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