Navy Trident Duathlon 2019 - The Wet One

 So Duathlons are not known to be wet. That's triathlons. We don't swim in our events, but we might as well have this year at the Shearwater race.

Like last year the air was a bit chilly and the wind was high (bad enough to ban disk wheels). But alas that wasn't  enough and shortly before our race started we had the rain come down. And it was hard at times.

Still, we hardy duathletes headed out to the start line. The race was a 5K run, 20K bike ride (a bit short) and a final 2.5K run. The runs were pretty flat and both used the same course. The bike ride was crazy hilly and twisty, though the same course we have used before.

As soon as the race started I took off with the goal of not only placing well, but also getting the fastest runs. The other guys are pretty darn fast on the bike, though I will admit I put in some extra efforts this winter on the trainer.

It was a strong headwind running out and we did the 2.5K course twice to make 5K. I held the lead the whole way, but was impressed that Colin managed to stay so close to me. We both finished sub 18 minutes and for me that was quite something. I had never done that to start a duathlon before, though based on my Park Runs, it was not totally a shock. I crossed the line in 17:43.

To the bike and as usual I managed to get through transition pretty fast. I was off onto the bike and held the lead for quite a bit, finally getting passed by Colin early in lap 3 of the 4 laps.  I was really struggling with the head winds, but managed to get in some great efforts with the tail winds and also on the climbs. The wet roads didn't really seem to be an issue, though I was very cautious on one 180 degree turn.  I was waiting to get passed by Greg and Kevin, though only Greg did and that was right near the end of lap 4, after which I managed to pass him back right near the end. I was really impressed with my effort and finished the bike in second place with the 3rd fastest bike split (the actual time is off due to my Garmin getting messed up but it was around 32 km/hr.

To the run and this is where I finally noticed the cold. My hands were so cold from the bike that I had issues getting my helmet off and when I did get my sneakers on and stat on the course, I couldn't feel my feet at all. It was probably 1 km before I did.

Colin had built a lead of about a minute on the bike and I had work to do. I pushed hard and really started to gain on him. Sadly the 2.5K course just wasn't enough. I did end with the fastest second run in a time of 9:22 but I missed catching him by about 16 seconds. Still I was really happy. Faster than last years and in what I would call worse conditions.  All those tempo runs and time on the bike trainer have helped a lot I think.

A wet but happy Ian

So second overall and first in age group. This year the Duathlon passed out age group medals. But I was most happy for the hot shower.

I like a good solid top group at the races and this didn't disappoint. The top 5 were all pretty tough competitors. We all beat the weather and came out to tell the tale.

MEC Race #1 - Citadel Hill, 2019

So I hadn't intended to run the Citadel Hill MEC race this year. Not that I haven't enjoyed it in the past and not because I haven't done well at it, but just because I didn't feel drawn to it for some reason. But the fates dictated I would be back. A couple of weeks ago we Nuun Ambassadors in Canada got an email stating we could get a free MEC race entry. So here I was again.

I think part of the reason I wasn't really drawn to racing this event was that I felt like I had given it my best runs in the past. My goal is focused on other races as well, so I didn't really want to push my focus away from my training and in reality, my legs are toast from training and doing Park Runs, so I knew I couldn't give 100%. Still, with free entry and a bunch of my running club members going, I figured it would be a decent training run anyway. It is always easier to push harder in a race than when training solo.

The weather was decent this year, one of our few non rainy Spring days. The sun was sort of out, though the wind was cold and gusty. I did a small warm up to check out the route (it changes yearly due to construction issues) and then waited for the start. 

I selected to race the 5km, as I also wanted to get a good solid training run in later that day and knew that I could recover from this one. Our race started 5 minutes after the 10km. 

Soon we were off and I ran with the lead pack. I lead for the first kilometer or so before being over taken. I then regained the lead after about 2 kilometers and then lost to again around kilometer 3. We ran up and down the hill a lot. Almost 90 meters of climbing in 5k is tough on the legs.  

By the end of the first lap it was just us in the top 2 running together.  The crowd wasn't an issue, though running tangents was tough with various speeds of runners around coming and going and the bottle neck of running up a small uneven stair case through a tunnel (I loved that bit and managed to not get stuck behind a crowd both times through).  

I fell back a few seconds from first and knew after 4 km in that the gap was likely to hold as I didn't not have any sort of kick in me that day. I pushed through hard and finished in 17:19, 5 seconds off the lead. Now I wish that was a legit 5km time for such a tough course, but it was 200m short give or take. So I will have to be just as happy with my 3:39 min/km average pace on those hills with beat up legs that didn't want to run. I think that with a little less crowd to deal with being able to run sub 18 on that course would be completely doable for me.

