2010 Sask Marathon Post Mortem - I had a BAD day (plus Vlog)

I had a horrible race today. Oof. I really thought that 3:30 was in the bag. Not today. Official time was 3:47. Oofdah.

In Vegas my failing was a lack of experience at Marathon distance. I ran 3:35 and, looking back, I think I should have been able to manage it. Today, I don't think it was possible. My right foot cramped at the 26 km mark. Both calves suffered spasms off and on. My left foot cramped at the 29 km mark -- this one was painful. And, my right hamstring cramped at the 41.7 km mark. Oofda.

But, learn and move on. Find something positive in the day. I considered quitting once I realized that I was not going to succeed but I though, "No. I am doing Ironman Canada at the end of the summer. I better soldier on through the pain as preparation for that." So that's one positive.

Moe's Triathlon next weekend (sprint distance). Bridge City Boogie (10 km) the weekend after that. Chinook Half Ironman the weekend after that... phew.

I got lots of condolences and well wishes on my Facebook page. I appreciate the attempts. It reminds me, though, of a conversation I once had with a friend who was disappointed with his marathon time. I said, "Don't worry about. You had a great time. I couldn't do it. You should be proud."

He looked at me and asked, "Do you really think that?"... See more

I paused and answered, "No."

I knew immediately what he meant. In running we only compare ourselves to our own accomplishments and our own goals (unless you really are a front runner with a shot at winning, which I am not). I am proud of my Vegas Marathon. I'm not proud of today's marathon. It did not accomplish -- for me -- anything new.

The point is that it's OK to be disappointed and not at all happy with one's result. I had a very specific goal, 3:30. I really felt like I would accomplish that. I was poised, happy, and feeling strong. 3:47 is a huge disappointment. No changing that. I was confident that I was going to make it "barring unforeseen circumstances." Such circumstances came to pass.



Twitter: RamblingDave

Facebook: Rambling Dave Scharf

24 hours away from qualifying for the Boston Marathon - dress rehearsal

 On the advice of Coach Bruce I did a  complete dress rehearsal this morning.

I set my alarm back ten minutes from its usual time. Unlike most of Sunday’s runners it’s actually a slight sleep in for me. Well, it should be. Unfortunately Charlie the hillbilly cat woke me up 20 minutes prior to me alarm going off. Oof.

Met Glenn at Tim Horton’s at 5:45 am for a plain-toasted-bagel with strawberry-cream-cheese and medium double, double.

Drove over to Mall at Lawson, parked, and ran very easily over to the start line. This light jog will be tomorrow's warm up. I did bring my heart rate up to 150 beats per minute about 10 minutes before race start with 150 on-the-spot high knee steps.

I ran 7.3 km easy along the course. I did a few 400 meter pickups to race pace of 4:55/km. I timed these for the uphill or downhill portions of the course to help with visualization. I ran up the finishing hill visualizing pushing myself up those last few hundred meters without looking at my watch or obsessing with pace – just smile, feel strong, and press myself. It’s easy to obsess with the hills on the course but the truth is that there are no serious hills on the course – it’s Saskatoon, how could there be? Nothing on this course compares to the hills on the back half of the Vegas course.

Several good things happened this morning. I am really glad I went through this exercise. I feel good about my pre-race ritual for tomorrow – from Tim’s, to parking, to warm-up, to race start – I know what I am doing in the morning. I discovered one thing I had neglected -- take a bottle of Gatoraide in the morning to rinse down the pre-race gel.

I have cycled the course and mentally rehearsed it several times. All of this has me in a very positive frame of mind.

I rounded the corner to the finish line this morning just as a crew of three volunteers (led by Colin French the start/finish line coordinator) were starting to set up the temporary stands at the finish line. I ran through the piles of aluminum benches with my hands held up in triumph and made the three volunteers clap for me. Then I chipped in for 15 minutes setting up bleachers until I got overcome by the cold.

I have a good picture of what to wear tomorrow. Upper body: Marathon Blossom running t-shirt (my most recent tie-dye) over an Under Armour sleeveless t-shirt. The Under Armour layer makes things more comfortable if it’s wet. Cycling arm warmers. My first thought was nothing on my arms but Heather reminded me of the arm warmers and I think it’s a great idea. I may toss them somewhere along the way depending on conditions. Over that I will wear my Sugoi breathable rain jacket and I will accessorize with coordinating black visor and lightweight gloves. I will start off wearing a sweatshirt which I will remove in the moments before the race starts and dispose of it.


Thanks to family and friends (and Hannah the dog) for coaching, advice, support, and encouragement. Running is a funny pastime. Although running can be morbidly solitary you don't get to take a shot at your goals without a whole bunch of people helping you get there. At least I can't. I need people around me to motivate me.


