Totals:
Running: 380.28 km, 13 runs (29.25 km average)
Mountain Biking: 207.54 km, 8 trips (25.94 km average)
Races:
May 1, 2010: Elk/Beaver Lake 50 km (4:47:28)
May 2, 2010: Vancouver Marathon (4:27:26)
Longest run: 62 km from Penticton to Kelowna via the Kettle Valley Railway trail.
Longest mountain bike: 49.59 km bike up Lost Lake trail and then to the lake before Chute lake on the KVR.
Hardest run: Running to Penticton (well Naramata is where I got picked up). 52 km from Kelowna to Naramata after working a hard 8 hour shift at work and then having a massive storm hit me during the run for a solid hour of my time on my feet.
Second hardest run: Vancouver marathon. Running a marathon the day after running a 50 km race was very hard.
Most common run: I ran Knox mountain six times this month. Every time I went a little further and a little harder. I really like running up and down Knox Mountain. I am almost to the point where I can run non stop up the trails. I have been able to run up the road non stop for quite some time now, but I really can't stand running on the road, if at all possible I skip the road for the trail.
Elevation gain: If I run from my house up to the peak of Knox Mountain and back I get a total of 1400 feet elevation gain.
Gain of 1400 ft: six times.
Plus runs with gains of (in feet): 2598, 2982, 3091, 4478, 4823
I've experimented with a few different sports drinks, gels, and bars during my runs. And I also have gotten into the habit of making protein shakes for my post run eats. I've settled with a plan of running with Hammer's 'Perpetuem' (carbs and protein and electrolytes), Gatorade mix, Clif shot gels, and my 3 litre hydration pack, and taking cheap granola bars with me. And for after a run I make a shake consisting of (1 scoop soy protein which has about 26 g protein, 1 scoop of meal replacement which has 6 g protein 15 g carbs as well as other vitamins, a banana, 1/4 cup applesauce, 1 cup milk, and a tablespoon of peanut butter). It seems to work well. And of course pasta after a run, and the night before (well that means every night is pasta night but that means energy so yay for pasta).
I got around to buying a nice pair of spandex leggings from the running room. Which is really nice because when I wear them I no longer need to worry about using vaseline to prevent chafing down there. And I haven't gotten one wood tick while wearing them. The only piece of clothing that I can think of that I want is a comfortable hat, I wear my white skullcap that I got at a race last year, but It's cotton and a little too warm for the summer days although it does a nice job as sunscreen replacement.
My anterior tibularis muscle on my left leg is doing really well compared to how it felt in late February and early March. It hasn't hurt me during a run all month. It does occasionally give me weird shooting sensations if I've had a really hard day at work though. But never while running. It's strange.
This month I've had three encounters with bears (only one was within 30 metres), a dozen run ins with deer, seen wild rabbits, marmots, tonnes of squirrels, crows, blue jays, robins, a few hawks, and today I saw a couple cows on the trails that had escaped from a nearby farm (they were so scared when I came around the corner).
Next month I'm running the 50 mile Scorched Sole race in Kelowna. I plan on running everyday for the next two weeks (well if not a run at least a mountain bike) and ramping up the miles in those two weeks. Then a recovery week followed by a week of easy runs and rest to prep for the 50 miler.
Running is my Zen.
Nazzer
Monday, May 31, 2010
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Wildlife
Running in the mountains I tend to see some interesting things (and usually fail at getting a decent picture of them).
Actually I saw two different piles of it, and they were both steaming fresh. I have no idea what it is, because bear poo looks like pudding patty piles and deer poo looks like this...
I've run into bears on several different occasions. Last year when I biked to Penticton and back via the Kettle Valley Railway I was taking shelter from a storm under a canopy and was taking a picture when I noticed a black bear (I think it was black) and her two cubs approaching the shelter, I left and was suddenly able to bike through the storm real fast. This is the best picture I could manage taking before I left.
