes it difficult is that I know that running is a springboard to so many other positive things in my life. I also know that without running I feel empty, and I know that something is missing.

To help with my balance, I've really started to do more strength training. Although I only do this twice per week, people have already noticed an increase in muscle mass. It's something that I have to be concerned with as I don't wish to add more weight. Looking leaner, though, has the illusion of being heavier than you are so I'm hoping to achieve this through weight training.

I've made a conscious effort to cut back on my running slightly to ensure that I have a long running career. For me, though, I continue to develop my mind, body and spirit through running. It's something that I can honestly say I've never experienced from any other type of exercise. As I continue to strive for balance, I'm sure my scales will need adjusting from time to time. Thankfully I have good friends who will help when needed.

A return to my roots today

2008-07-13T07:26:00.001-07:00

Sometimes it's nice to run without a plan and that's what I did today. I knew that I wanted to get in a minimum of 2 hours of running in but I had no idea where I wanted to go when I got up this morning. What I decided was to just start running and see where my feet wanted me to go.

I ended up doing the mileage, distance and time that I wanted and was able to return to many of the streets that I hadn't run on since the winter months. My route took me through Greenwood where I first discovered trail running and up a hill affectionately known as "puke hill" for obvious reasons. I haven't done those hills in quite some time but I was happy that I was able to run them today. I realized after I did them that I must start incorporating more hill training into my workouts.

The weather was a little humid but the rain kept it nice and cool at times. It was one of those runs where my body just felt great being out there. This was the last run possible in my shoes as the heels have all but vanished. I won't be doing roads until Wednesday so that gives me a few days to find my new pair of shoes.

Trail running never felt so good

2008-07-12T10:08:00.000-07:00

We had a nice turnout this morning at 7 AM as we headed out for our 25 KM run. What made this run so much fun is that we all ran our own pace. Some went a little fast, some are getting ready for various races so they decided to run a little slower but it really didn't matter. The best part was just being out amongst nature. Spending the first 3 hours of a morning running through trails is something that I'll never get tired of.

I was able to tell my story of how I first started running and was also able to listen to others tell their own stories. It's really interesting to find out how we all came to our passions. It's also nice not having to explain how important running is in our lives as we all acknowledge that.

The run was challenging, as it always is at the Seaton. Coming off a tough 50K race last weekend, my legs were a little sore but not too bad towards the end. 3 hours was just the right amount of pounding today.

After our run we all gathered around and ate and talked about our various races and what we have planned. I swear that most of us run so much so that we can indulge in eating afterwards. Burning close to 1500 calories is a nice way to start the day.

I can listen to the veterans talk about their running careers all day long and it never gets boring. They have so many training tips and I feel like a sponge as I soak it all in. I know it's going to make me a better runner.

The plan for tomorrow is to do a semi-long recovery run. I'd like to get in at least 2 hours or more but we'll have to see how the day plays out.

No race.......no problem..........

2008-07-11T13:53:00.001-07:00

I've often said that the best part of my trail races is when we all gather around afterwards and tell stories, share a drink and re-fuel. Well, even though we have no race tomorrow, I'll be running with plenty of friends at the Seaton Trail tomorrow morning at 7 AM. Many people would think that I'm crazy to get up early on a weekend but I wouldn't have it any other way. I'm sure that by the time I'm done running at 10:30 or so, many people will just be getting out of bed (LOL).

I recently found out that I will be able to do a race in early October of this year. That same race was what catapulted me into trail racing but I haven't been able to return to that race since 2005. It will be nice to come full circle, so to speak, at that race. The only difference is that this year I'll be doing the 50K run instead of the 25K. What's another ultra marathon right?

Today I did some light weight lifting and I'm proud to report that I've been able to do some weights at least twice per week for quite some time now. I definitely feel better doing some resistance training and because I keep the weight down and the repitions up (30 reps per exercise) I know that there is very little chance of putting on added weight.

Passing along my gift to others

2008-07-10T17:15:00.000-07:00

I was given a gift about 3 years ago by an amazing person and now I'm able to do the same to others around me. I'm sure that most people who know me can attest to the fact that it's hard for me to contain my enthusiasm for running. At any point during a conversation it seems that I'm looking for a way to interject and add a running metaphor. Most times it applies and it surely is how I define myself. It's still hard to believe that I've been able to do so much in such a short period of time. What strikes me most is the amount of people I've been fortunate enough to meet since I started running. I've met people from all walks of life and have even had a chance to run with the former Minister of Finance. Running truly knows no boundaries and I've been welcomed by a host of individuals and it just keeps getting better and better.

