Crunch Time

Wow. It's been nearly a whole year since I wrote about running last.

Despite my good intentions and trying to start training many weeks ago, I have only achieved a mediocre level of fitness to date. There are 7 weeks left until the Vancouver Marathon. 6 weeks of training time left. I have run well with such a short build up before but every year I age and that I don't train regularly for at least 8 months of the year such a feat becomes more difficult. Nevertheless, I plan to run significantly faster than I did last year at Vancouver, a time which I was somewhat disappointed with.

The plan? No big plan, run for at least an hour a day, with maybe one day a week at only 30mins, 75sec hill reps at least once per week, and an extended long run on the weekend.

Last year I was actually in quite good shape for Vancouver however I did not put in the requisite long runs on the asphalt, so after 34km my quads were destroyed and couldn't get my legs moving, it was not an energetic issue but a muscle massacre issue. The remedy will be to pick up some road trainers (I only have trail shoes and road racing flats) and hammer out my long runs on the asphalt/hard pack dirt roads.

The key: Not getting sick and not getting injured. The sick part is going to be a hard one as my time commitments will be in the level of extreme. I've recently been elected Chief of my community, will carry on part time with my job and running each day. On the positive side I still have a lot of sockeye in my freezer, also deer and moose meat, canned berries and various medicines, I just need to get a reasonable amount of sleep. Not getting injured. This is a tough one because I will be ramping up the volume in a short period of time. This is not an area I am unfamiliar with, and my IT bands are already starting to get a little tight. The remedy is consistently doing strength work; yoga and workouts. The strength work is preventative however having strong hip flexors goes a very long way in a marathon. In Victoria Marathon a few years ago my hip flexors were very strong and it made a huge difference in the late stages of the race and surprising myself with a 2:26. That's it.

Today:
Set:
- single leg raise: 3 x 10
- plank: 90 sec
- lateral single leg raise: 3 x 10
- push up: 15
- glute single leg raise: 3 x 10
- crunch: 25
X 3

Comin' around

I've often said when advising first timers about marathon training that its all about being tired all the time. While this is somewhat of a generalization it holds true for the vast majority of marathon training. If you want to get the volume of training in necessary to run well you wind up being pretty tired, most of the time. That being said, I have been doing nowhere near the volume I have in the past. Nevertheless I am feeling pretty tired lately and this upcoming week is looking that way after the great session I had today.

Backing up a bit, I ran a trail half marathon last week in order to get a good hard training shock in. I had planned to do a 10k on the road the week before but nixed that plan because I hadn't done the necessary speed work to knock of a decent time. I figured the trail half would be closer to the training I had been doing since 100% of my training is in the hills behind my place. The race for me was defined by a single event of me running off-course. Starting the race out I went out fairly hard and put a gap on the second and third place guys, taking advantage of my ability to run the trails with rocks and snow at a fast clip, particularly the downhills. Somewhere around 11 or 12k I was working away up a hill and completely missed a hard right turn onto the gas pipeline route, that was very clearly marked. I continued to run for probably another kilometer until I got to a main intersection of the race where there was a water station and the attendee was very confused that I came from that direction. Fortunately the race director Phil Hiom happened to be arriving there and was able to direct me back onto the course. At that point I was way behind the next 3 guys. I worked hard to see if I would have any hope of catching them but only the 3rd guy was even in sight. I was able to catch him but had put in so much work trying to catch up I was bagged. Coming in to the last 5k which was a mud pit I just put in the work and finished the race in 3rd. Fairly embarrassing state of affairs but was a really good workout and I was happy with how fit I seemed to be.

After that effort I took it easy for a few days then hit the hills on Thursday doing 3x4x60s hill which went really well. This morning I headed out to do a long run with some long tempo work. What I ended up doing was a 25min warm up then 3x30mins hard off 5mins jogging, then a 50min cool down. Truthfully I set out to do 4x30mins but I hammered a little too hard on the first two which are mostly uphill. I was able to run fast and pretty strong on the third one but it helped that it was mostly rolling and downhill. At any rate it was a really good workout and I was moving fast. I was actually really surprised at how strong my hip flexors were. I was able to drive up hills and really stride out on the flats. In fact my hamstrings really took a beating because my hip flexors were enabling me to drive forward so powerfully. I presume this is on account of the hill work and all the hills I do on my easy runs. I take this as really good news because when i ran 2:26 at the Victoria Marathon in 2011 my hip flexors felt like this, very strong.

