The BMO half was my first real goal race of the year and I almost never made it to the starting line.  The weekend before saw me take a nasty turn on my problematic left ankle, and after 2 hours of easy running, I was forced to hobble out of Lynn Valley and rather disappointingly put all hopes of running the BMO on hold.

From the car park, around midday on Sunday, I put in the call to Duane over at City Sports Physio and booked myself in at the first available time on Monday. The initial diagnosis was pretty much what I expected. Some IMS, and some ultra sound and the advice that, yeah, I probably shouldn’t be running a half marathon on the weekend, and any hopes of a PB should be put to the side. Surprisingly, through out the treatment, while tender, the strength of my ankle still seemed to be there.

I rested all day Tuesday and when walking was feeling good on Wednesday, I snuck in a conditioning class at Versus and decided that I could, maybe, just run on the weekend. First was my appointment for Lactate testing which I had booked for Thursday night at the marathon expo. Surprisingly again, I felt strong on the tread mill and put in a solid effort with a max speed of 17.2 kph.  I saw Duane again on Friday, got a few needles and decided that I was going to not only just run the half, but I was going to have a crack at racing it and go with my original plan of attempting to run a PB.

The event on Sunday was first class and I couldn’t have been happier with my race. The pace was quick off the start, being downhill, but I felt comfortable so went with it. I continued to run the first half of the race hard and hit out the first 10k around 38 minutes. Feeling strong and with grand visions of perhaps a time in the ‘teens’, I pushed on and at around 15km decided to put in an effort and finish strong. However the rolling hills in and around Stanley park made this course a very difficult one to negative split and I was suffering pretty hard around 18km and in survival mode. I managed a push for the last K or so and was so happy to see the clock in the 1:21′s as I hauled it in over the finish line.

Luckily, the full marathon started a full hour after the half, so I was able to get my bag, a post race massage (thanks Joey), some food and then hit up the spectator circuit to watch the marathoners out on the course.  Big congrats to everyone that ran out there on the day.  Both courses really showcased this magic city that I live in and it was fun to see so many smiling faces out there on the day.

Way back in 1998, Guinness recognized Yonge St in Toronto as the longest street in the world. At 1896km it runs from the waterfront in downtown Toronto all the way out to Lake Simcoe in Ontario.  It is arguably the ‘Main’ street in Toronto and has a long and rich history.  It also made up over 60% of a neat little 10km race that I took part in on Sunday.

I’m not sure if I was in town on business and decided to do a race or weather I was in town for a race and decided to do some business but either way I was in town and going to run a 10km race on this long and famous street. 10km has never been a favorite distance of mine, but its the distance that got me started running, a great test of overall leg speed and a solid benchmark for future tempo training sessions.

Come race day and I wasn’t feeling the usual excitement for the race, my body was tired (I really do struggle with the east coast time zone) and even thought I have a home away from home there at my good friend Nunos place in Toronto’s Liberty Village, I really was just feeling out of place.  In any case, the run being a point to point we got over to the start nice and early and I was able to get in a quick pit stop and nice warm up before getting settled in the back of the first corral.

where's pricey?

A 10km race really does go by quickly and I really can only recall a few things aside from the suffering;

• I could actually see the race leaders for the first 1km or so
• I was running behind some Kenyans and as we passed by a small child I overhead “look mum, there are some black ones”
• It hurts
• There was a man playing a didgeridoo and it was awesome
• 10km when laid out as a straight line is a lot longer that you might think
• Pacing and pushing strangers is a whole lot of fun, especially at the end when you want to die
• It hurts

suffertown

I literally ran as fast as I could for the whole 10k and was rewarded with a new PB and a smoking fast time on 36:39.  To say I’m stoked is an understatement and I have to attribute this result to the friendliness of the course and perhaps a lower mileage week leading up to the race.  Whatever the reason, the stars aligned and ill take it.

It was no April fools this year when I smashed out a half marathon PB of 1:24:41 over on the Sunshine Coast in BC just a few days ago.  It wasn’t my intention either. I was actually hoping to PB in the half marathon next month at the BMO and have it as a goal race, but hey, ill take what I can get these days and obviously am super stoked at the results of the fools run.

Logistically there are a couple of options with the race. You can arrive on Saturday and spend the night or take the early ferry over on race morning.  We opted for the former and hooked up a room in a cabin through a mutual friend and Luluemon run ambassador Julie Bertrand.  There was around 10 of us in the group and Saturday evening was sharing some laughs, playing cards and chatting over some awesome chicken curry.

