Just when I thought it was safe to run...

I have suspected for quite some time that I am addicted to running - whether it be the act of running, the endorphin kick during the run (or post-run if I'm lucky), or some ephemeral, yet-to-be-discovered reason ... I can't nail down any one thing about it that I like so much, and quite frankly, I don't want to either. The "why" doesn't matter so much within the context of this post - for now, let's just accept the fact that I'm an addict.

One component common to all addictions is the "need" factor ... choose whatever euphemism suits your fancy: jonesing, craving, hankering, yearning, longing - by now, I'm sure you get the point. Another commonality amongst addicts is what happens to their emotional state if they are denied their "fix". Many of us experience negative emotions, such as depression, anger, general bitchiness and the like. After my disastrous experience in this Fall's RVM, the last thing I was expecting to experience was a strong desire to go running. Quite frankly, as I indicated in my last post, running was the last thing on my mind. Nevertheless, as the week post-marathon stretched out, my mood (which wasn't great at the beginning of the week) got worse and worse. The blisters on my feet healed up very quickly - pretty much painless within just a couple of days. Mentally, though, I still felt that I shouldn't/couldn't go for a run. I tried swimming, but let's face it - I've never been a very strong swimmer, and after 30 minutes in the pool, I was exhausted, frustrated, and no closer to resolving my nasty state of mind. As the days passed, Michelle started asking me, "So, are you going out for a run today?" I think she asked once on Wednesday, and maybe twice on Thursday. By the time Saturday morning rolled around, she was asking once every 15 minutes or so! Fortunately, I have friends who are much smarter than I am - that means just about all of you - one or two of you suggested I should just go out for a "fun run". Leave the watch, the heart-rate monitor, the pacing foot-pod, all the technical crap at home and just go running. Period. No time, no pace, no plan. Those of you who know me as a runner, or perhaps, even just as a person can attest to the fact that I'm a numbers kinda guy. How fast am I running? What's my heart rate? Is it faster/slower than yesterday, or last week, or the last time I ran this route? What's my pace? How far have I run? yada yada yada ... the idea of running without all that data should have occurred to me ages ago, but like most of us, I tend to get too caught up in my own shit to think clearly. I finally took everyone's advice, and nervously laced up the Adistars on Saturday morning. I headed out with only the clothes on my back, so to speak, and hit the trail ... the result? WOW!! I had an awesome run. I'm guessing it was around 16 km (I have run the route before) and I think that it took about 70 minutes, but that's all I know from the numbers side of the fence. More importantly, that 70-ish minutes of running bliss did what no amount of splashing about in the pool could do - it banished my "running demons" and proved to me that, yes, I am an addict, and yes, I can still run. I may have crashed out during the marathon, but lo and behold, I can still run. I want to shout it from the rooftops - I CAN STILL RUN!!! At least, as long as I'm not injured...

...which leads to Tuesday of this week. I didn't run Sunday, or Monday - went back to the pool to keep trying. I played some badminton for a couple of hours on Monday night (another love of mine - haven't played in about a year - running took over) and thoroughly enjoyed myself. I got up early Tuesday morning to drop Michelle's car off at the repair shop, then ran home from the shop, covering just under 10km. It was a hilly course, and I felt that I worked hard on the hills, and got home feeling pleasantly tired. By late morning, I was starting to limp, and by about 1 o'clock, I could hardly put an weight on my right foot. I started to panic and called work to book off of Wednesday's shift. I tried to get in to see my GP for Wednesday morning - no joy - he's out of the country. I opted for a walk-in clinic ("hobble-in" might be more accurate!) instead, wanting to get a quick diagnosis just in case I couldn't work. Apparently, "quick" was not the order of the day - I waited almost 90 minutes to see the doctor. The actual visit was brief, but informative nonetheless. The doctor told me that I have "sesamoiditis" - inflammation of the sesamoids, which are two jelly-bean sized bones in the base of the forefoot, just behind the first metatarsal. Luckily, the treatment is very straightforward - rest and anti-inflammatory medication. The doctor tells me that I should be right as rain in just a few weeks. The downside? I'm back to not running - again. Let's hope that poor Michelle can put up with me long enough for my foot to heal. Anyone know where I can find a runner's detox centre?

