1:44:49 (Oakville Half Marathon Race Report)

Today was the Oakville Half Marathon. This race has previously been held closer to Labour Day weekend, so I've missed it due to the Muskoka 70.3 for the last couple of years.

This race was my tune up for the marathon coming up later this fall. Ultimately, my goal was to treat this as a hard training run, requiring very little recovery so that I don't miss  valuable training time later this week. I went into the race with 4 plans (in order of preference):

1. Run 16 km at 4:50 pace and then pick up the pace for remaining 5.1 km
2. Run 16 km at 4:50 pace and maintain pace for remaining 5.1 km
3. Run 16 km at 4:50 pace and then reduce pace to my current 'long run' pace for the remaining 5.1 km
4. Try to run 16 km at 4:50 pace and abandon pace, try to maintain 'long run' pace as long as possible

Obviously, the most preferable choice is #1. I started off feeling pretty good. The race started out heading East on Lakeshore in Oakville, which is nearly flat with alternating mild up and downs. Next, the race headed North over similar terrain, but this seemed like the hilliest part of the course (still rather mild). After a short run south, we hit Rebecca and then headed westward. Around 12 km I was still feeling pretty good but grabbed a gel just for a boost. After 4 more km heading West, I had gone from feeling great to feeling very sluggish. I wasn't experiencing any issues with aerobic endurance, but muscular endurance was starting to kick in. At 16 km I chose plan 3 and settled into my comfortable pace, which I was able to maintain until the last kilometer, at which point I picked it up a little to come in just under 1:45. Overall I was happy with my time as I'm exactly on pace for my upcoming marathon.

After the race I was a little concerned that I felt pretty good. I actually went for a short hike this afternoon and nothing was too uncomfortable. Although muscular endurance was my physical limiter during the race, I think I let my mind beat my body at the 16 km mark. When I decided that I wasn't going to speed up for the last 5 km, I essentially convinced myself that it was ok to slow right down to long run pace. Looking back, I feel that I could have at least held my pace for another couple of kilometers, if not the duration of the race.

I'll be focusing on my muscular endurance leading up to the marathon in early November. Also, I need to do some research on how to balance my mind and body, possibly learn to push through my negative thoughts.

Anyway, following my race and hike today, I rewarded myself with a Wychwood Hobgoblin ruby ale, which I found to be pretty refreshing. Next was sushi, which also hit the spot. The next two days will be run free; I'll be on the bike both days though. Looking forward to a change in pace!

Final build phase

Just coming into my final increase in distance before starting speed work. My challenges this week are to maintain 0 injuries while making every run as soon as I get home from work. My sind have been slightly sore - I suspect my bike ride on Saturday.

Running plan for this week: 30-60-30-60-30-90 (300 min total)

Update on running progress

I have fallen behind in my workout entries and blog updates! I did manage to put together a pretty solid training week, hitting my run goals and getting a couple bike rides in.

At the start of the week I was still struggling with some inner ankle discomfort on my right ankle. This had completely cleared up by my long run on the weekend. There were also a couple days where I ended up pushing two workouts into one day, which I can't continue at a regular rate if I want to stay healthy.

This plan is progressing nicely and it takes into consideration how I feel on a week to week basis and allows for adjustment of the upcoming week accordingly. I feel good right now and I should reach my 'final' volume in 2 weeks.

If I get a chance this week, I have a couple reviews that I need to write up, including my hokas and something that arrived in the mail recently!

Running plan for this week:
25-50-25-50-25-90

Running progress

My current running plan doesn't have any recovery weeks built in; something that my body has come to expect from years as a triathlete. The recommendation with the current plan is to take recovery days as needed, without taking recovery weeks.

Thursday and Friday during my training I noticed some discomfort in my right ankle. Saturday when I woke up the discomfort was still present, putting my long run off until later.

By the afternoon my ankle pain had mostly subsided, however, I didn't want to risk it so instead went for a 1 hour recovery ride on the bike.

Sunday, the pain was gone, but I still had some doubts. The goal of this training plan is to accumulate more mileage by running more frequently. Getting my long run in only to sit the next few runs out is counterproductive. Instead, I decided to enjoy my unplanned recovery day and get ready for a successful training week to come. Missing my long run would typically be cause for concern for me, but the way I see it, missing 60 min to ensure the next  250 min are quality training time is a no brainer.