Going into the race on Saturday, I was thinking id like to run around 1:30.  With BMO the short term goal and a few 50 milers this summer, I wanted to get in a nice long hard tempo and was using the fools run for this.  However the funny thing about a race is that it exactly that, a race, and if you have a competitive mindset, once you get going, its pretty hard to slow down.  As usual, I started off a bit too fast, positioned myself with some of the stronger runners and went at it.  My first 3 k’s we around 3:50 pace and I couldn’t seem to slow myself down.  It felt comfortable running at that pace, so I just kept at it, hoping I wouldn’t burn out before the major climb around 14k.

The fun part of the race came early when I realize I was running with Josh, one of our cabin buddies the night previous. He was running the relay leg with Troy, and they were planning on exchanging every 5k’s.  I managed to pull ahead of Josh around the 4km mark, and was promptly passed by Troy after their exchange somewhere around 6 or 7km. I made some good time in the next 7km and passed a bunch of people before settling into the long 3km climb.  I was still feeling strong and started reeling people in on the climb. Josh was one of them. After passing Josh I tried to put in as much of a gap as possible as I knew that Troy would be able to catch me easily. It helped that I was running stride for stride with a fellow called Volker, who simply would not let me pass him. After cresting on the Highway, Troy joined us for the final 4km push home.

Troy set the pace on the downhill urging me to go with him and for a while I didn’t think I could hold on, but somehow managed to stay with boys as we hit the flats and last k or so. Surprisingly, I still felt strong and decided to push the pace, using it as my last ditch chance to get away, however that action led to all 3 of us pushing harder and harder just waiting for someone to break. Troy was the first to let up, probably just so he could watch Volker and I battle it out, and a solid battle it was as we had been stride for stride for the last 6k.  Words of encouragement were flying around and I managed to get the first foot on the bridge just before edging Volker out crossing over the line. Troy was immediately over just after us and we were all pretty stoked about the last little push, good times had by all.

Stacey also ran a PB and came in very soon after in 1:43 and looking to be in great shape for the BMO marathon early May that she has been tirelessly training for.  The sun came out at the finish and from chatting to the many smiling racers there were PB’s galore – a great early start to the season.

tank hunting his prey ...

Whats this? Another race report? Well, sort of, lets call this one part race report and part training update.

My plans to race often this year are mostly centered around the notion that if I want to run fast, I have to train hard and I usually don’t work any harder unless I’m racing.

Enter the training race.

For me a training race is great opportunity to experiment with pacing, nutrition, gear etc.  I will turn up tired and would have done a hard session the day before and days leading up to the race.

Harry’s Spring Run Off is a great example of a good training race for me as I generally would never hammer out 8k’s in 30 odd minutes if not in a race environment. My plan for this one was to go out hard, stay under 4 min k’s and see how it all hung together. My first k was ran and 3:30 and I added a few seconds in each subsequent to pull out an average pace of 3:49 min/km which I was pretty happy with.

I really had no expectations for this one, just wanted to hammer out a good hard run and having a few speedsters to chase around the sea wall certainly helped.  So did the weather.  Stacey, Katie, Craig and Nicky all had solid runs and a great morning was had by all as we soaked up some post race rays and basked in our first little taste of the glorious miles to come this summer.

Coming up this weekend is another training race, the April Fools Half.

What a day, and I’m not just talking about all the awesome racing out on the north shore trails. My  post race activities saw me up in Whistler for a good friends stag party, including hot tub, beers, good friends and an evening packed with good natured shenanigans.  All this excitement saw the days action spiral into a fully packed 24 hours.  Not to bore you with all the details, I’ll only chronicle the mornings activities here.

2012 would mark my third Dirty Duo and my third year racing on a relay team with my good mate and self proclaimed ‘bike whisperer’ Chris McGregor.  McG has a close personal affiliation with Different Bikes bike shops and was fortunate enough to be asked to ride the BC Bike race on their team last year, so this year we entered our team under the name of Different Bikes.

Our last 2 showings at this race were a mixed bag.  A strong run year and a weak bike, followed by a weak run and a strong bike, we really weren’t sure what would happen this year.  I was feeling strong and McG, well, who knows what he was feeling, the only training he would report in on was performing the Duane Brousmiche prescribed ‘clam’ exercises to ‘try and get his glutes firing’.

Personally, I was feeling strong and had been careful not to over train coming into this race.  Lots of focus on the short hard stuff, a slow build and smart taper saw me line up feeling strong and excited to rip up the challenging course ahead.  I got a bit caught up in the initial rush at the start and probably went out a bit too quick but was able to settle down into a comfortable early racing pace after 20 mins or so.  My plan was to get over to Bridle path relaxed and try to increase the tempo and race from there.

