The Marathon Itch

Since the end of April, I’ve been trying to exercise again, but I’ve been hit with more stumbling blocks. I’m at least cycling again to a normal speed and pace, but my endurance is still lacking. I’m guessing that my lungs give out at around 75% of what their normal past efficiency was. Damned pulmonary scar tissues are still being a nuisance to me. Cycling has been the only hardcore physical cardio activity I’ve been able to tolerate throughout the month, as there is less shock from it. Back pain due to a pinched nerve for the past few weeks has limited me to just that. Of course, this impedance restricted my ability to run. However, I’m finally feeling like I’ve recovered from that. All this while, it has been aching me to see so many people out there running, yet I couldn’t be among them.

I went to the Saskatchewan Marathon Expo yesterday. I wasn’t registered, but I was collecting a race package for someone who was. When I arrived at the Expo and reached the bike valet station, I was given a ticket with the big bold number of 007. It was a reminder that I had the smarts, discipline, and resilience before to adopt the “Bond” attitude before, and I’m sure I could put myself back in that place again. As I was cycling back home the downtown, I was lost in thought about what it will take to put me back into the shape my former self was in, and what kind of time and energy I could devote to it. I now have a goal, but I needed real science and numbers and figures to help guide me. So, like James Bond, I decided to scope out some of the course of the Saskatchewan Marathon, and covertly follow and use some real people as targets to assess some realistic metrics and information to fashion some running hacks.
I could hear the ruckus and commotion of the setting up of the Marathon all the way from the Exhibition grounds where the race starts this morning. The dog and I walked towards the starting gate, and I used the GPS on my phone and the stopwatch to get some data. Here is what I tracked down and found:

·         The stretch along St. Henry Avenue between the corners of Ruth and Hilliard is 0.211 km: that’s exactly 1/100^th of the distance of a half marathon (1/200^th of a full one). That’s convenient and useful for making a quick mental tachymeter calculation when I’m running through that section of street.

·         I found a target guy amongst the runners who was about my height, age, weight and build. I timed him and followed him between those two points. (1’ 52.62”, or 112.62 seconds)

·         Voila, I have what I need to determine realistic average target pace, at least initially.

·         Now, calculate that time and distance to a time/km figure for my slowest LDR pace (8’ 53.4”/km), and then go for a run try to hold that pace, and see how far I can get before pulmonary fatigue kicks in to get a baseline. I use that to work on extending my distance beyond that, progressively working up to the 21.1 km mark, and try and not to get too hung up on going faster.

I went for a trial run later after breakfast, which took me through some of the Marathon course. It was great to use the open road for a course way, and even though I wasn’t part of the race, the cheering bystanders were very motivating.

Using Graph Theory, Creepy Tent City

It was just too hot to sleep last night; I slept like crap, and I woke up too late this morning to take advantage of more tolerable conditions for running. It's climbing up to the mid-thirties today temperature-wise: even hotter than yesterday. So, I'm going to relax today and recover from the strain of the gym work and running around I did yesterday. I was a bit too ambitious and overworked my arms. I can barely straighten them now. If I did hit the trails later today, I'd be destined for heatstroke and cramping. I have to smarten up and start healing right.


My scribbled out algorithmic representations
 of this city's trails and bridges.

Since I did my hard work Friday and Saturday, I thought I should do my smart work today. It was one of those good moments when I got the chance to blow the dust off of some obscure knowledge of discrete mathematics and graph theory locked up in my memory somewhere, and making it somehow meaningful. Extreme insomnia is often the cause and reason for jolting me into these deviations into harmless, yet eccentric, numerical explorations. I thought I should apply myself to it before my already too-tired pulpy mush of brain softens up even more from today's heat. I played around with some Hamiltonian circuits and weighted digraphs. I used that stuff to figure out the optimal path between points along my running routes which would constitute the most effective and ideal half-marathon training course for the sake of my own safety and efficiency. I should have been using this analysis ages ago, which could have spared me some agony, but I've been procrastinating. It's stuff I think I'll be using more often in the future to avoid some other negative extremes in training and personal logistics.

Speaking of extremes, the other observation my half-cooked mind is noting is how weird the vibe has switched over in the neighbourhood with the presence of some glaringly conspicuous newly erected monument to piety. The Seventh Day Adventist school across the alley from my building has went through some considerable effort and expense to set up sort of temporary compound of plain white large tents and awnings, all surrounded and visually shielded by a two meter high white tarp-draped fence. The sign outside of it calls it a "tour of the history of the bible"* or some such thing. There is this structure with towering gold-painted columns that especially looks freaky: like fucking Caligula was camping there. It's the noise element that's creeping me out most, or rather the lack of the noise you would expect and associate with entertainment when you see such structures. If you didn't know that this was some attempt by these people to fashion some kind of  'Jesus Circus', you would think it was a refugee camp, or that an emergency battlefield hospital was set up there as if an outbreak of some kind of plague was happening. It's very unsettling. I won't dare enter that place, no matter how curious its presence is making me. The weird setup of the fence makes it look ultra-secretive. The only impression I gather of what religious activity might be going on in there is the kind where cult members have their finally stop to drink their cyanide laced Cool-Aid. It's a disturbingly ominous looking setup, and I'll be glad when this thing gets all knocked down by the end of the month.