Weekly training plan: 25-50-25-50-25-75

Rain

This morning I had planned for a spin on the bike - I haven't been out in a while since I've been focused solely on running. As I pulled on my shorts the rain started falling. As I made my coffee, the rain started pouring down. As a (currently) single sport athlete, riding is done for fun only, so I skipped my ride and didn't bother replacing it with a trainer session. Tesla wouldn't even go outside. Maybe this afternoon I'll get out.

Running plan for the next week: Increase by 10% volume, all added to the long run: 20-40-20-40-20-80.

Tesla is obviously very sad about the rain. 

Mont Tremblant Lodging? Check!

Just booked our hotel for IM MT. I have been holding out for a place that would allow Tesla to come with us, but also allow us to stay in the village, rather than off site. Unfortunately, that isn't going to happen.

We ended up making reservations at La Tour des Voyageurs in the middle of the village (see the map here). If my sources are correct (they are), The transition will be immediately outside of our hotel and the finish line will be approximately 30 metres away. I'm pumped to wake up and stroll down to transition, rather than having to drive in.

Even more exciting is that we are extremely close to the finish line party and it is in Quebec. I dream of being handed a beer instead of a finisher's medal.

La Tour des Voyageurs - apparently one of the best viewpoints of the race?

Shoe fetish

L to R: Asics (X 2), Saucony Fastwitch 2, Newton Gravity, VVibram KSO and Hoka One One Bondi.B

Over the last year I have been testing out strange shoes and enjoying each pair more than the last. When I started running several years ago, I had a simple fit and was told that I pronate, so supportive shoes are my best option. Unfortunately, in a running store, it is usually difficult to get more than ~10 strides in, so I never really noticed that I was in the wrong shoes. While supportive shoes may be the answer for a heel striker, I have a natural tendency to run mid to forefoot. Until about a year ago, I've suffered lots of pain and discomfort after either long or challenging runs, even leading to injury with lots of downtime on more than one occasion. 

Enter Newtons. The lugs under the ball of the foot are supposed to encourage forefoot running and often increase the cadence of the wearer. As someone that selects forefoot as my natural stride, these were immediately comfy and I found that the lugs were actually causing my cadence to become too high, so I had to focus on dialing it back a little. My current pair of Newtons still have some life left in them, and I'd certainly buy another pair.

Next up, Vibram Five Fingers KSOs. Marsha and I bought these for our trip to Hawaii as shoes that we could use for running, snorkeling and just generally exploring the islands. These were amazing for day to day use and even for a few shorter runs. I never really got over the blisters caused by the seams inside the shoes, so a little bodyglide and avoiding humid conditions are both important when I want to run in my Vibrams. I'll try a pair of Injinji socks with these someday. An awesome pair of shoes that are fun for short runs and exploring. Not sure if I could manage these for the bulk of my training though.

Finally, my brand new Hoka One One Bondi.Bs. If you laughed at my Vibrams, wait until you see me in these! Hilarious looking? Yes. Hopefully the ride is worth it, because I laugh at myself every time that I have put these on. Tomorrow will be the first run in these shoes, which have become popular among ultra distance runners and long course triathletes. Supposedly they reduce the amount of stress transmitted to your leg and make the suffering easier. Also, they are deceivingly light - about the same weight as my Newtons. I'll follow up after a few long runs with a review of these shoes. For now, just have a good laugh at them.

HAHAHAHAHA - Keep in mind that these are a Men's size 11. Yes, the soles are THAT thick.

Running plan for the next week: 20-40-20-40-20-60

Running progress

Until today, my legs have been handling the new running program very well. After my all-out TT effort on the bike last night, I woke up really sore. This is a result of my stupidity and poor planning, not an issue with my run training plan. Luckily what I missed was a 15 min recovery run and not something more important. I achieved the same objective by biking to the train station this morning.

As far as my run training goes, I feel that I am ready to add 10% to last week. Since 10% amounts to a total volume increase of a whopping 15 minutes, it isn't really practical to spread it across all 6 run days. This 15 goes to my long run, effectively making it 1 hour. The next increase will be distributed among the other 5 weekday runs. I'll evaluate how I feel again at the start of next week.

Heat wave!

This morning was a rough one and Tesla didn't handle our run very well. She will be limited to 20 minutes max in this weather from now on.

Remember to stay hydrated today or weekend ride may suck.

Thinking of switching workout log to Twitter and linking through blog so that I can update more easily from phone.

Run workout

Just a workout.

