Hold On

It's nice to be blogging again. For all of you that followed my blog on IRun. Thanks a lot for reading, it was great to have the support. I hope that I can meet your expectations as I continue my blog here.

The key to any race is holding on, getting yourself to ride through the entire effort while pressing the pace just above your lactate threshold. This is the goal of most people when they race. A lot of us are racing to gain PR's, qualify for a race, or for a little friendly competition. If you've trained properly, and understand those paces, hopefully you can achieve that success in your key events. I consider every event a mathematical balance, it tends to go up and down for me.

2012 Review

April Boston Marathon 2012
I buried myself before this race started by over-hydrating on Gatorade. I held on until 7KM.

May Ottawa Marathon 2012 
Great race up until the mid 30KM range. I had to dig deep and focus on the person in front of me. It was so frustrating to look at my watch and try and maintain my pace.

June Spartan Sprint 5KM 2012
This was my first Spartan race, I wasn't really sure what to expect. It was so muddy to start, I struggled with the obstacles. I had to fight to hold on the last 2KM. It was such a tough fight, a different one. In a 5KM race you're above your lactate threshold, so my chest burned throughout the last few Kilometers.

July Spartan Beast 25KM 2012
I wasn't really certain how to evaluate this race. Spartan organizers don't give you much information. Though because it was a trail run, I expected it to be fun! It was the opposite. They basically sent us up and down a ski hill for 25KM. It was quite taxing and by 3KM in the race- I was fighting to hold on. I would've trained a lot differently for this one if I could go back.

Army Run Half Marathon 2012
It was time to get a PB in my half, it was time to crush it! I held on for the entire event. I knew I was just above my lactate threshold pace. As I made the turn on Sussex with about  4KM left, I felt the hurt. This is when I started really focusing on the shirt ahead of me, holding on with everything I had.

Toronto Scotiabank Half Marathon 2012
I held on for 8KM. That's always really hard in a race to go that early. But my stomach went at 8KM and my lung ceased up. This was a nice humbling race to get me back in check. I pushed through the last kilometers stopping when I needed and struggling through.

911 Run Run Half Marathon 2012
I held on for 18KM. Almost to the very end. I had never experienced such a strong wind resistance. As I made the turn on the 2nd half of the race my legs were heavy from the hills. The last few kilometers of this one hurt bad. It was nice to finish, and hold on to the end.

I think that most races require participants to hold on. It's the beauty of racing, and so challenging. I may know that I'll have to hold on for a race, but it's one of the hardest things to do. When you're holding on, it takes extreme mental power and physical power to keep your legs moving. The more holding on you can do, the better it will serve you come race time. Holding on is key to knowing yourself better, and will make you helluva a lot more proud come that finish line.

Cheers,

D

Full Potential: (inspired by the 2012 Olympics)

These Olympics make me want to get faster,stronger, better, and more dedicated. I feel like I can relate to the athletes who train for a living. I'm sure I would dig that lifestyle to search, and really find my true potential. Along with many others I'm sure, I've always loved the idea of finding my full potential after training harder than I ever have.
Where would I end up, what could I do, where could I go?

Then I think full potential in what? I'm a runner so there's an idea, but I'm not a short distance runner, and I wonder if I'd ever want to be an elite marathoner...that's one skinny me! Maybe a Tri, perhaps that's where I could decide to reach my full potential!
You see, these games inspire that in me, like minded athletic individuals who decide that full potential is possible, full potential is hard work, but I feel as if you can keep working at full potential for years, and never be certain, or decide that you've reached it. The best you can be.
Almost like my 7 years working for Boston to finally qualify. Then I qualified for Boston at 3:02:48, I PB'd and thought "I can do better", same race next year 3:01:01.

Is full potential something we choose?


I don't know, but I think so!

Enjoy the Olympics!

D

Spartan Beast:Mont Ste Marie

Yes..Another Spartan...

