Gimpy racing and the seven-year itch

"Do as I say, not as I do ..."

Words offered by no great leader ever.

The past month or so I've managed to log about 410km on my feet, including two races.  Some might say that that's none too shabby - except that I know that I logged all of those miles on injured legs.

The stubborn part of me refused to accept what my body was trying to communicate - that after pacing The County Marathon this year I needed to scale back and take at least a few days off.  I'm well familiar with the studies and statistics that indicate how your body continues to undergo the process of necrosis (cellular damage/death) after an endurance event like a marathon, and how pushing through that post-race period without sufficient recovery exponentially increases the risk of injury, often as a result of unconscious (and imbalanced) compensation for muscular fatigue. 

But pride is a powerful and dangerous companion.

And so as soon as my pacing duties were over in Picton I took my normal Monday off and resumed training on Tuesday with about four weeks to go in preparation for helping my buddy Rick tackle the Hamilton Marathon Road2Hope.  Against all of my better instincts (and acquired knowledge) I told myself that I couldn't take my foot off of the gas pedal as I had to be in top form to be able to bump out another sub-3:30 marathon time.  Now ** please note ** that this is in no way Rick's responsibility to shoulder - this is all about me playing my cards foolishly.  I was the one who offered to pace Rick in his BQ attempt and I submitted the registration myself.  The last thing that I would want Rick to believe is that this was somehow all his doing when in fact none of it was - I was and will continue to be glad to be able to offer some small amount of help in the pursuit of his goal.

The first symptom that cropped up was a soreness just below my right kneecap - it was probably some IT band inflammation but it definitely hampered my ability to push hard on my speed workouts, and was only alleviated by running slower and shorter.

For better or for worse I managed to keep on plugging to the point that my knee wasn't locking up in pain while I slept, and I took that as a sign of progress.  But that only lasted until my hamstring started rebelling ...

I began to feel a real pain in my a** ... my armchair doctor diagnosis (ably assisted thanks to Google) was that it was either high hamstring tendinopathy or piriformis syndrome.  Whatever it was, it amounted to a stabbing pain deep in the center of my right buttock, and one that no amount of stretching or massage/hammering could alleviate.  My best guess is that it was connected to me running through my knee issues, and I just swapped one locus of aggravation for another.  What I did find out was that it was short-lived, perhaps in part due to the fact that just as it was raising its ugly head I had to relocate my at-home office and decided to opt for a sit/stand workstation.  The switch to standing 4-5 hours a day instead of lounging back in my office chair seemed to act in a therapeutic fashion, and my rearside pain only lasted about 36 hours.

Then it was back to my knee ... only different.

After only a few days of pain-negligible activity I began to feel a soreness radiating around the lateral side of my right kneecap.  It was probably the IT band acting up again but I'd have to say it felt different, although it affected my running gait all the same.   From time to time I'd do a pseudo-wrap of my knee with KT Tape (as my friend Christina observed about my application of the tape, "well, it looks like it's keeping your kneecap in place") which may or may not have helped me to power through the MEC Barrie Race Five (10k).  That particular race was originally to be a goal race for me where the aim was to finally clock the elusive sub-40 min. 10k ... however, I'd forgotten that it was the traditional pre-Hallowe'en event, and far be it from me not to dress up in costume when given the opportunity.  So on a rain late October Saturday I donned my best Angus Young outfit and put out a solid tempo run, weighed down by a soaking wet blue velour jacket.

This year's theme - favourite musicians/rock stars!

Feeling like I hadn't yet crossed the line of irreparable damage (yep, that's the flag on the field that I was waiting for ...) I stepped up to the start line for the Hamilton Marathon with Ricky in the hopes of getting him across in-between the 3:25 and the 3:30 mark.  His prep in advance of the race had gone well (with consistent Facebook posts declaring #ninjastrong and #bringonhamilton) and so it was up to me to try to keep him on track for the entire 42km.  Although the day of the race didn't pretend to offer ideal conditions (consistent rain and anticipated wind gusts up to 35 kph) it turned out to be a reasonably decent day to go long, and we were accompanied for good stretches of the course by other 3:25 hopefuls.
On the upside I managed to keep it together for most of the race, and we were able to get through 27km still on pace (according to my 3:25 pace band), but that's where things got a bit funky.  I wish that I could say that it had gotten funky for me, but it was Rick that was feeling some spasming in his calf that caused him to slow down.  However, in characteristic Rick fashion (because of his incredible mental focus and determination) he was able to claw his way back up to pace and so we spent the next 6km or so surging back and forth, still within reach of the sub-3:30.

However, as we hit my least favourite part of the course - the dreaded 'out and back' segment - Rick was hit with some kind of significant inner thigh/groin pull pain that reduced him to walking for 100m segments.  It was hard to see him struggle to this degree, knowing that his goal time was now slipping beyond our grasp - but I did my best to keep providing him with a moving target while not stretching the imaginary elastic band to the breaking point.  Still, Rick being the warrior he is managed to gut it out across the finish line in 3:43:34.

That's all mental fortitude folks ... #GoRickyGo!

I'm not sure that I've ever really come to the end of a racing season before where I felt like I wanted to take time off, but this year I knew that I needed to.  Call it overtraining, under-recovery or simply the effects of aging, my body wasn't going to have it any other way apart from a complete shutdown.  As such I've entered into a three-week hiatus from any running time on my feet - and this may well be the longest stretch that I will have gone without running since 2010 (perhaps the seven-year itch ...?).  But there's no getting around my need to rest, to heal, and eventually to re-tool for the upcoming year.  