What little I know about the Seventh Day Adventists is this: they hold a more literalistic interpretation of the Bible, and more staunchly conservative (puritanical) than most other Protestant Baptist denominations. They abstain from alcohol and tobacco, they don't dance, and don't approve of immodest dress. Like the Jews, they observe Saturday as the Sabbath, and there is following the Kosher dietary laws (no pork, shellfish, etc.). I have no personal qualms with them. When it comes right down to it, I wish more of the dope dealing assholes would move out of the neighbourhood, and more Adventists would move in their stead. What does sicken me though about this setup of this Messiah Mansion, is that this too is proof of just how likely they are, as with any other religious group, to resort to using such a tawdry display as a meme-warfare tactic, despite appearing outwardly more conservative, to attract more followers . . .  of what amounts to be mythology. So many other things could have been done with that money and energy for real charitable work than wasting it on setting up this tacky showpiece; which I must add, has been largely vacant since it arrived here.

On Saturday, I was shamelessly sun tanning on my deck, less-than-modestly attired, in full view of the people running this show, drinking my beer, and snacking on some spare ribs and smoked oysters. In my own way, that's how I've been rebellious and defiant to the presence of this monstrosity.

*-  I highly doubt that this history includes a case for evolution. As kindly and civil as they may appear, when it comes to literalistic followers of scriptures in Abrahamic religions: be it Biblical or Koranic, I have no desire to waste my time with people stupid enough to actively refute the scientific evidence of evolution, and too sanctimonious to even bring it into question.

The River Run Classic 2013: 10 km Results

The Night Before: I made Spaghetti alla Vongole for supper, fell asleep around midnight. It was fitful. I was awoken not by ambient noise, but by the stench of a smelly old skunk waddling somewhere around the neighbourhood close to my place. The stink remained in the air a long time after I shut the windows.

Wake up/Breakfast on Day of Race: Alarm set at 6:00, hit snooze once. Breakfast was a plain white bagel, with almond butter, and a banana.

Ten kilometer race start time: 7:30 AM, arrived 20 minutes early. Biked there, and grateful for the valet station for cycles.

Weather Conditions: It was only 7 degrees when I arrived there before the start, and it deceived me in thinking that I was hydrated enough. The temperature rose rapidly after 7:00 AM.

Start Position: I was probably somewhere between the 40th and 50th person to cross the starting line.

The Goal: To try to beat my time from the Saskatchewan Marathon 10 km race from earlier this year. It would be great if I could put my time under one hour.

Most Challenging Part of the Race: Getting a strained knee after the sixth kilometer, it became tough to just charge up the inclined stretches of roadway beneath the University and Broadway bridges coming back to the timing gate. I would have done better had it not been for that stupid knee.

Things I'm Most Pleased About:  I met my goals, 3 minutes and 49 seconds under an hour, and beat my time from the Saskatchewan Marathon 10 km race by 11 minutes and 44 seconds. Although it didn't feel like it during the last three kilometers, the numbers show that I'm improving. At least I wasn't last in my age/sex division.

Final Results: 



 

• Time:  56:11
• Rank: 83rd out of 166 racers, just within the upper 50 % 
• Average Pace: 5'38"/km
• Average Heart Rate: no reading taken
• Place in my Age/Sex Division:  9/10   

My reward(s): Finally taking a road trip out of town, and finally getting to test my car's performance on the highway. Getting to reunite with an old friend. Seeing how happy Ella became when visiting her Grandma and Grandpa. An afternoon nap, and having a beer with my Dad.
 

Ides of March, Training and Detox, and the Futility of Seeking Serenity

The harsh reality about how unfit I've been rendered by this winter came to me Tuesday. Armed with my new heart monitor, I burned around the track for a five kilometer distance as a trial session for getting to know what my actual peak heart rate is when I run. I shamefully admit that after two and half years of running, I still didn't know what this was yet. I confess that I pushed it a little harder than I should have; my average rate was recorded at a terrible 169 bpm: way too high, and my pace wasn't even anywhere close to my personal best for my high pace five click running. What was even more distressing was when I exited the steam room afterward. I realized that another thing about this winter compared to the others since I lived here is that I haven't found time to make better use of the sauna, or sweat properly. When I walked out of there I was not just looking red, but almost purple as I shocked myself passing a mirror, a worse looking sort of sickly hue than when I come out of a heavily chlorine-saturated swimming pool. 