Next week is a half marathon race in Kelowna where I definitely want to be in under 70mins. Then I have two more sunday long runs to get in some marathon specific work. If I can nail those, i'll be in good shape to run fast in Vancouver on May 4.

Re sqéxe

So I decided to get a sqéxe (dog) last week and  as one would expect it has changed my training a bit, some for the better some for the worse I suppose. It is nice to have a partner to run with but its derailed this week a bit because she has been sitting at the SPCA for a month and was not in very good shape. She handled the 1 hour runs in the ice and snow but I think maybe her foot pads were getting sore so I didnt want to take her for a long run on Sunday. Because I just got her I didn't want to leave her in the apartment since she is a bit of a barker. So, I nixed the long run and opted to do some hill work on Sunday that way she would put less miles on her feet. The other challenge is that the ground is thawing and its a mucky muddy mess, so we hopped in my truck and drove up in elevation till it was ice and snow still. Finally, my 'go-to' route has several loose dogs on it so i'm not running that way anymore. This is a flat route and I cut through someones yard (with the dogs). My alternative route is...up.

Anyway those are relatively small challenges to overcome and I'm happy to have a running partner. As with any running partner it makes lack of motivation to get out and run disappear because she needs to go outside first thing in the morning anyway, she knew after just a few days what it meant when I pulled my tights on.  I am even contemplating doing some doubles since I take her out for an afternoon/evening walk too. Furthermore, after the Vancouver Marathon is over, shes still going to need exercise so I might become a year round runner again after all!

p.s.  35 days in a row!

p.p.s. I have decided not to run the Kamloops 10k next weekend. No racing till I can knock off a decent time.

91 days

When I was doing my coursework at UVic I had the pleasure of going for a few good long runs with Joe Grant (http://alpine-works.com) and at the time he had instated a policy of running every day no matter what; doing at least one mile of running. I've decided to take this up on my Vancouver Marathon build as kind of a mental trick, if you will. In the past I had a bad habit of taking a needed day off then sometimes ended up taking two or three off. By committing to running everyday I have put out of mind breaking the momentum of training. This is not to say I'm making the error of not recovering but that even on a 'day off' I'm doing at least 15mins of running. So far its worked out well and I've actually relied on days where I REALLY didn't feel like running. So i'm at 21 in a row. The build is 13 weeks so that makes 91 days.

Today, I finally went for a decent long run. It's been kind of a slow build the last three weeks. I had intended to do a good hill workout this past week but the conditions sucked. In the mornings it was icy and in the afternoons a sloppy muddy mess. I may have to find a different place and do it on the road, or change my plan to doing repeat miles or something. I'll make that decision on Wednesday. It's feeling pretty great to be gaining some fitness and not too many aches and pains. Time to step it up a notch and see what I can do over 10k at the Kamloops Spring run-off at the end of this 3 week cycle.

The Fog has lifted

I've been running for the better part of 18 years now and I never seem to learn  how much I need it.

Through December and much of January it seemed like it was really foggy in this part of Secwepemcul'ecw. I was also feeling similarly until about a week and a half ago. The weather cleared up and got sunny and cold and it was time to start training for the Vancouver marathon. So, I started running and the fog of my own brain and existence also cleared along with the weather. I don't know why it is that when I'm not running I don't realize I'm not operating at my best but when I get back to it everything seems to fall into place. My body physically feels better and my mind is clearer and sharper, everything starts clicking. So I'm happy. Feeling great. I've run 9 of the last 10 days for an average of an hour which has gotten me back to some basic fitness. This week coming up I'll add in a hill workout and probably do a long run next Sunday. Additionally its time to do some maintenance work to ensure I don't get any injuries like stretching and a few yoga poses to strengthen my stabilizers along with some basic core work. This last week my left knee has gotten a bit sore due to the uneven and often slippery surfaces I've been running on. The knee ache isn't the kind that is right inside my knee but the feeling of things tightening or pulling on the inside. I've had this before and its on account of not having strong enough stability muscles, the fix in the past has been an "Eagle" yoga pose. I highly recommend doing this pose as well as the tree pose to ensure your stabilizers are sufficiently strong when doing such a linear movement such as running. Anyhow, things are going well and its time to see if I can pick a tune up race a few weeks down the road.