I'm contemplating working with a coach once again as I think that I may need to break out of the self-coached stagnation/plateau that I seem to have hit.  My good buddy Stan reported that he found significant benefits in working with a coach (and if anybody knows the ins and outs of training and running science it's him) so I have a pretty good hunch that it might be to my benefit to have someone else tailor a program for me and to keep me accountable.

Thus was the late autumn of our discontent ... I'm currently enjoying sleeping in, putting on about 10 extra pounds and not feeling the pressure of keeping up with everyone on Strava.  We'll see what December holds, as all I've got on the radar is the Snowflake Series of road races in Orillia.  I sense a change - perhaps multiples changes - in the air.  

Stay tuned ...

Gimpy racing and the seven-year itch

Race report - 2016 Hamilton Marathon Road2Hope

You know how some foods just don't agree with you, no matter how they're prepared or how excited you are to eat them?

I'm convinced that some races are that way.

And this fool is now quadruple-bitten, quintuple-times shy.  No more Hamilton Marathon for me.

Pre-race
After a disappointing outcome at this year's Ottawa Marathon I was hoping that I could come back and still produce a sub-3 hour result at a fall race ... so given the Road2Hope's billing as "Ranked #1 Boston Qualifier in Canada" I thought that this would be my next best shot at it this year.


Never mind that in my three previous completions of the same race I'd not had a positive experience or satisfying result.  But you know what they say about the definition of insanity ...

Even with this being my sixth marathon of 2016 (I remember back to 2011 thinking that completing one marathon ever would be an accomplishment!) and battling through a taper week surrounded by a wife and child who had flu symptoms (e.g. vomiting/fever/chills/headaches) I felt very confident that my training season had readied me for a solid sub-3 marathon.

And then I was called upon to spend the day before accompanying our oldest daughter on her university open-house tour.

Originally my wife was going to go but having spent the 36 hours prior kneeling before the porcelain throne the chaperone duties were passed to me.  I didn't begrudge it one bit - in fact I was excited to see where my daughter might have the next four+ years of her life shaped - it's just that I didn't plan on being out of the house and on my feet for the bulk of the day.  So while we were on our feet seeing all of the sights at the University of Waterloo my friend 'Fast' Bill Steinburg was gracious enough to pick up my race kit for me, and we planned to connect on race morning to ensure that I had my bib and chip ready to go.

The one other curveball that came my way (and not just for me) was that race day coincided with the end of daylight savings time - and while this meant that we would all gain an extra hour (potentially of sleep) it also just meant making sure that all of the appropriate clocks were changed to reflect the new 'fall back' time.  Of course, this was something that I kept telling myself to do ... and didn't, resulting in me waking up at 2:00 a.m. instead of 3:00 a.m. as I'd intended.

If you've read any other marathon race reports from me you know that my standard race morning routine consists of wake-up, immediate 15 min. shuffle, breakfast, shower, travel and finally arrival at start line 60 min. before the gun goes off.  I managed to stick to this plan and felt good by the time that I arrived at the ArcelorMittal Dofasco Park ... really good.  I managed to spot and connect with several friends prior to the 7:30am start (including David Waters going for his BQ, Peter Leventis who signed up last minute just to see what would happen, Fast Bill who handed off my race bib to me and was aiming for his sub-2:50 PB and fellow Skechers Performance athlete Adam Hortian who was tackling his first marathon ever) and got all of my 'business' out of the way before lining up at the front of the pack in the starting chute.

The race
I'd planned on going out with even kilometre splits the whole way, even on the downhill stretch on the expressway.  In my mind I felt that if I approached this race the way that I treat the marathons that I've paced that I would keep things under control and play a smart game.

As always the first ten kilometres or so feel easy-peasy, but that's just the way that I wanted them to feel.  Starting at the front of the race pack I was passed by numerous runners but I thought that that was ok since I anticipated passing many of them in the later stages of the race.  While there was no official 3:00 marathon pacer I did manage to find a group of about six guys who were hugging the 4:15/km pace and so I tried to stay in that pack to feed off of their collective energy.

Things clicked along fine until the expressway.

I'm not sure if I had psyched myself out long before arriving at the on-ramp but by the time that we crossed the half-way mark (Strava tells me I went through 21k in 1:29:23 - bang on goal pace) and started the long stretch downhill I feared for the worst.  Immediately the wind seemed to pick up and blow straight into our faces ... and as I wanted to keep a steady pace I started to lose touch with the group that had chosen to try to work with gravity's pull.  That of course left me fending for myself without the benefit of any bodies to draft off of, and try as I might I couldn't reel myself back into the 3-hour pack.

When the course finally leveled out again and we approached the waterfront I felt like my chances were shot ... my right hip started providing negative feedback (and I've never had any hip pain in my 6+ years of running) and while the Endurance Tap gels were still fueling the main engine my stride length was getting shorter and shorter.  Even during the flattest part of the race I saw my pace per kilometre creep up and I began to be passed by various other marathoners.  With about 3km to go my right hamstring also decided to completely spasm forcing me to come to a screeching halt and work out the cramped muscle through a combination of hammering the back of my leg and doing a hybrid Frankenstein-like shuffle.

It was a painful (in more of a psychological than physical way) ending to my day when I crossed the finish line, even though I clocked my second best marathon time ever.  I knew that I was in 3 hour shape, and a new PB was there for the taking - but this particular race course just doesn't seem to agree with me.  Now I know that I also need to factor in that this was my sixth marathon of 2016 - three more than I completed in 2015 - but that doesn't mitigate the sense of disappointment much.

