Let's Get 2023 Started Right - Pick and Shovel 10(.5)km Trail Race - 2023

 So other than some fun times at parkrun, the last time I raced and gave a good effort was way back in Oct at the Valley Harvest 10km road race.  Following that I had an opportunity to race the first ever All Out Racing 10km Trail race in November, but alas had to travel. From all accounts it was a great race. 

Come forward to January 2023 and race two for All Out Racing was here. The goal of All Out Racing is fun inclusive events. So often trail races are only Ultra Distance event, with even races in the 20km plus distance being tough for seasoned veterans. While we have had some fun shorter distance trail races locally, they certainly are not the norm, which often excludes runners that do not dedicate their lives to the woods and long weeks on their feet. 10km is a great opportunity for those that aren't normally "trail runners" to come on out and have some fun, whether they are roadies, weekend warriors or just new to running. 

The January race was called the Pick and Shovel Showdown and it included 2 races to choose from. All runners started together and did a 10(.5 ish) km race from start to finish. For some we gave it our all and called it a day, but for others their day was just getting started and the event then turned into an 8 hour endurance run. At this point runners would go back on course doing laps until the 8 hour mark. Most laps would win. If there was a tie, then the winner would be the one who did the first 10km race the fastest. Fun (if you like long). So this was a combo of endurance and speed, while laps style trail races are often mostly endurance based with the person last standing taking the win. 

Anyway, back to my race, the 10km one. 

So the day started with rain. Hold on, the day before started with rain and it did not stop (in fact it is still going on for a fourth day now). Luckily it wasn't cold rain, getting as high as 12C that day. For those doing the 10km, this was annoying but not the worst thing. It certainly sucked more for the endurance racers. 

I got up and got to the race venue early as I usually do and got checked it. Super easy process, the guys had everything well laid out and ready to go. I also had time to consider my race outfit as I basically filled my car with options. 

Over the next 1.5 hours the racers came through and picked up their kit and then we were beckoned outside for a race brief.

We all pretended to try and stay dry for those moments and then off to the start line, where we were not held long before we were off and running.

The course started on a gravel road which climbed quickly, then a fast decent to a turn onto a rough section of double track. This popped out onto a gravel road again before once more zipping into some single track. This was close to 0.5 km in length and plenty of time to get the field spread out, so the single track section didn't really bottle neck too badly.  The single track had huge puddles, the kind that eat your momentum. If your feet were not wet yet, they were now. 

I was running in the third position at this point and hanging with the top two runners. We popped out of the wood, ran across a small field and then onto the main loop.

MacDonald Sport Park (the name of the venue) is a fairly wide gravely / crusher dust trail system. It doesn't get a ton of maintenance and therefore the trail, while not technical, is quite rough with some roots and larger rocks. The hills often contain loose gavel as well. 

By the second kilometer, I was over taken and fell to fifth, with the top two guys kicking it up even further and pulling away.  I was then side by side with some other runners, going back and fourth with a few guys over the next kilometer. 

That first section of trail is predominantly down, which means we need to go back up. The far side of the loop is hills. Steep, short, power hills. I have run in here a lot, both solo and with canicross dogs. I know how to accept the hard pounding of the down hills and took advantage of that. With the mud, slippery rocks and deep puddles, I drew upon a lot of experience and pushed hard top pull away on the descents. Soon I was back into a solo fifth position with a small gap. 

This lasted for a bit but then Colleen Wilson pulled along side. Her climbing strength was awesome and we ran side by side through deep puddles and heavy mud and slippery rocks until about the 6th kilometer and which point she started to pull away. 

My goal was to worry about me though and what I had in the old man legs. As I started lap 2 I knew I had to take advantage of the downhill section to gain as much of a gap advantage as possible, so I held the effort.

My breathing training was coming into its won as well. I was getting good deep breaths and feeling as strong as I could, thanks to Gilles and O2Max for that.

I was able to keep Colleen in my view and a couple of other runners just slightly ahead until we started to go into the twisty hilly section. 

Finally, the big hills were done and I pulled back to the field area for a final time with some cheerful volunteers pushing me along. Only about 800m to go! 