The common thing about the lungs and the skin are that each have direct contact with both the air in our environment and the body's blood supply simultaneously. It stands to reason that if my lungs are still crappy and full of toxic junk, it's quite likely that it will reflect on my skin that has been exposed to it as well, especially when it's put through even a mild degree of environmental stress, like the steam room. The dryness, plus not being able to expose the skin and open the pores and sweat freely for this especially long winter season probably doesn't do much good for any body. Neither does constantly being indoors, inhaling recirculated air, with the dust and fungal/mould spores, and whatever other viruses, germs and household product chemical residues are in it. I'm sure that the shockingly ghastly and unnatural colour of my skin after that session was a sign that I'm due for some hard core form of spring detoxification.





Some Homemade Sealer Salads for the week
 Energy/Nutrients Value per jar: Calories - 231.3
Total Fat 17.4 g, Cholesterol 0 g, Sodium 272 mg
Potassium 411.3 mg, Total Carbs 18.6 g
Dietary Fiber 7.0 g, Sugars 5.3 g
Protein 5.0 g, Daily Recommended percentage of
Vitamin A 93.2%, Vitamin C 102.3 %
Calcium 13.0 %, Iron 22.0%

I've been already taking measures for such a detox, and commiting to it for least for a couple of weeks. I've started to automate things enough in the kitchen to do the following:

• eat more raw greens/chlorophyll
• eliminate sugar and white flour/starch
• use more leaner simple proteins (fish, chicken, nuts, eggs, and beans)
• limit salt
• increase antioxidants and vitamin C (lemons, grapefruits, onions, ginger, turmeric, garlic, berries, mushrooms)
• increase dosages of vitamin D
• consume more fibre
• gobble up those multivitamins
• limit milk intake (except for cottage cheese, buttermilk/kefir, and yogurt)
• water, water, water, water . . . at least four litres per day
• stop drinking alcohol (Boooo!)

I'll try to steam/sauna everyday throughout, then I should get a massage after the first week of this, and another after the second.

Despite all the good intentions, there was nothing but a road to hell before me, no matter which I turned. I'm talking about yesterday. The ides of March weren't just bad for Caesar. I completed my circuit at the track, only to have my sports watch display crap out on me, rendering it useless: my new monitor, which I was so proud of for getting at a great discount a few days before, also rendered useless. I was beginning to fume with frustration. Walking out of the track building (into more bloody blowing snow) didn't improve my mood any either; but I tell myself to think progressively, baby steps, etc., and I drove to the Future Shop to assess the price of a replacement (not buying anything, nothing in stock, thus wasting my time). I could (should) have opted to use the exit from the parking lot that took me directly home, but I reflected a bit, upon looking at more of this goddamned snow coming, and thought to myself that it might be better instead to go the other way out to Dutch Growers greenhouses. Why this decision? Probably because the core of me was (is) so desperate to see something floral and verdant after this long, dreary, wretched season. I tell myself: "Remember, be progressive man, seek out the better, SERENITY NOW!" As I was driving away from the shopping centre, waiting for my chance to try to cautiously turn onto the road in drifting snow conditions, BAM! An idiot in a truck* rear-ends me.

My day of trying to work progressively for training better and trying to mentally endure ten more new centimeters of this oncoming white hell only resulted in a damaged watch, a wrecked car, and few other unwelcome scenes and issues waiting for me when I arrived home. I should have just stayed in bed. I chose to say "Screw it!" to the detox for rest of the day, and drank wine and feasted on bread and sugary sweet baklava at a function later that evening.

Yesterday for me was only proof that the road to hell is paved with the best intentions. Perhaps I should be observant of the fact that today, according to Mental Floss, is World Sleep Day. A day to stay home, draw the curtains, shut down and go into some kind of coma, and stop the rest of the world from biting at my ass.

*- A stupid big-ass Dodge half-ton. I hate these friggin' trucks, and the most of the typical dimwitted and foolish personity types and demeanor of the young men around this neighbourhood who drive them.




Demon, Get Out of My Spine!