Even in the agonizing last moments I give my props to the RunNinjas

Post-race
The one consolation was that after crossing the finish line I found out that my friend Adam had actually won the marathon, debuting with a 2:29.  I chatted briefly with him and as strong a runner as he is even he found himself reduced to walking at points during the home stretch along the Burlington waterfront.  I suppose that this race takes its pound of flesh out of everyone.

And there was no rest for the wicked - I immediately proceeded to hop into my car and drove home to pick up my daughter and head out to a nine hour theatre rehearsal (with only a super-quick change of clothes as a break).  In the most remarkable way I felt fresher doing dance routines during the rehearsal than I did for the second half of the marathon.

So it's back to the drawing board for 2017.  I'm not sure if I'm going to chase a sub-3 marathon again next year - after some much needed downtime I may look at trying to hunt down a sub-1:25 half-marathon first, or the elusive sub-40min. 10k.  For now 'tis the season for ice cream and snooze buttons.

Thanks for all of your encouragement and support - perhaps we'll see you out on the roads and trails again soon!

Race gear for the 2016 Hamilton Marathon:

• Skechers Performance singlet
• Skechers Performance split short
• Fox River ankle socks
• Skechers GOMeb Speed Elite
• Epson Runsense SF-810 GPS watch

Race report - 2016 Hamilton Marathon Road2Hope

race report - 2014 Hamilton Marathon Road2Hope

just when you thought it was all going according to plan.

that was the refrain of the day for this year's edition of the hamilton marathon road2hope.

of all of the races which i had on the schedule this year, this was really the only one that i thought of as a 'run this for me' kind of race.  the other marathons that i'd been a part of in 2014 were either (a) training for another race or (b) to assist others.  as such, i viewed the hamilton marathon as a target race at which i hoped to post a solid PB given its layout and self-promotion as 'canada's fastest boston qualifier'.

pre-race
considering that i was coming off of pacing the county marathon just four weeks prior, i tried to do everything right.  i took off extra days when i needed to in order to recover (and trust me, after two separate nights of excruciating and mysterious medial knee pain i listened to my body) as well as tapering appropriately while maintaining adequate speed work.  i even monitored my plan for achieving race weight (target was 137 lbs.) carefully so that it was a slide down and not a rapid drop.  and once again i also performed a three-day carboload to ensure that i had enough in the tank to put in a solid effort run.

this year i was thinking of avoiding the extra trip down to the expo pre-race but as it turned out everyone else who i knew was going to be running the same day were going to wait until the morning of to get kitted out - except for my buddy steve who was going to stay overnight in hamilton.  as i prefer to lay everything out the night before a race, i decided that i would go down early saturday morning and get a run in on the burlington waterfront before snagging my race package, as well as a couple of others as i received a couple of requests when it became known that i would do the day before pickup.

the saturday morning shake-out run proved to be a very windy and chilly affair - which was somewhat helpful in gauging how i would need to dress for the forecasted -6°C starting conditions on sunday at 8:00 am.  honestly, i felt badly for the 5k and 10k runners who would be competing on saturday morning because if they were hoping for a fast run these were not the conditions ... and if they were hoping for a recreational, enjoyable run, these were not the conditions.

the expo itself was again held in one of the large event tents at the confederation park finish line area.  the pickup was no-nonsense and very straightforward, with several sponsors and vendors including running free, the runner's den (a title sponsor), clif bar, honey maxx, and the filmmaker from Transcend who had been making the rounds to various expos and running events since debuting at the chicago marathon earlier this month.

race day
with plans to travel down to hamilton with my friends kathleen and rolf, i woke up from a decent night's sleep at 3:30 am.  after a decent peanut butter & banana bagel washed down by a beet juice/electrolyte drink mix, i felt like i was ready to roll when kathleen picked me up at 5:00 am.  i'd checked and double-checked my backpack to make sure i had everything i'd need - which i did.

(*cue ominous foreshadowing music*)

kathleen asked if i could drive her vehicle as she was still in the process of a long recovery from a concussive injury - and explained how she debated coming at all to run today, but that with plans to take it very easy (for the half-marathon distance) she felt that all would be fine.  so we went and picked up rolf and began our trek southwards.

about 40 minutes later down the highway, in and amidst our banter about race preparation and aspirations for the day the penny dropped.

i slugged kathleen in the shoulder from my driver side position and said "i forgot your race kit".

i'd picked up hers and rolf's kits along with mine, but rolf had swung by the house on saturday afternoon to nab his.  in all my morning prep to make sure that i was good to go, i stepped out the door leaving kathleen's kit hanging on a coathook.

i was in absolutely disbelief.

kathleen broke out into laughter.

almost as if a wave of relief had washed over her, she declared how glad that she was that she had a legitimate reason to not run today and risk feeling unwell for the next week or more.  it didn't do much to allay my own incredible feelings of guilt at this epic blunder, but rolf also agreed that these things happen for a reason.  with that we continued on our merry way, although (as you might have anticipated) this became the source of many comments in jest throughout the day.

after being graciously dropped off by kathleen near the start line, rolf and i met up with a few other runners from barrie - erin, wendy and kevin - and i also spotted my friends peter and steve.  we wished each other the best, and then steve and i lined up close to the front of the 'chute' to try to reduce as much weaving and surging as possible.

rolf and i ready to rock hamilton!