Daily workouts:

1. 15 min morning run with Tesla

Fall Marathon Training

On my way to Ironman, I feel like I need to suffer through a marathon at least once, to see what it is like to cover 26.2 miles (42.2 km) on foot. My reasons for a fall marathon are 1) a good way to get back to training with a purpose prior to starting my IM training in December and 2) build up my run frequency to reduce my chance of injury while completing IM training.

Since my goal is simply to finish a marathon this fall, I've chosen the latest available race in my area: Niagara International Marathon on October 23 Road2Hope Hamilton Marathon on November 6! This gives me 2 more weeks than I thought, which I will definitely (try to) make good use of. This also nicely accommodates the Oakville Half Marathon on September 25 as training/race prep.

I'm using a training method made famous by Slowtwitch member BarryP. This method appeals to me because the run frequency is very high, duration of each run is relatively short (excellent for us ADD folk) and I have had success with high frequency running in the past.

During phase 1 of my training, I'll be slowly building my mileage and getting my run legs back. This phase consists of 6 runs per week using a 1:2:3 ratio; 3 short runs of duration x, 2 medium runs of duration 2x and 1 long run of duration 3x. As recommended, I've extracted my paces using the McMillan running calculator for recovery (6:26 - 6:45 min/km), long runs (5:49 - 6:26 min/km) and easy runs (5:49 - 6:08 min/km). These paces sound really slow, and that is the whole point. BarryP emphasizes training to run more, not to run faster during training, leading to more efficient training overall and faster racing.

As I've experienced the switch to high frequency running (2-3 days to every single day), I'm aware of the adjustment period required upfront, so I'm starting with the rather unambitious 'x' value of 15 minutes (therefore 2x = 30 min and 3x = 45 min for any recent business graduates reading my blog). Once I've reset the habit of high frequency running, I'll begin to increase my total running time by 10% per week, as is often suggested.

I'm doing this training based on feel. Typically, I've used some sort of data in the past to guide me, but I think I've overlooked the importance of listening to how my body responds to the stresses of training. Thus my training volume for each week will be determined by how I'm feeling going into that week (i.e. maintain volume, cut back or add up to 10%).

If you made it this far, you have more patience than I. This was a rather self indulgent post to help justify my madness to myself. I'll update along the way and re-evaluate how smart this idea actually was once the marathon is over.

Daily workouts

1. 30 min run with Tesla @ 6 min pace. Extremely humid; this was ridiculous. Poor dog had a tough time with this one.
2. 1 h ride on the Slice, avg pace of 34 km/h over a gently rolling course. I have had some ongoing saddle discomfort which I attempted to address after the ride, but that is for another post!

Booze fueled weekend mechanic extravaganza!

As almost everyone that knows me is aware, I am often very anal picky about seemingly minor details. I like to think that it is just the engineer in me trying to be awesome. Enter my booze fueled weekend mechanic extravaganza! AKA a loser's Saturday night at home.

I have a problem with "entry level" $2000+ TT bikes. Several bikes in this range that boast internal cable routing in the frame (almost any TT bike nowadays) simply slap on a base bar and aerobars suitable for a bike circa 1995, with cables strewn in all directions. My complaint has absolutely nothing to do with aerodynamics and everything to do with how awesome (or not) my bike looks. Yes, I am super materialistic and way too slow to worry about the extra drag of exposed cables.

I recently purchased some snazzy Dura-ace brake levers to replace my sub-par 1995 Tektro levers (again, not appropriate) that were less than confidence inspiring when descending a hill of any size. This is the main reason for my weekend workshop.

OK, done crying about it. Here is a breakdown of what went down:

1. Remove Aerodrink bottle. Replace with wine glass.
2. Remove old Tektro brake levers, cables and bar tape.
3. Refill wine.
4. Install new brake levers. Seriously sweet, definitely worth the trouble of installation.
5. Drill out caps at back of Profile Design aerobars to allow cables to pass through.
6. Refill wine?
7. Run all cables through bars and frame.
8. Install my absolute favourite (because of looks, of course) white Fizik Microtex bar tape.

Before. Gross!

This is my new favourite use for my Aerodrink bracket.

 After. Cables running through the bars and zipped in close.

Nice brake levers, tape and bike. Gross picture.

(Planned!) Recovery Day

What a long week. This weekend we're heading home for a little reception. My training goals for the weekend are: 1) long(ish) run Saturday morning and a 3+ hour ride around the Kawartha Lakes area (yet to be mapped out).

