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.