 wendy, rolf, erin, kevin and me representing the Barrie RoadRunners

my plan was to go out at a 3:10 pace (4:30/km), as i felt like i was honestly in good shape to post at least a 3:10 marathon.  but my real hope was to pick up speed after about 24km and finish with a negative split.  in the early kilometres i got swallowed up by the 3:15 pacer group and had thoughts of sticking with them for the first half, especially after hearing the pacer speak of how you can lose a good 20s per kilometre if running unshielded from the wind down the parkway.  however, feeling like i really need to stay ahead of the group, i edged ahead at one of the first aid stations and stayed out in front of them, feeling comfortable and clicking off 4:30-ish kilometres with ease.

through to km 21:  1:34:41 

then it came time to scoot down the red hill parkway, and the wind played into the picture.  it didn't feel too daunting, and i played it smart by picking up the cadence so that i wasn't pounding my quads, and i ran all of the tangents as tightly as possible.  still, i was out there for the entire parkway stretch (and more) alone, exposed to the brunt of the wind.  and all of that must have taken more of a toll than i realized.

km 22 through km 34:  59:04

the last leg of this race runs back and forth along the lake, and as i passed the 35km sign i had flashbacks to last year, when at this point the 3:15 group passed me by with ease.  this time around i was determined that this would not happen - and while my turnover seemed fine to me, i began to notice the occasional person here and there passing me, and my kilometre splits creeping up around 5:00/km.  

i didn't want to admit it, but my legs were beginning to rebel.  

my fueling had gone well.  for the first time in any marathon i didn't feel even the slightest twinge of a muscle spasm.  i was running tall, and pumping with my arms to keep up the rhythm for my legs.  i had on my Skechers GOMeb Speed 2s to remind me that older can still be better.  how could everything be rolling in my favour and yet my pace slowing so much?

on the same stretch of the hamilton beach trail that i'd run the day before i was willing myself through to the end - but it didn't prevent the 3:15 group (of about eight runners) from passing me with 4km to go.  i just couldn't muster the reserves to keep up with them.  in fact, the only last gasp that i had was a sprint finish down the last 150m straightaway as i dueled a fellow marathoner to cross the line first.

battling #260 to the very end [photo by mike cheliak of My Sports Shooter]

km 35 through km 42.195:  48:46

official chip time:  3:16:54  [garmin time:  3:17:16 for 42.69km]

post-race
it was just after i crossed that i noticed my friend and fellow running ninja lewis who had come down unannounced to cheer me on.  after a quick connect, i grabbed some snacks, pizza and soup from the racer's tent and then roamed with lewis to try to find some of our mutual friends.  we found steve who looked fresh after having crossed the line in 2:54:16 at his first marathon ever - a clean BQ time and well under his 3:00 goal.  i was in total awe, and extremely proud of his 9th place finish.

erin wound up clearing 3:32:00 for another consecutive year of qualifying for Boston.  rolf and kevin crossed the line at just over the 4:00 mark, both of them trying to outdo the other down the closing 150m.  an excellent result for both of them as well.

as i reflected on the race, a few observations emerged:

1. how did i ever get to thinking that a 3:17 marathon was disappointing? even though i missed my 'A' and 'B' goal, i posted my best time yet on this course by over a minute.
2. since i am now in the window to qualify for the 2016 Boston Marathon, i've moved up an age category and cleared the BQ time by eight minutes.
3. i don't think that i've yet felt like i had a strong race on the road2hope course - it may not agree with me.
4. i may have been overambitious in trying to run two solid marathons four weeks apart - either that or i've taxed myself just a bit too hard this training year.  i do still feel like i was in 3:10 marathon shape - but maybe i played my cards in the wrong order.
5. i can hit race weight - my scale read 141.8 lbs on sunday morning.
6. for 2015 i'm going to look at running a bunch of different races from ones that i've now grown accustomed to ... i'm already passing on the mississauga marathon next spring in favour of the waterloo marathon.  i've added the sulphur springs 50k trail race in may, and will plan on going to collingwood to tackle The North Face Endurance Challenge 50 miler in july.  i'm also seriously considering entering the lottery for the chicago marathon, or perhaps registering for the detroit international marathon (both taking place in october).  i will also see if i can pick some more races where i can dovetail with the presence of Skechers Performance Division and Team Running Free.
7. my off-season focus will shift to developing a better engine for running - i'm motivated to read pete magill's build your running body and try to develop the components that i will use to push for more successful races next year.

as eager as i am to plan my calendar for next year, i am pretty much on the cusp of off-season.  i just have an adventure race with my friends sean (kathleen's husband) and norm this coming weekend - my first foray into any kind of orienteering-based race.  after that, it's a welcome break into ice cream and doritos again.