This was now about me. I had glanced back and no one was in sight, and I knew I couldn't catch the runners ahead, but I wanted to run as strong as possible so pushed harder through the single track, the gravel road and then the double track sections, finally climbing up the road toward the finish until the sharp descent to the line. 

Cheering volunteers were there and the top 5 other finishers. A couple guys ahead went back out as they were doing laps at this point, while four of us caught our breath then went out for a nice cool down run and a chat. 

My official time was 45:40 and it was tough. It was definitely a course suited to strong cross country runners, able to dig through puddles and mud and short choppy hills. Four people ahead (at least) were people with decent or exceptional cross country records so it makes a lot of sense. 

I chose my On Running Cloudventure Peak and Darn Tough Nordic socks to keep my feet happy. Of my 8 pair of trail shoes then had a good level of aggression while still some comfort. And I always choose longer socks for trail running, especially in mud/water/snow with wool socks or wool blends being key for me. 

It was great chatting with many runners, chatting with fellow BLT Runners Nicole and Jacquelynn (really stepping out of their comfort zones on races like this).

So again a big shout out to AO Racing with Jason and Peter and the great group of volunteers. The race went off so well, and I look forward to future races with them, either running or helping out. If you are in Nova Scotia or willing to travel, add their races to your bucket list and follow them on Facebook and Instagram

https://www.facebook.com/allouttrailracing

https://www.instagram.com/allouttrailracing

Shout out to their event sponsors: Aerobics First, Sportwheels, 5K Cafe, On Running, Smartwool, Buff, and 3 Mile Outfitters.

2022 Year in Review

 Let's start 2023 with a quick look back at 2022. 

I'll start by saying that 2022 was kind of a recovery year in a way. After 2 years of hard running in virtual races, then an epic Fall of 2021 doing ultra distance events, my body was tired. Initially I had planned on training for a Spring 10 km race, but instead, as time ticked away, I knew what I really needed was to recover. 

Now, I also kept to my monthly goal of a 5K run under 18 minutes, and I made it all through 2022 with at least 1 fast run a month. It is nice to know that I can still summon a little speed, even when I am not at 100%. 

After some physio (thanks Anita at Beaverbank Physio), so massage therapy from Seaside Chiropractic, and of course the mighty Alan, my chiropractor also at Seaside, my recovery took a mere couple of months, and I was feeling decent again. 

So let's look at some of my highlights and get to it (with pictures!):

Parkrun started back up, and I was on the line from the first run. I ran with lots of friends, made new friends, and after a 2 year break, finally hot 50 official parkruns.

Parkrun also became the venue of my fastest official 5K event, and for those that know the Chain of Lakes parkrun course, it is a tough one. I ran a 17:11, knocking 8 seconds off my old 5K PB at age 48. 

That same day, I also hit my longest ever open water swim. It was a solo effort and as a non-swimmer, I was super happy to have achieved this over 1 hour swim. 

Though I was not at my peak in the Spring, I wanted a new challenge, so I took on the world of canicross. I was happy to have had so many friends that helped me out by loaning me dogs to run with. While, I had many great runs, I have to say my 14:50 min 4.6km run in Moncton with Loki was a thing of magic. 

I didn't enter many races this year other than parkrun but I did find some good results when I did.

First place at the Bridgewater Tire Trot. That is 3 years in a row (with a 2 year break of not being held).

Natal Day I did the Mile and ran a 5:06, followed by the 5.6 mile event the next day where I ran a 3:37 pace, which was what I wanted to be able to hold for 10km. I felt good after that run, so I knew that my 10 km goals were not too far away.

And finally I entered the Valley Harvest 10km race. Here I finished second overall (which is great enough) but also achieved a new PB in the 10km. Now this PB is hard to nail down. My official race time is 36:11 (my old PB was a virtual race in 36:15) but the course seemed to measure long (based on a lot of factors, but it seems consistent with all runners) and I crossed the 10km mark at 35:51. So either way, PB. I am happy. 

