Must be the new shoes

I just completed my fastest 9 mile run so far during my training. I ran in 1:10:15 seconds which was a full 15 seconds faster than I ran on Tuesday. I actually thought I was not going to reach my goal of 1:12:00 (8 minute/mile) because I had to stop twice to take a gel. As I started off today I realized I had forgotten to take my usual 1/2 banana. That started to play mind games with me as I knew that I had only brought along 2 gu chomps:



I tried these several weeks ago during a long run and found them very effective. I have tried so many different gels/bars etc. during running but this one seems to do the trick for now anyway. (LOL)

figured that I would take one of these at 3 miles and then another one at the 6 mile mark. The walk break took an average of 56 seconds. I used it to bring my heart rate down slightly and to make sure that I chewed the GU chomp completely. There is nothing worse than having these things stuck to my teeth while I'm trying to run a sub 5:00/KM (LOL).

At the 7 mile mark I was at 55:03 and I needed to be at 56:00. This meant that I had built up a 57 second "cushion" for the remaining 2 miles. I kept going through the math in my head. I needed to do 9 miles in 1:12:00 which meant that I had just under 17 minutes to do 2 miles (8:30 minute mile). This is where I really had to dig down deep and not settle for just doing that. I wanted to average at least an 8 minute mile for the final 2 miles. That would still have put me at 1:11 or so and I would have been happy with that. It was amazing to see how I just relaxed at decided to just "run" and not think. I did the last two miles in 15:12 or an average pace of 7:56. I was very happy when I finished but also very light headed. Now it's time to get to work with this moving business...

This will be a stressful weekend with moving but I know that without my running, my peace of mind will be disturbed. Here is one of my favorite songs, enjoy:




Paulo Nutini (New Shoes)

"Woke up cold one tuesday,
I'm looking tired and feeling quite sick,
I felt like there was something missing in my day to day life,
So I quickly opened the wardrobe,
Pulled out some jeans and a T-Shirt that seemed clean,
Topped it off with a pair of old shoes,
That were ripped around the seams,
And I thought these shoes just don't suit me.

Hey, I put some new shoes on,
And suddenly everything is right,
I said, hey, I put some new shoes on and everybody's smiling,
It so inviting,
Oh, short on money,
But long on time,
Slowly strolling in the sweet sunshine,
And I'm running late,
And I dont need an excuse,
'cause I'm wearing my brand new shoes.

Woke up late one thursday,
And I'm seeing stars as I'm rubbing my eyes,
And I felt like there were two days missing,
As I focused all the time,
And I made my way to the kitchen,
But I had to stop from the shock of what I found,
A room full of all my friends dancing round and round,
And I thought hello new shoes,
Byebye them blues.

Take me wondering through these streets,
Where bright lights and angels meet,
Stone to stone they take me on,
I'm walking to the break of dawn.

Another week almost in the books

Friday is always a day for me to look at what I have accomplished and what I have to do. I can honestly say that this was one of my better training weeks because I met all my training objectives. In fact I'm still on a high from yesterdays track workout.

Tomorrow is race pace run of 9 miles and that is followed by an easy (thank goodness) run of 12 miles on Sunday.

Mission accomplished!

1188 seconds! That was the time it took me to run 6 sets of 800 Meters (2 complete laps) this morning at the Pickering High School track. That works out to an average time of 3:18 per 800 Meters. My goal today was to run each 800 Meters at 3:30 or better so I am very pumped after today.

I was actually feeling very light headed after the 4th lap but was proud of myself for sticking with it. I kept breaking the workout down into "mini" workouts and that seemed to help. I purposely put some very inspirational, to me anyway, running songs on my mp3 player and when I hear songs like "Running on Empty" or "Running Down a Dream" it's very hard for me not to give it my all.

Who knew that 1188 seconds would be so tough but that is what it was today!

Time for some new shoes

I can always tell when it's time for me to purchase a new pair of shoes. My feet hurt more than usual, especially the arches and at times it feels like there is no cushioning between my feet and the pavement.

