Kims Blog .... Robbie Burns 8k report

Kim's Blog

Ever wonder how exactly a normal well adjusted individual manages to not only put up with but actually encourage the crazy training and racing (stupidity) of someone who runs 100 milers. Well wonder no more, now you can read all about it. My better half has just started her blog where she will be talking about her own racing as well as crewing / babysitting / and kicking me in the ass. Hey did you notice how I managed to make her blog all about me? Thats the kind of crap she has to put up with around here.

Check it out and don't be afraid to become a follower. As you all know when you first start your blog it can be very lonely on the superhighway. Kim's Blog http://kmcpeake.blogspot.com/

Robbie Burns 8k Race Bitching I mean Report

Okay so I have decided to keep this brief because man I don't really want to talk about this thing at all. Remember in Rocky III when Mr. T beats the crap out of Rocky in the middle of the movie well that pretty much sums up my race day (and I was not Mr. T). I cant bring myself to revisit this thing in full color blow by blow descriptions so briefly here is the good and the bad.

The good - Longboat rented a bus again this year so we went down with the club. We had around 4o members running this year.

The bad - It was so cold outside that even with the heat cranked up on the bus it was freezing. I am talking see your breath freezing. I think I began having flash backs of the bus rides to junior highschool in Fredericton New Brunswick when I was a kid.

The good - Picked up race kit in a nice toasty school and got changed.

The bad - forgot my second layer I intended on bringing

The bad - during warm up realized my garmin was dead

The good - borrowed my friend Gregoires garmin. He decided not to race because of injury.

The good -started out slow and contained

The bad - finished slow and ugly

This was my 4th time running Robbie Burns and somewhat of a milestone race for me. It was 4 years ago that I ran Robbie Burns as my first officially timed road race. This was also my weakest effort. Before I get to much into that however I have to mention that I love this race. The Burlington Running Club know how to put on great races and they really make it about the runner. I have yet to run any race that they are in charge of that has not been excellent (unlike another racing organization that puts on races in Burlington who's name I shall not speak). I will be back at RB again next year. I mean its not their fault that I sucked in this race so badly.

Now I really would love to blame the cold, a lovely -27, for my poor showing but that would not be honest. I knew that I would be slower this year then last as I have been focused on base building and not doing very many hard runs. That means the speed is just not there but man I didnt think it would be this bad. How bad was it? I ran last years HM pace in an 8k and it nearly killed me. I was more then 2 minutes slower then last year. I went in figuring maybe a minute slower but more then 2, yikes. I was also blessed with a crippling side stitch for the last 1.5k which is a new one for me. I can count the number of times I have had a stitch in all my runs, ever, on one hand. I have to tell you its really hard to run fast when your in the fetal position.

This race also really drove home a point that I have been trying not to acknowledge but has become impossible to ignore. I can not train for long distance ultras and still expect to be able to run shorter road race distances at top speed. The reality is you just cant do both or at least I cant. Oh how I wish I was more of a genetic freak!

I have no plans to stop training for and running Ultras so that means that I am just going to have to accept that I will be slower on the road at least for now and that is going to be much easier said then done.

Kim had a great race taking almost a minute off of her 8k PB

I picture is worth a 1000 words, follow this link to see one unhappy camper. I think this captures my race perfectly

http://events.ryderphoto.ca/viewphoto/13830-568-13067871/1/

Oh ya final time for the 8k was 37:16

The Year of Adventure - 2011 Racing Plans

This year I am designating the YEAR OF ADVENTURE with a focus on more US races including a few races that are on the must do list. The year is set up with a focus on road racing early in the spring before hitting ultras the rest of the year.

Racing Plans

Last year in the first half of the season I found that running marathons and 50ks as long runs in training worked really well for me. That means I plan to do some of that again this year. That will include marathons in Florida and Vegas as well the usual pile of OUSER races.

Here are the big races / runs I am hoping to hit this year as long as I am able physically, mentally and financially. For a full racing schedule check out race listings on the right side of my blog.

Jan 30 and Feb 6 - Miami marathon and Melbourne marathon

Basically two glorified long runs in Florida on consecutive Sundays. The bread of our holiday sandwich which will include a week of beaches and theme parks ...... mmmhhh theme parks.