Compulsion for Flight

I've never been able to really put into words what running is to me in the psychophysical sense. At times I have called it addiction however I understand the definition of addiction to be a practice or action which affects normal function and when removed causes physical and/or emotional withdrawal symptoms. To a degree this holds true for running, however I find it rather easy to stop running without feeling withdrawals. That said, when I start running again after a period away, it takes only a couple of runs for my body to be compelled to continue. When I have stared running again, I get a feeling like I feel today where while I am sitting I actually feel my body wanting to get up from the sitting position and run, to feel that sensation of moving quickly and often moving up a hill, feeling of movement, not just any movement but one that is smooth and powerful. Then, when I think of this I feel grateful for the gift of motion. Not so many people are able to feel powerful and efficient in such a natural form of movement.  Then, despite how smooth, efficient and powerful I can feel when I am very fit, land movement is still cumbersome compared to flight. I cannot imagine how that would feel, to fly under your own power.

And so it begins

-14 plus wind. 60mins run. Into the rising sun.  I've been trying to get started for weeks now but have been struggling to get out and run in the dark. The sun is now rising close to 7am, which makes this easier. 13 weeks till Vancouver marathon starts monday, so it is good timing.

The way the last couple of years have gone i've come to accept that I am too busy with gatherings and subsistence gathering in the summer and hunting in the fall to really train properly for a marathon in those season. So I am taking this winter and early spring as an opportunity to run a fast marathon. Although I am still very busy, it is a different kind of busy. When you are busy doing things that are dependent on the weather and growing season your schedule is dictated by those things; the warmth of the sun, amounts of rain, coldness of air, mating seasons, and optimal times of day to hunt, among other things. You must schedule around them. In the winter season time is spent in preparation, and doing other work that is mainly indoors, in a controlled environment with artificial light, which makes scheduling more flexible. So, that's the rationale.  This also helps with the motivation; it is the one chance I have in the year to get a good solid amount of training in and run a fast marathon. I will still run the Kamloops Marathon and attempt to defend my title, however it will be off maintenance of the fitness I develop for Vancouver and a few focused and specific workouts. Here we go.

Day One

-7deg. 30mins. New Salomon Speedcross. Lungs and throat cooked. Back on the horse.

#cccccold

W/E August 25, 2013 - Edmonton Marathon - 5th

Mon - 55min:  Feeling stiff and tired today so just went for an easy run in the new trail shoes.

Tues - 30min: Tired again, taking it easy.

Wed - 60min w/ 2xHill (93, 96): Legs feeling better

Thurs - 30min 

Fri - off

Sat - off

Sun - 42.2km: (2:42:35) 5th place.

Well unfortunately the Edmonton Marathon did not go as well as I hoped. I was feeling pretty good going in but things never really started clicking in the race. I expected to be able to grind out a 2:35 given that I was able to overcome some adversity to run a 2:42 in Kamloops. In this race I didn't have any particularly acute problems but felt generally sore as the race went on. Of course you expect a marathon to be bring about a certain amount of soreness or pain but I was feeling unusually sore and in strange places. I would attribute most of it to having done 100% of my running on dirt roads and trails but I didn't feel this 'pounded-out legs' feel when I did Kamloops a few weeks go. At any rate, my left shoulder and arms in general got really sore and tired, my inside left shin was aching, both my knees were aching and towards the end my left patella was very sore. This was all soreness that was abnormal. So my only guess is that a combination of the pavement/asphalt surface and the terrible condition of the roads in Edmonton accounts for this. ANYWAY, thats marathoning, you can always count on ups and downs. In particular, racing in Edmonton is always hit or miss for me, I have run some great races there like my 2nd place Canadian half-marathon championships, one of my best races in my career; and my horrendous near last-place finish at World half-marathon championships, one of my worst races ever; I have dropped out; and I have won there. 

Next up:  I am in Toronto now visiting my tsétse (younger sister) but will probably go for a jog tomorrow and try and get the legs moving a bit next week. I have committed to doing a 10k, yes a 10k in East Vancouver for an organization I used to work for in a new Canada running series race called....East Van 10k.  Its going to be brutal, I don't even remember how to run hard for 10k, so it should be interesting. I can't even pick a goal for it.