Today I taught one of my clients in my learn to run clinic. This woman has done an amazing job and continues to impress me each week. We are now fully into the 10 minute run and 1 minute walk. Hearing her talk about her goals this morning literally gave me chills. I know that she and anyone else can achieve anything they put their minds to. I have not met a person who I feel cannot run unless they have already given up in their own mind (outside of an injury of course). If you are defeated in the mind then running will never be for you because most of it is mental.

Our minds constantly try to talk ourselves out of doing something, even if it's something that is healthy for us. The people who I run trails with are some of the most mentally tough people I know. Most of us are not the fastest of runners but we compete nonetheless because we love being out there in the trails. Knowing that it might take us twice as long as the winners, you would think that it becomes even more difficult to get motivated. Then you realize that the real competition is the one that takes place between your ears and suddenly it becomes a whole new ballgame.

This weekend my thoughts will be all about running in the Seaton Trail with some amazing friends. This will be our "mini-race" as we don't have a real one for 4 weeks. The best part will be when we all sit around afterwards and talk about how much fun we had in the trails. I can't imagine a better way to spend the weekend.

It's H.....nope I can't even type that

2008-07-09T05:13:00.000-07:00

I swore that I would never complain about how H.. it is outside(see I can't even type the word). After running through -26 or worse conditions in the winter, I longed for the day when all I had to do was throw on a shirt and shorts and head outside for a run.

I'll take a slower pace over freezing my extremities any day of the week and twice on Sundays. I think my slower pace today had more to do with tired legs than anything. I'm starting to feel the effects of last weekends race so I'm running smarter this week. With no race for 4.5 weeks, it will allow my legs to heal, that is if I decide to let them. I already have visions of my next race which will either be a 6 or 12 hour run in early August. I may enter a few shorter races between now and then just to keep from getting too bored.

In any event, no matter how high the temperature gets, you won't hear me complain about it because all I have to do is think back to those runs in January, February and March and that brings me back to my senses.

I don't need to go to the zoo to see nature......

2008-07-08T05:39:00.000-07:00

Part of what motivates me to run in the trails instead of on the roads is that I get to be up close and personal with nature. Today was yet another example of that. Sure it's tough getting up at 5 AM to go for a trail run but it's also an amazing way for me to start my day. Just minutes into my trail run we came across a deer. He stared at us for what felt like minutes. Finally, as we walked closer to it it ran off. It never ceases to amaze me at how lucky I am to see things like that. Whether it's seeing a deer, beavers or turtles, it makes me appreciate life more and more.

The other favorite part of my trail run has got to be the run across the railroad bridge high above the Seaton Trail. Sure, there's the added element of danger as a train could come by at any time but it's not something I think about. As I'm running across the bridge and look down at the water, see the trees and the nature around me, I can't help but think that I'm lucky that I get to start my morning off this way.

Before long the trail run ends and I'm left with this feeling that I want even more of it. It's like a positive drug, I suppose, and I can't wait until I get some more of it. So, you can have your zoos, I'll take a run or walk in the Seaton Trail or Rouge Valley instead. Discovering nature is more exciting than having it handed to you.

Going out to eat doesn't have to cause panic

2008-07-07T05:56:00.000-07:00

There are two ways you can look at things when you make the decision to go out to a restaurant for dinner/lunch. The first is to just realize that you will be eating more calories than you should and are OK with this decision. The second is to do some researching on the restaurant before you go out to eat.

Both decisions are perfectly fine and they each have their own consequence associated with it. There's nothing wrong with treating yourself to a meal every once in a while. There's also nothing wrong with deciding before you leave to look at the nutritional content of the restaurant you are going to.

Last night I took my kids to the Keg for dinner. Before I left the house I checked out their website and found that they had all the nutritional breakdown for their meals. This helped me plan what I was going to eat (I didn't worry about the kids). What I found was that their sirloin steak was 8 oz. and had just over 500 calories and 30 grams of fat. This was their leanest choice. Their baked potato with the skin was 350 calories. These were the lowest choices on the menu so it's what I decided to get. I actually gave some of my steak to the kids as it was more than I usually eat at one time and instead of butter for my baked potato I asked for salsa on the side. I ate the "meat" part of the potato and left the skin behind.

After dinner I was happy with the choices I made and my stomach appreciated it as well. There are times when I'll go out to eat and won't do this type of homework ahead of time. What's important is that YOU have to make that choice for yourself on whether to splurge or be good. Just be happy with whatever choice you make and don't feel like you are eating something to make somebody else happy. A friend once told me that food tastes much better without a side of guilt!

5 Weeks is too long for me without a race

2008-07-06T07:00:00.000-07:00

After doing one race every two weeks for the past 3 months, I suddenly have no race to look forward to until August. This is simply unacceptable (LOL). I'll probably go through withdrawal at some point so please bare with me.