In December before the Vegas run, I thought I would succeed. This morning I feel that I KNOW I will succeed tomorrow. I actually look forward to the challenge of running through the pain.

Now if I could just regulate my intake of pizza and red wine...

I resolved not to pee on myself anymore

With four days until the Saskatchewan Marathon and my last attempt at a Boston Marathon qualifying time of 3:30:59 or less I have started to feel good. I have been getting as much sleep as I can to the point that after today's nap I feel overslept. For the first time in weeks my legs feel strong and rested. Sunday's run and today's run both started with fresh legs. A good feeling.

And this all leads to this conundrum...

Last summer I did the Stoney Plain Half-Ironman. About 60 km into the 90 km bike ride I had to pee. All triathletes pee in their wetsuits at the beginning of the race. If they claim they don't, they are lying. Great triathletes who are racing to win must pee themselves during the bike and run. I assume they open the faucet and let the water run. During the Stoney Plain bike portion I decided to go halfway. I stopped my bike and, straddling the bike on the side of the road, I peed. As my shoe got full I realized something, "I am going to place 1789th out of 2150 racers -- why am I peeing in my shoe?" In that moment I decided to stop peeing on myself during races. Never again.

On Sunday, though, a few seconds might be the difference between me running the Boston Marathon and not running the Boston Marathon.

At this point my plan is to make sure I do my duty before the race starts and then hope for the best. And, I think I will switch my pre-race ritual form a large double-double to a medium.

2010 Sask Marathon Route Tour - video and text

I am afraid that both the video and the text are somewhat incomplete. I made these today and they work for me because I have been there and I know what I am describing. I like to know what's coming. It helps me to compartmentalize the race which I find very helpful. I do know know why my Garmin shows the course to be 38.8 km long. I did my best to follow the maps at www.SaskMarathon.ca. I am assured be people who I hold in high regard that the course is 42.195 km long. So... my Garmin was off, I didn't follow the route correctly, or the route shown on the map is not quite right. Something... ****The corrected map is now posted at www.SaskMarathon.ca. Like the half-marathon, the full-marathon will run past Pinehouse and then double back before going west towards the finish line. The full marathon will go slightly further north on Whiteswan and the half does.****

You may find it easier to try and follow the video while reading the text notes? Or note. If you have any questions about the course I will be happy to give you my thoughts. Email Dave@C95.com.



2010 Saskatchewan Marathon Course Narration

0 to 2.24 (start to Water #1 at Red River Road)
A run up and down hills on street in a residential neighborhood. From the starting line we run east on Pinehouse. About 500 meters into the course we reach the steep part of the decent on Pinehouse. This steep part of the hill is about 400 meter to the right turn at Saguenay Drive. We run south on Saguenay for about 500 meters –this is flat. Then we turn right and go west on Assiniboine for a little over 1 km. This is a long, slow climb and is probably the worst hill climb on the course. Fortunately, it is right at the start. This first section ends at the first water station at the corner of Pinehouse and Red River Road where we turn left.

2.24 to 4.16 (Water #1 to Water #2 at south end of Archibald Arena)
Down a steep hill, exiting residential and heading south along the riverfront. Red River Road is a nice easy downhill for 750 meters until we turn onto Pembina which is a steep downhill for 300 meter and a VERY steel downhill for another 200 meters. Turn right onto Spadina and it is a nice flat run to Water Station #2.

4.16 to 6.09 (Water #2 to Water #3 at the Mendal Art Gallery)
South along the riverfront. This is a straight shot south on Spadina. Basically very flat the whole way. Nice scenic run along the riverfront.

6.09 to 7.80 (Water #3 to Water #4 Victoria Bridge Roundabout)
South along the waterfront. This section begins with the university Bridge underpass – about 250 meters slow downhill into a 250 meter slow uphill to bring is back to Spadina. Then a flat run to the Broadway Bride after 1 km. Same thing – a downhill under the bridge with a climb up the other side to Water Station #4 at the Victoria Bridge Roundabout.

7.80 to 9.95 (Water # 4 to Water #5 Skateboard Park)
Skirting the south end of downtown and taking us off the streets and onto Meewasin Trail. 500 meters into this section is the Freeway Bridge underpass – like the other underpasses a short down followed by a short up. There is a nice long downhill into Victoria Park to the turnaround. The water station is shortly past the turnaround on Meewasin Trail. Once the course goes onto the trail there may be some crowding. The trail is narrow and this portion is shared by half and full marathon runners.