I’m writing this while I’m in the foulest of moods. I’m stricken with stabbing pains in my lower back, so much so that I’ve been rendered mostly immobile since yesterday afternoon. The occurrence of this was so freakish and ironic. Despite all the chances to acquire this by walking and slipping on ice within the past few days, it didn’t happen that way. Instead, it happened in the gym. Between the track and treadmill, I did 7.7 km of running activity, and then decided to do some core training: with special focus and intent to ‘strengthen my back’. The stupid bench that I sat on wasn’t secured properly. The wild scene that resulted was me losing balance, twisting sharply, and abruptly flipping backwards onto the floor. I think that the effort in trying to correct myself in “mid-flight” did more harm to me than the actual damned fall itself. So now, I’m stuck at home, using ice compresses, and gobbling up Ibuprofin and anti-inflammatory pills like they were Halloween candy. I went to the office at work today to attend to a duty there briefly; even that brief visit there became too excruciating, and it feels like I’m drained from anymore activity for the rest of today. So, I’m retreating into writing: to do something that forces me to sit still, and to drain myself of this negativity, which hopefully will result in also easing some tension in my strained back muscles.

Speaking of Halloween candy, if I’m getting trick-or-treaters coming by tomorrow knocking periodically, I’ll definitely be in no comfortable shape even to get up and off the chesterfield to answer the door if the pain keeps on persisting, like the way it is now, on through to tomorrow. If I did dress up, the only option I feel like I have now is to be Quasimodo.

Before my lucidity becomes too compromised by pain, or by the junk I’m using to stop it, I thought it would be fitting to share what is really scary to me about this Halloween. It’s the realization about how aged I’m feeling, and how old I’m probably starting to appear. It started when I peered through the TV listings this weekend, and noticed that The Exorcist was playing on one of the movie channels, along with the other scary movies for this season. I remember that this was the first horror movie that I ever saw as a kid, and because I was a kid, and perhaps because all this crazy possession business was happening in a kid, this movies was the one that freaked me out the most for a long time, so I researched it a bit. I looked back at the casting through IMDb, and noted the stats in the biography of Max Von Sydow, the actor who played the character of the frail, old priest, Father Merrin. It turns out that Von Sydow was only in his mid-forties when he was cast as the old priest . . . around to the same friggin’ age I am now. Jesus Christ! When did this bullshit start happening? I know that life expectancy was a bit shorter in the early seventies (when this film was made), but regarding people in their forties as old is ridiculous. Maybe I’m over-reacting, and this is just a revelation of either the brilliant acting skill of Von Sydow to play a character who looked thirty years older than he actually was, or a glimpse of just how badly Von Sydow was a victim to pre-mature aging (even worse than I am), if he didn’t use that much make-up for the role. Whether it's the one case or the other, it's still disheartening to know that I'm at that age where I could probably appear as, or play, the role of an aged senior so convincingly as well.

I’m trying hard not to be a victim of my age number. In fact, I must admit that the reason I went back to the gym (before this miserable outcome happened) was that I was (re)inspired by another guy, around my age, who’s a movie star. Daniel Craig is at it again, playing James Bond, Agent 007, in the upcoming movie Skyfall. It is coming to cinemas here soon, and I can’t wait to see it on big screen. Daniel Craig was the guy who served as a fitness model for me, and got me directing myself into getting into fitness mode, at a time when I thought I was doing more decaying than thriving health-wise. If Daniel Craig played the old priest in The Exorcist, he would have made that demon his bitch within a minute. Once I recover though, I have to make it a point to not be so zealous in trying to get back into Bond-form.

I feel like I need yet another role model, this time for the sake of my learning objectives and personal standards of productivity and efficiency. The meds and muscle relaxants are kicking in now; maybe I’ll have a vision as to who that might be, in a dream as I drift. . .off to . . .sleee. . .zzzzzzzz.

The Saskatoon River Run Classic: Half-Marathon Race

The Day Before:  Received Ella's friend , whom I'm babysitting for a couple of days. Walked to the Farmers' Market, and then to Remai Arts Centre to pick up racing package. Stretched and used foam roller to fix the remaining knots in my leg and back. Tried napping in the early afternoon, since Saturday is typically the busiest day at the Ex, with the most hooligans touring around the streets, as witnessed yesterday as I watched two cops chasing a youth who escaped them (he was running from them with his hands handcuffed behind his back). Napping was futile, so I worked on other correspondence. Made a beef stir fry for supper, listened to some of the Collective Soul concert from my deck, waited until the fireworks passed before even trying to prepare for bed. Fell asleep sometime after midnight.

Wake up/Breakfast on Day of Race: Awoken at 4:00 AM, by some idiot honking a car horn down the block, and couldn't go back to sleep. Read and replied to e-mails. Breakfast at 5:00 was an English muffin, two poached eggs, eight strips of bacon, two large cups of coffee (with creammilk and sugar). I could only eat half of it, anxiety/excitement was making my stomach flip.

Half Marathon start time: 8:00 AM, at River Landing.  I arrived an hour early. I cycled there slowly, and used much of that time to stretch before the starting gun went off.

Start Position: Middle of the pack. There were only 121 runners registered (108 recorded finishing) for the Half Marathon, so not a really dense crowd to move through.

