October Highlights 2023

Well October came and it was the big race month, the Valley Harvest 50km Road Ultra Marathon. I had been training specifically for the 50km race for almost 3 months. Taper time following the Rum Runners Event in September went well. I took the week fairly low key but could not resist a little 5K parkrun action the day before. I opted to see how I felt and not go too hard, though I did still manage to get an 18:30 on that day. I promptly had a snack and then retreated home to rest up. 

 

I got my flat Ian picture ready while I contemplated my options for clothing. Turns out the nice weather we had all week was quickly turning into an over night hurricane / tropical storm.  I had always been ready to use my On Cloudboom Echos and my favorite Darntough socks, but I decided to go with short tights rather than split shorts due to the wetness of the day. And copious amounts of Anchor Soap Chafe balm. Pre race snack was Nuun and Naak, which sounds like a crazy kids show, and Maurten gels during the race. 

As we assumed, race morning was wet, and windy. It was still the tail end of the storm as we drove up, which didn't let me get the easy going relaxation type of prerace I wanted. Oh well.  We all kind of stayed inside and I didn't bother doing anything warm up like. I slipped a garbage bag over myself as I went to the start line. I do like to stay warm and dry for as long as possible, and this certainly helped. 

I already knew that the idea of a PB on this race was gone. Conditions were just not going to allow for it. So instead I opted to just see where things went. And soon we were off (without the garbage bag). 

I quickly tucked in with the top marathon runners (the 42.2km and 50km race start together) to help stay clear of the wind. While the rain was annoying, the wind was actually pretty fierce and would stay that way for the whole race.  We went out a bit fast for my liking, but I knew that I could step back from that after we split apart roughly 10km into the run. A couple of runners leapt off the front, but I stayed with my guys. We zipped off for the first km in 3:56min/km then "eased" back to a quaint 4:05. 

I left the pack, picked up the lead bike for the Ultra and was on my way solo. Now I had to fight the wind alone. The pace felt good, though I knew it was too fast for the whole race. Still, I opted to just kind of feel the pacing at this point.

The first 25km was soon done, I had consumed a couple of gels, and headed into lap 2. By now it was much lighter, and I even saw some friendly faces on course. At about 30km in, I had run my fastest 30km ever. I knew I had to start to ease things back. The rain was on and off by this point, but the wind was as strong as ever. 

I opted now, to start to slow right down during aid stations and drink a good cup of electrolyte. I found after 3 gels that my stomach was not bad but also not wanting another gel. So I held off consuming more of those. Always be aware of where your body will be before things get bad. 

As I approached the far turn around for the last time, my hat blew off and I had to go chase it. I had finally managed to get my pace down to where I had wanted it to be on a good day, let alone on this horrid day, to around a 4:12 pace. I crossed the marathon mark at 2:57, tying my fastest marathon time. Only 8km to go!     

At this point in the course you get a little downhill, then a solid climb for a couple of kilometers before a decent descent. With about 5km to go, my lead was pretty good, but my calves were starting to get angry from going out hard. I could feel a few little mini cramps come and go, then occasionally one would seize up. That did not feel good. 

I made it to the last 2km of the race and this was on a very muddy trail. The lead bike had been encouraging me on. My upper body felt fine but my calves were certainly not happy.  With no chance of a PB and a reasonable lead on second place, I eased back a lot, equally enjoying the end of the run and hating the end of the run. 

I finally saw the final turn approaching, and as I entered the last 100m on the track, was cheered on by my friends and wife. I pushed hard because that is what one does regardless of pain at this point. For the first time ever, I got to break the tape at a finish line and I was not going to pass up making it count.  

That was a tough day, and as I cross the line and stopped, my calves no longer had a reason to keep me going. I basically had to sit down, then finally ease my self over to the side to cheer on the other runners as I let it sink in that I won the 50km. Yes, it was almost 7 minutes slower, but I'll take it based on how that day went. 

A nice massage and some food and then I got my prizes. While the bottle of wine was nice, my Peter Eastwood mug was nicer. I still use it almost daily. 

The rest of the month still had to happen. I definitely took some down time though to rest up. Though overall I felt pretty good, better than I did following my first try at the 50km distance. 