I'm not sure if you've heard of the Spartan Race motto, it's basically: "we tell you nothing about the course, we treat it like life, you never know what obstacles will get in your way"
This was cool for their 5k sprint, this was NOT cool for their 21-25Km course. (Should have at least been a pop up upon sign up "Warning you should be able to run....this much, or be trained to run this many hours, etc.") 
I signed up for this race last minute, registration was closed, but for some reason I was still able to enter. At this point, I'd been running a bit, though I really came down after the Ottawa Marathon in late May, it was my second marathon in 6 weeks. I decided to let my body recover, and stop heavily training, and with my current regimen, I'd say I was ready for 20-25Km. 

Canada weekend was upon us, after our portage trip to Algonquin park was cancelled, I had my best pal ask me if I wanted to join him and his girlfriend at her parents cottage. It sounded like a great idea, and fancy that it was in the same area where the Spartan Race would be hosted on the Saturday. It's hard to be in a place where a race is that you've thought about and not get the chance to run it. You feel left out, so I indulged my urge and signed up on the Thursday. 

After my experience with the Spartan Sprint in Ottawa, I was looking towards a tough course with a lot of mud, and a lot of trying obstacles. I wasn't entirely wrong, though the hills should have been my main priority.  

I reach the course an hour before my start time, I'm quite nervous, and hoping that energy will survive me through the next few hours. I'm running at the 12:30 heat, which is the second heat. I'm not too excited for this, knowing they'll be slow runners in the first pack that I'll have to wait behind in line for obstacles. 

I head to the start line to get in front, and who do I recognize? The guy who got first in the Spartan Sprint! He's only ever raced Spartan Races, I think about 4, and it turns out that he makes for a pretty good Spartan. He's always in the top 10 with all 4 of his Spartan runs. He's got a "refuse to lose" attitude. I'm getting pumped up just talking to him, he's so motivated to win, just before the start we bump fists and say "1" and "2". This is my run right, I'm the long distance, Boston Marathoner, I got 3rd in a 5K Spartan race. This will be a piece of cake, right...??  WRONG! 

As experienced as I am at this point, I can still get ill conceived notions of being more fit than I actually am. Though, I did feel in good 20K shape, I was missing out speed, and hills, two most helpful strength requirements for this event. Another thing experienced runners gain is the ability to toss a terrible race, and come back stronger next time, well...mostly being a competitive lad,  I've had to build up to this point. 

The gun goes, we're immediately climbing a mountain, five minutes later we're still climbing, by twenty minutes of steep climbing up an everglade back country ski route, we've made it to flat ground barely 2 kilometers in. By this point my legs are shot, along with my attitude. My friend has passed me in a fury for the front, and as much as I'd like to catch him, I can't catch my breath. Onto some single track up hill, where we continue our climb for a while, and then down the mountain over rough terrain, and a lot of steep declines.

I could spend a while analyzing this one, but to conclude. We did this climb on different portions of the mountain about 5 or 6 more times, up,down, around, sideways, backwards,etc. The obstacles weren't really an issue: Holding a kettle bell out 15 seconds, climbing walls, crawling 300 meters of barbed wire downhill, crawling through tubes, crawling in squat position uphill under army mesh, spear throw, squat lifts with a sandbags tied to a wheelbarrel, chin ups, block carry, sandbag carry, rope climbs, rope ladder climbs, board walk, fire jump,etc. But...mostly hills. 

I like to have fun on a race, I like to be miserable through some points, but with some fun mixed in, there wasn't much opportunity for fun here. I give this race a 2/5 for being so extreme that unless you were heavely trained for hills, your legs were completely deteriorated by the end that running became improbable. I meant over 20-30 people on the course, all of whom wished they knew what they signed up for, because along with me, they wouldn't have signed up, because the race should've been called "how many times can you climb up and down this mountain?" Would I do it again? "Yes" BUT, I would come prepared, and in extraordinary shape (hilly/Boston Marathon shape), not just a last minute sign up, as I had to walk most of the race, I hate walking...unless it's with my puppy :) 
"You Live, You Learn"    

Till next time, enjoy the outdoors! 