Yeah, I failed really badly at getting a good picture. Last week when I was running the same route to Penticton I was cutting through Rock Oven Park and was passing through a clearing of trees (it had been cleared for a power line, but enough grass had grown in that it looked half decent) and saw two bear cubs. They were about 100 metres away from metre eating the long grass. I stopped and stared at them like an idiot in a trance. I wish I had my camera with me, but I had far too much other stuff in my pack to be able to carry it too. When I came out of my stupor I realized the momma bear was nowhere in sight so it was best that I made like a tree and leave, fast.
As well, I've run into a bear twice while mountain biking in Myra Bellevue Park in the last couple months. Once while pissing I saw one walking through the bushes, which was very scary as I really didn't feel like running away with my shorts down; and the other time I was coming down a wide trail and saw one at the side of the trail and it didn't seem to see me. Rather than stop and have a stare down and hope that it would walk away I made the quick decision to bike past it as fast as I could in the hopes that it wouldn't see me, turn around, and accelerate to the speed I was going to catch me. I'm not dead... but I think that was the wrong plan.
Brown bears: most attacks occur in the months of July, August and September. You are less likely to get attacked if you make noise so the bear is aware of your presence. And in direct confrontations with a brown bear you are statistically more likely to be attacked if you run, as opposed to standing your ground. Also, a brown bear will stand on its hind legs, huff and growl before attacking you. You want to play dead for brown bears.
Grizzly Bears: I'm pretty sure they are not around my area. Grizzlies are too large to climb trees so when confronted they respond by standing they ground and warding off attackers. Like a brown bear if it begins to huff and growl it is getting ready to attack. It may 'pop' its head also. I've read that you shouldn't try to outrun a grizzly, they can reach speeds of 45 km/hr. You're supposed to back away slowly from the bear, and avoid eye contact. Don't fight back with grizzlies, play dead. They are probably only attacking out defensively.
Black bears: Are supposedly 'timid' compared to other bears. At first if you encounter a black bear you should stand tall, wave your arms, and slowly back away. But if they do attack, which is rare, fight back. Fuck their shit up!
So, play dead for brown bears and grizzly bears (grizzlies are a subspecies of brown bears), they can't climb too well so climbing a tree wouldn't be a bad idea, if you can get up there before the bear attacks you and fucks your shit up. And fight back for black bears... punch em in the face; they're like the bully at school, they huff and puff but once you punch em back they fuck right off.
I run into deer a lot. There's a herd of deer that live on Knox Mountain (I run there between 3 and 5 times a week these days), and there's lots of deer up in Myra Bellevue Park. Deer scare the crap out of me. They have these satanish black eyes that seem to stare at you empty and I can't imagine what they are thinking at all. And their heads don't swivel smoothly when they watch you move. I'm pretty sure the deer that live in the Okanagan are White-Tailed deer subspecies of some sort. Here's a picture of some that I came across on my way from Chute Lake to Kelowna last year.
Recently when I was biking in Myra Bellevue Park I saw what looked like signs that a buck had been rubbing its antlers against a tree to try and rub the fuzz off.
When I encounter deer I find that yelling at them in a deep voice gets them to move along, in the daytime at least. I have never gone for a run on Knox Mountain without running into at least one deer. I've done several night runs on Knox and find the deer very strange to run around at night. They seem to respect you less at night, and are harder to get to move. I can see them just fine with my headlamp on, but their eyes (which shine a light blue from my lamp) seem very disturbing at night. And sometimes they just don't move! It's ok if they are just lieing on the side of the mountain watching me, but when I have to run on a trail with several of them on each side of the trail it freaks me out. One time when I was running the lower trails at Myra Bellevue Park at night I ran through a herd of 15 deer (that's the number of eyes I counted) and none of them moved for me. I had to weave in and out and around them, I was within reaching distance of them and I swear I could have slapped them on the rear end if I was so afraid of them getting spooked and kicking me in the face.
I saw poo that looked like this on a recent run.
Actually I saw two different piles of it, and they were both steaming fresh. I have no idea what it is, because bear poo looks like pudding patty piles and deer poo looks like this...