In all seriousness, though, it will be nice to get my body some much needed rest and heal itself for the final stretch run in my running series. I currently am 6th in my age category and there's a good chance that once the standings are updated, I'll be in the top 3. My goal for this year has been to do as many of the Ultra races of
50K or better, as possible and that's what I've been able to do.

I wore a new pair of trail shoes yesterday, the Brooks Cascadia and they performed amazingly well. I've had trouble with the previous model of this shoe as it would tear easily on the sides. After doing some major hill climbs and running on dirt roads yesterday, I'm happy to report that the shoes are still in one piece.

Now THAT was a vertical challenge!

2008-07-05T15:59:00.000-07:00

To sum up the race today with one word I would use "hilly!"

My race day experienced started with my alarm going off at 3:30 AM this morning. I picked up a friend at 5:00 AM in Scarborough and we headed off to the race which was about 1:45 minutes away in Creemore.

I completed my 6th Ultra race in the past 11 weeks today and it was every bit as tough as advertised. They really did mean vertical challenge as there were 4 monster hills and a few mini ones which felt like monsters towards the end of the race. One of the hills was nicknamed "oxygen hill" because you really did need some after climbing it. It seemed to go on forever.

The race was a 25K loop which I did twice which meant that I climbed 8 major hills in total. I haven't done any hill training so that put extra pressure on me today. I did the smart thing and loaded up on salt pills and advil and it seemed to help as I avoided any cramping issues. Many runners were not as fortunate as the heat really took its toll today.

I ran the first 25K very conservatively in just under 3 hours. The 2nd loop was very difficult as I was left alone for long stretches of the race. I finally was able to catch up to a few runners and this helped to keep me motivated. I got a great boost of energy at the 35K mark and this carried me home. I actually felt very strong during the last 15K of the race and wished that I had had this energy earlier.

I was happy with my finishing time but the best part was hanging around afterwards and sharing stories with the other runners. Because there is 5 weeks before the next race, many of us are trying to arrange a fun run in a few weeks. We all wished that there was another race right around the corner.

Another race, another new challenge

2008-07-04T05:23:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow I will be doing yet another race (50K) and this one promises to be pretty tough. It's called the Creemore Vertical Challenge and it will consist of doing 60% hill climbs. It will definitely put my quadricep muscles to the test.

I haven't really looked back to see what I have accomplished over these past 3 months but doing 6 Ultra races of between 30 Miles to 68 Miles, is something that I can truly be proud of. I knew that this year would be tough on me physically but so far I've been able to remain injury free and have maintained my running base mileage. I've also been doing a minimum of one and sometimes two days of weight lifting and I think that has helped strengthen my core muscles.

It will be a long day tomorrow as I'll leave my house at 4:00 AM and probably won't return until sometime in the evening on Saturday. It will be nice to see so many of my friends tomorrow at the race.

As is customary, I took yesterday off from running and did my 2nd day of weight lifting this week. I decided not to do any lower body lifting because of my race on Saturday. I've recently started to do some Tae Bo type training at the end of my weight training workout. I start off by using 5 pound weights in my hand as I simulate some boxing movements. Towards the end of the workout I drop the weights and just punch with my hands. This has increased my speed and overall muscle endurance.

Although my first love will always be running, it's nice to throw in some different workouts to keep the body from getting too accustomed to the training. My body is so used to running 10 or more miles daily that if I don't do at least that much it's almost like my mind and body feels letdown.

The more you do the better you feel

2008-07-02T05:22:00.001-07:00

I was expecting to be very sore this morning after running for 11 miles and biking for another 16 miles. What I found, though, was that this morning I had one of the better runs I've had in quite some time. I was able to run 8.5 miles in 1:10 which is the equivalent to a 5:10 Kilometer. When I was training for the 2007 Mississauga Marathon, Ken and I would routinely do sub 5 Kilometers but today was the closest I've gotten to that pace.

It doesn't feel like I have a race this weekend but since I've been doing so many Ultra Marathons, I feel like my body has been able to bounce back quite nicely. I haven't really had a rest week since my first race in late April (50 Mile Seaton Trail Race). Saturday will mark my 6th race in the past 11 weeks. The veterans who I've talked to about this have told me that by the end of the race season, in late October, I won't have much left in the tank. I'm hoping that because there is a month between my race on Saturday and the next one in August that I'll be able to do more speed work.

The race on Saturday promises to be very gruelling with lots of hill climbs, hence the race is called a vertical challenge. My goal, as it is with all the other races I've done, is to finish. I'm sure that knowing I won't have a race after this for awhile I'll push myself a little bit more on Saturday.

