slowdad

Pain is only a sign is you're still alive

Today, the Around the Bay 30 km was a pretty simple story.  Interesting in a couple of ways, but fairly straightforward.

We got up and rolled out of the house at about 7:30 for the trip over to Hamilton, and the start at Copps Coliseum.  The kids were neutral, and were mainly excited about the opportunity to get an egg mcmuffin while Dad was running.  They're not normally allowed any where near a McDonalds.

The organizers kept claiming "Over 10,000 Runners" on the PA system.  It certainly seemed like that at the start, but in the end, that number turned out to include the walkers, who started an hour early, and the 5 k runners who ran a different route.

It  was a pretty standard start, although unseeded, which caused the usual annoyances. 

After a my short run yesterday, where I had to walk after about 20 minutes, and a fairly painful nights sleep, I wasn't very hopeful.  Wearing a pair of cycling shorts to bed to sort of double as compression shorts did seem to help a bit, but when I walked around in the morning my right IT Band was sore, and that's not good.

And so, my race was really a story about my right leg.

I started out pretty slow. In fact, after the first 500 meters, just after passing the family, I came about 3 inches from pulling up, and walking back.  I've never dropped out of an event, and since this was to be my last real running race for a while, I figured that I'd just run through it.

Km 0 - 10ish - Hamilton is a dreary town, but, I must say, that there were more cowbells out being rung by people than there were during the Toronto Waterfront Marathon.  Less people but more cowbell.

The cowbells weren't enough to distract me from the pain however.  Each step felt like someone was poking a hot brand into my leg and knee. I felt terrible. Having this happen forced me to keep an easy pace, which as a strategy worked out well.

Km 10 - 20 - Running along the waterfront was nice, and my leg loosened up quite a bit.  I managed to keep an easy stride, and the pain reduced to a dull throbbing.  I was actually enjoying myself for a bit.

Km 20-25 - Then came the hills, by some nice properties, owned by rich people, overlooking the smokestacks of the bay.  The uphills weren't bad, not too steep, and not too high.  Hills in High Park are tougher.  It was the downhills.  Horribly painful, stabbing, I want to quit, evil downhills.  

Fortunately the last big hill doesn't have a downhill after it.  Now it is fairly long, at I'd say maybe 400 meters and from the water line to the highest elevation, maybe 45 meters high.  I approached it fairly cautiously, and kept my heartrate just below threshold.  I'd been thinking about it for the whole race and had heard it was devastating. I let my stride pick up in the last third and cruised over the top.

Then a funny thing happened.  The last 4-5 km was all a slight downhill, dropping about 10 meters.  My leg still hurt like a mo-fo, but as my stride picked up it didn't hurt any more, so I went a bit fast, and so on.

Pretty soon I was running 5 min / km and faster, which is not what nature intended of me.  It felt satisfying however, although not perfectly comfortable.  Not in the least.

I got to the finish, my left leg feeling great, my right, in brutal agony.  Fun Times.

Interesting Stats.  My Marathon pace was 5:25 min/km.  Average HR was 155 BPM.  Today my pace worked out to be about 5:29 min/km.  Average BPM was 147.  

I'm not sure but that puts me in better shape now, or maybe just smarter, than I was back in September.  Hopefully this'll translate to a decent time in Paris to Ancaster in 3 weeks time.

The night before the "Around the Bay 30km"

Copious amounts of brown rice have been consumed.  

The gear is prepped, bag packed, and family briefed, by my wife, on the morning routine.

I have the french press ready to provide a couple cups of coffee in the morning.  

And I'm wearing some cycling shorts to try and provide some support to my aching IT band.  I'm not really looking forward to tomorrow. 

I went for a 20 minute run today, super easy and just as I turned up my street I had to start walking because of the pain. Wierd, as I've never had this specific issue before.

30 km around Hamilton, just for the shirt, and, it turns out, the shirt this year is some kind of teal colour with yellow highlights.  Boo I say, Boo.  And it's cut to fit someone who weighs about 50 pounds more than me. 

So, rather than sit here and try and come up with witty things to say, I'll be off to bed.

Just as soon as I eat some chocolate.

Cyclocross Motivation

Gran Prix of Gloucester - A Cyclocross Film from Benjamin Eckstein on Vimeo.

I'll have to play this video over and over throughout the summer to keep me motivated for the fall.  Some nice shooting here.

Cool Picture - bodies in motion on Flickr

via www.flickr.com

This photo contains several things I want.  Namely,, new wheels, a new bike, kick ass legs, and some blank ankle high cycling socks.  A great shot by literallyspeaking on flickr.  Large size available for your desktop wallpaper.

Excellent Video - Commuter Dreams

via www.youtube.com

Who of us can say that during our own commute, riding or running, that we haven't heard the chatter of the announcers in our heads as we plodded along.

It always hurts

Days before a 30km race.

I've fallen into the trap where I think I can run it on base fitness and I have nowhere near the mileage in my legs that I should prior to such a distance.

This past weekend I did a very solid run on Saturday, where I ran 10km in about 55 minutes, half of which was at a faster than race pace, effort.  I was pretty pleased with myself.  I didn't go too hard, nor too easy, and my legs felt great.

Unfortunately they felt like crap the next day and my outside of my knee hurt for the whole 2 hours I ran on Sunday.  On the plus side however, I felt great energy wise but I was running slower than my goal pace for the 30km which is to run in at the 3 hour mark.

So what?  It's like any other person out there training.