I took a trip to Moncton to meet up with Gilles at O2Max testing. Honestly, this was before I hit many of my fastest times, and before I did my VO2Max test with him, I was kind of in a funk. Part of it was a still recovering body, but also the idea that maybe I had maxed out my abilities. Gilles assured me, after my test, that I still had a lot to give. I began breathing training with him and even a few weeks of that really helped open up the air ways and by Fall my lungs were happy as ever. It was nice to find out my lung potential was no where near maxed out. So this is a journey I will continue on and see where it leads. 

I still managed to hit the trails as well, leading the Sportwheels Thursday night trail ride all Summer long. We ended the season with a 50Km ride from Hubbards to Chester and back. 

In all I ran 2463km, biked 2761 km, swam 27344m and hiked 306 km. 2022 wasn't too bad at all. 
 

5K PB, parkrun 50, My Other Run Club

 In 2019 parkrun came to Nova Scotia. There is lots of info about parkrun out there, but quickly, it is a free timed 5K run that takes place all over the world and is hosted by volunteers. The courses are paved, smooth, rough, rocky, hilly, flat, and even beaches. But they all have the concept of a welcoming 5K open to all and always free.  Our local course, Chain of Lakes, is paved, straight, and "just one hill,"  with that hills being the entire course. While there are first finishers, there really aren't winners. You totally can treat this like a race, or a fun run, a hard effort, a relaxing way to start a Saturday, or any combination of the above.  Your times are recorded in your personal online info page and your "membership" is good at any parkrun anywhere in the world. 

So I missed the first parkrun, where Craig came first and raved about how this small but fun little event was worth checking out. So I came the next week with the goal of running at a moderate pace and helping some other runners try to get to their goal time. Luke came first this week. 

In week three I was the first finisher and found the fun of running a hard 5K. This soon became my goal. A good hard 5K at least once a month, which then became a sub 18 minute 5K once a month. 

The BLT Runners have taken the Chain of Lakes parkrun on as our second run family. In Canada we are one of the top teams as far as participation goes, and the bulk of that has been at our local run. We've embraced the running, the volunteering, and the post run coffee (now at the 5K cafe!)

While I have managed to be a parkrun tourist twice in Boulder, Colorado, the bulk of my run have been at the Chain of Lakes. Parkrun has milestone achievements and I reach my 50th run a few weeks back (I am now at 56). I unlocked the 50 run shirt as well! I do try and volunteer occasionally as well.

While I have had many fast runs, and lots of first finishes, some of my favorite runs have been pacing friends to goal results.

And while this course is far from what people consider to be fast (with a 2.5km uphill finish), I have rose to that challenge and set all my PBs in the 5K on this course. In 2019 it was a 17:19 chasing down the course record holder Kyle, in 2020 it was a solo effort during COVID lockdowns of 17:14, and now just this past weekend I dropped it again to 17:12 officially. I wasn't sure I had another one at this pace in me but dang, I did. 

So thanks to the main core volunteers at Chain of Lakes for making sure this event works, thanks tot he BLT Runners for supporting the volunteers, and showing up every week, and thanks to the weather for being so nice last Saturday. 

Quick Update: VO2Max Testing

So Wednesday I popped up to Moncton to meet with Gilles at O2Max for a V.O2 Max test. 

I have done great stuff with the info that Kinesic Sport Lab gave me from various blood lactate tests and I really had no idea what new info I could receive.

I will also say that recently it is a little hard to get the motivation going because it feels like I have plateaued and at age 48 was there anywhere to go.

So the testing process is pretty simple and straight forward. Initially you test your lung capacity using a spirometer. From here we found out that I have pretty decently large lung capacity, almost 7 litres. So that was good to hear. We also took measurements of body composition: height, weight, body fat.

 After this the process is nice and easy. You put on a face mask that will measure your breathing as you ramp up through a treadmill running session. As your breath is being measured, so is your heart rate with a heart rate strap. The time on treadmill is only about 15 minutes but you have to push to the end.

After the test we determined that I am using 55% of those giant lungs at best. Essentially I am hyperventilating as I get faster but I have the capacity to push through and run like that for long periods.  My V.O2 Max is listed at 65 and I know from race results the VDotO2 training system that I am not hitting that level. I sit around a 58-59 usually, though I have seen a 60 once. While your V.O2 Max is only the potential you have, it is telling that with some extra effort to get more control of my breathing, I could certainly push past the plateau I am on. 