Mental Preparation: I avoided all instances of watching and being obsessed about my pace time, as I'm sure that it would have been too distracting. I set up only the distance traveled on my GPS watch. I told myself that, given the circumstances, pain will be inevitable, and used a lot of controlled breathing to try to make it dissipate.  My thoughts were focused on being so determined to just getting past that finish line: no matter if I ran, walked, crawled, or even was face down on the pavement trying to drag myself there by my lips. I trained too hard and sacrificed a lot to get this far; to just throw in the towel and quit was not an option.

Pre-Race Weight: 194.4 lbs (88.17 kg)

Post-Race Weight: 190.4 lbs (86.36 kg)

Most Challenging Part(s) of the Race: The course was made up of sections I've already ran through and am familiar with, but it served no advantage for me with the sciatic problems. I noticed the stiffening occur at around the 12 km point. I forced myself (for my protection) to walk up the hills and inclines by the bridges, and was limping badly at this point (18 km). I had a spike of reserve energy for the last 500 meters before the finish line, I wish it was there earlier.

Things I’m most pleased about with my performance: As pain stricken as I was, I managed to stay more or less in the middle of the pack for the first 15 kilometers. I managed to stay disciplined enough to avoid red-lining, and risking greater injury. Happy that my pain-tolerance has been quite elevated since I've started running. I'm happy that I had the wherewithal, and fulfilled my commit ment to start and end this trial. Happy to be not the last guy in the standing of my Sex/Age group. 

Final Results:

• Time: 2:11:34
• Rank: 77/108
• Average Pace: 6' 15"/km
• Place in Sex/Age Division: 13/14
• Fastest Pace: 4' 51"/km at 2.5 kms into race
• Most Brutal kilometer: Between 18 and 19 (just about collapsed)

After the Race: Gently and slowly cycled back home. Finished my breakfast. Bath and stretching. Ice packs on hamstrings. Emptied two liters of Gatorade to replenish myself. Attempted to nap to catch up on Zzzz's after the lousy sleep from last night, and to rest for a date I have this afternoon before the Ex noise starts up.

What I’ve Learned: Never sleep on the ground just after receiving chiropractic treatment. Bring and drink more electrolytes with this degree of injury. No matter what kind of fancy, space-age wicking material they are made of, black sponsor provided T-shirts are a bad idea. I learned how to pace myself through pain better than I did in my trial runs since getting treatment. 

My award and reward(s):

This award felt very hard earned, but worth it in the end.

Considering how close I came to hitting the pavement, perhaps a practical reward should be getting a Road ID bracelet. They were one of the sponsors of this race.

Grateful for: The volunteers of these races never get enough thanks for their time and energy for helping to get these events set up and running smoothly. Extra thanks to all of them. My special thanks to my best friend for giving me this goal to work towards; I wish I could have been in better shape to honour this gift.

To Strain to Train through Pain Again

“It is better to conquer yourself than to win a thousand battles. Then victory is yours. It cannot be taken away from you, not by angels or by demons, heaven or hell.” - Buddha

The pain I’ve had is gradually fading away, but I’m still not anywhere near the condition I wanted to be in for contending with the race this coming Sunday. I took a trial run yesterday. I only did about three kilometers to gauge the pace at which was tolerable for me to take on a 21.1 kilometer run, and to check and see the degree at which I’ve recovered. I managed to get a pace around 5’ 30” /km within the first 700 meters, which was the target average pace I wanted to have for the whole race before this injury occurred. My performance worsened, getting to 6’ 15”/km, a dramatic drop after one and a half kilometers once the stiffening and inflation started to set in. I don’t expect to break any personal records if this keeps up. My goal now has been reduced to just being able to start and finish this whole  ordeal. 

This tapering off process and session of injury treatment before my race day is driving me crazy as well. Tapering off is very necessary to avoid excessive stress and wearing of connective tissues, and to allow the body to rebuild and strengthen the muscles needed for the day of competitive racing. However, after all these months of effort, sitting still to rest has become totally counter-intuitive. It’s tiresome and boring to be stranded at home using ice-packs, a foam roller, and stretching. With this amount of personal downtime, I usually retreat into my kitchen to cook and eat; and now I can’t just eat whatever and whenever I want*. I’m really aching to be back outside on the trails, to be in the sunshine and fresh air. I miss greeting, and being greeted by the fellow runners (especially the lovely Lululemon clad athletic women) on the trails. Doing cross-training on my bike and upper body strength training is tolerable, but not the same. They don’t invigorate me like running does.

It has occurred to me that I never set a reward for myself for accomplishing this next race. I know what I’d really want, but it’s nothing I can simply buy. It’s a wish that’s too personal to express here.

*- I purposely emptied my fridge for camping and left it that way when I came back home, to avoid mindless eating. I’ll grocery shop when I get back into the swing of work and re-training once sufficiently healed.