The Return of the Blogger Virgin

So, a few months ago, I started this blog with grandiose plans of publishing daily. Then life took over, and I had to adjust my projected posting frequency to weekly ... then marathon training took over, and I had to resign myself to posting less frequently. It could be argued that once every 60-ish days hardly counts as even infrequently .. and you might be absolutely correct. In any case, I have returned (with no promises, I might add) and am happy to be back. I just wish I had better news to offer up in celebration...

As I mentioned earlier, my (sudden?) disappearance from "The Crinson Chronicles" can be linked to a dramatic increase in my training mileage, combined with a 6-day-a-week work schedule. All that training time was aimed at a very specific race - The Royal Victoria Marathon, which took place today here in Victoria (oddly enough - where else, nimrod!). I posted a note regarding my personal race experience on my Facebook account earlier today - here's a copy:

"It is with a heavy heart that I share these results with anyone who cares to know ... for the first time in my life, I didn't complete a race. I went into today's event mentally and physically prepared, but at some point, all the wheels fell off. I made it as far as about 35km before deciding to pack it in. The first half of the race went extremely well - I hit my projected splits at 10K, 20K and the half-way point almost bang on. At 26km, I suddenly lost steam. At 30K, I was only 2 minutes slow against my projections - even at that point, I thought it may have been salvageable. The next 5 km took roughly 35 min to complete (2 1/2 min/km slower than expected race pace!) By that point, I was walking more than I was running, and starting to get pre-hypothermic (for those who aren't local, the temp was cool, about 12 degrees, and it started pouring with rain about an hour and a half into the run). At 35km, I stopped and told a volunteer on the course that I was abandoning the race. After a period of time, I was picked up by a van, and driven back to the finish line to attend the medical tent. I wasn't suffering from any immediate medical concern, so they patted me on the back, gave me a hot chocolate, and let me go. Perhaps the worst part of my whole race experience followed leaving the medical tent - I found myself face-to-face with volunteers who tried to put a finishers' medal over my head! I had to graciously decline (no small feat, I tell you that!) and hobble my way through the crowd to make my way to where Michelle was waiting for me. All in all, a very disappointing day ..."

So ... "now what?", you may ask. I've spent a good chunk of time since deciding to abandon the race (what a horrible phrase - lemme know if you can euphemize me a better one!) trying to figure that very question out - now what? The blisters on my feet (caused, I think, by choosing to run in the wrong shoes for this event - Rod, you were right after all) will heal in probably a week or so. My wounded pride may take quite a bit longer to sort itself out, to say nothing of my confidence level! For the immediate future, I see the local swimming pool as my new training ground. When it comes to swimming, I have no illusions whatsoever about my (lack of!) talent - I have all the natural buoyancy of a stone, and only slightly more natural talent at propelling myself gracefully through the water. I guess I'll have to knuckle down and get some lessons on swimming correctly - I can muddle along for a few hundred meters at best, then it just gets ugly. Given the depth of my addiction to running, I can say with reasonable certainty that I will return to it, probably will run the marathon here in Victoria again next fall. For today, though, the prospect of lacing up my Adistars and heading out for even a light jog is a grim one at best.

One final note on today's race(s) - congratulations to all who participated - good job. I would especially like to thank all the volunteers who made the event happen - your selflessness in donating so much of your time, especially on a chilly and damp Thanksgiving weekend; cheering us all on, making sure that we all stayed on course, handing out blankets, finishers' medals, removing timing chips, helping out at the Expo ... we who run are indebted to all of you. Once again, a most humble and heartfelt "Thank you".

So much news!