#GOlikeneverbefore!

race report - 2014 Hamilton Marathon Road2Hope

2013 hamilton marathon road2hope - race report

this past sunday i managed to complete my third marathon of the calendar year, and the fifth road race of 2013.  that in and of itself constitutes a milestone, as it eclipses any amount of racing that i'd put in previously, and certainly the most amount of concerted training miles logged within a 12 month period.

while i did not cap off the season on a high note, it was nonetheless an excellent experience and has me poised to take on 2014 with as much vigour and determination as ever.

the expo
it was only a couple of weeks ago that i was last at confederation park to race the MEC burlington race series five (10k).  that day it was a rather demure place - but on the saturday that i visited the hamilton marathon expo it was buzzing with people as the 5k and 10k races were slated for that day.  
overcast, cool and rainy, it was not the most pleasant day to be traipsing around the field at the park.  to the credit of the Hamilton Marathon organizers, it was not a complicated task retrieving the race kit (one tent) and then perusing the expo vendors (tent next door).  it helps that i'd been here last year and knew the drill, but all the same it was very straightforward. 

i actually find the road2hope expo to be just the right size - not too much in the way of promotions from other races, just a couple of local running store retailers (peddling the expected 3-for-$5.00 gel deals), and some nutrition freebies/taste tests.  especially appreciated was the latter, as the honeymaxx sports drink being served on-course was not one that i'd tried - but with the tasting booth set-up i was able to at least figure out how easy it would be to down ... and the lemon-lime went down just fine.

after collecting everything that i needed (for me and for trevor), it was a quick turnaround for the 100 minute drive back home.

race day
lewis, trevor and i made the trip down to burlington together early (5:00 am) on sunday morning - the saving grace for us was that it was the 'fall back' part of the daylight savings time observance, so we were all pretty wide-eyed and bushy-tailed for that time of the day.

we arrived at one of the parking lots near the start line (lewis' intention was to volunteer, so we didn't have to park at the finish line and shuttlebus up) and quickly made our way in the building at arcelor-mittal park.  we hoped to spot our friends norm and kathleen (both first time marathoners) and their families, as well as connect with stan.  a bit of stretching ensued, as well as porta-potty lineups, but alas no norm, kathleen or stan.

trevor and i headed out for a few kms of warmup, during which time we did come across stan.  he looked ready to rock, as he was aiming for a sub-2:50 time.  we noted that the conditions were decent, albeit a bit on the breezy side.  when the sun peeked out it was quite refreshing - and when shrouded behind cover, the temps snuck closer toward bone-chilling.

as the cattle call to lineup in the starting chute was issued, we managed to spot kathleen doing her final line-up for relief, and so was able to wish her the best.  trevor and i then introduced ourselves to the 3:15 pacer (since that was my goal - remember that) who was a jovial and encouraging cat named harvey.

i should have known that edging our way closer to the front (ahead of harvey and the 3:15ers) was a precursor of things to come.

fast forward ...

the first 21km were really quite uneventful, in all of the right ways.  the route which winds through the hamilton mountain countryside was enjoyable and tranquil.  trevor was again a courteous and efficient pacer, pointing me toward the flattest part of the road, allowing me to take the tightest tangents, and giving me the regular thumbs-up to indicating that we were on track.  i had a few conversations with other runners here and there, but really limited the chit-chat as my coach this summer told me that talking uses up energy, so to keep it in reserve instead.  from time to time it was convenient/helpful to tuck in behind a taller runner and draft as the wind was a noticeable factor in various open stretches of road.

as we started to crest our way toward the parkway and longest downhill stretch of the race, i started to breakaway from trevor and fell in with two other runners as we took turns drafting and leading.  

related digression:  there's a verse from the christian scriptures that goes like this ...

"I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do what I hate." ~ romans 7:15 (new living translation)

at this point of the game i was on pace for a 3:10 marathon.  while padding my ego, that was not the game plan.  and i was hoping beyond hope that this would not come back to bite me in the butt.

25k ... 26k ... 27k ... 28k ... 29k .... 30k.  so far so good.  no breathing problems à la erie marathon.  still on track with a 4:32/km pace, having fought the wind on the parkway.

♪ ♫ ♩ ♬ i believe i can fly ... ♩ ♬ ♪ ♫

well, i don't think that i need to tell you what happened next.

the trusty ol' GPS watch started to feed back to me that my kilometre splits were creeping up toward 5:00 per.  then i started to watch as some familiar faces stride past me.  i feared the worst as at around 33km i heard what sounded like one of the pace bunnies pumping our motivational words to his pack of runners - and they were drawing closer and closer.

sure enough, it was our man harvey.

honestly, i was surprised to see about 12 runners still hanging with 3:15 harvey.  last year at this point, there were only about four runners with the 3:15 pacer, of which i was one.  knowing that i'd made it to the 35km mark with the 3:15 group last year, i grit my teeth and tried my hardest to stick with this pack before they lost me.

but to no avail.

the feet were failing me now.  the stride turnover could not keep up, and painfully i watched the 3:15 pull toward the horizon without me.  it was quite deflating knowing that i was not going to be able to hit my target once again, but all the same i pushed and pushed - one km at a time - and somehow did manage to regain some form for the finishing straightaway.

crossed the line in 3:25:10 and immediately had my left hamstring seize up like crazy.  couldn't walk, but thankfully my pal lewis was there to greet me/hold me up/escort me to the medical tent.  i only needed a bit of water and a quick sit in the 'waiting room' chair, but it was my first interaction with the nurses at any race.  i'm one step closer to being like one of my idols, yuki kawauchi, who pretty much passes out at the conclusion of every marathon.

post-race
lewis and i waited for trevor to finish - i'd assumed he'd be more or less right behind me (given his 3:38 finish in mississauga) but apparently quad spasms overtook him and it was past the 4hr mark before he crossed the finish.  i managed to also see kathleen cross (absolutely elated), but had to dash before norm completed the race.  i was truly bummed about that, as this was a bucket list item for him - to complete a marathon by the time that he turned 50.

the trip home was pretty serene for lewis, as he drove with two dopey (and sleepy) passengers.  i felt a bit nauseous along the way - not as bad as stan mind you - but it was probably a combination of fatigue and too many post-race pizza fingers.