My Next Fitness Goals

Category: Running
Specific: Run half marathon distance under  01:56:33
Potential Problems: Injury and heat exhaustion as training goes into hotter summer months
Acceptable: The time, 01:56:33, was the men's 40-49 division average of the 2012 Saskatchewan Half-Marathon
Gift/Rewards: Nike GPS sport watch with heart monitor
Hard Enough: Biggest challenge is coping with the heat above 15 Celsius. Must work on proper balance of hydration/electrolyte intake.
Evaluate: Achieved 2:01:00 on June 24^th. It’s my current personal best.
Tangible: This current personal best surpassed the median time of SK half-marathon by seconds (2:01:06)
Time Line: Before end of July 2012
Inspiration: Refer to Zen and the Art of Running

Category: Strength
Specific: D. Craig Workout, plus extra core, upper body work.
Potential Problems: Injury, work schedule conflicts.
Acceptable: Good balance of staying strong, yet trim; not to bulk up too much for running.
Gift/Rewards: Fittingly, to see the next James Bond movie, Skyfall, in 3D in theatre in November
Hard Enough: Hardest part of routine is pull-ups, due to old shoulder injury. May need to find substitute drill for this. To do on rest days from running (Tues & Sat)
Evaluate: Once mastered, work on doubling reps, and increasing weights by 10%
Tangible: Have home gym set up for drills: therefore no excuses.
Time Line: Ongoing
Inspiration: My Celebrity Fitness Role Model

Category: Weight Control
Specific: Maintain bodymass between 185 -192 lbs, BF percentage between 14-18
Potential Problems: Accounting for hidden carbs/calories, too many hot days (bad appetite fluctuation, drinking too much beer).
Acceptable: There are lots of healthy foods that I really like. I'll keep lots of those in stock.
Gift/Rewards: Cheat Day Saturdays, better fitting clothes.
Hard Enough: Challenge to automate the menu plan, because I like so much variety.
Evaluate: So far on par with objective.
Tangible: The weight loss/mass change so far has been very motivating
Time Line: Ongoing part of lifestyle
Inspiration: Tim Ferriss' blog and books

Category: Running
Specific: Achieve Full-Marathon distance (42.2 kms)
Potential Problems: Potential overtraining, plus increased potential of same issues as half-marathon training
Acceptable: Motivation to continue training over winter
Gift/Rewards: Ticket for Rush Concert in September
Hard Enough: Have reached 27 kms as maximum distance so far. Will probably use holiday time to train for this.
Evaluate: Working on half marathon first, increase load after Aug 12^th
Tangible: Unknown
Time Line: Before or by my next birthday
Inspiration: Ray Zahab, who ran across the Sahara Desert. Compared to that, this challenge kind of looks easy.

Results of the Bridge City Boogie: 5 km Race

.

The Day Before: It rained for most of the day on Saturday. I did strength training for most of the morning. I collected some gear at Brainsport, and had lunch at Szechuan Kitchen. I had a small nap before I began my shift at 3:00 PM. Very low energy for the rest of the day (I blame the dreary weather), and some cramping (from the workout earlier) later in the evening. My carb-load for today was mostly made up of bread, rice noodles, and kvas (Ukrainian rocket fuel).

Wake Up/Breakfast:  Up at 5:30, did some upper body exercises. Breakfast was a protein smoothie: 1/2 cup frozen blueberries, 4 large strawberries, 1 measure Kaizen protein powder, 1 tsp Ruby Reds nutritional supplement, blended with 1 cup Kombucha tea. I skipped out on making coffee (wish I hadn't).

5 Kilometer Race Time: 8:30, beginning at PotashCorp Park. Rode bike there to spare myself the misery of finding parking. It rained heavily all morning. I was thoroughly drenched before the race even started.

Starting Position: In the first quarter of the front of the 5 km runners' pack.

Most Challenging Part of the Race: As with the last race, I was confined by the major crowd congestion at the beginning of the race. I did a lot of puddle-dodging to try to keep my sensor from being saturated with water. Being completely drenched from head to toe with rain meant that I was carrying probably an extra 3 kg of water on me. I honestly didn't think I drank that much, but it felt like I overdid it with hydration this time: carrying too much water internally as well. My last two kilometers were difficult with an overloaded bladder needing to desperately be emptied. My iPod wasn't working properly with all the extra moisture and my shirt sleeve slapping against its touchscreen was screwing up pause and start times, thus negatively affecting my data. It was hard to "boogie" without any tunes as well, since I turned them off to free up the working memory and save my dwindling power on the iTouch to allow it to process the run.