I really wish I knew what type of animal it was from, I'd be a little less nervous running in those hills (not that I'd stop) but it would be nice to know.
And then of course there is the animals like marmots, squirrels and wild rabbits that move far too fast for me to get pictures of. Once I was attacked by something that I'm not sure if it was a wild rooster (is there even such a thing) or a really big quail. The thing had its feathers around its neck all puffed up and charged at me... I ran the other way, it was so sad.
I think I'll try and remember to take my camera with me more often to get more pictures of the wildlife I see.
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"Explore your limits and get to know yourself. You'll never feel more real than after the hardest workout, the longest run, the toughest week, or the best race of your life. Constantly make your own standards tougher" - Luke Watson
Keep on running.
Nazzer
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Penticton and Back
All last week I had been planning in my head running to Penticton and back. I live in Kelowna and there is an old railway bed, the Kettle Valley Railway, that runs on the east side of Okanagan Lake. If I take the highway to Penticton it's about 65 km's, and about 72 km's to my mother's house which is generally the pit stop when I make this trek. And if I take the KVR trail it's only about 60 km. My goal was to do this run, there and back in one go. Originally I wanted to do it on Monday as I had both Monday and Tuesday off. I worked 8-4 on Sunday, and it was stupid busy and we didn't get breaks at work. I was tired but I still planned on doing it, so Monday I woke up at 6 am, looked at the weathernetwork online and noticed that there would be massive thunderstorms. So I sighed a big sigh and went back to bed.
Tuesday came and went and I still wanted to do the run. I had Thursday off so I planned on leaving for Penticton as soon as I was done work on Wednesday around 3:30 pm. I figured I would get to see the sunset and the sunrise. I took with me 4 bottles of homemade gatorade (2 for the trip and 2 to leave in the car for when I returned), 6 Clif shots, 6 granola bars, 2 apples, 9 of my home made energy bars and 2 apples, as well as my 3 litre water backpack.
I maintained a real slow pace. Averaging about 9 km per hour. But I quickly realized I was tired. Running after working an eight hour shift on my feet maybe not the best idea. I took my ipod with me and I made sure to have a drink of water at least every song. Tried to remember to east something every 40 minutes or so.
It rained a little bit around the lake before Chute lake, but only lightly and then it stopped. I was quite pleased with myself for not stopping to walk, but maintaining a nice easy pace. It was starting to get dark out so I made it my goal to get to Rock Oven Park before the sunset so I could scout the trail's shortcut while it was still light, as at that time I planned on returning in the dark.
While cutting through Rock Oven Park I was walking across a clearing and saw two black bear cubs... I was scared, but couldn't help but stand and watch them for a minute. They didn't even notice me, but I knew there would be a mama bear around so it was best to make like a tree and leave. I loathe bears and deer, they scare me; a lot. So out of spite I made sure throughout the run to save all my peeing needs for a time when I saw bear poo, and peed all over their shit. Take that bears!
As soon as I got out of the shortcut trails it started to rain. RAIN! Thunderstorms! Massive. The weather channel said there would be up to 1 cm of rain. Well I'm pretty sure that I got a centimetre of rain every 5 minutes. I still had 15 km to go before I got to my mothers house. My mom knew that I was coming, so within 30 minutes of the storm starting she called and offered to come pick me up, and like the idiot that I am I said "no, what would be the point of running if I got a ride" It took me about 40 minutes of running through even harder rain to call her back and ask for a ride. I was drenched; I could have rung a litre of water out of my shirt. I had worn a windbreaker, and not a waterproof jacket... oi. I was so glad to have a hot shower, warm dry clothes and a hot meal and a warm bed to sleep in.
The run on the way there ended up being 52 km, in 5:40. I felt good, wasn't sapped of energy and I stayed hydrated well enough that I kept having to go to the bathroom throughout the run.