Today, my recovery time was used to:

• Prepare bike gear for weekend and slightly adjust saddle (up) to level. The Slice may have the worst saddle clamp I have ever seen.
• Put bike rack on car.
• Enjoy a Peroni. Quite possibly one of the tastiest brews I've ever had.

 Peroni Nastro Azzurro. Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

Back to it

OK, after an extended and unexcusable rest from training, I finally got some exercise today! Hopefully I can keep on track, or I might end up with a 'motivation for babies' type book.

Daily workouts

1. Morning run with Tesla. Short warm up followed by 5 sets of 20 strides in flat, grassy park at moderate intensity. Return home at low intensity. 
2. 10 min warm up followed by 30 min TT at high intensity over flat but windy course. Quads were burning at end of TT but cardio felt good. Saddle discomfort was pretty bad wearing cycling shorts instead of tri shorts. Will focus on getting comfortable in saddle before finding a replacement.

Preliminary IM Training Plan

Week	Date	Phase	Swim	Bike	Run	Total	Race
1	18-Dec-11	Orientation	2:30	3:20	2:15	8:05
2	25-Dec-11	Orientation	2:30	3:20	2:15	8:05
3	01-Jan-12	Pre-Season	2:30	3:45	1:55	8:10
4	08-Jan-12	Pre-Season	2:30	4:30	2:20	9:20
5	15-Jan-12	Pre-Season	2:30	5:30	2:50	10:50
6	22-Jan-12	Pre-Season	2:30	4:15	2:10	8:55
7	29-Jan-12	Pre-Season	2:30	4:25	2:35	9:30
8	05-Feb-12	Pre-Season	2:30	4:40	3:05	10:15
9	12-Feb-12	Pre-Season	2:30	5:40	3:45	11:55
10	19-Feb-12	Pre-Season	2:30	4:25	2:55	9:50
11	26-Feb-12	Pre-Season	2:30	6:25	4:15	13:10
12	04-Mar-12	Pre-Season	2:30	5:15	3:30	11:15
13	11-Mar-12	Pre-Season	2:30	4:25	3:00	9:55
14	18-Mar-12	Pre-Season	2:30	5:00	3:20	10:50
15	25-Mar-12	Pre-Season	2:30	5:00	3:20	10:50
16	01-Apr-12	Pre-Season	2:30	5:55	4:05	12:30
17	08-Apr-12	Pre-Season	2:30	7:05	4:45	14:20
18	15-Apr-12	Pre-Season	2:30	5:45	3:45	12:00
19	22-Apr-12	Pre-Season	2:30	6:05	3:35	12:10
20	29-Apr-12	Pre-Season	2:30	8:30	5:00	16:00
21	06-May-12	Pre-Season	2:30	7:05	4:10	13:45
22	13-May-12	Pre-Season	2:30	6:45	4:00	13:15
23	20-May-12	Competitive	3:00	6:10	4:20	13:30
24	27-May-12	Competitive	3:00	7:15	5:05	15:20
25	03-Jun-12	Competitive	3:00	7:15	4:30	14:45
26	10-Jun-12	Competitive	3:00	7:30	4:45	15:15
27	17-Jun-12	Competitive	2:30	6:00	3:30	12:00
28	24-Jun-12	Competitive	3:00	9:50	5:10	17:00	Tupper Lake Tinman?
29	01-Jul-12	Competitive	3:00	9:20	6:00	18:20
30	08-Jul-12	Competitive	3:00	8:45	5:15	17:00
31	15-Jul-12	Competitive	3:00	10:00	6:00	19:00
32	22-Jul-12	Competitive	3:00	8:00	4:30	15:30
33	29-Jul-12	Competitive	3:00	8:00	4:30	15:30
34	05-Aug-12	Competitive	3:00	8:00	4:30	15:30
35	12-Aug-12	Taper	2:00	5:30	3:25	10:55
36	19-Aug-12	Taper	1:20	1:20	1:20	4:00 (+ race)	IM Mont Tremblant

http://www.trifuel.com/triathlon/ironman-workouts/

Whoa!

This week got pretty crazy and I didn't get a chance to post any of my daily workouts. Please ignore the retroactive posts for Tuesday-Thursday that I've just added to make sure that I'm capturing my efforts.

