The Days of May 2023

Well May has come and gone and I finally had the chance to throw down some racing. In fact, the month was full. So let's go picture heavy and word light as we catch up with things. 

First up was the Club Dog Runnin' Spring Rust Buster Canicross race. There were two races on the day for me as I got to run with two incredible dogs that I borrowed from club members. The first race was the 3 km Standard race. 

Canicross races are run on trails ranging from crusher dust to single track, with canitrail being a little rougher trails.  The Oakfield Park trails are a little mix of some crusher dust and some more gnarly trails with lots of elevation change, sharp turns and lose footing. Now attach a dog to you, run way faster than you can on your own and have fun! 

Phoebe and I got to start first in race the 3 km standard. Phoebe is perfectly fine not chasing another dog (some dogs really like that to give them a boost). She's on the smaller side compared to some dogs I run with, but dang is she strong. She took off and we quickly settled into a fast but manageable 3:15ish min/km pace. My legs were feeling it by the end of kilometer 1, but we kept it up. A quick slow down to visit another dog that was just out for a walk, a few trips to the ditch to check out a puddle, were the only issue. All of those were dealt with so quickly though. 

The final kilometer is definitely the toughest on this course and we held our pace finishing strong with a tight bungee lead. As the races are usually time trial efforts, we had to wait until the end to see our placing and we won. I broke 10 minutes on a super tough course and I was super happy.

This year I opted to also race the 1 km sprint race. I had the chance to race with Kona, who I have run before. Brother to Phoebe!  Kona is a little bigger with an extra bit of strength. While we had run some training races before, I hadn't unleashed Kona's full potential before, so this was going to be crazy fun. The scary part was going to be a little section of the course where we had to traverse a small detour due to the trail being blocked. 

Kona wasted no time when given the chance. We started this race in third and he does not like to be behind another dog.  Now I didn't know what our chances of catching the other runners ahead of us were since it was such a short race.  The detour was probably the only time we slowed on course, and only because I made sure we did.

We did catch second place about 600m into the race and Kona made sure we passed quickly. While we didn't manage to catch first place, we did end up making up enough time to win this race as well, though only by a few seconds. Our 2:56 finishing time didn't tell the whole story as we spent a lot of time in the 2:30 min/km range to make up for our slow down. 

Lexie and I picked up our prizes since she is easier to carry than the Kona and Phoebe. Huge thanks to Club DogRunnin and MAHDS. If you want to run with your dog, check out https://www.maritimehdsport.com/

The next weekend I had no time to rest! This was Fredericton race weekend, but before we went headed to the race I managed to get a parkrun in!

Then off to Fredericton for the 10 km. Craig was racing the Half Marathon so I travelled up with him. The weather was less than perfect, being really cold and with a strong wind.  I didn't get a lot of pictures of the event, but it is a mass start race with the 10, half and full marathon runners starting by race pace.  The race itself is pretty simple. You run though the city, cross a bridge, do a little tour of the other side of the river, then head on back. At a certain point the half and full runners split off. The conditions were tougher than I hoped for and while I could see the runners ahead of me, I mostly ran solo. 

The wind was really noticeable in the last few kilometers, especially crossing the second bridge. It was also at this point I noticed that 10km had come and gone and the end of the race was not yet here. I did my best to keep the top 3 runners in sight and finally came across the finish line.

The race ended up being 600m long due to a misplaced turn around cone. That and the high winds pretty much threw away my time goal. I did finish strong, but ultimately I don't know how close to my time goal I could have been, as I usually save a little extra effort, but to be honest, when the finish was no where and the 10km mark was coming up, I slowed a bit and just lost the mental oomph. Alas, it is what it is.

Another weekend and another race. Weekend 3 saw the Bluenose Marathon Weekend come to Halifax. I had not planned on running but ended up entering the 10km. I knew that my legs were pretty tired by this point with little recovery, but it was going to be nice to at least run through Halifax with some of the fast guys.  

First up though, a 5km parkrun! 

I didn't go into this parkrun with any sort of goal, I just wanted a nice run with some fun people. I chose to run with the leaders and just let them dictate the pace. I stuck with one runner until close to the end and the big 2.5km hill finally took its toll on him. Excellent effort though as I tried to pace him up the hill for as long as possible. 

I finished the parkrun with a 18:30 in what I hoped would be close to my goal pace for the Bluenose 10km.

The Bluenose this year was going to be extra tough. A slight down hill through town and across the bridge (sounds like Freddy). The big difference to Fredericton is that the bridge in Halifax is incredibly steep to allow huge ships to pass under it. Add to the this that each side of the bridge has a super steep hill to take you up to city level. 

I made it to the bridge in 8th place and on pace, even holding pace up over Nantucket on the Dartmouth side.  By this point, I had moved into 7th place overall and held that for the rest of the race. Coming back to the bridge, we were all hit with a huge head wind, which made the climb over to the Halifax side that much harder.

 

The On CloudBoom Echo were really fun shoes to take on this journey. 

The cheers from people I knew on the side lines was really appreciated. I was certainly feeling that kilometer worth of super steep climb. I came through the finish in 37 minutes. Slower than I hoped, but hey, this was not a flat easy race, so add in tired legs and I am okay with that.

Lots of friends from my run club were present to race or pace different events. And hey, we beat the rain! 

10km runners. 

A little bling shot, including the Age Group award I won, which was  great hand made wine mug from Peter Eastwood. I use it for espressos. 

The final weekend came and while there was no official race, I had one more parkrun to do and this time I wanted to try and achieve my goal of a sub 18 min 5km run each month. So off I went, running pretty hard down and while not killing it on the up hill, I help on for a decent 17:37 finish. 

So I needed some down time following this month. The old man legs were feeling it. The lungs on the other hand were perfectly fine. 

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.