Slept in until 10 am and decided I would leave around 11:30. I ran for the first 15 km back to Kelowna, and then decided because I was only running 6:30 min/km it would be easier to just walk at a brisk pace. So I walked around 8:15 min/km the rest of the way. Easier to walk a little slower than pounding the feet and knees for hardly any extra pace. On the way back I had about 30 minutes of hail, and about 45 minutes of light rain, then the sun came out. With about 15 km left before I got to the car the tendon of my right anterior tibularis started to really hurt, and I had developed a heel on the bottom of my left heel, and I was drained of energy as well. I was so ecstatic to see my car once I got there. The second run was 62 km, and 8:20.
I really don't think I had any problems with hydration or with maintaining energy. It's just that I don't think that using solid energy bars as my primary source of fuel was a good choice. It left me feeling very odd in the stomach, which is problem why I didn't eat enough. But I just can't maintain my energy levels with just using with just Clif shot gels. I need to figure out a new fuel plan for really long runs.
"Take time to smell the roses. Don't rush through each day or life. Force yourself to slow down and absorb the present moment., and actually notice your surroundings, the sights, the sounds, and of course, the smells. Life is about the journey, not the destination."
Keep on running
Nazzer
Tuesday came and went and I still wanted to do the run. I had Thursday off so I planned on leaving for Penticton as soon as I was done work on Wednesday around 3:30 pm. I figured I would get to see the sunset and the sunrise. I took with me 4 bottles of homemade gatorade (2 for the trip and 2 to leave in the car for when I returned), 6 Clif shots, 6 granola bars, 2 apples, 9 of my home made energy bars and 2 apples, as well as my 3 litre water backpack.
I maintained a real slow pace. Averaging about 9 km per hour. But I quickly realized I was tired. Running after working an eight hour shift on my feet maybe not the best idea. I took my ipod with me and I made sure to have a drink of water at least every song. Tried to remember to east something every 40 minutes or so.
It rained a little bit around the lake before Chute lake, but only lightly and then it stopped. I was quite pleased with myself for not stopping to walk, but maintaining a nice easy pace. It was starting to get dark out so I made it my goal to get to Rock Oven Park before the sunset so I could scout the trail's shortcut while it was still light, as at that time I planned on returning in the dark.
While cutting through Rock Oven Park I was walking across a clearing and saw two black bear cubs... I was scared, but couldn't help but stand and watch them for a minute. They didn't even notice me, but I knew there would be a mama bear around so it was best to make like a tree and leave. I loathe bears and deer, they scare me; a lot. So out of spite I made sure throughout the run to save all my peeing needs for a time when I saw bear poo, and peed all over their shit. Take that bears!
As soon as I got out of the shortcut trails it started to rain. RAIN! Thunderstorms! Massive. The weather channel said there would be up to 1 cm of rain. Well I'm pretty sure that I got a centimetre of rain every 5 minutes. I still had 15 km to go before I got to my mothers house. My mom knew that I was coming, so within 30 minutes of the storm starting she called and offered to come pick me up, and like the idiot that I am I said "no, what would be the point of running if I got a ride" It took me about 40 minutes of running through even harder rain to call her back and ask for a ride. I was drenched; I could have rung a litre of water out of my shirt. I had worn a windbreaker, and not a waterproof jacket... oi. I was so glad to have a hot shower, warm dry clothes and a hot meal and a warm bed to sleep in.
The run on the way there ended up being 52 km, in 5:40. I felt good, wasn't sapped of energy and I stayed hydrated well enough that I kept having to go to the bathroom throughout the run.
Slept in until 10 am and decided I would leave around 11:30. I ran for the first 15 km back to Kelowna, and then decided because I was only running 6:30 min/km it would be easier to just walk at a brisk pace. So I walked around 8:15 min/km the rest of the way. Easier to walk a little slower than pounding the feet and knees for hardly any extra pace. On the way back I had about 30 minutes of hail, and about 45 minutes of light rain, then the sun came out. With about 15 km left before I got to the car the tendon of my right anterior tibularis started to really hurt, and I had developed a heel on the bottom of my left heel, and I was drained of energy as well. I was so ecstatic to see my car once I got there. The second run was 62 km, and 8:20.