Daily workouts

1. 80 km steady ride on the Slice. This was a pretty rough ride in some old tri shorts and I certainly felt the discomfort. My limiters were most definitely my saddle discomfort and some neck pain. Nutrition: 2 bottles of water, 1 bottle of concentrated Gatorade (5 scoops) and 1 Cliff bar. After this ride, my legs and lungs were in great shape. No signs of cramping at all.

Giant Love

Most of my love (and riding time) is dedicated to my Slice - super fast and for the most part, pretty comfortable. My second, and dare I say most practical ride is a 2008 Giant TCR. If I had known then what I now know about bike fit, I likely wouldn't have picked this up - nothing that a few spacers and a slightly smaller stem couldn't fix. This is my go-to bike for early and late season rides where road conditions may be less than ideal. Also, this is the one that gets taken out for rides with Marsha - like possibly this Sunday :-) 

Daily workouts

1. Morning run with Marsha :) & Tesla.
2. Warm up en-route to Walkers Line (10 km). 5 x 3 min hill repeats up 6% grade with cadence between 60 and 70 rpm. RPE was about 15 during hill repeats. Cool down spin with high cadence while returning home (10 km). 

My 2008 Giant TCR - lots of miles on it and hopefully lots more to come

Busy week!

Daily workouts

1. Morning run with Marsha :) & Tesla.

Long Monday

Today just seemed to drag on and on, yet nothing really happened. Glad to kick the week off with a little run with Tesla.

Daily workouts

1. Morning run with Tesla
2. AM bike commute to GO station (recovery)
3. PM bike commute from GO station (sprints)

Bike Hydration

Bike hydration is something that I worry about quite a bit. For me, there is no such thing as a perfect system for both long distance training rides and racing. For racing, I favour a minimalist approach and plan to pick up everything that I need at aid stations on the course. In training on the other hand, I need to be fully supported for hydration, nutrition and (hopefully not) maintenance.

I do all of my bike maintenance myself and believe it or not, nothing has given me more frustration than the current rear mounted bottle setup on my Cannondale Slice. This bike comes with a very basic aluminum mounting bracket that attaches to the seatpost. I love the idea of a simple mounting bracket, but in practice I've found that this part is made pretty poorly and is extremely difficult to tinker with (something that I do often!). Removing a single bottle cage cage causes the whole part to fall to pieces. But I digress...

On long training rides, I've been starting with my Profile Aerodrink full of water, a second bottle with water to refill the Aerodrink, and a bottle with my concentrated liquid nutrition. For even longer training rides, I can either throw another cage on the seat tube, or stop and refill. I've also got a Bento box on my top tube for gels, etc. and my flat kit is wedged between my rear cages and the saddle. The flat kit consists of:

1. 2 spare tubes
2. 2 tire levers
3. CO2 nozzle
4. 2 CO2 canisters (not pictured)
5. patch kit (not pictured)

All of this is wedged in place and cinched in using a bungee (like speed laces). For racing, when I remove the rear mount setup (and put a bottle on the downtube), I'll throw on a small saddle bag and likely reduce the amount of stuff that I carry with me.

Daily workouts

1. 82 km hilly ride on the Slice (avg 32 km/h, no HR data)

My hideous rear mount setup. This thing should be considered a crime against aerodynamics. 

 My Slice. The perfect bike for a lanky freak that is all legs (me)

Running Buddies!

Here are my two favourite running buddies: Marsha and Tesla. Poor Tesla is camera shy, so she had to be put in a headlock.

Daily workouts

1. Morning run with Tesla 

Not so fun day

Fun Day was canceled due to rain, which resulted in bowling - neither recovery nor exercise.

Hopefully this weekend I get a chance to upload my first draft race schedule up to and including IM Mont Tremblant. Expect a marathon this fall, another marathon in the spring, and an IM 70.3 two months before Mont Tremblant.

Daily workouts

1. Morning run with Marsha :) & Tesla.

Fun Day!

Today is our annual Fun Day at work. This year we are doing a 2-3 hour hike in Rouge Park. Hopefully this makes for good recovery exercise (and GPS waypoints of our route!)

Daily workouts

1. Morning run with Marsha :) & Tesla.

Testing Blogger app

This is a test of the Blogger app for Android.

Daily workouts

1. Morning run with Tesla. Warm-up, 5x20s sprints w/ recovery, cooldown.

First!

As of June 15th 2011, I'm officially signed up for Ironman Mont Tremblant 2011. I'll be using my blog to track my training progress and comment on tri related stuff during my journey to ironman.