D

We Are Spartans!!!!

So, the Spartan Race....what to expect...

I thought this would be an easy peasy trail run with a few obstacles, simple right?

Well simple if you're in somewhat good shape and don't race it, but run it to complete it.

Our day started out with picking our race kits up. I say our day referring to the 3 friends of mine from work that opted in for the race. We stood in the starting line up with 300 other "would be" Spartans waiting for the beginning of the unknown. We squeezed up near the front and listened to the announcers narrative of Spartans warriors, screamed "we are Spartans" a couple of times in reply and felt our hearts pump. Inspiring speech.....then...

"charge!"

To Begin

We're headed on a downslope and artificial smoke fills the runway. We wrap around a corner and veer left, escaping the smoke. It's chaos at this point everyone is vying for a spot in the lead,  it's every man/woman for themselves.

Mud Madness

We enter a muddy opening, at first step, my foot touches down and slides two feet to the right, I wrench my weight and hold on to my balance, this would happen throughout the remainder of the race. I run to the side on muddy grass to avoid the thick mud that seemed to be everywhere as we arrive at a 5 foot wide stream crossing. It's still a fight for the front as I move right from the mud pit to avoid traffic. I come to another entrance to the stream ahead and slip. My legs falls down into what feels like knee high mud, I throw my body forward to avoid completely falling in and maintain speed to jump over the stream. Just a head is a swamp, technique went out the door for this one as well as speed while tredging through quad high in water.
After we escape the swamp there's a forest entrance with a small opening, it was single track technical trail for a bit going around close corners, roots, rocks, small mud puddle openings, and of course the unrelenting mud surrounding. After this I felt the crowd starting to thin out slightly, as the endurance portion started to play a part. With the marathon last Sunday,I felt alright at this point. 

1st Obstacles

After escaping the grips of the forest we arrive at a spartan volunteer standing at 2X4's on their side lined up like a stair case, maybe 20ft in length. We had to walk along these without falling off. There was 3 of us there when she said. "good job guys, you're the first group" I thought, wow, I must be in 2nd place right now, crazy. We continued running off the 1st obstacle along some trails until we hit a 5ft wall that we had to hop over and entered a forest to a kettle ball attached to a rope, that we had pull up a tree and slowly let down.

Next....we continued our trek through the muddy trails to a small grid rope wall to climb, and then on to a pile of concrete deck blocks lying at the entrance of a 250m circle. At this point me and 2 others remained at the front of the pack, we walked around the circle dropped our blocks and picked up the pace to the rope climb.

Rope Climbing Sucks

A massive tree lay fallen in the pathway, we hopped over it and stood at a line of 5 ropes hanging from a tree, me and 3 others jumped on the rope. They climbed theirs, I struggled and began to fall down from the mud that lay on them. I decided to try and do the burpies,after the 4th place runner showed up and jumped on the rope, I realized it was going to take me much too long and got back on that rope and gritted my teeth more than ever! I slid down the rope and race out of the forest back on the trail.

How Hard Could Barbed Wire Be?

I spotted the other 3 racers ahead of me, and only slow down for the 300 meters or so, of barbed wire that lay ahead. It seemed as if there was 3 or 4 tired ruts that had dug space out along the barbed wire stretch. I scrambled under the left entrance and start crawling "doggie style" under the rope arching my back low for certain bits of wire. Eventually the wire became lower and I got lower with it, digging my toes in the mud to push me forward, I tried to forget the rocks and roots scraping my knees & passed the 4th place racer who struggled, the barbed wire went on forever! I finally got out and continued to run while catching my breath, and chasing the top 1 and 2.


Sandbags


Ahead of me a spartan volunteer stood on the side of the path and directed me to pick up a sandbag, and run it along the path and back to continue running. As I grab my sandbag, I realize the 2 racers ahead are walking, I felt like I could run with it on my shoulders. I started a light jog and ended up passing the two racers ahead to drop the sandbag and take 1st place. I tried my best to stay ahead but just as I entered the single track trail in the forest, one of them passed me to reclaim the lead. 