I really don't think I had any problems with hydration or with maintaining energy. It's just that I don't think that using solid energy bars as my primary source of fuel was a good choice. It left me feeling very odd in the stomach, which is problem why I didn't eat enough. But I just can't maintain my energy levels with just using with just Clif shot gels. I need to figure out a new fuel plan for really long runs.
"Take time to smell the roses. Don't rush through each day or life. Force yourself to slow down and absorb the present moment., and actually notice your surroundings, the sights, the sounds, and of course, the smells. Life is about the journey, not the destination."
Keep on running
Nazzer
Saturday, May 15, 2010
And this shall be day one.
I've decided to stop drinking alcohol, and this will be day one on my sober journey through life.
Didn't really do much the week after my double marathon. Took Monday, Tuesday off, Wednesday slept all day as I was strarting to get sick. Went on a 50 km mountain bike ride on Thursday, short 16 km mountain bike on Friday, followed by a 10 km trail run on Saturday. Didn't do anything on Sunday what with work and Mother's Day.
Because I rested on Sunday, I decided to go for a long run on Moonday. Did a nice easy paced 37 km trail run. Had a bit of an issue on the run. Ran out of both energy and water between km's 14 and 26. There was a section of the trail that was out and back 6 km. I stopped at a restroom for water and I filled up my one water bottle. Ran out of water 5 km into the stretch, and I had to resort to drinking out of mission creek, not good. So I need to do a better job of making sure I take enough water with me. And also, I only brought two clif shots with me for nutrition, wasn't enough.
So I decided to make some homemade protein/energy nars. I found a recipe online that seemed good.
Dry ingrediants: 3 1/2 cups quick oats, 1 1/2 cup powdered non fat milk, 4 scoops soy protein
Wet ingrediants: 1 cup sugar free syrup, 2 egg whites (beaten), 1/4 cup orange juice, 1/2 cup applesauce
Extra stuff I added: 1 cup ground flax seeds, 1/2 cup crushed white chocolate, 1/2 cup crushed walnuts, 1/2 cup peanut butter, 2 more scoops soy protein, 3 scoops nutri plan meal replacement mix, 1/2 cup flour, more appleasuce.
This made a total of 14 bars and cost me roughly 9 dollars to make. I'm pretty sure these bars have more protein, plus other good stuff than most other bars I've bought. And at about 70 cents a bar, I win!
-"All things in moderation" as advice on how to live and act is the reason for the pervasive mediocrity in our society today.
Nazzer
Didn't really do much the week after my double marathon. Took Monday, Tuesday off, Wednesday slept all day as I was strarting to get sick. Went on a 50 km mountain bike ride on Thursday, short 16 km mountain bike on Friday, followed by a 10 km trail run on Saturday. Didn't do anything on Sunday what with work and Mother's Day.
Because I rested on Sunday, I decided to go for a long run on Moonday. Did a nice easy paced 37 km trail run. Had a bit of an issue on the run. Ran out of both energy and water between km's 14 and 26. There was a section of the trail that was out and back 6 km. I stopped at a restroom for water and I filled up my one water bottle. Ran out of water 5 km into the stretch, and I had to resort to drinking out of mission creek, not good. So I need to do a better job of making sure I take enough water with me. And also, I only brought two clif shots with me for nutrition, wasn't enough.
So I decided to make some homemade protein/energy nars. I found a recipe online that seemed good.
Dry ingrediants: 3 1/2 cups quick oats, 1 1/2 cup powdered non fat milk, 4 scoops soy protein
Wet ingrediants: 1 cup sugar free syrup, 2 egg whites (beaten), 1/4 cup orange juice, 1/2 cup applesauce
Extra stuff I added: 1 cup ground flax seeds, 1/2 cup crushed white chocolate, 1/2 cup crushed walnuts, 1/2 cup peanut butter, 2 more scoops soy protein, 3 scoops nutri plan meal replacement mix, 1/2 cup flour, more appleasuce.
This made a total of 14 bars and cost me roughly 9 dollars to make. I'm pretty sure these bars have more protein, plus other good stuff than most other bars I've bought. And at about 70 cents a bar, I win!