Things I'm most pleased about with my performance: Just happy to be able to scrounge up enough energy during these dreary and drippy couple days to allow myself to commit to this. I think I did actually better than I thought I would given the less than adequate racing conditions and weather. From my Nike + readout, I seem to have wasted less energy and distance passing people this time: making a conscious effort to minimize my lateral movement. I just found out the results; I'm happy that I just made it into the sub 24 minute category (the one with the readings in weird short format).

Final Results:  Official results acquired from this Star Phoenix link.

• My Time: 23:56 (one of the 133 runners that I roughly counted that made it across the line within 24 minutes)
• My Average Pace: Calculated to be roughly 4' 47"/km
• My Ranking: No ranking breakdown provided. It is as yet uncalculated due to the complicated time listing format here. My rough reckoning is that I'm 132nd. Format note: times under 24 minutes are listed as mm:ss; times between 24 minutes and 60 minutes are listed as mm:ss:00; times 60 minutes and 1 second and over are listed as hh:mm:ss.
• No Age or Sex division statistics provided. I counted 2219 racers listed in the 5 km event.
• Overall, I finished within the top six percent. 

After the Race: Collected my gear (from the very chaotic valet station) and had a slow and soggy bike ride home. I was a bit disappointed that I couldn't find the rest of the fellow runners from my workplace afterward who took part in the event. I was scheduled to run an extra 23 kms as part of my training commitment.  However, I already proved to myself that I can run in these adverse conditions, and seeing that I still needed to work this afternoon, I didn't think it wise to completely drain myself of energy. Plus, since I have no confirmation yet that my cohort at work will be able to trade tomorrow's night shift with me it would be foolish to press things too hard. I just wanted to shed off my smelly, drenched gear; then jump into a hot bathtub, to prevent any cramping. I did just that. I then made some coffee, started blogging this; while trying to regain some energy for work later this afternoon.

What I've Learned: Double check new supplements that I'm experimenting with for any possible diuretic side-effects. I think I hit on a sensible pattern for tapering down activity before a race. From being a little more relaxed during these past couple days, I see how badly I'm risking over training. Seeing that Nike + has totally botched up it's system, and completely trashed the automated coaching program, this is probably a good time to revamp the one I'm on now: finding one that provides a better outcome for necessary rest periods and sensible mileage goals.

My Reward(s): I went for a Super Bean Burrito at Taco Time. A kind of a stupid reward, I'm sure, but I welcomed the break from having to cook for myself. I only had enough time for fast food, and I haven't been at this franchise in 15 years (I forgot how much I liked their hot sauce). What I'd really like is enough quality time off to enjoy the stuff I already have (puzzles, literature, my dog's company, etc.) that's here that entertains me.

Grateful for: No grief from a sore knee like the last race; Sport Shield compound (no blisters or chafing, one less thing to irritate me); seasoning myself to more harsher racing conditions; that the amount of effort I put into this didn't completely drain my energy from me.  

Getting Ready to Boogie

This weekend is the Bridge City Boogie, and I'm entered in the 5 km race of the event. I'm still at that stage where I'm focusing on trying to burn off more fat rather than building up my speed. When comparing my weight stats from June of last year, I'm seven pounds heavier now than I was back then. However, through the course of training this year I'm reaching and surpassing distances now that I wasn't able to achieve until late July/early August of last year.

This race coming up this Sunday is only five kilometers; what makes a shorter race so challenging is that they are faster paced, and I don't think I have come close to a level of amping up my speed yet. The other thing that is a trial for me now is setting a proper interval for tapering off activity before a race day. I (stupidly) did some new form of interval training, mostly uphill, mostly against the wind on a day when it was the windiest day I ever tried running through. My legs were totally butchered after more than eight kilometers of acceleration trials and fartleks*. I squeaked in 16 kms today, but I don't think it was a bright thing to do after yesterday. For tapering down, I'll just be doing some light cycling, some upper body weights for cross training, and relaxing as much as possible before Boogie day.

The other big issue is (has been) getting enough refreshing sleep due to the rising heat during the season. Overworked muscles don't heal and build up without adequate sleep. Sometimes I really wish I didn't have such a thermogenic metabolism.** When seasons change, I can easily make the physiological adjustment from warm to cold quite well; it takes me forever though to get acclimated when it starts getting hotter. I remember a few years ago when I lived in the topics once for a six month stint. I pretty much never slept during the first two months I spent there. I just seem to be pre-conditioned to need to live in a cooler climate; it seems to be in my blood.

The only other thing to add is my disappointment with the Nike plus website. I don't know what kind of monkeys they have been training for "enhancing" their site, but ever since they switched the format of the site over I've had nothing but trouble with my profile information and it's fraught with other errors and bugs that could misreport/misrepresent my running data.*** The coaching schedule I was using is totally gone, and there is nothing there as a replacement application for it. It matters because the next gift for myself (for running the Bridge City Boogie) would have been a heart monitor that is compatible with Nike + apps, but I won't be getting it now if all I can expect is malfunctioning due to this programming ineptitude.