Spartans & Spears


The forest exited to a wide opening, more wide then we'd seen since the start of the race. This was a sign that we were almost finished. To the right there were massive blocks of hay on sticks up 15 or 20 feet, in front of the hay obstacles about 10 feet away, lay some spears. We all lined up and thrust our spears at the targets, all 3 of us succeeding in hitting the bails of hay and avoiding burpies. 
Off to the next task as we continued along raised rectangular concrete blocks for 250 meters, after we jumped off the blocks there lay a tunnel made of hay that ahead. We each picked a lane and got crawling, it only lasted a minute and we continued to what would be one of the more difficult obstacles..... 


The Grid Wall


Ahead stood two transport crates piled on top of one another, maybe about 30 feet high. On either side of them, there was a grid net, I ran hard at it and jumped high, my weight shifted heavily to the right and left, I felt like this is was a task I really wasn't prepared for. The 2 racers ahead of me have already made it atop of the crates and were headed down the other side, I was frustrated as I clumsily made my way to the other side and carefully crawled down. It was scary, and very high up, I came back to reality for a second. I got down finally and continued to the next obstacle which was a concrete construction tube, this was easy other than the knee scraping, it seemed we were reaching a heavy obstacle portion at the end of the race. We continued along arriving just before the front of the race track, where the horse races are held. 


Barrel Leveling 


A slope to the left reveals rows of wheel barrels  at the top of the slope without the barrels, only sandbags tied to each handle. The slope itself was maybe 30 seconds walk down and back up, but with the barrels it took about two minutes, and felt to be about 60pounds. I was pretty wiped at this point, my head fuzzy from being anaroebic for so much of the race and I had lost the top two runners...ah gheesh


The End in Sight


I headed down to the front portion of the horse track where the family, friends, and other racers gathered, there were a ton of people there cheering, this was uplifting. I pass them and head to the left to the few final obstacles. First of which, a double sided ramp without a middle, just a net on top and ice underneath, this was quick and easy. The next obstacle was odd, there was no volunteer there, so I was uncertain how it worked, it was about 15-20ft of lined barbwire with ice underneath, so I hopped through it and got zapped. (it was connected to electricity) I guess you were supposed to crawl under, ah well. After that was a massive almost 20ft high roof, picture an upside down V at a really steep angle, there were 5 ropes hanging across and soaked plastic to make sure if you couldn't hold your weight that you'd slip, I charged at this and nearly fell grabbing for the rope to hold on. Then I dashed across to the other side where there were 6 Spartan costumed gladiators with massive foam q-tips. They tried to stop me, but I crashed through them to cross the finish line.

Conclusion

 After catching my breath, and nearly yakking, I was proud of the 3rd place finish. But the race was very poorly organized, from the race kit pick up. (slow slow line up, reading through sheets to get your info, for each of the 3,000 people/day lined up) There was about 5 times on the course where I had no idea what to do, and no one was there to yell a command over and over. (Example: "hit the target with the spear!") I actually had to ask twice where to go and what to do. Also, I wasn't happy that I didn't know about crawling under the barbed wire obstacle near the end of the race.

All that said, I'd run it again, it was crazy, and I definitely felt like a warrior by the end!