so another BQ opportunity missed.  i will still some time to process it all, but i think that the big lessons for me were:

1. don't be so dumb next time - there's a reason that absolutely everyone warns of going out too fast.  i'm confident that my conditioning would have seen me much closer to 3:15 had i run the first half more conservatively.
2. i can run a marathon non-stop.  i'd never done that before - all of my other races i'd walked through most of the aid stations.
3. a spasm can be worked out while still moving.  at 35k my right hamstring went completely, but i determined not to stop running - and while there were several metres of modified stride, eventually i regained full elasticity and use.
4. the fueling formula is still a bit of a mystery.  my first marathon involved five full gels - this one only needed three.
5. i like training on higher mileage plans, like 100-120km per week.  

what's next?  well, i'm thinking of taking on a trail ultra next summer, as well as possibly pacing a friend of mine through a 100km run for charity in the late winter.  as far as BQ opportunities go, look for me at mississauga in may once again.

2013 hamilton marathon road2hope - race report

time to hit the road(2hope)

just wanted to post a quick shout-out to everyone running this weekend's Hamilton Marathon Road2Hope - no matter what your distance or your goal, know that i'm rooting for you and stand with you in pride as to your accomplishments (and sacrifices) that have gotten you to the start line.

specifically i'm cheering for a few friends:

• kathleen, who will be running her first marathon and hoping for a sub-4:00 finish
• norm, also running his first marathon (and second race ever) - hoping to finish before they collect the course pylons and put away the beer
• stan, who is gunning for an uber-impressive sub-2:50 time
• trevor, who will be running his second marathon and pacing me toward a BQ time
• lewis, who will be volunteering for the first time at a race event.

here's wishing you all a great weekend ahead!

time to hit the road(2hope)

race report - MEC burlington race five (10k)

i've been using a slightly modified version of the pfitzinger/douglas intra-marathon plan to prep for the hamilton marathon since it will have only been seven weeks since the erie marathon.  integrated into that plan is a 10k race for this week's tempo run, which i ran today in burlington as part of the MEC race series.  the additional incentive to trek all that way was that the event took place in confederation park, the finishing location of the hamilton marathon - so it would give me a chance to feel out and visualize what the home stretch will be like in a couple of weeks.

first off, let me say that the MEC race series is a great community initiative, as it's a non-threatening, value-priced running event that offers everyone from the novice to the experienced athlete an opportunity to compete and enjoy an organized race.  kudos to MEC for encouraging activity at the local level!

pre-race
i didn't make the jaunt down to burlington to pick up my race kit in advance, so together with my friends trevor and lewis i headed out at 5:30am this morning for a 9:10am start.  it's about 1h40m to drive from barrie to burlington, so we gave ourselves plenty of time to get trevor registered as well as to pick up kits, grab a coffee, and put in a few warm-up kilometres.

the theme of the trip out to burlington was clarity - we were both discussing the importance of clarity of vision in leadership as well as the clarity of my windshield.  it seems that the defogging system on my 1990 mazda 323 doesn't want to work effectively, and so the three of us were peering through smudged/smeared glass as we tried to discern the positioning of our car relative to the painted highway markers as well as to other vehicles.  where was the sham-wow when i could have used one ...?

arriving as early as we did, the race organizers had barely set up their tables to receive registrants.  nonetheless, trevor managed to complete the requisite form to get into the race, and even managed to pick up his bib before lewis and i (who were standing in line one canopy-tent over).  the kit consisted of the bib, ipico timing chip (i'd only seen these used at the us olympic marathon trials, but apparently they were used in the london marathon and were designed especially to overcome challenges in open water swims) and MEC-branded drawstring bag (which i neglected to pick up).

as it was a brisk, overcast morning we decided to risk another quick trip in the mazda over to the local tim horton's to satisfy a coffee fix.  it was a short visit, but enough to help us stay warm and kill some time before the pre-race warm-up.

the race
the 10k course itself (there was a half-marathon run that preceded us by 10min., and a 5k run starting at the same time as the 10k) proved only modestly confusing, as there was a bit of winding within the parking lot before opening up on the park roadway and linking up with the lakeshore paved trail.
there was no bike pacer, and only pylons most of the way to help marshal us and ensure that we stayed to the prescribed route - only the aid station (at the 4k mark) was staffed and they were helpful in checking whether we were 5k or 10k runners.

trevor had convinced me to stick with him from the outset, and i should have known from our conversation in the car ("i always seem to start races fast") that we'd be busting it from the get-go.  the first two kilometres were 3:39 and 3:58 - just about interval paces for me, but comfortable for trevor.  looking ahead of us at that point there were about six runners leading the pack, so we both figured that if we kept to this we'd be pulling in seventh and eighth place.  of course we'd forgotten that there were 5k runners in with us, and it wasn't apparent until the 5k turnaround point that we were actually two of the three frontrunners in the 10k.

it was a reasonably taxing run for me throughout - at moments i felt my breathing accelerate and chest tighten (oh no ... shades of the erie marathon bronchoconstriction breakdown!) so i consciously relaxed my posture and stride a bit over a few steps to settle down.  otherwise, the conditions were near perfect - about 7°C, no wind, intermittent lake spray/drizzle.  all well suited to help me stay close to the pace i'd need to finish up with my goal time of sub-42 min.