March 5 - Red rock marathon in Las Vegas.

A weekend in Vegas, a Saturday morning running in the desert. For some strange reason this falls right into the middle of my hill training. Coincidence, I think not, time to pound those hills.

May 15 - Toronto Marathon

My target Marathon for the Spring. Really hoping to be able to grab a Boston Qualifier out of this one because after this race my year becomes all about the Ultra. I should have a realistic idea of my chances by looking at my Around the Bay time at the end of March. We shall see.

June 18 - Mohican 100 miler

After being spit on twice by the lottery gods and not getting into Western States or Massanutten 100 I spent a good deal of time pondering what 100 miler to do. So many great choices but decided to go with the Mohican as its close by so we can road trip there. Looks like JD is likely to be doing this one as well. Ahhh, shared pain.

July 30 - Burning River 100

back to Ohio for the Burning River 100 miler. This will be the first point to point 100 that I have ever attempted so should be fun.

August 20th - Pikes Peak Marathon

Start at 6000 feet, run 13.1 miles up to the peak at 14,000 feet, run back down 13.1 miles to where you started. How cool is that? Something tells me that this might be a tough one but I will get lots of mountain training here in Toronto .. HAAA.

Sept. 24 - Virgil Crest 100 miler

A quick trip across the border to New York State for my final 100 miler of the season. Its a UTMB qualifier (4 points) so I expect it to be tough going right from the start.

Late Oct. - Rim to Rim to Rim

Its off to the Grand Canyon with JD and others to run R2R2R. For those that dont know this is not a race but is a must do run. You run from one rim of the Grand Canyon to the bottom, across the canyon and up the other side to the other rim. Then you turn around and go back. Total distance is about 50 miles.

Nov 7th - NYC Marathon

The lottery gods surely you have spit on me enough this year already. We will be running NYC if I manage to somehow get my name pulled in the lottery. Kim got selected last year but deferred it so we could go together this year. After being rejected in the last 5 lotteries I have entered my number has to come sometime doesn't it?

Goals for 2011

What to do about these damn goals. You would think this would be easy but as I learned last year some surprising things happen over the course of a year and that can make planning difficult. Who knows by June I may have given up this distance racing thing altogether and switched to endurance Yoga (seriously not a chance) or Jazzercise. Not that theres anything wrong with that.

General Goals

1. STAY HEALTHY - I did okay in this area last year but still lost weeks after 100 milers. I have begun be more careful and take extra down time when needed cause I am getting older and more brittle by the moment.

2. Specific Cross training - Back to the gym, the place I loath, for easy weights and ab / core work. Maybe some knitting as well. I have a number of areas of "interest" that need strengthening most importantly my repeatedly injured upper ankles.

3. Continue to build that base - Looking to get 5000k in this year barring injury.

4. Take a shot at my BQ - I got a spring marathon targeted for this. Not sure if I will get there or not but sure going to try. My biggest problem is running a marathon full out tends to screw with my ultra training.

5. Qualify for UTMB - Hope to get my race points in so that I can apply for Mont-Blanc in 2013. Ooopps, guess I should have mentioned that to the wife before posting it here.

6. Have fun- The biggest goal of all is to just train as hard as possible and run the best that I can while still having fun. Yes that horrible grimace on my face during races means I am having fun or I want to quit. Its one or the other.

Racing plan for next year coming up!

2010 year in review

Year in Review

2010 ended up being a decent year of running for me and my most successful running season ever. At the end of 2009 I posted my 5 goals for 2010 (see the post here). Well unlike 2009 where I met all my running goals this didn't end up happening last year. I am disappointed in that? Hell No!

Like many things in life some of these goals were not met as my focus and yearly goals changed at some point along the way. Could I have made all of my goals if I had stayed the course and kept my focus on them. Maybe ( more then likely) but at some point on the way to the road racing finish line I took an abrupt left turn and found myself in middle of the woods, literally. So here are the last years goals, results and excuses. I mean reasons. Hey I could have always gone back edited my 2010 posted goals to match up with what I actually did but what fun would that be. It was tempting, very tempting.