Unfortunately I always have to order my shoes because I have very flat feet and the Mizuno Wave Alchemy are my shoes of choice. I remember wearing a much heavier shoe when I first started running (Brooks I believe) but have been using the Alchemy's for at least 2.5 years. They provide me with great support and I would not trust my feet with any other shoe.

Today I did a 4 mile run in 30:45. I was supposed to take it easy today but I felt the need for speed. I may come to regret that decision as tomorrow I will need that speed as I do my 6X800 repeats at the local track. I would like to complete each 800Metre run in 3:30 seconds.

Back at it today

With 12 weeks left to go and having taken yesterday off from running (I did some core and stability work) I was back at it today. First up was a 9 mile run through the streets of Ajax at 5:30 this morning. My goal was to finish in better than 72 minutes. Well despite feeling tired this morning, I was able to complete the run in 70 minutes and 30 seconds.

I felt sluggish this morning and wondered if I had any juice in my tank. Once I got started, though, I was able to relax and just let the run come to me. I utilized lots of mental visualization techniques and I pretended like I was at the race. I purposely did not look at my Garmin too much but would glance at it just to make sure that I was on pace. I was always about 1 minute or more ahead at each mile and that cushion allowed me to relax as well. I stopped for about 20 seconds to eat 1/2 a banana and then headed back for the last 7+ KM's. I actually picked up even more time during that last stretch as I kept my pace under 5 minutes for all but 35 seconds of the last 25 minutes of the run. There was even a few runners who I saw and who I know so that made the run even more special. At one point I was chasing down of them and again I used that as an example of what I will be doing on race day.

Tomorrow will be an easy 4 mile run but knowing me it will probably turn out to be an all out sprint.

12 weeks to greatness

September 27th, 2009. I have that date implanted in my brain. With 12 weeks to go in my training program, this week is a "step down" week which I am very much looking forward to it. The intensity remains but the mileage will be reduced for my long run next weekend.

This week I will be doing a 9 mile run on Tuesday, 4 miles on Wednesday, track work on Thursday then a race pace run of 9 miles on Saturday and a LSD of 12 miles on Sunday. I may flip those two days around as I'm moving next weekend.

With all the stress that goes along with moving, one constant in my life continues to be running and that will continue no matter where I live. In fact, one of the first things I did was scout out the area for running routes so that will be an easy adjustment for me.

LSD..........Another type of drug

Today I did my Long Slow Distance run of 17 miles. While my training during the week is primarily built around speed, the LSD runs are all about bringing the pace down quite a bit. The main reason for doing this is so that the body can get adapted to running for long periods of time. The combination of speed work and LSD is critical to marathon training. My run today took 2 hours and 30 minute and my pace was 8:50/mile. That is 50 seconds slower than what I need for my marathon. I ran from my house (Church and Delaney)to the waterfront at the end of Liverpool Road and to the Rotary Park pavilion in Ajax, stopped for some water and then headed back home. I had to contend with some nice hills and a strong wind gusts but I felt very strong all the way through.

I had thought about running with 3 different groups today, all of whom asked me to join them. Unfortunately they wanted to go at different times so I decided to just run alone.

I am glad that I made that decision because sometimes, most times actually, I need to be alone wih my thoughts. When I'm training during the week, my runs are so fast that I don't really get a chance to process things in my head. Today, though, I was able to really look within myself and do some reflecting. I know that this is an important thing for me to do on a regular basis. To me, running is more than just a recreational activity; it is a therapeutic tool that I must tap into on a regular basis.

I am still on a high, hours later and I do not want to come down from it. I always know when I have had a successful LSD run because nothing hurts on me. Had I pushed the speed more I know that most of my body will be in pain. I also feel like I could easily have gone for much longer today or even go for a run later. Both are signs that my pace was a good one.

Yesterday I was telling my friend about how lucky I am that I have never suffered an injury that has prevented me from running. I honestly do not want to think about what my life would be like without running. I could probably go longer without eating than I could without running. I NEED running to help me clear the junk that is in my head. All those negative thoughts and demons must be exorcised on a daily basis.

These LSD runs really reinforce why running is so important to me. I never want to take this for granted and every time I finish a run I tap my heart and look up to the sky to say thanks for getting me through yet another run injury free. I know that I have a special angel looking down on me from above.