It's been a busy week or so since my last entry ... There's lots of stuff I want to touch on, but before I get too distracted, let me give you the "by the numbers" breakdown of the last few running workouts:

• Sunday July 29th - 13 km, HR avg 136, avg pace 5'32"
• Monday July 30th - rest day
• Tuesday July 31st - 11 km, HR avg 138, avg pace 5'37"
• Wednesday August 1st - 13 km "Farklet" (alternating slow/fast km's), HR avg 150, avg pace 4'50"
• Thursday August 2nd - golf day, shot 109 (see note below)
• Friday August 3rd - 13 km, HR avg 139, avg pace 5'19"
• Saturday August 4th - 10 km tempo run, HR avg 162, avg pace 4'20" (10 sec faster than marathon pace)
• Sunday (of this week) - rest day
• Monday - 32 km long run, HR avg 142, avg pace 5'13" <-- for the record, neg split every 10K, neg halfway split, kicked last 2 km in 4'26", followed by 4'08"
• Today - easy 9 km recovery, HR avg 138, avg pace 5'16"

Further to my previous post, it seems that I owe Mr. Finlayson a HUGE thank you - at your leisure Jim, the Guiness is on me - just lemme know when! Even in a short 10-day training span, I can see my average HR starting to drop in relation to my pacing. In addition, the shorter stride length is feeling less forced than it did for the first couple of workouts. Admittedly, I'm still struggling to maintain a consistent pace for the duration of the workout, but it is getting easier. I found that during the second half of the long run on Monday, I felt more relaxed and fluid than I did for the first half. I still need to learn how to "listen" to my body, rather than rely on my HR monitor to tell me that I'm running too hard. As always, a work in progress...

If you happen to have tuned in just for running stuff, then you can safely skip the remainder of this post. (Thanks for stopping by! Check back soon!) As I mentioned above, I hit the links for the first time in a long time last Thursday. My friend (and former employer at Pharmasave) Darren invited me out to Ardmore Golf Course on the Saanich peninsula. So as not to completely embarrass myself, Michelle and I paid a visit to the driving range a few days beforehand, just so I could refresh my memory of how to completely screw up a golf shot without swearing out loud. As it turns out, a 3 year hiatus from the sport did nothing to improve my game - I know, I know, truly shocking - yet three years off didn't make me any worse, either. It seems to me that the last time I played Ardmore with Darren, I shot somewhere around the same score. In any case, he and I shuffled around Ardmore twice along with our friend Susan, also of Pharmasave fame. The three of us had a blast, we all made at least one amazing shot (Darren, of course, had many amazing shots - he has a handicap of about 21, I think), and we enjoyed a nice lunch and good-natured ribbing after the game. A day well spent, to say the least - I'm already looking forward to the next round!

Just this past Sunday, I (finally) had the chance to head down the Inner Harbour for Symphony Splash! I've lived here in Victoria for almost 20 years, and have never been before. Michelle and I were lucky enough to get a great view of the performance, although we did have to stand for the entire 2 and 1/2 hour show (ouch! my back is still sore). Next year, I'm putting out chairs! Speaking of chairs, I had a chat with a lady who was riding my bus the day before the event. She told me that she has never missed a "Splash" performance, and this year, she put her chair out on Thursday evening! Do ya think I've still got time to get my spot reserved for next year?

On a final note, let me officially proclaim that I'm tired of working spareboard. Thankfully, I've only got 4 more weeks to go. Last Tuesday, I chose my work for the fall sign-up period - I picked regular pieces of work, starting/finishing at the same time, week in, week out, right up until Christmas eve. Let's hope that I like the work, 'cause now I'm stuck with it for 16 weeks!

Folks, I'm running out of steam ... it's gettin' late, and I'm starting to see double. G'night, and thank you, as always, for dropping in. Until next time...

A Change of Pace

As the title suggests, this post is about change(s) ... apparently, I've changed the frequency of my posting, despite repeated attempts to the contrary. It seems that 10 days have gone by now since the last post - I started off trying to post daily so that I wouldn't end up posting "opus-length" entries. Oh well ... I'll try not to overdo it for today.