A chip off the old block

2008-07-01T14:42:00.000-07:00

After finishing my 11 mile run today I still had plenty of energy so I decided to bike to Whitby to see my kids. I promised my oldest that we would go biking together and he was so excited when I got there. He didn't just want to go biking, he wanted to bike back to my house. To put things in perspective, I live in Ajax near Church Street which is about 8.5 miles away from his house.

The quickest way to get back would be to travel along Bayly to Harwood, Harwood to Rossland and then Rossland to Church Street. While this is the quickest way, it isn't necesarrily the safest way. Bayly is a single lane road and my son hasn't been biking that long on the major roads. After thinking it over I decided to let him do it.

He followed all the instructions I gave him and did an amazing job. Once we hit Harwood we were able to ride on the sidewalk which I was happy about. He only had to stop two times as his legs were tiring. I had the biggest smile on my face as he kept pushing himself along the way. I knew it was going to be tough for him but I was so proud of what he did. It took us about 1 hour and 20 minutes to get home and he said he wanted to do it again.

This is one Canada Day I'll never forget!

Create your own "bucket list"

2008-07-01T07:15:00.000-07:00

I recently watched the movie the Bucket List with Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson. The story is about two men who are dying from cancer and they decide to create a list of things they want to do before they die. This included climbing to the top of a mountain peak, skydiving and riding a fast car.

After the movie I thought about my own list and also thought about what Dan Millman says in his book the Peaceful Warrior. We all have a terminal illness, it's called birth. I have my own list of things that I want to do and at the top of it is running an ultra marathon (minimum 50K, maximum 50 miles) on every continent. It is a lofty goal that's for sure but it's something that I know I can achieve.

My attempt at trying to sleep in this morning met with mixed results. I was able to sleep until 6:30 but that's about it. I hit the road for an 11 mile run at 8:00 AM. It was nice not having to worry about too man cars on the road as most people I assume were sleeping. I'm sure I must have woke up some of them with my singning during my run (LOL).

I hope your Canada Day includes some kind of exercise, it's probably the best way to honour one of our most beloved heroes, Terry Fox. Everytime I think that I can't complete a run, I think about people like Terry and how he was able to accomplish what he did on one leg. Suddenly my aches and pains don't seem as bothersome anymore.

Happy to be living an active lifestyle

2008-06-30T05:53:00.001-07:00

As I drove to meet some runners yesterday morning I saw so many people running, walking and biking. I knew that these people all lived an active lifestyle. It was early on a Sunday morning and yet these people put exercise high on their agenda of things to do. I've always said that if you don't put a priority on exercise and healthy living, you will never achieve your fitness goals.

I ran with one runner yesterday who just one year ago didn't even know if he was going to be able to walk again let alone run. He's suffered through torn achiles tendons and fused neck and yet he still continues to run. He may not return to the speed he once had, although I'd never count him out, but he's happy doing the thing he loves.

When I describe myself, the one thing I'm proud to say is that I'm a long distance runner. It reminds me of what kind of dedication I have to the sport that I love. One of the most common questions I get is how do I find the time to run so much? The answer is easy, I don't wait for an opportunity to run I create my opportunity to run.

The clients I see at the gym often feel like they can't get to the gym more than once or twice per week because of their busy schedules. To me, that really is the problem right there. We all live busy lives but you need to schedule in your workout times as you would a business meeting. This doesn't mean you have to rely on going to the gym for your exercise. I'm a good example of someone who hasn't worked out in a gym in over a year. Instead I've found my passion in running. There are many forms of exercise and all you have to do is keep an open mind and allow yourself to experience new things. You'll be amazed at what you find when you do.

Twice as nice

2008-06-29T13:22:00.001-07:00

I knew that running in the trails yesterday that it would have to take a special run on Sunday to come close to that feeling. I'm happy to say that even though I ran on the road today, it was still a very good way to cap off a great weekend of running.

I met a group of 5 experienced runners this morning at Bayview and York Mills. I had forgotten how beautiful that area was. Three of these runners were quite faster than I was but I was happy that I was able to keep up with them for most of the run.

Because of all the races I've done recently, I haven't had a chance to do back to back long runs which were a staple of my training in the winter months. After running for close to 3.5 hours in the trails on Saturday, it was nice to push myself to run 2 hours today.

What made the run even more special was the fact that I was able to get even more advice from people who I look up to in the ultra running community. All of them are so helpful and willing to give any advice, tips on training or whatever I need from them.

I'm debating whether to do another 10+ mile run tomorrow or do a light weight training workout. I guess I'll make my decision in the morning.