as we rounded the bend into the finishing straightaway, trevor encouraged me to give it everything i had left.  i'd visualized this moment over the past couple of days, and intuitively knew that i still had a decent kick left in the bank - so i stretched out my fingers to get into a sprinting arm swing and focused on quick and light leg turnover.  i'm not sure how the pictures will turn out, but in my mind i was doing my very best mo farah:

who knows if it he was giving it his all, but trevor says that he managed to stay on my heels but couldn't catch me for the finish.  so while we crossed the line in 2nd and 3rd place (separated by 0.5s), he would have been a clear second had he run his pace for the entire race.  truly an unselfish runner and generous friend.

i noted after we crossed the timing mat that my garmin indicated we'd run 10.19k, so my 'gps time' differs by about 32 seconds.  the overall splits were:

post-race
trevor and i pretty much continued moving beyond the finish line to get in a 2k cool-down jog, and returned just in time to meet our friend lewis who was rounding the home stretch turn.  he'd told us that his goal was to clear 60 min., and when i saw that the clock read 57:51 i started waving my arms wildly to urge him to finish strong.  and he did, in 58:23.

while changing into drier and warmer clothes at the car, trevor and i missed the medal presentations.  it was really quite a minor affair - especially since the organizer responsible for the medals had forgotten them at the local MEC retail store.  so apparently we will receive our spoils 'in the mail'.

all in all, a great road trip with two good friends, an enjoyable race and a confidence-boosting result.  a great way to spend a saturday morning!

race report - MEC burlington race five (10k)

inov-8 bare-x 180 - road review

once again i'm beginning to feel a little shoe-indulgent.  after spending several years working for nike canada, i amassed quite the locker of footwear.  then taking up with tennis canada, i also once again added to that collection ... so much so that the agreement with my wife was that for every pair in one pair had to exit.

that's worked well ... until i took up running and blogging.  and now my shoe collection is starting to bulge once again.

anyway, as i contemplate which pair of shoes is next in line for retirement, let me share my thoughts on the inov-8 bare-x 180s.

these shoes would never have hit my radar if not for my friend/advisor/inspiration stan.  he was wearing them the first time that we met on the roads of the mississauga marathon, and between his review of these shoes and recurring recommendations of them i definitely knew that i wanted to give them a shot.  as of right now, i'm definitely thankful that i finally followed through.

what's great about these shoes?

• zero-drop - if you didn't already know by now, my preference is to try to run as naturally and minimally as possible while still retaining some protection on the bottom (and top) of my feet.  the bare-x 180s have no differential in height from heel to toe.
• lightweight - listed at about 6.4 oz for the standard men's size 9, mine are not much more than that at 9.5 (US).  feels even lighter than that because of how comfy a fit they provide.
• toebox - plenty of width for footsplay when mid-to-forefoot striking, and lengthwise these fit perfectly - even better than my reigning-and-defending champ of running shoes, the merrell road glove (first iteration).
• groovy colours - chili/mint ... can you dig it, suckaaaaaaaa?!
  
  
• hand - technically this is the term for how a fabric feels between your fingers and thumb, but i think it's applicable here.  these shoes just feel incredibly nice when you don them.  stan chose to use the term "luxurious", and i don't disagree.
• low stack-height - this is looking like a rundown of all of my favourite qualities that you can find in a shoe.  these shoes measure in at 6mm sole height + 3mm insole for a grand total of 9mm.  running on crushed limestone trails, there was no problem with discomfort from the terrain while still maintaining suitable ground feel.  the odd large pebble here and there i did notice, but not enough to cause any bruising or lasting effects.
• outsole - with a grand total of 42km (not all in one marathon or anything) put on these, durability is not something that i can yet comment on.  however, i'm happy to say something about traction - initially i was worried that since the outsole does not look particularly rugged that it might prove a bit slippy under certain conditions.  this past sunday i went out for a 29km run in the pouring rain and these shoes were tacky like you wouldn't believe.  never once did i have any concerns about grip, and there was pooling water all over the road pavement.  plus i just have to mention how awesome the wet sole print is:
  
  
  i may have to wear these under my hallowe'en costume ...

'nuff said about the good stuff.  as for the drawbacks/downsides to this shoe?   listen in and find out:

all told, i'm glad that stan's comparison of the bare-x 180s to the merrell road gloves has stood up.  as i've said, the RGs have been my favourite running shoes to date, and there are certain qualities to the road gloves that i still love beyond other shoes.  i will have to see after i wear the bare-x 180s for the hamilton marathon whether they are ultimately as comfortable for that distance as the RGs.  all indications are that these shoes are worthy of five (skeletal) footprints out of five.

inov-8 bare-x 180 - road review

2013 erie marathon at presque isle - race report

with all my hopes for a boston qualifying time pinned (literally) on this past weekend's marathon in erie, pennsylvania, i set out to put together what would was intended to be my best 42.195km run ever.

pre-race
being my first ever 'destination' race, i was up and at 'em early on saturday morning making the 4.5 hour drive across the u.s. border to presque isle state park - site of the race expo and start/finish line.  after a short pause in st. catherines to stretch my legs and fit in an easy 4km jog, i crossed the peace bridge into the united states.  

the border control guard was a riot.  in response to his question about my reason for entering the country, i told him that i was racing in a marathon - to which he quickly said "how many miles is that?".  telling him 26, he continued to quiz me about how many times a week i'd run as well as the average distances.  after about 4 minutes of running-related banter, he simply said "wow patrick, you are the man.  go have a great race!" - and sent me on my merry way.