9.95 to 11.61 (Water # 5 to Water #6 Kiwanis Memorial Bandshell)
North on Meewasin Trail from Victoria Park. This whole section is quite flat with the exception of a short climb after the Victoria Bridge followed by a short descent to go under the Broadway Bridge and then another short climb. In essence, more bridge underpasses but along a slightly different path on the outbound route. Half-marathon runners take note, you are halfway home just prior to the Sid Buckwold Bridge.

11.61 to 12.87 (Water #6 to Water #7 Mendal Art Gallery)
North on Meewasin Trail. This section ends with the same University Bridge underpass, in the opposite direction.

12.87 to 14.76 (Water #7 to Water #8 Archibald Arena)
North along the flat portion of Spadina to Archibald Arena. A nice flat section, scenic and enjoyable.

14.76 to 16.19 (Water #8 to Water #9 Ravine Drive)
North on Spadina to Ravine. This continues on the road, basically flat. Enjoy it as an ugly long slow climb is coming.

16.19 to 19.05 (Water #9 to Water #10 Lenore Drive)

North on Spadina/Whiteswan past the turnoff at Pinehouse towards the finish. This section starts with a slow decent along Whiteswan and then there is a long, slow climb from the lower portion of the course up to Pinehouse and continuing to climb all the way to Lenore. For the half-marathoners this will be a tough section. It is a long way between water stations, it involves a lot of uphill, and you are forced to run past the turnoff at Pinehouse – the finish line is just a kilometer away – but you have to run 1.5 km past and then double back. I find that mentally challenging.

19.05 to 21.1 (Water #10 to Water #11 Adilman Dr)
North on Whiteswan and through Silverwood approaching the turnaround. This continues as a hard climb up Whiteswan to Silverwood Road. The portion through Silverwood is fairly flat. Note that the half marathon point is at the turn off onto Adilman is the ½ way point. Think of all those half-marathoners who are now finishing and eating and drinking. The good news is that once we get to the top of the Whiteswan hill the worst is over. Yes, there are some small undulations to come but the longest climb of the course is behind us. Focus now on the fact that other than some short up and downs, the only extended climb that remains is the last 3 km of the course. As a side note, my family bought the Adilman house in 1942 and my father is still living there. There is a good chance that the Adilman house will ultimately be 100 years in the Scharf family. I guess we can call it the Scharf house.

21.1 to 23.83 (Water #11 to Water #12 Lenore Drive)
Turnaround and back onto the trails. We the same route back through Silverwood and down the Whiteswan hill. Near the bottom of the hill we leave the street and head back onto the Meewasin Trail. Overall this will be a nice portion of the run. Reaching the first turnaround of the back half will be uplifting. And, this section is largely downhill.

23.83 to 26.91 (Water #12 to Water #13 Ravine Drive)
South on Meewasin Trail. There are lots of small undulations along this section at the trail tends to up and down more than the street.  Although, half way through this section we leave the trail and go back onto the street for a nice long, coast downhill followed by a climb up to Ravine.

26.91 to 29.45 (Water #13 to Water #14 Train Bridge)
From Ravine it’s a nice run south to the 42nd street bridge. We cross the river and run up a very short but very gross little hill (it will hurt) and then head south on Meewasin Trail to the train bridge. This will be a hard portion of the run for me. The stretch from bridge to bridge on the east side of the river is flat but barren. I find it a very boring section of the run.

29.45 to 33.02 (Water #14 to Water #15 Train Bridge)
This will also be a tough section – there are several small rollers (Devil’s Dip and the section behind the Royal University Hospital). None of them are long but some portions are quite steep. The turnaround at the Univerity Bridge will be uplifting, though, as it is the final turnaround and we are now, truly, headed home.

33.02 to 35.62 (Water #15 to Water #16 Ravine Drive)
Reversing course along the barren stretch between the Train Bridge and the 42nd Street Bridge and then we turn north on Whiteswan (again). The good news is that we are on the street, not the trail, and we have a nice flat run to Ravine before we REALLY bring the pain.

35.62 to 38.8 (Water #16 to Finish)
This will hurt. A lot. The last three kilometers feature a long, slow, grinding climb from the lowest part of the course to the turnoff at Pinehouse. At that turnoff there is only 1.3 km to go but it’s all uphill and 400 meters of it is up a STEEP hill. Suck it up buttercup, your Boston Qualifying time is only 7 minutes of pain away.

One week out and confidence is coming back.... a little bit

A couple of days of positive visualization and today’s run have me feeling pretty good again. Basically, as goes my left hip, so goes my attitude.


Today I did a good hour at 5:16/km. Then RAN up the MacPherson hill. I normally do lots of intervals. I have never done much in the way of hills, though. A good heart pounding 1:21 from Sask Cres to Main Street. Woof.