Yesterday afternoon, I paid a visit to Frontrunner's to look at some new shoes. I have been a die-hard Adidas runner for the last couple of years, and have happily purchased at least 5 or 6 pairs of the same shoe - the Adistar Cushion. As shoe companies do, every year they launch a new line, and if you're lucky, they won't mess with your particular fav footwear. Alas, my lucky streak has come to an unfortunate end - Adidas has re-worked the Adistar, and based on yesterday afternoon's test ride, it appears that I'm going to have to find a new shoe. Adidas has, in their infinite wisdom, split the heel portion of the sole into 2 parts, giving the shoe a much different feel on the street, IMHO. I would love to post a link to the shoe, but the best I can give you is the Adidas Home Page and wish you luck - my best efforts to find information about the shoe resulted in some decent photographs, complete with German text! Good luck!

One good thing that came out of my visit to the store was that I had a chance to sit down and chat with Jim Finlayson about the shoes, and more importantly, about training methods. I have always tended to train at a pace closely resembling my marathon race pace(4'30"- 4'45" per km), relying heavily on the excuse that I couldn't run much slower without altering the mechanics of my gait. Jim patiently explained that I could run slower without changing my mechanics by maintaining the cadence of my run while shortening the stride length. This is an entirely new concept for yours truly. I tried it today, and was quite stunned with the results. I ran for just over an hour, averaging a positively slothful pace of 5'30"! The bonus?? A mere 138 bpm average heart rate - easily the lowest (by about 10 bpm) average HR I've posted for any workout I've done since (at least) the beginning of this year, and the lowest ever for a running workout longer than an hour in length. The theory is that training at a low(er) average HR helps the body to become more aerobically efficient at that lower heart rate, resulting, over time, in increased aerobic capacity, and the ability to run faster while staying in the aerobic "zone". Given that running a marathon is supposed to be an aerobic event, it would only make sense to try to become as efficient as possible at aerobic running! I know this sounds like a truism, but when I reviewed my training records leading up to the 2006 Royal Victoria Marathon, I found that I spent approximately 68% of all my training time above 90% of my maximum heart rate. In other words, I spent two thirds of the time running anaerobically (muscles working without oxygen) while training for an aerobic event! No the wonder that I didn't fare so well in that race! If you like, go check out the results <-- take particular note of the difference between the 1/2 way split and my finish time. Over the next few weeks, I plan on continuing to put Jim's good advice to use. If only I could find a new pair of shoes...

In the blink of an eye...

... or so it seems! I can't believe that an entire week has slipped past me since the last post. The days tend to run together sometimes ... maybe it's a sign of aging, or maybe I just don't pay enough attention to the passage of days. Whatever the case, suffice it to say (redundantly so) that a whole week has passed. Lemme hit the highlights...

• I managed to get in a few interesting runs last week, including one bike/run combo - that one was quite the eye-opener for me! I learned very quickly that I'll have to practice the transition from bike to run many times over if I'm ever going to attempt a tri-athalon (assuming of course that I figure out how to use my arms and legs at the same time while swimming!)
• Monday and Tuesday of this week, I had a couple of nice relaxing runs - Monday was 14 km along the water, and yesterday was about 6.5 km out and back on the Goose. Today is a rest day in prep for tomorrow's long haul - 30 km out to Sidney along the Lochside trail. I'll be posting details following.
• Work-wise, I've been doing OK this past week ... Friday's "marathon" on the route 6 wasn't quite as bad as the previous couple of weeks have been, although I did spend about 3 hours running late...par for the course, I guess. I managed to get a couple of easy short pieces on Saturday and Sunday, then a repeat of last Monday's work on the route 8. Yesterday was a very easy piece, with a short 15 minute split.
• Today is a long one - 4 hours this AM on the route 11, followed by 5.5 hours this PM on the route 75. On the plus side, it pays lots of OT. On the downside, I had to get my ass out of bed this morning at the ungodly hour of 5:15, and I won't be done work until 7:00 tonight. Ok, Ok .. I'll stop whining now.

I just checked my watch and realized that I have to be at work in just under an hour ... I better quit now so I can get there on time. As always, I appreciate anyone who has taken the time out of their day to pay me a visit. Thanx a whole bunch!

Hot enough for ya?