Enjoy the outdoors!
D

From 4:17 to 3:01, 6 weeks later

 For those of you who already know and maybe some that don't the 2012 Boston Marathon kicked the shit out of me. I'm sure I'm not the only one. It really did a number on me, more than I can say about any race I've ever run. I experienced excruciating shredded muscles, exercise induced asthma (which I'm still using a puffer for) and extreme weight loss(from 156-142) in a day. I was deteriorated, afraid to race again, afraid to train, and ashamed of my performance. I felt like I my qualifying was a lucky break. I needed vindication that I was just beaten from the 90 degree heat. I was aiming for Ottawa to be that release; 6 weeks from Boston.
......................
I wake up, I'm tired but not unlike usual at 5am. My race gear is prepped and laid out, my stomach is yelling at me with excitement. I'm unsure, it's not great to be unsure, but it's not horrible either. It's a ? I love race morning, not unlike this morning, everything is so routine and so particular, one tiny mistake and it can cause your race to explode and you'll have trained 16 weeks and run 42km for nothing! The adrenaline is pumping, I'm quite nervous this morning, for marathon 8, it's a feeling I haven't had in a while, like I'm about to run my first race. When you run your first race, it's usually unplanned madness, but the excitement is awesome. You just never know how the run is going to pan out. This is where my head space was at. Slight anxiety, asthma thoughts, and 5 weeks to train and recover had me pretty silent, lets say lost in thoughts right up to the start line.

 We arrived at 6:30am, after a bathroom break, and warm up, I made it to the start with 2 minutes to spare. Watch "check",tunes "check", lets rock and roll! The gun goes off, I'm feeling pretty good right from the start, I'm relaxed and am quite close to the front at this point, I could catch the leader if I sprinted right now...uhhhh..actually...nope they're gone.. I check my watch "woh" I'm hitting a 4:15 pace, I wanted to stay on 4:20/km, but I feel pretty good at this pace. Huh... Maybe I'll roll with this for a little while to bank some time for the inevitable hills and pain coming later in the race. Chances are if I keep the pace up just a bit right now, I know I'll slow near the end, but it'll be okay.Carry on my wayward.

 I'm at about 10k, I feel my left lung, just having a bit of trouble keeping up, I start thinking wearily of the worst possibilities. You just never know when you could lose a race from under you. Sure, right now is golden,but in an instant everything can change, and your mental strength is left carrying your entire weight the rest if the race-the worst kind of fun.
After about 5k later:15k in my lungs start to give me a break, I've kept up the 4:15-4:17 pace at this point, I'm losing it a bit on some hills, but I'm starting to form a new game plan in my head. I like this kind of racing, it's the kind that pays you a little more than you thought you were getting. I'm popping a gel every 30minutes and an e-tab every 30, I don't enjoy them but it only takes 5 minutes for me to notice the positive benefits from both, as my body continues to maintain strength coming up on 20km's. 20k is a place I know I can really start to believe that I can keep this race as a BQ. Funny, I wasn't sold on the idea just a few kilometers back.

There's a group just ahead of me near the war museum, they seem to be shooting for a 3 hour marathon, just judging by the size of it (about 10 people) and the energy they come back with after a hill. I catch up to them on my the last bridge before the War museum. They're moving, but about my pace, I stay with them for a few kilometers and decide to move on, 4 of them stick with me until we get back from Quebec onto Sussex.

We're nearing the 25km mark, I start picturing the rest of the course in my head, and visualizing running it, this is a definite advantage. I've left 3 of the 4 racers I was with behind, the one has actually gone ahead about 750m. I've decided to try and catch up with him. By 32 km I start to close in, I've remained consistent with 4:15-4:17pace. I thought I'd lose it in Quebec, as we confronted a long sloping hill, I thought I'd shut down, but a gel saved me and really kept me in. It seemed it was almost over, but now at 32km, I've only begun to get stronger.

We arrive back on Sussex, I'm feeling the effects at this point, I'm ready for the big crowd that's bound to be off Wellington, as I crest the Sussex bridge and arrive back close to the Canadian Mint, I find a massive cheer section that fills me with energy for the next few kilometres, along with my next target.
As my unrelenting WALL arrives,a debilitating feeling, the feeling of needing to stop, of needing anything but running, it's mostly mental. I need new focus, there it is a tall dude in a blue and white shirt, he's been infront of me for a while, I almost passed him a few kilometers ago, but he's gotten stronger and is a head 500 metres. I focus on a yellow shirt beside him as we pass the mark for 40km.