the race expo at presque isle state park's rotary pavilion was well staffed and easy to navigate - mostly because it was pretty spartan.  about 10 windows for race kit pick-up (no ID required) meant that you had your bag in hand within 30 seconds of arrival and then it was time to peruse the five or so vendor tents that were set up.  even though there wasn't much to see, i have to say that i was impressed with the goodies that came with race registration.

yes, you even get socks!

after checking into the "America's Best Value Inn" (courtesy of priceline.com) i met up with stan and his family for supper at the local Eat'n Park.  this was a great find, as i'd never stopped into one before and they have this crazy all-you-can-eat soup & salad bar for something like $2.25.  my spaghetti meal (can you say carbo load?) and unlimited soup/salad came to just over $9.00 USD.  unreal.

bedtime came early, around 8pm.  settled into my nicely 70s-decor room and faded off to la-la land.

race day
between the early morning race start (scheduled for 7:00 am - i arrived at the park at about 5:45 am) and the tree-canopied drive in the park, it was about as a dark as could be.  even after being directed by volunteers to the appropriate parking lot and space, i could barely make out the directions to the start area.

the lineups for the park washrooms and porta-potties was unreal.  i started out waiting for the men's washroom in one of the park buildings, but after a 25 min. wait and only advancing about six feet forward, i decided to take my chances by wandering towards the start area where more porta-potties were situated.  the wait there didn't turn out to be much better, but i knew that i needed to clear my system before getting into the race so i waited - for a grand total of 50 min. in line.  i got into the starting chute just as the Star Spangled Banner was wrapping up, so had about 3 min. to spare.

while warming up in the crowd awaiting the starter's horn, i heard "patrick?  patrick voo?"  odd given that i was about 400km from home in a different country.

it turned out to be patrick connor, a fellow that i'd met twice before at the mississauga marathon (2012, 2013).  in 2012 we were the only two "patricks" in the marathon field and we finished within a second of one another.  crazy small world it is.

as the race started, we moved from a pavilion area onto the path out toward the main road - this meant bottlenecking.  while i did want to start out conservatively, this was a shuffle pace (foreshadowing, folks).  it took about 800m to clear the congestion and find a lane with some other runners aiming to go at about 4:30/km.

i'd promised my coach, rick ball, that i would stick to the plan and the pace band that he'd provided for me.  and for the first half of the race, that's exactly how things went.  i was to cross 10k in 45:00 - i did so in 45:11 (not bad considering the time i lost during the first km).  running the tangents and meeting only two slight incline portions along the route, i hit the halfway mark at gun time 1:35:47, at which point stan (who'd been waiting there since the 7:30 am half marathon start) joined to help pace me through to the end.

the second half started out ok - stan indicated that things looked and sounded good, since my breathing was not laboured and we were able to keep to the 4:30ish pace.  it was at about 27km that the wheels started to come off.

it began as a slight decline in pace.  i expected that there would be tough points along the way, so this was not a surprise.  i tried to power through it, but it was what came next that really was the body blow.

i experienced tightness in my core that was reminiscent of the strange diaphragm spasms that i had at the end of the beaches jazz run. it was increasingly difficult to breathe, and as a result i had to slow my pace down until finally stan stopped me so that we could do an upper torso stretch.  when it was possible to breathe clearly again, we started back out trying to reclaim the pace, if not the lost time - but this was short-lived, as after every 800m or so i felt the full onslaught of this constriction again.  

time began slipping away, and when i finally realized that this was not going to end well, i urged stan to run on as he was hoping to get back to toronto that afternoon to compete in the league championship game with his soccer team (what an athlete!). 

this left me to meander my way through the rest of the race - meander being the operative word, as my hamstrings and calves started to spasm because of the lack of oxygen getting to them during my spurts of running.  eventually the running became staggered sections of shuffling (at about a 7:00-7:20/km pace).  however, along the way i did make some new friends - others who i stopped to encourage (and was encouraged by) as muscle spasms made for stretching and walking breaks.  

the 26 mile marker was a welcome sign, and when the final turn was made and the finish line was in sight, i mustered up enough pride to start turning the legs over so that the final leg photographs would be of me at least simulating a running cadence.  

i hung out a bit to take advantage of the chocolate milk, fresh subs, water and cookies.  while munching down i paused to cheer on various other finishers in both the half and full marathons as they came down the finishing chute - all this while still in stunned confusion as to what had just happened to me on the same course.

after a quick change of clothes, i decided that there was no reason to hang out around erie much longer than i needed to and so headed back down the interstate toward niagara falls.  the trek home was long enough for me to drift across geographical and mental states ... i wafted from 'maybe it's time to call it a running career' to 'just take your break until next spring' to 'i hope that boston's sold out anyway'.  stan also texted me with words of encouragement, indicating that he and his wife wondered if i wasn't dealing with exercise-induced bronchoconstriction.  

by the time that i rolled into my driveway i'd settled on the fact that much like one of my running heroes, yuki kawauchi, i would race again.  soon.  

(incidentally, also like yuki, i shaved my head the next day in shame because i felt that i'd let down my coach and running partners)

and with that, i registered the next day for the hamilton marathon.  with seven weeks between races, it will be the shortest break i will have taken between marathon attempts.  it's a race that a i ran last year and quite enjoyed, for the company if not for the result.  but with a steely determination, i am focused on conquering the mountain and coming away with a new personal record. 

so it is that i will leave behind my worst 'serious' race to date.  my only real solace (besides the fact that i managed to not claim this world record) is that in less than two months i will once again try to best this grueling contest.

bet against me if you will.

2013 erie marathon at presque isle - race report