I know, I know ... we've all heard that question so much in the last couple of days that we all want to shoot the next person who says it! The heat has definitely had an impact on my activities this morning - I've spent a good chunk of time this AM trying to keep my cats cool! The process has involved wiping the cats down with wet towels, wrapping ice packs up in towels and getting the cat(s) to lie on the ice pack, and even (unfortunately for them) a quick dip in a tub full of water. Gryphen has a real hang-up with getting bathed, but today he didn't kick up too much of a fuss. Gandolph, on the other hand, fought rather gamely to avoid the water - he even bit my finger! If only they knew it was for their own good... Michelle and I have been doing our level best to stay cool, as well, with limited success. As I type, I'm sitting here wearing a soaking wet t-shirt (recently dipped in a tub of cool water), trying to avoid melting in front of the computer keyboard.

Yesterday's shift on the bus was a bit of an eye-opener for me ... I kinda get why a lot of the senior guys take nights during the summer. In spite of the lateness of the hour, the work I did yesterday was easier than some of the daytime stuff that I've been through recently. More importantly, things really cooled off on the bus after about 8:00PM or so - that last 4 hours of the shift was downright pleasant, at least as far as temperature was concerned. Tonight will be more of the same for me - starting at 4:30, and not done till the wee hours. Oh well - at least it's Friday for me. Am I ever looking forward to a day off tomorrow!

This morning's run was another Breakwater ... the first 10 km were actually quite pleasant - I made a point of drinking lots of water during the run, and took it very easy, pace-wise. There was a bit of breeze coming off the water, and the air was fresh. In spite of all that, the heat took its toll, and by the time I hit the final mark, I was feeling more like I had just finished a heavy hill workout, followed by wind sprints for fun! It was supposed to be an easy run - next time, I'll cut it shorter! In the meantime, I have sleeping cats to check on, and lunch to prepare. 'Till the next time...

Just a few words...just because.

How time flies!! It's been a couple of days already since my last post... where does the time go? I've had two decent running workouts, and a couple of easy days of work, too. Today's work was easy, I guess, but it felt really long. I spent just over 8 hours driving the route 8 (again). I have discovered that too much of a good thing spells boredom when applied to driving a bus. Enough about that!

On the plus side, Michelle came for ride on my bus today - it was a nice distraction to have her there. She visited a couple of malls in the process, managed to do a wee bit o' shopping, and apparently enjoyed the trip. She even brought me a nice cool drink to enjoy while driving (no - not that kind of drink!)

This morning's run was a nice relaxed 13K jaunt out to the end of the breakwater and back. It's a route I do regularly, and is likely one of the prettiest runs in my repertoire. This morning, the water was almost dead calm, without a cloud in the sky - sometimes the scenery is distracting from the task at hand! I ignored pace today and tried for a low heart rate - I was only partially successful. It would appear that I haven't fully recovered from last Sunday's 10K race. (If you're interested, dear reader, check out the results here.)

After dinner, Michelle and I went for a short walk to escape the sauna that is our apartment this evening ... a little breeze would be lovely, thank you very much. The trick is to keep the windows open without letting the cats test the breaking strength of our screens! Nine lives or not, 6 stories of free fall isn't my idea of taking good care of our fantastic felines!

That's all for tonight ... tomorrow is a scheduled rest day (no run) and I ended up getting a really late shift at work tomorrow night. Oh well - at least I can sleep in without guilt and can spend some quality time with Michelle tomorrow morning. Until next time...

What a difference a day makes...

Wow - like the title says... yesterday, work was sooooo busy - for a solid 4 1/2 hour portion of the almost-8 hour shift, I didn't have the time to even leave the bus. I managed to get out of the seat for about 30 seconds or so each hour, but that was it. Whew! What a tough day - am I ever glad that's over. I was too tired when I got home last night to even post - in bed just after 10 PM (early for me) and dead to the world all of 30 seconds after my head hit the pillow. And, for the record, no, I didn't go for a run after work!