W/E August 18, 2013 - Bread and Butter

Mon - 4x2xHill (93, 96, 93, 94, 93, 96, 96, 94)  Good hill workout but don't seem to be able to squeeze any more speed/power out of the legs)

Tues - 63min + 1 set leg lifts: little tired from yesterday but legs feeling strong too. Got run off by that same dozen horses. Little unnerving!

Wed - 93mins: good run, short break to let a herd of rounded-up escaped cows walk by.

Thurs - Off: was going to do another hill workout today but felt really tired.

Fri - 4xhill, 3xhill, 2xhill (93, 93, 93, 95, 90, 91, 93, 92, 92): Longest sets, most reps, fastest average time this year. Awesome workout.

Sat - 60min: Good easy run, way too much driving the last couple days.

Sun - 62min: feeling a bit tired and stiff in the legs.

Total: 6h38m

Originally I had hoped to do the second hill workout on thursday so I could do one last long run this sunday but it just didnt work out. I had a fairly busy week, energy levels were low and I spent too much time driving places.  Nevertheless my first hill workout of the week turned out well doing 8 total reps for the first time this year and then on friday I had an excellent hill workout doing sets of 4, 3 and 2, all at an average pace more than 1 second faster than Monday. All-in-all I am feeling fairly fit and have shed 3 pounds; still 6-7 pounds over my training weight but its coming off slowly.  I'm going to do a longish run tomorrow of 2hrs with some marathon pace effort to get the legs moving then maybe do 2-3 hill reps wednesday. I have lots to do this week but i'll back right off on the recovery days. Thursday i'm going to drive halfway to edmonton and camp out then the rest of the way friday to break up the driving and save the legs.  Things are going well.

A recent campout looking south. A land of valleys: Arrowstone Creek running into Cache Creek running into Bonaparte River running into the Thompson River.

W/E August 11, 2013

Mon - 58min easy

Tues - 85mins: Mission Creek Greenway in Kelowna, just like old times, but 100mi/wk less...

Wed - 78mins: feeling pretty good, some bounce in my legs again today

Thu - Off, unplanned but necessary

Fri - 3x2xHill (97, 94, 93, 97, 93, 92), Left foot sore, started on wed, not sure what the issue is.

Sat - 30min: hot, tired, dehydrated and hungry. Partly b/c of a long week but no excuse for not eating enough.

Sun - 80min: good easy hot run in Kamloops

Total: 6h26m

As predicted this week was super busy and tired me out. Fortunately I am not coming down with a cold. My legs felt good today, albeit a bit tired. I have decided not to do a long run this weekend and opt to put in a few hill workouts to get some speed and strength. Will plan for one next weekend.

W/E August 4, 2013

Mon - Off

Tues - Off, still very sore.

Wed - Off, back at er tomorrow.

Thu - 20mins jog, legs feeling pretty good.

Fri - Off - unscheduled

Sat - 55min - feeling a bit tired, long day yesterday

Sun - 30mins easy

Total - 1h45

Really easy recovery week. I was fairly busy and not getting a lot of sleep this week so recovery was a little slow. Feeling ok now though and will get back at it this week, however a few very long days ahead. I will have to be careful not to catch a cold.

W/E July 28, 2013 - Kamloops Marathon 2:42 - 1st - Tough Day

Mon - 30m: sore feet and tired body from Saturday, still. Otherwise body feels ok.

Tues - 30min: still fairly sore and tired.

Wed - 45+min: 2xHill (87, 91), coming around. Realizing how tiring everything last week was.

Thurs - 60min: nice easy run

Fri - Off:  Compulsory day before the day before race day, off day.

Sat - Off: Not-so-compulsory day before race day off.

Sun - 42.2km in 2h42min and change for the W. Tough day. Race report forthcoming.