So the training is coming along great. I am well in sub 18 minute 5km territory now, I have been pushing the speed in training but trying my best to deal with any lingering aches and tired muscles. I am surely much more tired and worn out these days than in previous years of training, but I also know that my May will be busy outside of sports and will be used far more for maintenance and race prep than outright speed training.

Perhaps a few more Park Runs will be in order over the coming weeks (last weekend was cancelled due to a fierce storm).

I switched back to the Brooks Launch for this race and still haven't taken out my racing shoes yet this season either. The Launch are a bit heavy but quite supportive and I thought would be ideal for the hills.

Shoe Review - Saucony Freedom ISO 2

So last week I was at a Saucony demo session and I won a pair of their Saucony Freedom ISO 2. I decided to wear them all week and put them through a variety of runs to see how I felt about them in general and where they will end up in my shoe rotation.

First off, I had two colour options if I wanted to walk away with shoes that day (thanks Aerobics First for having the event and for spotting me shoes from your shelves). My option was black or ViZiRed / Black. I opted for the ViZiRed version as nothing says fast like red.

The basics. This is considered a neutral shoe, so it doesn't have any support for pronation issues. I usually run in neutral shoes, so this works well for me. It has been awhile since I have used Saucony (they discontinued a previous shoe I loved), so I will confess I don't know the difference that well from pre ISO models and the newer ISO and ISO 2 models. The drop on this shoe is 4mm. The outer / upper is a new knit construction, which apparently shaves weight.

Okay, so how was week 1? Well I did 2 easy runs of approximately 40 minutes each (one was hills), 1 interval track session (10x400), a 5km race and warm up/cool down and a long run of a little over an hour.  So that that ticks all the boxes it seems.

This shoe has more cushion than the other shoes in my current rotation and by that I mean noticeable cushioning. It is what I consider a plush shoe. You feel the extra little bounce. That doesn't seem to make it less responsive though, as the intervals went fine and the 5K race I did helped me set an early season PB of 17:47. Usually I consider "bouncy" shoes to be not my go to shoes.

Weight. Well my other current trainer is the Brooks Launch and when I look at the specs they both come in within a few grams of each other around 255g. That being said, the Freedom "felt" a little heavier. Since it isn't, I assume it the bounce versus more firm feeling of the Brooks. Again, this didn't seem to affect my training or racing and my long run on steep hills was fine as well. As I am training for 15km races currently, I won't be putting longer distances in yet, so I won't know how these fair after say 1.5 hours or more.

The heavier feeling may also actually come from switching from 8mm to 4mm drop. I know that sounds odd, but I have felt this before switching to lower drop shoes. If that is the case, I expect that feeling to disappear quickly.

Shoe construction seems really nice. The knit is stretchy but keeps the foot in place. The colour is wonderful and there seem to be many options.

My big thumbs up goes too the laces. Seriously. The laces tie and don't have to be double knotted. I can't say this happens for many shoes and me.

So, a positive thumbs up over all. Where will this shoe fit in my rotation? Easy runs for the most part I think. The EVERRUN foam seem to give a little extra cushioning that will be great on recovery runs, easy hill nights and probably slower paced long runs.

Edited add on May 5, 2019

So I do have another thing to add. While the knit construction is really nice, the mesh is very open at the toes. When running in wet conditions (not puddles, just wet pavement) you socks will instantly get soaked as the spray comes up and over your toes. Other shoes I have seem to employ a tighter weave near the toe and this slightly more tight weave seems much better at keeping toes dry in mildly wet conditions. So maybe this isn't my wet day shoe.

A Weekend of Wins

Okay, so it wasn't a weekend of big races but a couple of low key fun races. But it was a good weekend of achieving goals. 

We started out Friday with a good romp on the #MyHomeCourse 5K charity run, raising over $2000 for the Terry Fox Foundation. The weather was great, the course hard with hills and twists, but I managed a course record and another early season sub 18 min 5km with a 17:53. I won the run too, but it was that time that made me happy.

Less than 24 hours later and I was racing another 5km run with the local Park Run. Only it was cold, windy and rainy. I managed an 18:03 and a win. I was really happy with that time though. Back to back and well below my 15km race pace effort. Also racing in variable conditions was great. 

I finished with along run on Sunday, hosted by Aerobics First and Saucony. I ran 15km on the race route for the Bluenose and managed a great easy effort Zone 2 run at below 4:20 pace. That felt good (though year, by the end my legs were tired).

So, I didn't win a training run, but I did walk away with a new pair of Saucony Freedom from a  draw prize. Can't wait top try them out. 

Park Run Halifax Race #3 2019

So 3 weeks ago Park Run started up in Halifax. Finding a good spot to host this is tough around here, but the group opted to use the Chain of Lakes Trail. A 5KM measured course was set up and racing began.