My hip is still a problem but not as bad as it was. And, today’s run was the first in a long time that I started out feeling rested and fresh.

Weekly totals:


Swim 3:05 --
Bike 2:00 – 37.75 km
Run 3:07 – 33 km
Strength – 1:00


9:12 total training time.


When I see that number -- 9:12 -- it seems odd because it feels like I did next to nothing this past week. The coming week calls for a total of just over 4 hours prior to 3:30 on race day. That's like having a nap for a week.

9 days to the Sask Marathon and I am doing the wrong things...

Ran today. 2 x 5 km at 4:50/minute. It was a good run. The intervals were easy. My heart rate stayed below 150/minute but I am not feeling very good.

I have been working on getting more sleep and it's working -- I do not feel nearly as fatigued as I did.

I have done the training. I am way ahead of where I was in Las Vegas in December.

So why be negative? Real or imagined my left flip has flared up. It does not bother me when I am running. But, real or imagined, it seems a lot worse. I am thinking some very negative thoughts. I am focusing on failure instead of success. The worse thing is that I KNOW I am doing this and I still can't stop myself from spending too much time worrying about my hip and not enough time visualizing success.

I am going to spend some quality time in the next eight days in quiet contemplation of success. I need to get my mental state turned around or one of two things will happen - (1) The May 30th run will be REALLY hard; or (2) I will not succeed.

Something not to do -- and training plan from now until May 30

Here is something that I do not recommend.

Imagine you are out for a couple of hours. You forget gel. Not a big deal but since you prefer to "train like you will race" you are moderately irritated at yourself. One of your running partners is not going as long. As he departs he offers, "I have a couple of gels. Do you want one?"

"Sure."

I few minutes later you tear off the top of the gel, put the whole thing in your mouth, bite down and suck/pull out the gel. Except that just before you get the unpleasant taste of the gel, you get an overwhelming taste of salt and sweat. At that moment you realize that your training partner has been carrying his gel in his pocket. It is COVERED in his now stale sweat which you have just slurped off the outside of the gel pack. Yuck.

Moral of the story -- when you borrow a gel, rinse before inserting. I don't think it's a health issue but it tastes gross.

MON – Strength training 60 minutes, Bike EASY 60 minutes, Swim 60 minutes.
TUE – Run 2 x 10 minutes at 4:40/km with 5 minute set break, Bike EASY 60 minutes.
WED – Swim 90 minutes.
THU – Run 5 x 2 km @ 4:50/km with 3 minute break. Swim 60 minutes with coach Paul.
FRI – Strength training 60 minutes, Swim technique training 30 minutes, Ride EASY 60 minutes.
SAT – Day of rest.
SUN – Run 90 minutes at 5:15/km.
MON – Strength training 45 minutes (with ½ the volume I usually do in 60 minutes), Swim technique training 30 minutes.
TUE – Day of rest.
WED – Run 3 x 2 km at 4:50/km with a 5 minute set break, Swim technique training 30 minutes.
THU – Bike 60 minutes including 10 x 1 minute moderate & 1 minute easy.
FRI – Day of rest.
SAT – Prep day. Up and at Tim Hortons at 5:50 AM. Run 40 minutes including 4 x 400 at 4:55/km.
SUN May 30 – Saskatchewan Marathon. Run 42.2 km at 4:55/km.

April 2011 – Go and run in the Boston Marathon.

A big ugly swallow of humility

Oh training you are a fickle mistress. Last Monday I felt really good in my meeting with Bruce. Training going great. Everything is moving according to plan. Then there comes a day like today to return one's sense of humility.

Pooched the run today. It wasn’t pretty. The run was supposed to be 18 km at my race pace of 4:55/km. I ran close to 9.5 km at 4:55 with three stops – refill water, bathroom, and let Hannah the dog go for a swim -- but the last two km were slowing down slightly and I decided that I simply could not keep it up. Of course, I COULD have kept it up but I am wimped out.

There were certain problems today but really nothing that amounts to an excuse. I was having the worst hip and knee pain that I have had while running (more hip than knee). Not really pain – more discomfort. Unusual, though, as they don’t normally bother my while running at all. THe hip pain usually comes afterwards.

And… I was HOT. Africa hot. Tarzan couldn't stand that hear (Thank you Mathew Broderick). It was close to 30 C when we finidhed.

At the 9.5 km mark I decided to throw pace out the window and just finish the run at whatever pace in order to get the mileage in. So I did another 9 km with LOTS of stops for water, letting Hannah swim, etc.