Well, it certainly wasn't very fast but a satisfying win nevertheless. For whatever reason my guts were really acting up today so it made for a rough day out there.  Off the gun Hans Aaybe headed out pretty quick as per usual so I didn't think to much of it and had assumed he was running the half marathon. I ran with Rick Brewster, also doing  the half marathon for about 10k till he mentioned Hans was doing the full marathon. Although my legs weren't feeling fantastic at that point I had to start thinking about how I was going to manage to win this thing. I continued to run with Rick for a while until we made it around The Dunes golf course out Westsyde then picked it up. Unfortunately this was short lived and around 19k my guts exploded and I needed to make a pit-stop asap. There were just houses around so I had to slow right down and hope to make it to the next port-a-john at about 20k or so, so Rick and the other two guys passed me and Hans would get further and further away (although at this point I had seen Hans was not going any faster than us; I was able to see him on the long straights).  Anyway, things got really bad and I found some bushes. Once I got back on the road I got around the corner and sure enough there were port-a-johns...SO, feeling better I put the hammer down and started reeling those other guys in which was no easy task. for about 10k I pushed it pretty hard eventually seeing them in the distance, then closer, and closer. Fortunately Hans had slowed and the other two guys were bringing him in as well. Once I reached the crest of the bridge crossing the Thompson River I was able to see all three of them within about 250m.  At this point I figured there was a good chance I had the race in the bag because I was feeling OK, and it is very unlikely that in the last 15k of a race they would be able to pick up their pace much. With this in mind I eased up a bit and slowly reeled each one in and passed them, Hans being the last, not long before the turnaround.  From here I was feeling happy with my accomplishment of coming from way behind and just tried to enjoy the rest of the race. Unfortunately at about 35k my guts started aching again so I stopped drinking any water or eating any gels, which didn't help energy-wise but kept my guts intact. As things got tough I just concentrated on my form and driving forward, cruising home in a not so fast time but a good solid effort. No complaints here. Defended my title on Secwepemc land, righteous.

I was also making a political statement. I am 100% against the proposed AJAX mine just outside of Kamloops. The main complaint from many Kamloops residents is centred around air quality however between this mine and the existing New Gold mine enormous amount of water will be pulled out of Kamloops lake (Thomson River system) putting pressure on already struggling salmon populations. Additionally, there will be a huge, highly toxic tailings facility as there is with mining operations which will last indefinitely. Tailings facilities are far from fool proof and subject to leeching and breaching due to unpredictable environmental events over the next hundred-odd years, with the only place to go but downhill into the Thompson watershed which drains into the Fraser River.  This is an unacceptable level of risk to future generations of human and non-human life.

W/E July 21, 2013 - Sasquatch

Mon - 1h55m:  Good run up Back Valley Rd. Backpack & 2 gels, loosing my taste for Cliff Shots.

Tues - 1h42min:  Good morning run up into Arrrowstone, 64up, 38 down. Bumped into a dozen horses on the range. Magnificent.

Wed - 55+: 3x2xHill (93, 95, 93, 94, 92, 93) off jog down and walk down. Pushed myself out the door sore and tired but managed a solid workout. Things seem to be coming around.

Thurs - 30min: one degree for every minute. Good recovery day, long meeting day sitting on my butt.

Fri - 60m:  nice easy run, definitely feeling the training effect from the hill-work.

Sat - 4h34m: about 35miles. Deadman's Creek and back. 30 degrees at the end. Last 90mins or so was excruciating, walked for at least 15mins of it. Legs and feet beat to death.

Sun - Off: busy day and tired

Total - 10h36m

Happy with this week of training. I managed to squeeze out a good hill workout on tired legs and really toughed it out on my long run saturday. The legs have really come around and despite some tightness in my left hip on the long run which worked itself out (I think) the body is holding up really well with a 85+ mile week, which is more than i've done in quite a while. I'll do half a hill workout on tuesday, take it easy for the remainder of the week and hopefully have a good one next sunday. It was a big week in general with work, running, schoolwork, canning for the first time and spending a couple of nights out. 

Last night I had a bit of a scare staying upper hat creek way with a distressed cow or bull walking up to my tent at 330am. I woke up thinking I had awoken because I was a bit cold so I zipped up my sleeping bag, but then heard a large animal outside my tent. I had no clue what it was but could sense its size, so I froze until it left. Oddly enough prior to my waking the passenger side door of my truck opened enough to make the interior light go on. So anyway the animal walked off and started making this really distressed breathing noise like it was giving birth. Of course not knowing the sound I lay in the dark thinking of the worst case scenario that its a wounded animal. Anyway once it gets a little further away it starts making a weird ungulate barking kind of noise, so I knew it wasn't a big injured bear and back to sleep I went after closing my truck door.  In the morning I checked out the tracks and walked up the road and sure enough there were a bunch of cows in the other side of a fence, so could be it was a big bull on my side. I was definitely happy to see the tracks since there was no explanation for my truck door and with the mysterious sounds the only other conclusion would have been...sasquatch.