-"All things in moderation" as advice on how to live and act is the reason for the pervasive mediocrity in our society today.
Nazzer
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Two Days Later
Two days after my Ultra/Marathon weekend I feel both like crap and absolutely fantastic at the same time. Currently I have a massive head cold and my nose is dripping like the leaky faucet in my bathroom that my landlord doesn't seem to know how to fix. My sinus area feels like I imagine the concrete feels when it gets jackhammered, except the job isn't getting done so the jackhammering must continue. At work today I couldn't make it through more than one bill at a time without needing to run to the sink to sneeze and wash my hands. I haven't been able to get more than 5 hours sleep the last two nights. Working at 9 am in Kelowna when I was just leaving from Vancouver at 4 pm the day before after my running weekend was not a good idea at all. I couldn't drive more than 45 minutes at a time without needing to go for a walk or splash water on my face to keep myself awake, and then I couldn't sleep well and I didn't get enough sleep. On Monday my quads and every little muscle I didn't know I had in my ankles hurt like I had just had a balpeen hammer rammed into all of them over the entire area of them. Monday night, still couldn't sleep. Tuesday, went to work for a four hour shift at 8 am, and somehow ended up staying lat for someone else, boy did I regret that decision. I was like a zombie walking around.
I think perhaps running in hard rain in Vancouver wasn't the best. Every time I go to the coast I take Kelowna weather clothes, and I think I paid for that mistake with a cold this time.
But on the other side of the coin....
I was running up the stairs in my house today and had very, very, very little lingering muscle soreness!! Heck yeah! Even my tibialis anterior on my left leg isn't bothering me (knock on wood). The fact that I was able to complete the two races I did, and feel so great in my body after just floors me right now. I feel like I am on an extended runner's high. Just super duper!
A couple things to think about for next time I plan major races.... know the course and the details of the course in advance of the race. Don't assume anything. Not knowing that the picnic area at the start line of the race on Saturday would be used for nutrition was plain stupid; running on only gatorade for 50 km when I could have had insanely better nutrition was ridiculously silly of me. I shall not repeat that again. Prepare for all weather possibilities, if that means wearing layers that I am willing to shed and lose then so be it, I did that when I ran the Kelowna Marathon last year and for some reason forgot to do so in Vancouver, and yet it was worse weather in Vancouver.
A couple pictures from the Saturday race..... were meant to be posted at the end, but I can't for the life of my aching insides figure out how to put them where I want to.
I usually keep all my pictures from running races together and I was looking at some old ones. I realize in retrospect that I had some cankle action happening for a couple years recently, but no more. That really amuses me.
My April totals:
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Running: 48 km (3 runs)
Road Biking: 20 km (2 trips)
Mountain Biking: 70.93 km (2 trips at Myra Bellevue)
Gym: 13 times at the University Gym. Mostly doing ellyptical, bike machine, rowing and weights on core and upper body.
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April was spent trying to make sure that the bulk of my exercise was low impact to ensure my tibialis anterior recovered as much as possible in anticipation of this last weekends running. It was very difficult to force myself to slow down. Having a busy month with school work in six courses and having to study for final exams in five of those was helpful in forcing me to slow down. Now that summer is here I need to make sure to mix in trips to the gym for strength training or else I will just spend all my running and biking time up at Myra Bellevue park and completely neglect my muscle training which makes my running and biking so much more enjoyable.
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Keep on running.... and learn something from every time you run.
.
Nazzer
Monday, May 3, 2010
Ultra Saturday + Marathon Sunday = Sore Monday
On Saturday May 1, I ran the Elk/Beaver Lake 50 km Ultra in 4:47:28. On Sunday May 2, I ran the Vancouver Marathon in 4:27:26.
The 50 km was five loops around Elk/Beaver Lake in Victoria, BC.
Times for each of the 10 k loops were: (I think I did the math right)
49:10
49:27
57:05
67:31
64:13
The weather started at 6 am with a light rain, continuing that way until around 8 am when the sun slowly start to come out. And then it stayed nice for the rest of the race.