I feel like the pain of Boston was much worse than my current state, and reminded me where I didn't want to be mentally. I decided not to go there this time, not to let go of everything, not today. I stayed locked like a radar on this yellow shirt, quickly checking my pace. I've started to fall off a bit, and I'm really struggling to hold, but as I pass the yellow shirt, I see the light. I'm crossing pretoria bridge with less than 2km's and refocus on the blue and white shirt who has continued a strong pace. It's so great right now, to know it's almost over, I'm passing some people without noticing them because of that friggin blue and white shirt. I pass 750m, then 650m then 500meters...wait what? This guy I've just passed refuses to be passed and starts a sprint, I refuse, and grit my teeth in a sprint, the crowd goes wild, and we're both giving it every last bit to cross that line first. He's got me the last 100 meters and then I push once more and beat him across the line by a second! What a great feeling, what a great finish, I'm woozy...I might pass.... "wheelchair!"

After I get out of the first aid tent, the medics see that it was just the last effort that had me struggling, all is good, another proud race, another PB, and another BQ. So close to a sub 3!! I didn't catch the blue and white shirt, but it's all good! Right there is the huge difference between a great race, and a crap race.

Enjoy the outdoors,
D

Yip Yip

"Yip Yip"
 These were the words I would say to my first dog Ryly-May, a Groenendael Belgian Shepard. As I said them, I was preparing myself for a race that would throw my legs into overdrive trying to keep up with her. As I grew older it became a common saying throughout our walks/runs.  I would surprise her and try and get three steps ahead before she knew it was a race. We raced against each other until she passed away 3 years ago, in the end I started to win a little bit more, but she could still hold me off most days.
 This was the point where I started to enjoy running, I realized it was the one solid means of tiring out my highly active shepard. At the same time, we grew to be great friends throughout our running adventures and races.

In January, my wife and I decided to get another Groenendael, he's 3 months now, and starting to get his legs beneath him. This morning, we were out on the trail. Jax just hit 3 months, he's growing by the minute. We walked the same 4km route every morning, he enjoys sniffing and running through the trees. Not yet old enough to run far, but we have had a few 100m dash's. We hit the forest leading to our main path back home, surrounded by high trees and a rocky path ahead I yelled "Yip Yip!" I started bursting ahead, within 10 seconds I thought I'd lost him and was about to slow down, as I saw him to my left about to pass me, it was as if Ryly-May was there racing, I pushed again for another 10 seconds and slowed.

What a great sense of nostalgia, and bonding in such a short time, awesome.


Enjoy the outdoors!

D

A Debate Between 2 legends

Thought you'd enjoy this one, a debate on the Olympic Triathalon between Simon Whitefield and Lance Armstrong, no need for their bios.

@firstoffthebike:
@lancearmstrong a non drafting Olympics would be a huge game changer.. we're in!

@lancearmstrong:
@firstoffthebike current set up is "a shampoo, blow dry, and 10k foot race"

@simonwhitefield:
Disappointed 2read @lancearmstrong comments that those of us working so hard towards our Olympic Tri dreams are participating in 'a joke'.

@lancearmstrong:
@simonwhitfield excuse me? when did i say it was a joke? is a draft legal tri "the race of truth"? NO. i certainly never called it a joke.

@simonwhitefield:
@lancearmstrong I interpret "shampoo, blow dry &10k run" as 'joke', we work bloody hard & we love our sport, a sport you helped build.

@lancearmstrong:
@simonwhitfield ok, well, sorry you took it that way. not bagging you or your peers. just feel as if drafting ought NEVER be allowed.

@simonwhitefield:
@lancearmstrong I think u underestimate what it means when u disregard it, a lot of us looked up 2yu Go train w/@Jgomeznoya #crazyhardworker

@lancearmstrong:
Dear @simonwhitfield. We're gonna have to 'agree to disagree' on this one which is cool by me. Oly dist races have changed over the years ..which i clearly missed and i haven't spent the time understanding the "whys". Will now.

@simonwhitefield:
yes, agreed2disagree @lancearmstrong we love our sport, all aspects & young athletes need to appreciate its history. Best of luck in Hawaii.