Earlier this week I stayed the night out on the north side of Kamloops Lake. It was a gorgeous spot and had the company of 30 head of Sweláps (Big Horn Sheep).

Speqpeq7úwí ell sxúsem (Saskatoon berries and Soapberry juice concentrate)

W/E July 14, 2013

Mon - 55min touring around south shore of TsKlelus

Tues - 64min: incidentally getting heat training in. 28deg by the low-balling Weather Channel App

Wed - 50+min: 23up, 5xHill (90, 99, 93, 88, 89), 20dn, full rest w/ tailwind so not sweltering and easier mentally for a first hill workout in a while.

Thu - Off, sore and tired

Fri - 60min: flat quick run at Loon Lake, cold up there!

Sat - Off, long day off berry picking and medicine gathering, didn't fit in a run

Sun - 10mins: took all morning to get out the door and had nothing once i got started
Total - 3h59m

Not sure what happend this week. It started off well but unravelled. I have been super tired lately and unsure why. Will make a conscious effort to eat and sleep more this week. Legs feel good but just no energy.  

W/E July 7, 2013

Mon - Off

Tues - 30mins: HOT, 21 deg @ 7 AM, need to get up earlier

Wed - 1h57m:  29deg --> 22deg, excellent run scouting out some berry picking grounds

Thu - 55m: flat run but tired from last night's run, a cool 15deg.

Fri - 79m good run but super dehydrated

Sat - Off

Sun - 30mins

Total - 5h11m

Well I'm fairly happy with the week all things considered. It was rather warm this week; usually around 20degrees by 7am. I also travelled to Vancouver for a meeting on friday so was gone a couple of nights which never helps with the sleep and scheduling. The body feels somewhat tired but no aches of concern. With 5+ hours of running this week I hope to double that in the coming week which shouldn't be too difficult if I dont take any days off and do my planned 3.5-4h run on the weekend. I will also reinstate a weekly hill repeat workout, reluctantly. What I aim to do is get a bulletproof schedule down so I can remain consistent, which has been my biggest issue for a while now. I am getting in shape for the Kamloops marathon in 3 weeks, and will do my yearly trip out to Edmonton in august for the marathon there. I hope to maintain consistency throughout and potentially do some marathon specific preparation for Victoria and throw down a fast time. I've been out seeing some gorgeous sights lateley and being a bit strategic in my running routes to scout out harvesting sites and bumping into fields of wildflowers.

Moccasin Rehab

True to form I have not been blogging because I have not been running much. One month ago I headed out for a 4hr/50k run on the highway. I knew it would be very hard but I was prepared for it to be, mentally. What wasn't prepared were my peroneous muscles of my right leg. These are the two muscles running down the outside of your lower leg with tendons wrapping behind the knob on the outside of your ankle then attaching on or near the first metatarsal of your little toe (i'm pretty sure about this). Anyway, they are the muscles which 'twist' your foot. what happened was that the muscles of my legs were not conditioned enough to handle the camber of the road for that distance. There were likely other factors which came into play but this is the main cause. In any event I was injured. Because I headed out east immediately afterward for a week I did not deal with it, then was super busy when I got back. So I didn't get it treated for a while, and its not an injury that you can just ignore. In fact, I have had this exact injury before. In 2007 I did the Toronto Waterfront Marathon and with about 2 miles to go you reach a stretch of asphalt that is very worn and rough which was feeling really hard on my feet so looking to my left I saw a freshly paved gutter. I decided to run in the gutter which was nice and smooth but quite cambered. After the race my peroneous muscles tightened up to the extreme and I actually had a hard time walking. So, I am familiar with the injury and realized I just needed to get it worked on by a massage therapist.
I am new to this area running injury wise so I had to hunt around for a good RMT, my first stop was unsuccessful, then last week I found a good one. The first few days it didn't seem like he had solved my problem but after some self massage and extremely painful rolling on my nalgene bottle I am mostly back to normal. A crucial element has been keeping it loose and used by going for walks in my moccasins. What the moccasins allow for is stretch out and use the whole foot, most importantly the little toe. I have gone for 4 - 50+min runs in the last 5 days and feel no tightness today so I think i've got it licked.
So what to do about the Vancouver marathon in 4.5 weeks. Obviously still do it! I have been in this position before with JUST enough time to get into good shape for a race IF everything goes perfectly! So, we'll see how it goes, hill reps, long-tempo runs and lots of sleep. The one-cycle marathon prep looks like: tempo run - 2 days easy - hill repeat workout - 2 days easy - repeat. This will end with 5 days recovery before the race leaving, if everything goes to plan, 5 tempos and 4 hill rep workouts. Additionally, I am doing some strength work to maintain form in the late stages. Here we go!