By the time I got over to Bridle, I was alone and left with the thought that I’ll probably stay like that for the rest of the race.  I couldn’t have been more wrong.  Every now and again I would glimpse the bright yellow toque up ahead as worn by my buddy Tom Craik, and that was enough to ensure there was no slacking off. I kept working hard and before I knew it I could hear conversation behind me.  The voices got closer and by the time they joined me we had form a train of 4 or so, working a hard pace across Bridle path over towards Old Buck.  Working the pace with some company we were able to make up some ground on Tom and arrived at Old Buck as a group of 5.  Myself and Tom running the 25k relay, Colin Miller (50k), Dario Herrera (50k) and a solo racer, all chugging up old buck.

This wasn’t exactly your everyday 10k road race.  Well, at least that’s what I was thinking as I was hauling my ass up the trail running parallel to Mosquito creek after blitzing a quad crushing 3:20km down some quiet residential streets in North Vancouver.

The appeal of this low key, no frills event, was mostly the cost.  $10 for 10km seemed like a pretty good deal to me, the course looked challenging and I wanted to support Mountain Equipment Co-op and their vision of hosting several cheap and fun races per year.

Around 150 people signed up for the 10k and as we gathered for the race briefing, I positioned myself near the front of the pack, happy to go out hard, try to hold on and see where that left me.  I noticed a pack of blokes from the Greater Vancouver Orienteering Club, waited for the signal and took off after them.  Right away the pace was fast, it didn’t feel too uncomfortable being downhill, but I also knew pretty quickly that I couldn’t keep up with these guys and broke off the front pack of 4.

The first K went by quick, 3:30 quick and I wondered if I had bitten off more than I could chew.  My heart rate was maxed, I was flying downhill, on the road,  and my quads were already feeling the heat.  But having briefly studied the elevation, I knew that if I could get down and over quickly, and then start the Mosquito creek climb I would be in a good place for a strong finish.

And that’s what happened over the next 7k’s, I blasted the downhills, then chugged back up along the creek, and was rewarded with some steep fast pavement to condition my quads on.  I ran strong in 4th place, the leaders slowing increasing the gap on me while I slowly increased the gap behind me.

I was pretty much on auto pilot,  already thinking about the last lap around the high school track and how good I was running when I ended up on Capilano Rd with absolutely no idea of where I was or where I needed to go.

I stopped, looked right to Cleveland dam, then left down to Henry’s Grocery and back up to the Dam.  Lost, and slightly deflated I looked back up the way I had come and saw no one getting closer.  Defeated, I started to run back,  asked a couple of dog walkers for help and was kindly pointed back on track.

Fired up, I was off again and full pace, and even managed to pass a few guys as I wound the streets for the final 800 meters or so.  I managed to come in 6th overall in somewhere around 45 minutes which I was stoked with.  It was a well organised event and a great change to some of the other local races which can get quite bloated and overpriced.  I really enjoyed the challenging route with its nice mix of road and trails, and the whole grass roots feel of the day.  Congrats to Sean and crew who put on a great event.

Sidelined from the trails this weekend due to work commitments, I can’t help but poke around the house and marvel at just how fit I have been feeling of late.  The last quarter of 2011 was pretty quiet on the running front with a need for recovery, rejuvenation and socialization, so I switched focus to high intensity full body conditioning and I haven’t looked back.

The team over at Versus Training Center continues to challenge me every time I step through the door and the results over 3 months have left me feeling like I could possibly be in the best shape I have been in for the last 3 years.  A quick ‘tune up’ visit to Duane over at City Sports Physio confirmed it, I have a strong body and a healthy mind.

I am back to finding some consistency with my running and my workouts are getting stronger and stronger.  I want to run and I want to run hard.  I also want to race, and want to race often. For me right now, feeling fit is the great feeling of being strong, lean and keen and with MEC Raindance 10km next Sunday I’ll get to see who that translates to racing.  Cant wait.

To me, nothing spells the beginning of a new year like the wet and dirty north shore trails, and no event better showcases them than the Mountain Madness run Dirty Duo.

With flavors of trails, disciplines and events to satisfy every hunger, there really is no excuse to not get out and rip around the north shore with like minded folk at the beginning of March.

Look out for team “Pricey Runs, McGregor Rides” again this year as we both come off the ever indulgent holiday season to storm the trails in the team relay division.

Some History

Just over 3 years ago, before I really even knew what trail running was, my friend asked me to help him out by shuttling a Camelback, some food and his wife all over the North Shore while he attempted the un-comprehendible task at the time of running 30 miles, across the mountains in the 2008 Knee Knackering North Shore Trail Run.  He ended up having an amazing race and at its conclusion I ended up at the local running store purchasing my very first pair of trail shoes.