So where to? Learning to breath better. Take advantage of these huge lungs and see where I can go and maybe I haven’t plateaued quite yet.

I think both the Blood Lactate tests I have done and this V.O2 Max test have been amazing tools to help me become a better runner by using the tools I already have by training smarter.  And there is no time like right now to see what you could potentially do. New equipment on the market makes these sorts of test far more available to everyone. It is still essential to work with someone who can interpret the data you get and help you come up with the best plan going forward.

Natal Day Weekend Racing 2022

Last weekend was Natal Day weekend, a civic holiday and a traditional time to host races. I have done many different races over the years on this weekend and this year I chose to run hard on all three days. 

Saturday morning started with the traditional Chain of Lakes #parkrun. For those not in the know, it is a free timed 5K event open to everyone and is held all over the world. Our local event started in 2019, was stopped during COVID lockdowns and began again earlier this year. 

I tend to use the parkrun event as an opportunity to get a good hard run in. This weekend I decided to hold back a little and use it as an opportunity to warm myself up for racing over the two following days. I also wanted to really focus on maintaining an even paced run. So the goal was to run a 20 minute 5K and try to keep even splits.

I started nice and easy and built up to a solid 4 minute pace. On the way down the hill I was running with a small group that included some parkrun tourists. At the turn around a made sure to push my effort a little to maintain pace as the 2.5km uphill climb began. 

I distanced myself from all but Paul who was way out front trying to establish a good PB time for the year. I did manage to put a little extra into the final kilometer and finished in 19:38 with some pretty even running. That felt good. 

 

Sunday morning I wok up and prepped for the MacPass Mile. Sadly I don't have any photos of my run. I wasn't sure how fast of a mile I had in me. in 2018 I ran this event in 5:02. I knew enough to start up front. This mile is on a hilly bridge. You go down hill then up a very steep hills and finally come down hill for a fast finish. It is certainly not an even split, or even paced event.

I took off from the start and was immediately with the lead group. As we hot the uphill section I found myself drifting into a solid 5th place. By the top of the big climb my pace was a 3:20. With half of the race to go, I had to di deep to find the speed to get anywhere close to a low 5 minute finish. 

I was on Aaron's feet for the next 400m, then he started to pull slightly away. I could hear a runner right behind me. Then with around 200m to go, I pushed as hard as I could. My pace dropped to around a 2:40 min/km effort. I was stuck on Aaron's heels and we crossed the finish line 1 second apart. A 5:06 official time. I am happy with that, as I have been really trying to find that top end speed I had been working towards before taking on the Ultra distance events last year. 5th place.   

Monday morning was the main event. While I gave a good effort on the Bridge Mile, the Natal Day 5.4 Miler (8.9 km) was my real fitness test. Earlier in the year I had planned on taking on a fast 10K event, but I just never felt good enough in training to really push myself. Now with some faster runs in my legs and  a few sub 18 minute 5 km parkruns results, I was ready to see where I was. 

A brief warmup run with some great friends from Club Dog Runnin (no dogs today!) and we were gathered to the start line. I'm in there somewhere, I think I'm one of the few with a hat!

Both the 1.8 mile and 5.4 mile event start together (the longer race is 3 laps). Craig was running the 1.8 mile and his pace was going to be similar to mine, so lap 1 was going to be fun. 

Off we went, the leaders zooming off towards the future. I found my effort of around a 3:40 pace going up the first climb. My goal was a 3:38-3:40 min/km pace if all went well. Kilometer 1 is mostly uphill, then 2 is very downhill and 3 is flat/slight uphill until the final 300m, which is a good climb. 

Craig ended up running slightly ahead of me for much of his race. We climbed the final hill together and then he blew threw the finish line with at a 3:35 avg pace. A great showing! I continued on. 