What I'm sure I'll enjoy most about Boogie Sunday is seeing some of my co-workers, and people I serve, getting involved as well.

*- Fartlek - it's a word of Swedish origin, adopted into runners'-speak, describing a training technique which roughly translates to "speed play"; not anything to do with running related gastro-intestinal methane expulsion.

**- I can comfortably run shirtless with temperatures around 10 degrees Celsius, that's how warm my body gets while I exercise or exert myself. I wish I could somehow convert all the extra heat my body makes into propulsion, or something else more practical or creative.

***-Enhancement would imply that it works better; it doesn't, in fact it functions worse. It almost looks like they probably used the same sweatshop labour they had to make their shoes programming their website. 

My Homemade Strength and Endurance Training Drill: SSS Run

The reasons why I've resorted to this:

• because I'm frugal; mainly for efficiency and economy in time and money
• to use what nature already provides at no expense, rather that buying extra gym equipment/gym member fees
• because I didn't have a suitable leg strengthening repertoire within my home gym
• because the greater long distance training time is cutting into my strength training time, and I'm risking over training some parts of my legs and under training others
• to use more time working out within range of home and less time commuting to the gym/track facilities
• to balance and compress both strength and aerobic exercise within a day using one shortened workout
• to build up more resilient joints for reducing shock and injury during forward and lateral motion, muscular endurance and strength for increasing acceleration/passing ability during races
• to collect free material for other drills/projects

Drill: Triple S Run A (South Saskatchewan Sandbag Run) Phase 1

Course Length: 6.5 kms
Frequency: Once a week, after a rest day; at least two days after longest run of the week
Shoes: Runners with orthotics
Other Equipment: Heavy duty backpack with chest and waist strap support, a garden trowel, a couple of doubled up shopping or garbage bags

Step 1: Load backpack with the other items, adjust straps such that when you wear it there is no loose jolting

Step 2: Run at 80-90 % through my local riverside park until 2.5 km is reached, and go to riverbank to a spot with beach sand

Step 3: Use garden trowel to fill garbage bag with 20 heaping trowel fulls of fine, clean, damp (not saturated) sand: it amounts to about 18-20 kg/40-44 lbs. Wrap and tie bags securely and load the sand into the backpack

Step 4: Run the remainder of the course wearing backpack. Alternate pace with intervals of walking/running/hiking, perform lunges, change up step work, find rough trails up the riverbank, or do hill charges.

Drill: Triple S Run A Phase 2

Course Length: 6.5 km (with reversed procedure)
Frequency: Once a week, two days after Triple S Run A Phase 1
Shoes: Seperated toe runners (Hobbit boots)
Other Equipment: Same as above

Step 1: Strap on the sand-loaded backpack, start with walk and gradually increase pace to slow jog. Be conscious to land on balls of the feet rather than the heels.

Step 2: When coming to 2.5 km spot on the trail, head toward the river using frontal lunges to the same spot where the sand was first collected. Finish with a set of 20 prisoner squats, planks/push ups while wearing backpack.Take a two minute rest; hydrate.

Step 3: Remove backpack. Dump the all sand back onto the beach by the river. Return it to the same spot it was first found.

Step 4: Re-adjust backpack to allow for comfortable fit.

Step 5: Continue running the remainder of the course, using fartlek/interval training

Step 6: Do a hill charge at the steepest trail to get back into Diefenbacher Park and resume running at top speed for the rest of the course

Purpose (Phase 1): To start with a warm up to loosen the leg muscles with the jog, then gradually build strength in the calves, quadriceps, hamstrings, and knee and ankle joints.

Purpose (Phase 2): Start with full body strength training, finishing with core and upper body; then use the physical sensation of being lightened to build on speed and acceleration training.

Inspirations/Motivations:

• That added weight of sand is equal to about the same amount of extra bulk I used to carry on me, plus a couple bags of groceries that added all that extra poundage. I seemed to have had no problem carrying around that extra food and lard before; therefore, I should be more eager to carry that same weight if it served to wear more of it off of me.
• This weight was lighter than what most of the Canadian soldiers had to haul while wading through choppy shorelines, and charging up Juno beach under machine gun fire during WWII. By comparison, this looks pretty simple.
• Being mindful that people in the Himalayas move up and down mountain paths that are only accessible by foot, on a daily basis, carrying more than this weight in rice, fuel, and other provisions just to live. People (mostly women) in some poorer African nations carry this weight or more of water (on their heads) over many kilometers just for their families' daily needs. It keeps me thankful that we live with access to many amenities to convenience and abundance.Walking or biking to a local store is not a hardship by comparison.