Next for me though was hosting a canicross race in Long Lake Park. Fellow marathoner Rachel (se ran the Chicago Marathon the same day) popped over to help me, as I suspect her legs did not wat a fast dog to tow her around.  we had decent weather for once, raised some money for charity and kicked off the Fall canicross season in style. 

I took the opportunity to hit the bike for some recovery and chats. The Shake Out at 6 crew was always good for that. 

Though I was not in top notch fast shape, I did want to see if I had the ability to keep the sub 18 min 5K streak alive. We opted to check out the Tatamagouche parkrun. They are just as welcoming as our other parkruns, and the drive up was worth it, as I managed to squeak in a 17:55 effort on the crusher dust trail on the second last day of the month. 

My last October bit of fun was a trail run on MacIntosh Run. The weather was cool but nice and I just took it easy as I soaked up the goodness that was October. 

September 2023 Highlights

 

More catch up from the year we call 2023. This time September. So I certainly hit the ground running on day 1 of September with a trip to the new Tatamagouche parkrun. It was only 3 weeks old, so I (and as it turns out some other Chain of Lakes parkrunners) popped up for a look see of this new 5K run. It did not disappoint. A nice smooth flat crusher dust trail with good tree coverage but also a nice look at a tidal flat. This was a good chance for me to hit the month early for a sub 18 minute 5K. I achieved that with a 17:35.  We then hit the famer's market for coffee and treats before headed out for a day of adventure.

Then 2 days later I was back out racing again. This was the Cinnamon Bun 5K run to raise money for the BLT Trail repairs. I didn't know if the old legs could hold in for another tough run, but I thought I would at least give it a hard run. I tucked in behind a youngster who was running really strong. As this was on my regular parkrun route, I knew it well, so paced myself as best as I could. I saw him give some early surges in the last kilometer but I held tight, then with less than 200m to go I unleashed a pretty hard sprint finish. It was great to do this as I have not had the chance to race to the finish line in a  long time. I ended up running 17:38 and triumphing by almost 2 seconds. Two sub 18s in 3 days was tough but fun, and we got cinnamon buns at the finish line! 

A little time with the pups was in order so we spent a few days this month doing some adventures. Lexie, as always, was unsure of this adventuring, but hopefully she enjoyed the view at Peggy's Cove. 

Our local and favorite cafe, the 5K Cafe started hosting a weekly bike ride followed by snacks and chats. The Shake Out at 6, was a lot of fun for a more casual midweek fun ride.

We were getting closer to race day. I officially signed up for the Valley Harvest Ultra 50K Road Marathon. So I was all in. My biggest training run took place the week after those 5K races and was a 39km run with a fast finish. I chose the safe option of running straight to the 5K cafe to get food into me as quick as I could. The crew were nice and made the Silly Dilly pickle sandwich. It was perfect.  

Following the long long run, I wanted to get in a race prep run. So half distance (25km) and using my race kit (including shoes, the amazing On Cloud Boom Echo) and race fuel. Things went sort of well. I wanted to run on the trail to minimize extra damage on hills, but it was closed due to a storm the night before. So I had to run on the road, which I guess was good as I got more hills in! I also ended up running faster than I wanted. More on that next month. A sign of things to come! All in all I was happy with my training up to this point. No injuries, and I hit my goal training sessions really well.

The month ended with the Rum Runner Relay. This is a 110km 10 leg relay road race. Well Leg 1 was cancelled due to some road issues, so it was a 95 km race instead. I had 1 Leg of this event left to achieve after many years of running it. Leg 5 was both super short and crazy hard with an insane hill parkway through this 4.6km run.  My goal was to give it a hard push and place high. With such a tough course, it is silly to worry about specific paces and instead go by effort. So far in Rum Runners, I had achieved a top 7 finish in all 9 Legs I had run, included a previous year's win on Leg 2. 

We went out hard, and I opted to just push as much as I coudl up the climb to start the race, then hold on to what I had left. I was able to it the top of the hill a few steps ahead of my nearest competition, but all props to him, as he was willing to put an extra push into the downhill that I was not at that point. With the ultra coming up, I just had to hold a little back and not trash my quads. Still I managed to come in second, with a good lead over third place and not too far behind 1st. All in all a good run I think. 

Our BLT Runner teams both did really well, with us finish neck and neck in the standings. A great bit of running by all members.