That lap would be my fastest. I had to settle down a bit because 3:35 was not going to happen. Lap two was the same as lap one of course but now I had a hitchhiker. I could feel another runner on my heels that whole lap, but I really had to stick to my pace. The cloud were staying over the sun, so the overall temperature wasn't nearly as bad as it could have been. As I approached the end of the lap, I gave a nice effort up the climb to start lap 3. This seems to have broken my hitchhiker off my heels. 

Lap 3 was a bit all over the place (literally). Lap 2 had seen a little over taking of slower runners, but lap 3 was quite busy. No complaints, it is all part of the fun and everyone was having a great time. 

I had a goal of finishing under 32 minutes. Now that was when I mistakenly thought the race was 8.6km long. As I run past the 8.6 km mark, I realized that goal might not happen. With the final climb coming it was time to push hard. 

I zipped over the finish line in 32:09 with splits of 10:32, 10:51, and 10:46. An avg pace of 3:37. Faster than I hoped and I feel I could have held that pace for another 1.1 km without issue. Meaning my 10km race pace is almost to where I want it to be. That would likely put me in a low 36 result and I am aiming at a high 35 min result. Best of all I wasn't beat up. I ended up running again later that day with the BLT Runners as well. 

It feels great to be back to a place where I can start to push my effort in training again. Ultra stuff was fun, but it took a lot out of me and I needed a good bit of time to recover. Time and physio and chiro and massage. 

So huge shout out to Anita at Beaverbank Physio who put me back together again and a massive thanks to Seaside Chiropractic with Alan and Dan making sure things just work. 

I have really been loving the On Running Cloud Monsters. I have never been one for a big cushioned shoe, but this shoe is really peppy and maybe it is what I needed. Maybe one day I will try a fancy super shoe, until then, the purple beasts will do. 

Canicross Race 3 (and 4!) Nothing But Epic at Keppoch

 So the third race of the MAHDS Spring Season was upon us. Club DogRunnin' put together another race, this time a full day event with multiple disciplines, 2 canicross races, 2 bikejor events and a canitrail event. Originally there was also a scooter race, though due to the weather this was cancelled.

Wait, what? In harness dog sports there are some very important safety rules, and one of those is the heat on race day. People can choose to run or not run in the heat or can be smart and slow down, but often dogs just want to have fun and aren't as good at realizing the consequences of their actions. So we have to be the smart ones at this time and make those choices for them. Taking the scooter event out, also shortened the day to allow us to get the other races in well before noon. As it turns out, the heat started to climb but generally we had some clouds to limit how bad it could have gotten, and we were safely able to deal with the races due to their shorter distances.

Okay, so back to the fun stuff. 

This weekend I signed up to do the Standard Canicross race at 3km, and the Sprint Distance at 1.5 km. As these are trails with lots of twists and turns, the exact distance isn't always easy to calculate, but they were pretty close to that.  

I got up at 4:30 to head off to Keppoch, arriving with enough time before the first race to have a chance to go run the main course as my warm up. 

The course is mostly crusher dust and wide with lots of tight corners. The hills were frequently quite steep. I chose a shoe with a short lug and lots of cushioning.

So as my race was coming up, I met with Val. Val had been generous with her dog Solo at the first race of the year, and was going to be generous again by loaning me another of her dogs (she has three great boys) names Bryce. Bryce is a Eurohound, like Solo. While not as big, he is definitely just as fast.  

Bryce and I took off to the start line, and I did my best to keep him calm. I was going to be going in the second wave of runners, so we lined up behind Wave 1 and waited our turn to get going. 

It's okay Bryce, just look forward to the fun!

Bryce seemed a little nervous and looked back a few times, but as we approached the start line for our start he clicked and was definitely looking forward to get going. And then we were off!

We quickly separated from Charles (he started with us) and headed for the first real test, a tight right, left and steep downhill.

Bryce swung wide to get us around that tight corner

That downhill was crazy fast and I did my best to hang on. And just as fast, another tight corner and up a hill. This continued, and soon we met up with our first runner ahead. Bryce didn't blink and before I knew it we flew by. Where possible Bryce chose to run right on the edge of the trail along the grass, so we didn't have a perfectly straight line between us, but it didn't seem to slow us down.  Much like with Loki in the last race, we hit a blistering 2:47 first kilometer. With 

We snaked along and soon caught our next runner. Again without hesitation Bryce passed on by. We were storming along.