Post run was not good, either. I was really sore. Enough that two people said, "You're limping." I wasn't actually but sometimes if I don't focus on standing up straight and walking normally I do develop a combination stoop/hobble. I iced my hip flexors and IT bands (near the knee), took some pain meds, and had a nap. This improved things a lot. By the evening I felt a lot better.

Two weeks to race day.

Fifteen weeks to Ironman Canada.

Something new to practice while swimming

This afternoon I rode for two hours.

Then I had a Fudd's Half-pound burger, cheesy fries, and a beer for supper.

Then I swam for 2500 meters.

As I type this, my stomach doesn't feel that great. You are probably thinking, "Ha! Bet you regret that burger?" Actually, no. I blame all the salt water I ingested at the pool. This does give rise to a new skill that I am considering developing -- perfect swimming hydration.

Running or biking I lose very close to 1 liter per hour. I assume that swimming is very close to the same. In the interest of coming out of the lake fully hydrated, I think I should start practicing ingesting lake water at the rate of 1 liter/hour. I already drink a ton of the damn stuff anyway, what if I could regulate the consumption rate? To accomplish this I will weight before and after swimming. The goal, of course, is to come out at precisely the same weight that you go in -- perfect hydration. I think this will take a lot of practice. I wonder how Simon Whitlfield learned to do this?

I am kidding. Well, sort of.

Surgery options, weekly plan, and today's personal best 10 K

When will I get my new hip(s)?

Had my orthopedic surgery appointment today. Here are the highlights (or low lights, I suppose):

• There is some underlying bio mechanical cause. We don’t know what. Never will. A certain percentage of 45 year olds are like me. I guess I am just one of the lucky few.
• The reduced mobility is a combination of osteophytes and tightening/stiffening of the capsule.
• There is nothing to be done in the short term - pain meds and when it gets bad enough...
• When I can no longer deal with the pain or the mobility I should go back to him for repair. His estimate is between one and ten years for replacement or resurfacing.
• Should I do what I am doing? It’s hard to say. He agrees, though, that since replacement is inevitable if I like it I might as well carry on.
• Looking at the x-ray and discussing things, he is surprised that I am able to do what I am doing.

So… it’s pretty much exactly what I thought. Enjoy it while I can because the end of my endurance athletic career is close on the horizon.

Here is this week's training plan:

MON - Afternoon 60 min strength. Evening 45 minute swim
TUE - Afternoon Run 10 km at 4:45/km. Afternoon Bike 45 to 60 minutes
WED - Afternoon Bike 2 hours with 10 x 30 second sprints on 3 minutes rest. Evening 90 minute swim.
THU - Afternoon Run 5 x 8 minutes at 4:40 with 8 minute easy run in between (total time 90 minutes with warm up and cool down). Afternoon swim 60 with Coach Paul.
FRI - DAY OF REST (moved from Saturday because of work conference)
SAT - Bike 2.5 hours easy.
SUN - Morning Run 18 km at 4:55/km (race pace). I will do this run on the back half of the marathon course. Afternoon Bike 45 minutes REALLY easy.

Today's timed 10 K run - a personal best

Things got off to a bad start. Yesterday (Monday) I was busy with real life such that I cancelled my strength training with Lindsay. I juggled my schedule around in order to fit was is usually an evening swim in over the lunch hour. A great plan. But, I got to the Education Pool only to discover that I did not have my goggles or my swimsuit. Heh. Oh well, an unscheduled day off.

Today, though, I did run a personal best 10 km distance as a training run. There were four stops (i.e. rests) that do not allow me to lay claim to Heather’s title as “Fastest family 10K.” She will keep that glory until the Bridge City Boogie on June 13.

Four stops – water/bathroom at the water park (stopped watch), long traffic light at top of University Bridge (stopped watch), long traffic light at 14th and Preston (did not stop watch), and stopped to assist Romanian immigrant find an address (stopped watch).

I did these 10 km after having already done a 10 minute warm up followed by 1.8 km at 4:37/km so I actually ran almost 12 km sub 4:45.

Lap    Pace    Heart

1    4:46    150
2    4:44    155
3    4:45    155
4    4:54    158 (bathroom water break)
5    4:50    152 (as an experiment, after this I turned off the Garmin pace setting and simply pushed myself)
6    4:38    164 (seems to work – fastest lap was after turning off my watch)
7    4:41    157
8    4:45    162
9    5:07    162 (this was the long light without watch stop so it was actually faster + the Romanian)
10  4:39    160

My plan for race day is to run the first 32 km tracking pace with the Garmin and then flip the switch over to only show distance. It will still beep every kilometer and show me how long the preceding km took so I will get a reference point but it is definitely a good mental aid to simply focus on pushing hard as opposed to hoping that the Garmin will keep me at pace.