I wanted in.  However, I missed the lottery in 2009, was injured most of last year, and over the moon when I found out I made the lottery for 2011.  With Miwok a bust yet again due to over training, I took a month off before settling into a 12 week build up to the Knacker.

Building Up

I decided to follow the ‘Official’ Knee Knacker training plan posted on the website, figuring that whoever wrote it knows a little bit more about training for it than I do.  I hit most of the scheduled long runs, got in some quality tempo work, climbed around 6000 feet midweek, got dizzy blasting speed sessions at the track and generally had a great time mixing it all up and really enjoying my running.  In the two weeks leading up to the race, I dialled everything right back and I hit the start line on Saturday morning, trained and rested.

The Plan

In the restful lead up, I used the extra time to plan out my race and work out the splits that would see me finish somewhere around 6 hours.  My game plan was to eat often and eat early, stay well hydrated and not get carried away in the first half of the race.  I wanted to make it to the Dam around 3 hours, keep conservative over to Mountain Highway, pick up that pace to LSCR, suffer the grind and hammer it home.  Simple stuff that was the advice of pretty much everyone I spoke to of the race.

I was so lucky to have the help of Katie and Brad, who not only met me with my cooler of supplies along the way, but were also selfless enough to pick me up at 4:45am and drive me to the start, I surely could not have had such a good day if it wasn’t for their support.

The Race

I really need to start in saying that it was a very special day out there last weekend.  It is such an Epic event that has simply has to be experienced to be believed.  Below, ill share some of the highlights.

From the start, I lucked out and got to spend some quality time out there with my buddy Tom.  The pace was relaxed, and it felt like a weekend long run, and not at all like racing the Knee Knacker.  We met Sean ‘The Run Bum’ Blanton and got in a few laughs on the toughest climb of the day up Black Mountain.  Descending into Cypress bowl was a blast and was the first opportunity to see my awesome crew Katie and Brad, as well as take on support from all the other amazing people out there cheering on.

From Cypress Bowl, I ended up working my way over to Hollyburn with the lead pack of female runners.  I had a great time at the dodgy creek crossings and then flying down the cross country ski runs and at one stage, I ‘post holed’ my right leg into the evaporating snowpack, took a forward roll and ended up straight back up on my feet and running, very specular and I’m sure it impressed the ladies.

In the moments leading up to this incident, I had somewhat of a mini epiphany and simply marvelled at the fact that I was so fortunate to be able to spend my whole day out running in the mountains, regardless of the race outcome, you couldn’t take the day away from me.

I was too tentative in the chute, and quickly got passed by Nicola Gildersleeve.  She is a wicked downhill runner, so I decided to go along for the ride and picked up the pace.  It really was disappointing when she took a turn on her already damaged ankle and pulled up in pain.  I pressed on, used Lisa Polizzi as a guide until I let her go, and then ran through the British properties and into Cleveland dam with Shannon  Berardo as we both congratulated each other on a well-run first half of the race.

I was in and out of the Dam pretty quickly, traded up my bottles, handed out some high fives and decided that it would be in my best interest to run all of Nancy Green way, which wasn’t a problem at the time.  The BP over to Mosquito Creek was some rolling fun.  A little bit of hike then run, hike then run, pass a couple of people, opps, fell on my ass and soon enough I was through Mountain highway, still on track for 6 hours and feeling really comfortable.

Moving along nicely, I met up with Jeremy Clegg, who I met on a training run and who had similar race goals.  We chatted easily for 10 or 20 minutes.  He was feeling good, but may have gone out a bit too hard.  He told me of how Adam Campbell went off course and joined him around 12^th place very early in the race.  We probably could have run the rest of the day together until Jeremy unfortunately dropped a gel, stopped to pick it up and then I didn’t see him again until the finish.

Alone again, but happy to run my own pace, I decided to pick it up a little as I approached LSCR.  I was actually still feeling really good, keeping ahead of my plan, so never feeling like I needed to push.  I came into LSCR, high 5 to Brad, bottle change, chat to Katie, Nicola and Brook and then took off.  Still feeling strong I ran how I felt and ended up passing another runner here.

I picked up a coke at Lillooet Rd, then a sponge bath at Hyannis, a wave to Coo and DK and then hit the approach to Seymour Grind. The Grind was tough, and the only real low point of the day (debt for running Nancy Green perhaps?).  I really was tired now, my climbing legs were done, I was really only good for flats and downhill’s, but with the only way up, I slugged it out and got to the top.