Park Run is a free 5 KM Run/Race hosted around the globe on Saturday mornings. You sign up once, get a bar code and race for free forever.

Last week I went to my first run and opted to pace a friend, Sarah, to a nice 22:45 5KM, a great effort for her on tired legs (she had done a part of the Moose Run the weekend before and run much of the week without a taper).  This week I decided to test myself to see how training was going. I went in with the goal of a sub 18, knowing I needed to average a 3:36 min/km to do so. I thought it was doable because in my last 2 races (Moose and Frostbite) I had sections of longer races in the 18:10 range. So 11 seconds shouldn't have been out of the question.

Basically, Park Run gives a brief intro chat, and you are off. I took off with the goal of holding a 3:30 pace out and a 3:40 pace back as it is downhill all the way to the turn around and uphill all the way back. Not crazy steep since this is an old rail bed, but obviously noticeable.

My goal wasn't the win but the time. I quickly tried to get into race pace, though my first kilometer was a bit fast at 3:24. I eased it back a touch with my next split being 3:31

At the turn around I had a decent gap on second place but was still focused on my time. It is easy to accept your race position at certain points and do just enough to hold position, especially with a potential win. So i had to be mentally focused on feeling bad.

Some high fives and thumbs up were exchanged on the way back, though I will admit, I didn't want to give that too much effort. I hit kilometer 3 (half down, turn around, half up) at 3:31. So I was super stoked about that. It certainly gave me a cushion on the second half.

Kilometer 4 was tough. I fell to a 3:41. I expected that and felt it. Then that deep down ugh feeling hit as I started kilometer 5. That feeling you get at the end of a hard interval where you are glad it is over. Only I had a bunch to run still. I pushed through that, but was focused on holding pace. I had time in the bag, but didn't want to drift too far down. 

There is an overpass 200m from the end, and the trail flattens slightly, so I did pick it up a tiny but there. I crossed the finish line with a 3:39 final kilometer and an official time of 17:48.

My splits were just what I hoped for, but with kilometer 3 being better than planned, I beat my goal by 11 seconds and took the win overall, and age graded. I also took Craig's course record (sorry Craig), though he took his win here with a tempo effort and has more to give on this course himself, I know he will be sub 19 on it in no time. 

Thanks to the volunteer for setting this up. Week one had 30 runner, last week 20, but with the slightly better (though quite cool) weather this week we had 39 brave souls.

Shout out to the many BLT Runners that came out and set course PBs, personal PBs and just had good fun.

Shout out to Luke on consistently going faster each week on his path back to sub 20.

The Brooks Launch made for an ideal all around shoe as well for the warm up run over and the race.

Moose Run 2019

Quick weekend recap. The Moose Run was back, our 25km fun run that is now in its 26th year. New race director (fellow Nuun Ambassador Mat Sabinski) but same great community support.

As before, this is a pay by donation race with a few water stops along the way, options for relay teams and tons of tough hills. At 5 weeks out from Boston this is a favorite course for getting a race day prep run in (go Marg!).

But for me this is fun. Every year so far I have taken this event as an opportunity to pace someone to a desired result. So far I have done this for Craig directly twice, for Pat and Craig last year, and this year I started with a few fellow runners with similar goals. We wanted to pace around a 4:30 min/km with a variety of distances. Sarah hoped to go to the 8.5 km mark, Luke was opting for 5km and Craig heading to the halfway mark, to share the run with Gillian.  

Thanks to Ron for snapping a quick shot near the start as we headed off on a cool, windy but sun filled day. I was testing out my newish NB 1500's to see how they did over this kind of distance. 

The first 5km were chatty and fun before Luke took off to hand off to his team mate for a relay finish and begin doing a #worldlitterrun. Craig also kept a strong pace at this point and pulled ahead a little of myself and Sarah. 

For her this was going to be a long run at this pace. 5km was no problem, but 8.5 with huge hills was going to be tough. We ran together (and picked up some friends to chat with like Chad) and she held on with some tough grit until we hit that final big downhill and she could just give a strong final 0.5km effort before handing off to teammate #2, Heather. 

At this point the wind blew my hat off and I had to chase it. Then I ran with Heather for a bit before teaming up with Al and pushing toward the halfway mark and a reunion with Craig. 

I took this time to stop, have a gel and a drink of water, get my music out and prepare for a little tempo work. The goal was a tough tempo run back to the spot I dropped off Sarah (about 4.5km) before easing back to an easy effort.  So off I went.

At the turn around I had averaged about a 4:37 min/km pace. My next two kilometers were a 3:30 pace. 