Today's training, the week in review, and two funny incidents from today.

Started the day with a 60 minute ride. I have been riding a little easier than I think I should so I set up my Garmin for heart rate feedback. I wanted to keep my heart rate up at about 140 / min. Also, I dropped my cadence to 80 rpm from 90. This feels like a good riding pace. Is this acceptable? It feels like the right thing to do for me. Or, should I really work to keep it up at 90 + ?

The efficiency feedback on the Polar bike computer is helping. I seem to be getting more efficient more of the time.

Bike total: 1:09 @ avg 25.5 km/h (moving speed) – this includes city riding. My avg heart rate was 136/min.

I had 15 minutes between the bike and the run. I am VERY happy with today’s run. It was hard but within my abilities and I even went a little beyond the call of duty…

The scheduled run was warm up and then 14 x 1 km at 4:45/km with 30 seconds walking and 90 seconds at 5:15/km in between each. Except where noted I was very good about walking only 30 seconds and running 90 at 5:15/km between the fast km repeats.

Fast KM    Time        Avg Heart
1                4:41        155 (gel before starting)
2                4:37        158
3                4:35        160
4                4:41        161
5                4:42        155 (slightly longer break here to take gel and water at fountain)
6                4:45        159
7                4:43        160
8                4:40        159 (5 minute break after this repeat – I segued the workout into the CBI Run for the Foodbank and timed it pretty well - gel and water)
9                4:41        162
10              4:35        163
11              4:40        163
12              4:45        165 (up the beginning of the Whiteswan hill, I worked to keep the pace up)
13              4:52        160 (after this repeat an emergency bathroom break was required – I did forget to restart my watch to lap 14 was actually 1.2 or 1.4 km gel and water)
14              4:41        158
15              428        163

Total: 24.36 km

I added on the 15th fast repeat. After the 14th repeat we were a long way from the finish of the CBI Foodbank run. I didn’t worry at all about pace. As far as I was concerned, my training for the day was over and a nice leisurely run back to the start was in order. We kicked back to about 5:45/km and hobbled along. It hurt. I hurt. Everything hurt. We got to the train bridge after 15 minutes, stopped at the fountain, and I decided to do one more fast repeat along the flat stretch between the train bridge and the Mendel Art Gallery. I wanted to test my mettle. I wanted to bring the pain. Graham and Glenn did it too although Graham did call me psycho. This turned out to be the fastest repeat of the day.

Weekly totals:

Swim         2:30
Bike          4:24    90 km
Run           4:06    44.8 km
Strength    2:00

Total        13 hours

Overall, this was a good week. I feel really good about my progress in the pool. I am far from a good swimmer but I am far from as awful as I once was. More importantly, I feel like I am improving every week. I am feeling a little better about cycling. I still have no idea how fast I will go this summer but I am hopeful that I will manage 28 km/h at Ironman which will bring me in under 6:30 for the bike leg. And, I feel good about the runs this week, especially today’s.

THE FUNNY INCIDENT FROM THE RUN

Like I tell my kids, it only irritates you because you let it.

About 5 km into today's run we overtook a gal who was running with her dog. As we approached I noticed she had two leashes - one in her hand and one the was connected to her belt. Trying for light  humour and trail kibitzing, on the way past I commented: "That's no fair. You're getting a tow from your dog." She smiled and replied: "I will still be going long after you have stopped."

I am not sure if I offended her. I don't think I did. She seemed to take my comment in the spirit in which it was intended. She was smiling. It just seemed a bit bold on her part to assume something about me (and Graham and Glenn). I thought it was a funny comment and I didn't really think about it again.

19 km later -- fairly hard kilometers I note -- I am just pulling up at the finish line of the CBI Foodbank run and she is coming towards me. As she runs by she pulls out her iPod phones and says, "See. I told you I would still be going after you quit."

Yes ma'am. You did tell me that. And, yes, you are still going. But, telling that to a guy who just finished up 3 hours and 24 minutes of pretty vigorous training seems... well... presumptuous. I assume that she, too, was looking for good humoured kibitzing. It just seemed very contrary to the way that most runners are which is really supportive of one another regardless of size, speed, pace, or whatever. It's one of the things that makes running an awesome activity -- for most of us we really only compete with ourselves and we are very happy to encourage one another regardless of size, pace, etc.

Graham, Glenn, and I were all wearing our tie-dye. That garnered at least 10 "nice shirt" comments. Take that dog lady... you might still be running, but we've got tie-dye shirts. OK. Now I am just being petty.


I should have challenged her to a 100 M dash. I mean, next weekend, after I recover from today's bike and run which was not as long as hers.