I went out a little too strong. I intended to go out slower than I did and I didn't really realize it until the third lap so I slowed down by doing some 5 minute walk and 1 minute run for a bit. I ran t he same pace as the first two laps until the 23 km mark, I really do struggle with maintaining anything more than 5:00 min/km, even when my goal is to run dramatically slower than I want to I have such trouble doing it. The first lap I ran by myself. Second lap was by myself still. The first 3 km of the second lap was with the woman that ended up winning the 50 mile race in 7:47. Ran about 7 km of my third lap with a woman that was doing the 50 k while pacing her husband for the 50 mile race. And ran the last bit of the 4th lap and all of the final lap with a guy that ended up finishing at the same time as me. It was nice to have someone to push back and forth with at the end, even though we weren't exactly pushing a hard pace.
At the end of the race I felt pretty darn good. Groin muscles and quads were pretty tight but I think I stretched em out and walked them loose after the race. There was a shelter with picnic tables at the start area that apparently the runners were allowed to use to store their food and also had aid type food on hand for the runners between each laps; I didn't figure this out until lap four. Whoops. All in all it was a fun race, I know that if I had only been doing one race that weekend I could have cut at least 30 minutes off my time. Perhaps next year I'll do it again and shoot for a sub 4 hour time.
And look, the race director made a pretty neat video and out it on youtube.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WtVEdanQNuo
I then had to get from Victoria to Vancouver by 5 pm, I left the race at Elk/Beaver Lake around 12:30 headed back to where I stayed in Vic, showered and headed to Nanaimo to catch the ferry. I only managed to get about 6 hours sleep before the Marathon on Sunday.
I arrived at the race start area in Vancouver around 6:30 and the race started at 7:30. I spend the first 30 minutes stretching and getting loosened up as I felt a little stiff from yesterdays run. Lined up for the porta potties around 7:05 foolishly thinking I could get that done before the start. I got out of the bathroom area at 7:29. I ended up starting near the 4:15 pace bunny.
The weather was the most rain I have ever run in. I used to think I enjoyed running in the rain, but I never run more than a couple hours in the rain. It would switch back and forth between light rain and really heavy rain.
My splits for the marathon were:
5 k: 29:41
10 k: 58:06
15 k: 1:27:15
21.2 k: 2:07:08
30 k: 3:02:54
35 k: 3:40:15
42.2 k: 4:27:26
I thought I felt good in the beginning of the race. I was succesfully maintaining a slow pace. Around the half way mark I was running with a nice group of folks near the 4:15 pace bunny. But around 30 k I absolutely got rocked! I had to go to the bathroom; I stood in line at a porta potty waiting to pee (it was the city part of the course and not the Stanly Park part of the course or I would have peed outside) and I tried to keep moving while waiting, but when I got out of the bathroom I was stiffer than my computer desk. I suppose the non stop rain didn't help my muscles to stay loose. After that I just couldn't get going again. Of the last 12.2 k I think I ended up walking 1 km, and shuffling along for the rest. It wasn't pretty but I was still smiling and high fiving people along the way.
Near the Burrard St bridge (the second time going over it) in the residential area leading up to it there was a sea otter running along the road in front of me!!!!
Looking back I don't know what I wanted to get out of doing an ultra and a marathon on back to back days. I feel damn good about doing it and knowing that I've done enough training that I've got to the point where my body can handle this sort of thing and only have minor expected muscles soreness the next day. There's a good chance that I'll do the Elk/Beaver Ultra again next year. I don't think I'll do the Vancouver Marathon again; far too many people and a little too expensive for my taste.
Next up... 50 mile Scorched Sole race in Kelowna on June 26. I live in Kelowna, so I think I'll have run the course at a slower pace than I intend to race it at least once, hike it a couple times, and I will probably do it tomorrow on my mountain bike.
The 50 km was five loops around Elk/Beaver Lake in Victoria, BC.