Last Years Goals

1. Break 20 minutes in a 5k

Fail, kind of. It didn't happen and I really didn't even get close. I ran my last 5k in March taking 12 seconds off of my PB (21:03) but after that my focus changed and my short distance speed suffered.

2. Run my first 100 miler

Success. I ran my first 100, Sulphur Springs in May and then hit another 100 at Haliburton in the fall. I also ran 2 different 24 hour events, Dirty Girls and 24hrs on the Track.

3. Stay injury free

Success, kind of. I didn't suffer any major injuries but was plagued by smaller ones in the second half of the season. In each race that I ran longer then 100k I ended up with some kind of small injury that cost me a week or two of training each time. By my account I lost about 5 - 6 weeks of training due to injury.

4. Hit my Boston Qualifier

Fail. I didn't end up running a Marathon for time (race it) last year. My plan to attempt to run my qualifier in the fall got shelved as I was busy racing other distances.

5. Up my base mileage, shoot for 5000km year.

Semi Success. I upped my base mileage from just under 4000k in 2009 to 4500k in 2010. Not the 5000k I had hoped but as one of my running friends pointed out 5000k would be a 20% increase in one year. I will settle for the 10% increase for the year. I am happy with that considering the training time I lost due to injury.

So what changed from the start of last year to the start of this year to change my focus. In a word ULTRAS. What I discovered this year is that I like running long, really really long and if its on trails thats even better. After running two 50ks last spring and then a 100 miler in May it became clear that I was having way too much fun on the trails to focus on road running. I thought in June that I might be able to dance along the line somewhere in between the two worlds but by July I found myself in the running for the Ontario Ultra Cup and an age group award so I decided to go all in. I am slowish comparably to the top guys (and girls) so what I lack in speed I had to make up for in mileage. I got my Gump on and ended up placing second in my age group in the OUSER series.

Significant Mileage Totals for 2010

longest training run (not including races)- 32 miles
longest run (race) - 100 miles
most mileage run in a week - 135 miles
lowest mileage run in a week - 0 miles
most mileage in a month - 322 miles
lowest mileage in a month - 152 miles
Number of races in 2010 - 22

Number of Marathons + Ultra races -12 (2 Marathons, 6 50ks)

TOTAL MILEAGE FOR 2010
2808.5 Miles
or
4519.9 km

Significant Race Results for 2010
Set PBs in 5k, 8k, 10 miles, Half Marathon, 30k, 50k trail, 50k road, and 100 miler.

Second in Age group Slainte 5k

Second in Age group 24hr on the Track

Second in Age group Ontario Ultra Series (top 6 ultra race finishes)

Third Overall Men in Ontario Ultra Series (total for all races)

Coming up ..... 2011 goal and racing plan

The word for the day is NO!

Hello Kids. This blog posting is brought to you by the word No and its close affiliate can’t. Side effects of this post may include crying, whining, bitching, loss of motivation and hair loss. Do not try to read this posting while operating heavy machinery.

NO – I did not get into Massanutten via the lottery; neither did JD so I will not be pacing either. On the brighter side I will put my name on the waiting list and have compiled a short list of late May / early June non lottery based Ultras that I am interested in. Will pick one sometime over the winter.

NO – There is no race report for the Egg Nog Jog. Running this race seemed doomed from the start. First friend (and ride) Gregoire could not go as he had to go to Paris France for a job interview. That’s a good thing although I am jealous that he keeps getting to go to Paris. Then we found out that Kim’s dad was able to come for a visit from out west that weekend. This is also a good thing as we don’t get to see him very often. So we shelved the race but had a much better time with family anyway. I would tell you all about it but is very hush hush.

NO – I didn’t get my full training miles in last week. I ended up too hung over after the Longboat Christmas party to run doubles on Thursday. Thanks to John and Toni for hosting again this year and to Roger for buying me extra beers, which was just what I needed. I find training in December very difficult but still managed to get 100k in last week. I will be happy with that.

NO – I didn’t win the lottery (the kind that they give you cash as a prize), I didn’t find a bag of money walking home and didn’t fart diamonds (I did fart however…. Lots). Opps to much information.