FUNNY INCIDENT FROM THE BIKE - WHAT IF I HAD FALLEN INTO THE HANDS OF PIRATES!

Two crashes in one day

I had two wipe outs in one day. The first one was pretty much my fault. I was at the gym with my training partner Raj and my Strength Training Coach Lindsay. Raj was on the treadmill warming up. I was still getting my shoes on. I decided that it would be fun to jump on the treadmill behind him, perfectly synchronized to his cadence. I said, "Raj, whatever happens, keep running." After getting his rhythm in my head I stepped onto the treadmill with my right foot first. I don't think my left foot ever made it to the belt. I was shot off the side with a fair amount of violence. The only resulting injury, fortunately, was a little belt rash on my left elbow.

Raj pointed out that this is the problem with people, like me, who have ADD. We get an idea but we don't really think it through. Fair enough. I am not sure what I would have done if I had successfully started running behind him.

Blaine pointed out that this we probably God's punishment for wearing a Hab's jersey which is what I was wearing when I first arrived at the gym.

My second wipeout came later in the day on my bike. I had just started, I was at the busy corner of Arlington and 8th Street. I was in the right lane, against the curb. I came to a stop. I unclipped my left foot and set it on the ground. No problem. Immediately in front of me was a truck that was signaling a right turn. In front of the truck there was a car, also turning right. The car started and then suddenly stopped. I don’t know why she stopped. The truck didn’t and rear ended the car. Crunch. For some reason this caused to be fall over. I fell to my right where my right foot was still clipped to my pedal. I really don't know how I accomplished this feat. I was at a complete stop. I was nicely balanced on my left foot. But, for some reason as soon as there was a crunch I fell over to my right. Luckily I fell onto the grass.

Now I found myself half on the grass and half on the road with my right foot still clipped to my pedal. The truck started backing up. I was about 8 feet behind him but I became very concerned that there was no way he could see me as I was lying on the ground. I tried an emergency combination inch worm maneuver / sideways kip up. Basically I tried to wiggle off the road onto the lawn while dragging my bike off the road, hands on handlebars and right foot still clipped onto pedal. It worked. I cleared the road. I was not backed over. As it turns out, I would not have been anyway as the truck only backed up about a foot. It was, however, quite a show for the people in the car behind me.

Got my training done. Sixty minutes of strength training, forty-five minutes of swimming, and one hour of cycling. I am glad I didn't crash at the pool too.

Biking in bad weather wrecked my bike. Being alive wrecked my hips.

I have been really good about getting my bike training in, regardless of weather. In bad weather I ride my hybrid commuter bike around town (as opposed to riding my tri bike out of town). I noted on my ice-crystals-to-the-face ride two days ago that I was not getting through all the gears on my cassette. Hmmm... Quick trip to Bruce's Cycle reveals that grit -- and there was A LOT of it that I cleaned off just before going to Bruce's -- ruined my brake pads and my rear derailleur cable. Heh. Poor maintenance by the owner.

I have enjoyed a couple of days of positive results in the pool. I am feeling very good about swimming. I am improving remarkably and I feel confident that I will swim Ironman under 1:30:00. This was my original goal when I started with Paul but I am starting to think I would like to be a little bit faster than that. The median swim time for men 45-49 is very close to 1:15:00. I am starting to dream about going 1:16:00 to 1:20:00 which will be, I think, a remarkable personal accomplishment if I can manage it considering that I could not safely swim from one end of the pool to the other just 2 1/2 years ago.

Now... about my hips. I picked up a copy of my hip x-rays today as I have an ortho appointment next week.

Here is a healthy hip:

Here is an arthritic hip:

I am a complete lay person but even I note that the healthy hip has a nice, even space between the ball and socket. The arthritic hip has little or no space and is grinding bone on bone.

Here are my hips:

Not as bad as the arthritic hip from the demo photo. But even my layperson eye notes a lack of spacing - particularly at the bottom of the joint. The space on top has been reducing over a series of x-rays taken in the last three years. My layperson eye also cannot tell you which is my left hip and which is my right -- I think this is taken lying on my back so my left hip (which is worse than the right) appears on the right.

In my case this is, I am sure, the simple result of being alive. When I was in grade one I could not sit cross legged on the gym floor. I have never been able to touch my toes. I could only ever cross my left leg over my right and now I cannot cross my legs at all. I have always had poor hip mobility compared to my peers.

Fortunately my hips do not cause me any appreciable pain or problems when I am actually swimming, biking, or running. Lying down is the worst. The only real issue that comes up during a race is getting onto my bike. Basically I tip the bike over -- almost to the point that it's lying on its side on the ground -- put my right leg over and then raise my bike between my legs while hopping to the right so that the top tube rises centred between my legs. Ask me to show you sometime. It's quite a show. It's not problem except that my aero bottle empties all over the transition exit area and that's kind of embarrassing.