As we came into the open area of the course, I could see Sarah P just in the distance, and we hit a huge downhill section again. Bryce pulled through, not caring about any of the volunteers on the sides. I think He noticed Sarah and wanted to catch up to her. He pulled me up to her in a little over a mile of racing. While it wasn't as fast as I racing the MDR race's first mile, this 4:31 mile on the twists and turns and ups and downs felt a lot tougher. 

As we reached Sarah we pulled along side and Bryce seemed to know Loki and we hung out there for a bit. I welcomed the slight easing of pace he went into, but then he got feisty and off we went, staying just ahead of Sarah but not seeming to want to pull away too much.  

Oooo nice soft grass

Now the thing with dogs and racing is that you can never be 100% sure what the day will bring. And since I am borrowing dogs, I have to accept this even more so. Everything was going great and then Bryce spotted a mud puddle well before I did.  Before I could yell leave it, he was upside down and rolling in the mud. I saw Sarah ease up a bit and then start back up (she could tell we were fine).  

While it seemed like we were in the mud for a long time, it was actually maybe less than 10 seconds before I convinced my buddy to move along and he went to regain the lead.  

We picked up the pace and caught back up, finally passing Sarah with maybe 200m to go on a very loose gravel area.

We crossed the finish line in 9:36 for 3K. Bryce was a giddy boy taking the win. It was obviously not the perfect race but it was the perfectly fun and exhilarating. I know I am a decent runner, but having to work as part of a team is a whole different beast and knowing we could go head to head with Sarah P and Loki the wonder dog was great. 

Huge thanks again to Val for loaning me Bryce  

Sure Bryce lets go run some more

Post race water cooler chat

Bryce and his sidekick

Race 2 was to see how well I could recover from Race 1, and really it was because I drove 2 hours to do the first race. Might as well have some more fun!  For this race I went to my friend Charles. He has two dogs and wasn't planning on doing this specific race (he did the full distance bike and canicross and the canitrail). 

He said I could have a go with Casey. She's a spicy GSP, much smaller again than Solo and Bryce and Loki. But speed? Oh yass. 

This course was fast and mostly downhill, though with some tight corners, so it isn't all out speed. Casey has been running for a couple of years now and knows what to do. We lined up in the 3rd Wave this time. I actually like a slow start, as I know the dog will make up any "lost time" pretty fast. This course though did require a quicker start as ideally, you want to get to corner 1 first to really take advantage of the width of the course through the twisty bits and steep downhill. 

Casey didn't want a slow start, and felt let down that I allowed teams to get ahead of us even for a moment.  So 100m in we took the lead in our wave.

Through the first 2 corners

Just an FYI this hill maxes out at a 10% grade

What can I say, this race was over fast. I barely could take a deep breath going down the first crazy hill. Then we slowly started to catch teams from the waves ahead of us. All of a sudden the 500m to go sign was in front of us. Casey pulled wonderfully, and kept straight in front of me. Her small size was the opposite of her big speed. Her desire to win is amazing.

We crossed the finish line with a 2:52 min/km pace. She gave it her all for sure. We took the Sprint distance win on the weekend as well. 

I did have the fortune to push myself extra hard as I was only doing the two races. So I didn't need to save any juice for anything else that day. I switched to Event Official for the final event, running the canitrail course to check it out and then working the start line. 

Huge thanks again to Val and Charles for the teammate loans. Huge shout out to Keppoch and Club DogRunnin for hosting the event and doing all the leg work. As an event guy myself, I know what work they put in. And big shout out to all the racers that travel to get to these events. The growth I have seen in harness dog sports over the last 10 years has been amazing. I am sop glad I have been a part of it, even before I could race it. 

Thanks to Val and Bob MacEachern for the photos. 

That's the final race of the Spring as I said, and I had a blast. Highs and lows can happen in less than 3 km, but the highs will always surpass any lows. 

I have a few non dog events coming up, but I'll bask in these ones first and maybe get some club runs in before the weather turns too hot. 

You wanna race me?