BAH HUMBUG

lottery whining... next .... lets try that again ... revising race history

Okay so I am not going to whine about the lottery for Western States. I didn't get in and since JD didn't get in either I will not be pacing it. It was a long shot and I knew going in that it was not likely the first time around. No problem I will keep putting my name in every year until they get sick of seeing it and I get lucky enough to get my ticket pulled. Turns out that I am only luck in love not in lotteries.

As a fall back both JD and I have put our name into the Massanutten Mountain Trail 100 lottery. The drawn is this coming weekend. I hear that its kind of hilly and rocky so just about perfect. I have much better odds of getting in and its a really damn good alternative to WS. I am also making a short list of non lottery alternatives for the spring. Suggestions? The one downfalls of this one is it will mess with my Toronto Marathon plans so if I do get in it will be an earlier marathon for me in the spring.

Last weeks training went really well as I built my long run up to 33km and got 113k in for the week. This week is a much needed and deserved mileage reduction week which works out perfectly with the Egg Nog Jog this weekend.

Speaking of which memory is such a fickle and funny thing. In my last blog I lamented on how I had a bad race at the Jog last year and had not planned to run it again. Strange because when I went back and read my race review from last year I said that "I would run this race again anytime". Weird... this is your brain .... this is your brain on running. Its a good thing I am writing this stuff down because it appears that I might be going senile already.

4000K in the bank ... Last Months Training, Egg Nog Jog coming up.

I officially surpassed 4000k, 2500 miles for you non metric people last Sunday. That pushes me past my running totals for last year with still a month to go. Not as many miles as I had hoped but I lost some time due to injuries so I am very happy with it.

November ended up being a decent training month for me. That in spite of my super cement legs and crunchy ankle….. mmmm… crunchy. I slowly have been building my mileage back up from scratch and ended up getting in 400k for the month. More importantly I am finally starting to feel somewhat normal again with most of my easy runs starting to fall back into my regular pace. Not quite there yet but instead of one good run a week its becoming 3 or 4. I am looking forward to putting some harder workouts back into the mix in the coming weeks.

November was tough for me. Behaving myself is not one of my strong suits. I managed to not race in November. That’s right you heard me, NO racing in November. You have to go back to February 2009 to find the last month I went raceless. Don’t worry though that’s not going to last. Next weekend it will be off to Terra Cotta for the Egg Nog Jog. It will be hilly, it will be cold and we will race the ever popular 10.8 distance because as you all know 10k is just too damn short.

Last year after I finished this race I swore I would never run it again. We ran in horrible weather conditions and the course was, well lets just say it was challenging. Okay actually it was kind of the winter version of hell. You know the saying when hell freezes over? Well it did last year in Terra Cotta. Besides that it was a great race. I bitched and moaned about never doing it again but then in the end all it took was my friend Gregoire telling me he had registered and asking me if I was running it to “convince me” to sign up. Thanks Gregoire? I decided to spread the misery around by getting Kim to sign up as well. Should be a blast, I noticed its sold out again this year.

Ankle is still not right but slowly getting better. Its rarely an issue during runs but I do feel it when I get up over 25k if I am running a hilly route. So of course I have been sure to do all my long runs on the Boston Special route in order to get in as many hills as possible.

There is less then a month left of coaching the Running Room Marathon clinic at Rosedale. I will be hauling my ass over to the High Park Running Room to start doing a marathon clinic there at the end of January. With this location being right in my normal running hood I am going to be able to bring all kinds of torturous workouts and routes to these unsuspecting runners. Crap maybe I shouldn’t put that on my blog some of them might notice. Yeah that’s the ticket, don’t be afraid kiddies sign up now.

Tonight I will be headed out to High Park to run with Longboat as we start up the new training cycle. It’s the return of the every popular Frisky Fridays. I have a feeling this one is going hurt. I expect its going to involve some hard running and me with no fast twitch muscle fibers left after a season of ultra running.

I will be glued to my computer tomorrow morning watching to see if my name gets pulled from the lottery for Western States. I think the email they sent me said I have like a 1 in a gazillion chance. I have made a side deal with JD that I will pace him if he gets in and he will do the same for me. Keep those fingers crossed.