Prayer Run

Today I was gifted with a profound experience i'd like to share.

In 2006 I joined a group of youth who had organized a relay run to start in Vancouver BC, and end in Anchorage AK. This run was named as a Prayer Run for World Peace. An eagle staff carrying such prayers would be run the length of this relay to end in Eklutna a Native community just outside of Anchorage. Each day of the run we would begin and end with ceremony. It was a very powerful run and changed how I would carry my body across the land as a runner, forever.

Today started out as just about any other day slowly getting my bearings and like everyday I smudged and prayed. Unlike most days however I knew I would be going for a long run which would likely be painful, being that it would be twice as long as any run i've done in the last several months. When I plan for a run like this, knowing I will suffer for much of it the prayers of that day always include asking that the suffering I choose for myself will take away from the suffering of so many others who suffer without choice. Also, as I wipe my legs down with an eagle feather carrying the smoke from the medicines; I carry a prayer to the eagles̓ spirit to watch over and provide strength for the people. As this is something that has always been done for me. And so I went for my run up the Bonaparte River, then up Hat Creek until I hit 90 mins, already feeling sore and tired, then turned around running back. And so the hurt began, every step on the pavement one step further than i've run in months. When things get really hard and I feel like walking I recite this prayer again, because the persistent pain in my legs and lower back and even arms is by choice. Trudging along my steps getting shorter, and arms driving me forward more than my legs it seems, I reach my cut off point allowing me a few minutes to walk home. A good run, very hard and very sore but satisfied. Then as I make my way home I look up, and sure enough there are 10 eagles soaring over the valley.

Righteous, nor any other word I know can begin to describe the power of living in a place your ancestors lived for thousands of generations. I have been here for 8 months only, yet I can already feel that my spirit is home. xwexwéyt.s ḱwesélkten

The Runner's Relationship

Sometimes it is a bit frustrating, maybe that isnt the right word, nevertheless, sometimes I wish my artistic abilities were more developed. Tonight I went for a short run and it was extraordinarily beautiful. It was pitch dark and foggy so the light cast from my headlamp gave that strange blurriness of vision you get from the particles of moisture in the air, then you also have the moisture of your breath mixing with the fog all of this obstructing the view of the passing snow and yellowed grass reaching out from beneath the snow. Reaching well above the 3 or 4 inches of snow is the sagbrush of the low valley toughing it out through the winter. Unlike most bushes and trees the leafy sagebrush manages to hold onto many of its leaves so far, so the moisture in the air, like the rain other times of the year, brings out the scent of sage. Every breath cleansing the body. The sound of snow underfoot and my breathing is all you can hear in the silence until I reached my turnaround point just above the thick low lying fog. Then stopping, it's complete silence, stars above and whisps of higher fog drifting by. It is magnificent.

I fully appreciate the many stunning photographs my running friends post from mountain tops and their journeys to get there, but what we dont get to share are photos of this kind of magnificent scene. Which is fine, because a photo cannot capture all the sensory feedback that makes such a magnificent moment. What photos and words cannot begin to describe either is what this gives back to the runner. The power. I'm sure there are other words to describe it but today I will call it power, its a physical sensation in the body and legs particularly but it is also a gift from land, air and environment in its entirety infusing the entire being with power.

An incredible gift. But, as I see it, this is not a gift without responsibility. In so many ways the land, air, water and the plants and animals which live in absolute harmony with it, give us power, of the body, of the mind, of the heart and the spirit. By receiving this gift we are bound by a sacred relationship to use our power as humans to protect these things which cannot protect themselves.