In glorious contrast, from the top the only way back was down, and I figured I could be done in around 30 minutes.  I really wanted to let it rip but as I took off downhill, a giant crab appeared from behind and attached its powerful claws to both of my calves and squeezed tight – cramps.  I was pissed off, as this was supposed to be the fun part, so I yelled a little bit, grit my teeth and kept on awkwardly shuffling down the trail.  I was slow going down to Old Buck; I tried my best to block it out and picked up the pace to Seymour Rd.

Brad’s surprise hand off of an ice cold bottle of coke was simply awesome at this stage of the game, but I was still feeling pretty cooked after and it wasn’t long before Ran Katzman was on my heels.   I offered to let him pass a few times, but he was ever the gentleman, ran with me for a while and only passed when I stopped to hike a small hill. He was quick to offer words of encouragement to keep me going but I had to let him go.  It sucks to be passed so late in a race, but it is pretty easy to take when you are passed by a better runner.

The cramps were still there as I finished the race, but at 5:55 I couldn’t have been happier with my race.  I simply just felt so good the entire day, and when things got a little bit tough, it was simply because I was tired and it certainly had to hurt at some stage, it’s the bloody Knee Knacker after all!

Congrats to all the runners out there that finished on the day, fast or slow, PB or no PB, I am very proud to be a part of the small community of Knee Knacker finishers.  Thank you to everyone I saw on the day and for all the people that make this happen every year, and special thanks to Katie and Brad for their part in this race too.

5:55:07 – 14th place.

Could not be happier! (well unless it was 4:55:07 – and then I would have come 2nd …)

Brad and Katie – thank you, thank you, thank you! Time for some frosty cold brews.

It’s only days out from Knee Knacker, so with the extra time on my hands I thought I share a few random thoughts before the race;

• I managed to get in a solid 12 weeks running with minor interruptions.
• I am injury free and just as importantly, my body is in alignment.
• Getting to the start line is a small victory in itself.
• I have really enjoyed training for this one, particularly my weekend runs, which have come with a fair share of adventures.
• After 10 weeks of BCMC variations I now consider myself a decent hiker.
• My fitness is pretty much exactly where I would want to be going into a race like this.
• I haven’t raced a 50km since March 2010.
• The snow will probably slow me down, but I think ill need it at that stage of the race.
• Hope I don’t get lost … again.
• I love running downhill.
• Its my first Knacker, wonder how I will do?
• I have a wicked crew lined up (Katie and Brad)
• I really can’t wait to get out there on Saturday!

The game plan?

‎”In the first half of the race, don’t be an idiot. In the second half, don’t be a wimp.” S. Douglas

When my mate Brad emailed me late last week offering a bib in the coming weekends Vancouver Sun Run, my first thought was ‘hell no!’  I hadn’t run in over a month, I’m not a huge fan of running on the road or the 10km distance and really wasn’t interested in dealing with the crowds (around 50,000 people ran this year).

I do however love running, so I started to scheme of a way that I could have a bit of fun with this race. 

Run on April 17th, the Vancouver Sun Run is Canada’s largest timed 10km race and the 2nd largest timed 10km race in the world.  This year it was run on the same weekend as the London Marathon, which also draws massive crowds and usually boasts a good number of idiots in costume.  It was in this theme that I decided that would run the Sun Run dressed head to toe in a chicken suit.

It was surprisingly easy to lay my hands on said chicken suit and after a few txt messages; I had it in my hands the very next day.

The morning of the race was fantastic.  I hadn’t honestly felt this excited about a race in ages and was bouncing round the house with anticipation.  I met my work crew in at the office, got suited up and posed for the regulation office photos.

The first thing I really noticed about the suit was that it was really hard to breathe with the mask on … oh and it was also really hard to see with the mask on … none the less, I was committed, determined and getting loads of attention on the streets, I was loving it!

The race itself, continued to be simply a ton of fun, with so many cheers, high 5’s and photo ops along the way, the first 5km literally flew by.  Km 5 to 8 were a bit of a struggle, as the weather warmed up, so did the chicken, and the lack of ventilation and visibility on the mask was beginning to become an annoyance.    

The home stretch however, lightened the mood and I was encouraged and cheered on by hundreds of supporters lining the streets, young and old, everyone was delighted to see the chicken, and I was reminded again of how lucky I am to be able to take part in such an event and move my body with my own two feet.

In the end, it was simply a fantastic day and I don’t think I could have enjoyed it any more.  The chicken got a good mix of press in the following days and I even made it to print, in the Vancouver Sun.

http://communities.canada.com/vancouversun/blogs/ontherun/archive/2011/04/17/me-and-49-365-other-guys-one-dressed-like-a-chicken-run-12-times-around-the-world.aspx