The point is that it doesn't get easier the more you train.  The pain just moves around, needing to be managed.  It doesn't mean you should stop.

I'd like to personally thank my massage therapist, Penny Eimer, who made my legs feel sore today in the hope that they'll be great in 5 days or so.

Blah blah blah.  I miss my bike already.

Cool Pic of the Day

If you're looking for a nice image for your desktop, check out smee.bruce's flickr stream.

A Reminder - Cool Pic of the day

Just in case you need it, here's a reminder that just getting out and competing and being healthy is a gift in itself.

If these guys can get out and train, day after day, there's no excuse for us able-bodied types.

Thank goodness for the paralympics.

This photo is from the photostream of Szonika The pic is all rights reserved so click the link, head over and leave some comments for him/her if you like it.

How to Support Someone New to Fitness

These past few days I've come across a few situations where some people I know, have said odd or demotivating things.  And, I've heard some stories from people who are getting into fitness who could use better support.

As someone who considers himself still "getting back into it", but has survived the critical first year, here are some of the tips I'd give to those people who surround people trying to get fit.

Encourage

A friend of mine, who is just starting running, from ground zero, has been doing some other activities, bootcamp and such.  She recently had a friend say, essentially, "Why run, you're doing so much already."

This type of comment seems fairly common to me.  "You are already in great shape." It might seem like a nice thing to say, but we clearly don't feel that the status quo is where we want to be.

We want people to say "Yes.  Go for it"

Remove Obstacles

The big hurdle however, isn't getting enough encouragement.  There will always be some.

The best thing that people can do for a burgeoning athlete is to help them make time and clear out those things that are getting in the way.  It's mainly psychological, but the removal of excuses is critical.

When I started getting back into shape I literally tried planning my schedule for 6 months trying to fit in when I would regularly go for a run.  It was only when my wife agreed to do bath time with the kids, my traditional job, that it finally clicked.  She didn't like the job, but I got an hour each day that I was free and clear and had no reason not to train.

I also told my co-workers that I would not be available over lunch.  I'd be at the gym.  They saved their questions and issues for when I got back.

After about 6 months, once I was in a routine, I started doing bath time quite a lot, and worked over lunch when needed.  But by that time, I was finding ways to gain time in other areas.  Training had become a habit.

Don't over Praise

Very few people will be critical when you're trying to get in shape, but many will go overboard with the kudos.  And sometimes it can be demotivating.

Telling your spouse that they are amazing, awesome, and an inspiration, when they're barely keeping up in their Pilates class can make them feel like they're not cut out for it.  Or perhaps they can just skip that next class, and then it's all downhill from there.

So praise us.  But tone it down a bit. We'll appreciate it.

Understand their Goals

The important thing about praise is that if you understand the goals of your training friend, you'll know when to pat on the back, and when to give a bit of a push.

So ask.  We'd love to tell you what we want to accomplish.

Participate

Sometimes it can be lonely getting out there to go running, cycling, etc.  If you're like me and have few friends then you'll appreciate, greatly, having someone out there with you once in a while.

A group of friends can motivate each other to achieve great things, even if that is a group of two people.  So, if you can, join your spouse or friend for their first class, first run, or first dip in the pool.

Be Careful About Advice

Everyone is an expert.  Or they have an opinion.  I know I have several on any particular random topic.

If you're supporting a new athlete, encourage them to seek out sources of knowledge for their chosen sport.  Get them a book, or a consultation from a coach.  Trying to pass on knowledge gained from your experience running track in grade 8, 30 years ago, might just be misleading.  A lot of things have changed in training methods over the years.

So don't start whipping out the advice, and if you do, don't act put out if your athlete decides not to take it.  It just may not be right for them, and they need a second opinion.

Don't be Tempting

The final thing I find frustrating is people who like to play a little game I like to call "Being Evil"

Would you like an extra piece of cake?  Oh, you're not eating anything, don't you like it?  Here's a big bowl of Doritos just for you.

I have very little will power when it comes to food.  I'm terrible.  I need to shop smart because if food enters the house, I devour it.  If there's a buffet, I eat till I win. And there is no finish line.

My in-laws are notorious for this.  Huge spreads of yummy, and sometimes not healthy, food. It's a huge effort not to gain holiday weight.

There's also the "You don't need to workout today, you deserve a break" co-worker.  Please don't be that person.

So, if you're supporting someone who is trying to get into shape, think about these things.  And if you're trying to get back into it, some subtle suggestions to your friends on how they can help just might help you.

Joining a Club

I'm fairly anti social when it comes right down to it. Mainly because nobody wants to hang out with me.

So it's a big deal when I seek out the company of other humans.  And it's even a bigger deal when they take me into their ranks even if they've done it without meeting me.

I've taken the next step to improving my cycling.  I have sent in my paperwork, and have been seemingly accepted, into the Lapdogs Cycling Club.  And therefore, in order to avoid embarrassment, I will endeavor to do more hill repeats. And by more, I mean more than zero.

I've even put in and got my OCA race license for the cyclocross races in the fall.

So the plan, as it stands, is:

Over the next 18 days get in decent enough running shape to finish the Around the Bay 30km.

In the 18 days after that get in decent enough cycling shape to finish Paris to Ancaster.

There's hope.  I ran a very solid 1 hour yesterday and felt great.  And a 2.5 hour ride on the weekend went much better than my rides last spring.

Now, here's to meeting some new people and breaking the anti-social cycle.