Times for each of the 10 k loops were: (I think I did the math right)
49:10
49:27
57:05
67:31
64:13
The weather started at 6 am with a light rain, continuing that way until around 8 am when the sun slowly start to come out. And then it stayed nice for the rest of the race.
I went out a little too strong. I intended to go out slower than I did and I didn't really realize it until the third lap so I slowed down by doing some 5 minute walk and 1 minute run for a bit. I ran t he same pace as the first two laps until the 23 km mark, I really do struggle with maintaining anything more than 5:00 min/km, even when my goal is to run dramatically slower than I want to I have such trouble doing it. The first lap I ran by myself. Second lap was by myself still. The first 3 km of the second lap was with the woman that ended up winning the 50 mile race in 7:47. Ran about 7 km of my third lap with a woman that was doing the 50 k while pacing her husband for the 50 mile race. And ran the last bit of the 4th lap and all of the final lap with a guy that ended up finishing at the same time as me. It was nice to have someone to push back and forth with at the end, even though we weren't exactly pushing a hard pace.
At the end of the race I felt pretty darn good. Groin muscles and quads were pretty tight but I think I stretched em out and walked them loose after the race. There was a shelter with picnic tables at the start area that apparently the runners were allowed to use to store their food and also had aid type food on hand for the runners between each laps; I didn't figure this out until lap four. Whoops. All in all it was a fun race, I know that if I had only been doing one race that weekend I could have cut at least 30 minutes off my time. Perhaps next year I'll do it again and shoot for a sub 4 hour time.
And look, the race director made a pretty neat video and out it on youtube.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WtVEdanQNuo
I then had to get from Victoria to Vancouver by 5 pm, I left the race at Elk/Beaver Lake around 12:30 headed back to where I stayed in Vic, showered and headed to Nanaimo to catch the ferry. I only managed to get about 6 hours sleep before the Marathon on Sunday.
I arrived at the race start area in Vancouver around 6:30 and the race started at 7:30. I spend the first 30 minutes stretching and getting loosened up as I felt a little stiff from yesterdays run. Lined up for the porta potties around 7:05 foolishly thinking I could get that done before the start. I got out of the bathroom area at 7:29. I ended up starting near the 4:15 pace bunny.
The weather was the most rain I have ever run in. I used to think I enjoyed running in the rain, but I never run more than a couple hours in the rain. It would switch back and forth between light rain and really heavy rain.
My splits for the marathon were:
5 k: 29:41
10 k: 58:06
15 k: 1:27:15
21.2 k: 2:07:08
30 k: 3:02:54
35 k: 3:40:15
42.2 k: 4:27:26
I thought I felt good in the beginning of the race. I was succesfully maintaining a slow pace. Around the half way mark I was running with a nice group of folks near the 4:15 pace bunny. But around 30 k I absolutely got rocked! I had to go to the bathroom; I stood in line at a porta potty waiting to pee (it was the city part of the course and not the Stanly Park part of the course or I would have peed outside) and I tried to keep moving while waiting, but when I got out of the bathroom I was stiffer than my computer desk. I suppose the non stop rain didn't help my muscles to stay loose. After that I just couldn't get going again. Of the last 12.2 k I think I ended up walking 1 km, and shuffling along for the rest. It wasn't pretty but I was still smiling and high fiving people along the way.
Near the Burrard St bridge (the second time going over it) in the residential area leading up to it there was a sea otter running along the road in front of me!!!!
Looking back I don't know what I wanted to get out of doing an ultra and a marathon on back to back days. I feel damn good about doing it and knowing that I've done enough training that I've got to the point where my body can handle this sort of thing and only have minor expected muscles soreness the next day. There's a good chance that I'll do the Elk/Beaver Ultra again next year. I don't think I'll do the Vancouver Marathon again; far too many people and a little too expensive for my taste.
Next up... 50 mile Scorched Sole race in Kelowna on June 26. I live in Kelowna, so I think I'll have run the course at a slower pace than I intend to race it at least once, hike it a couple times, and I will probably do it tomorrow on my mountain bike.
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