Just a little windy (and snowy) today...

Today's planned training: Run 4 x 10 minutes at 4:50/km. Ride 90 minutes easy.

Today's weather: 3 degrees, wind NE at 45 gusting to 60 km/h, rain, ice crystals and snow (as you will see in the video, my brain wasn't working right what I was done and I couldn't figure out the wind direction - it was from the NE).

Training I did: As planned. Run was great. For my ride I wore my nice new rain gear (purchase at Bike Doctor about 40 minutes before heading out) and rode some errands around town on my hybrid. You can see the bike route after the video.

Things got a little sketchy when I stopped at the Wall Street Pharmacy to pick up a prescription for my cat -- they custom make a chicken paste -- and my mouth wasn't pronouncing words very well. I didn't feel cold but my face wasn't functional. And, I should have gone with my first instinct and worn heavier gloves.

The big realization of the day is that I might actually win Ironman Canada.



Got lots done... and stayed dry. I actually really enjoyed the ride today although the front left part of my forehead still feels funny.

A blip in my diet and this week's plan

I have been slowly losing a little weight. I am down about pounds in two months. It looks like I will be at my goal of 152 lbs for race day on May 30. That is, provided this sort of incident doesn't happen too many more times.

 Sunday morning I biked 1 hour 40 minutes easy. Then I ran for 1 hour 30 minutes - 60 minute tempo run and 30 min race pace. According to my Garmin watch I burned 2414 calories. Not bad. The problem is that for supper that night I had Little Caeser’s Pizza (I ate a 12” 3-meat-treat by myself) for 2800 calories, had two beer for 300 calories, and had two chicken wings for 100 calories. 3200 calories total! Yeehaw! In one sitting in 10 minutes I consumed more than I burned in three hours and ten minutes. Oh pizza and beer you are my weakness, my Achilles heel, and my passion. How do I love thee? Let me count the toppings...


Today at lunch I had a HUGE plate of Chinese food. I have not felt well all afternoon and evening. I thought it was a migraine but seeing this in print I am thinking, no, it was my diet over the last 24 hours. Burp. New leaf day tomorrow. No. Really. This time for sure.




This week's training plan:

MONDAY: Strength training 60 minutes. Afternoon bike 45 EASY. Evening swim 45 minutes.

TUESDAY: Afternoon run 4 x 10 minutes @ 4:50/km with two minute walk in between. Afternoon bike 90 minutes easy with 5 x 60 second sprints.

WEDNESDAY: Evening swim 45 minutes.

THURSDAY: Afternoon run five repeats of 3 min at 165/minute and 2 min at 5:15/km - 5 min set break - repeat. Swim 60 min with coach Paul.

FRIDAY: Strength training 60 min. Swim 45 min. Bike 60 min EASY.

SATURDAY: Day of rest

SUNDAY: Morning ride 60 min EASY. Run 14 x 1 km @ 4:45/km with 2 min recovery (walk 30 seconds then run 90 seconds at 5:15/km)

Four weeks to the Sask Marathon (the week in review)

Sunday's long ride and run
Today’s ride was supposed to be 2 hours but I only did 100 minutes on my hybrid around town. What difference does wind make? On Friday I did the same route in rain with a horrible North wind . My average speed was 17.5 km/h and today it was 19.9 km/h.

I have a concern about biking. Today’s ride was with an average heart rate of just 118/min. Admittedly I wasn’t working too hard but, sheesh, this is really minimal effort. I am worried that I am training myself to “ride slow.” I think I need to be doing interval work on the bike?

Today’s run was great. I really enjoyed it. And, I continue to be surprised at my heart rate response.

Lap    Time    Pace    Avg Heart
1        58:40    5:15    139 (three brief stops – one for dog duties, two for water)
2        27:58    4:49    153 (two brief stop – one dog and one water -- a bit fast because I ran 4:00/km for the last 500 m trying to catch another runner)

I finished with an ice bath after the run and some foam rollering. I am also very happy with my muslces ability to recover. Even after my longest days I feel pretty good.



Weekly totals:

Event        Time        Distance

Swim        3:15        (this included a times 1200 m at 26:30 for 2:13/100 m)
Bike         5:30        116 km
Run          3:15        36.5 km
Strength    2:00

Total        14:00

I saw my weight dip below 155 lbs this week. I am losing about 3 lbs per month with seems a good, sustainable rate of loss and will put me close to my goal weight of 152 lbs for May 30.

This is my longest week since March 1.