Today was comprised of one round trip and a bit on the 14 (which was totally dead) and then a few rounds on the 8, with almost 1/2 an hour of paid downtime between the two different routes. The route 8 is a nice easy sleeper of a route (at least it was for me today - I haven't driven it more than a couple of times previously). After work, I dropped by to visit with Michelle for a little while. She delivers pizza for Pizza Hut, and I spent a couple of hours riding shotgun with her. After a while, I succumbed to the temptation and ordered a personal pizza. OMG! I haven't eaten pizza in quite a while (can't remember the last time). It was so good! I shouldn't allow myself to get into the habit, though - I've got a marathon coming up this fall, and I can't really afford to carry around any extra "pizza pounds" as I slog around a 42.2 km course!

Speaking of running, I went out this AM for a great 13.3 km relaxed run. I was gone for just a shade under an hour, and thoroughly enjoyed it. For me, runs like the one I had today are the reason that I keep running. Everything worked well, the weather was gorgeous, and I even paced a fellow for about 1.5 km while we chatted about this and that. The most interesting thing about this guy was that he was running barefoot! OK - he was wearing something on his feet - I believe he called them paddle shoes. He said that he picked them up at Mountain Equipment Co-Op - check them out here. He said that he only wears them for protection from rocks and glass - basically to keep from cutting his feet. No cushioning or support whatsoever! Admittedly, his running gait was entirely different than my own, but he appeared to be quite comfortable and relaxed. If you're interested, check out this website for more info on barefoot running. As for me, I'll stick with my Adistars, thank you very much!

As always, thanks for stopping by ... I'll try to make it worth your while ;-)

Back at it...

So that was my weekend :-( Got up early this morning, thanks in no small part to a certain grey kitten nibbling on the ends of my toes ... Gandolph can be quite persistent when he decides it's breakfast time! Probably just as well, since I've been kinda busy ever since. Coffee, laundry (gotta have clean clothes for work!), making lunch, having breakfast ... Damn! I forgot to have breakfast!

I'm off to work for 10:30 this morning - the good news is an early finish; the bad news is roughly 7.5 hours of go-go-go bus driving! My Friday work is on the route 6, which, for those of you who don't know Victoria's bus system, runs up and down Quadra street, which is one of 3 main arteries running in a north/south direction through Victoria. It's a consistently busy route, with lots of stops, lots of passengers, lots of mobility aids (wheelchairs, walkers, scooters) and lots of baby strollers, too. It all adds up to a very busy day. Oh well, busy makes the time go by quicker, so they say - we'll see...

No run (yet) today - statistically speaking, if I don't get out there and pound some pavement before noon, I usually don't make it. By the time I'm done work, I haven't got the motivation left to go out and run. I will be cycling to work, so today won't be a total write-off, aerobically speaking.

Thanx for reading, TTY later on...

The Blogger Virgin Arrives

So ... this is my blog! In all likelihood, no-one other than Michelle (my wife) and possibly one or two of my friends will ever read this. Nevertheless, I've been contemplating a blog for a while now, if for no other reason than to get stuff off my chest.

Before I go any further, I have to give a nod of thanks to local running sensation, Jim Finlayson. Those of you who followed "The Finn Files" here on Blogger will have already picked up on the similarity in format of names between his blog and mine. I liked the idea so much, I felt compelled to copy it. They say that imitation is the highest form of flattery...

Today was my day off. I haven't had a really busy day, which represents a change for me. I tumbled out of bed at around 8 this AM, had some coffee and breakfast with Michelle, then went for a nice 13K run out to the end of the breakwater and back home. I got back from the run with just enough time for a quick shower, then back out the door to catch a bus to Canadian Blood Services for my bi-monthly donation. (I learned a valuable lesson today - book early, show up on time, and get done in about an hour!) I was home from the clinic by about 1:15 or so, and since then, I've been trying to relax. Most of the time, I struggle with the very concept of relaxation. I tend to spend my time away from work looking for chores to do, or running, or sometimes both at the same time! The idea of "just doing nothing" is so foreign to me that I can't even seem to unwind enough to go to sleep unless I'm completely exhausted. Perhaps this blog will teach me how to relax more - barring that, it may provide enough of a distraction to keep me from focusing too much on chores! In either case, only time will tell.

More to follow...thanx for reading.

Scott