With the wind at my back, the sun in my face and a hard effort I was getting hot. As I ran to the teammate switching spot, I threw my coat to Sarah and headed off feeling really good. 

So I decided to just not look at my watch, give a hard but doable effort and see where I finished, knowing that with no goal in mind I could ease back if need be.

The hills were tough, the wind blew my hat off again and I ended up carrying it, and without the tail wind it wasn't quite as hot anymore. But I was enjoying my tunes and loving the journey (oh and some Journey).

With 3 kilometers to go and a downhill finish, I picked up the pace a bit, passing a few runners in the process. 

With about a kilometer to go, I saw Craig and Elizabeth drive by and wave and Sarah, Jordan and Heather drive by. Sarah popped out for a shout of encouragement and some nice photos.

I ran hard to the finish with a final kilometer back in the 3:30 mark. I crossed the finish line after 1 hour 45 minutes, dropping that average pace from 4:37 to 4:14.

We had a great post run team gathering with food and drink at the Buffalo Club.

This was the first time I pushed a hard effort on any part of this run and I really liked it. The challenging hills, the every changing scenery and the pretty decent weather (except maybe the wind) were just inspiring to run in. This course is also partially used in some of the Maritime Race Weekend races as well, were I have had some good runs).

Oh and the 1500's were great. Just enough cushioning and support for a longer run, but zippy enough to propel you forward.

Lots of great finishes and good times by fellow BLT Runners as well.

Frostbite 5 Miler 2019 - Let's Get This Season Started

Well the first race of 2019 has come. So far this year I haven't really focused my training on much. I have been skating a bit and doing the regular triathlon stuff, but it is time to get serious. So up come the Frostbite 5 Miler, which wasn't really on my radar, but provided just what I needed, a jump start.

I saw this 8km event as a great way to assess where my fitness was for my 15km race in June. Last year I raced a 15km flat event with a 3:42 avg pace and hoped to do slightly better this year (though Bluenose 15km will be a tougher race for sure). So the goal here was just to attempt to hold my goal pace for Bluenose for the event.

I traveled in with Scott and Craig and after a super fast check in, we did some warm ups. We quickly figured that the conditions were near perfect for a February race in Nova Scotia. Just below zero, with a bright warm sun. Sure there was a cool wind, but the goal was to get moving hard, which would build up the old body heat. 

Soon we lined up, with a good crew of BLT Runners at the line.

Some instructions from our MC Steve Taylor and we were off. I took to the lead, though mostly to get to my pace and get past the first icy obstacle. From there I really wanted to focus on my goal pace more than racing for placing. 

But one kilometer in and I was still leading. I finally looked back around 2 kilometers in and had a sizable lead over second place.  So far I was slightly better than goal pace, which considering the larger hills were at the start was good and I didn't feel too over done yet either. A 3:32, then a 3:38 and a 3:40. Kilometer 4 saw me drift a bit. Perhaps it was the tight corners I'm not sure. I did have to go around a few people on the sidewalk and past a few icy bits, but nothing too crazy. I picked it back up and ran through 5kms at 18:15, finding some new speed.

I looked back just before I saw Tim taking some photos and saw no one.

It was after this that I think a long (though really gradual) hill and my knowing I had a huge lead with over half the race run, that I mentally fell into a bit of a funk and let the pace start to fall. I had warned Craig before the race that this might happen. Luckily I noticed it and then looked back and saw that Matt had begun to creep into my sight again. This was my slowest kilometer but it was a good teaching moment so I dug deep and found some speed again.

While I didn't hit my target in kilometer 7, there was a longish icy area that was a little hard to navigate and I had to kind of shuffle through, so I am fine with that. When I got past it and could open up, I found the speed to go below goal pace once again and finish strong, with a finishing kick Scott would be proud of, well below a 3 min pace. 

I crossed the line unofficially at 29:24 for the win and a pace of 3:41. Not quite my goal pace, but close and I have lots to work with now. 

I kind of had to sit down for a moment to take catch my breath. 

Soon the rest of the runners came streaming in. BLT Runners were well represented with Craig next in 5th, Steve in 10th and Scott in 11th. Everyone was doing great and at or above early season targets. I guess a little speed work doesn't hurt, though a lot can.

We waited until our last runner came in and then headed in to grab some coffee and soup, an awesome way to finish a winter race.

Races like this can be so iffy when it comes to weather. We got really lucky. But regardless of the weather, it is the event itself and the people hosting that make or break it. And Lakeshore did and awesome job. Check to race finish and course marshaling all went smoothly. Thanks so much for making it great.

Oh and on a side note, I became and ambassador for Nuun this season. It's a low carb electrolyte drink which I started using a lot last year. I'll probably chat about it later on in another post.