Livin' on the Edge

Last Sunday, I ran with a few running buddies, including TLT.

I love running with her.  Never a dull moment.

A few weeks ago, we were out for a long run.  She was pretty tired, as this was her first long one in quite some time.  Near the end, she said, "do you want to see me pole dance?"  I've been running for over 7 years, and I've never heard that question in the middle of a run before.  She then showed me some moves and I laughed.

On Sunday we were talking about the VIM and if the pace bunnies would be doing 10s and 1s.  I said, if they were, I probably wouldn't want to go with them, cause, I don't want to run that fast for 10 and then cool down for the 1.  I said that you typically need to run about 10 seconds faster, per kilometer, when doing 10s and 1s.

TLT said, "don't think about it so much and just do it.  You think about what you can and can't do, but you gotta run on the edge more."

What she doesn't understand is, I do.

For my intervals and tempos, I leave nothing on the table.  My entire focus is doing the best I can.  I used to run to my Garmin speed, but no more.  While I still check it, I'm not a slave to it.  I find that by looking at it less often, I put more effort in and I'm not constrained by my pace targets.

I don't set limits on what I can't do.

"So suck it up and tough it out and be the best you can." - J Mellencamp

What a Week I'm Having

I went back to John Hill's clinic on Wednesday.

The time off was good.  I had done some treadmill runs to prepare for the 2 x 2 miles, but outdoors was something else.

It was freezing.  Temperature was likely in the single digits, but a strong breeze ensured uncomfort. And to add a bit, I stepped in a puddle before the intervals began.  Anywho, I'm out there and happy.

I see some regular faces, but also a few new ones.  I always feel a little awkward running with new people.  I don't want to be out of place, nor do I like pushing the pace.  We went out strong, but started too slow after 1/4 mile.  By the 1/2 way mark (i.e. 1 mile) we were already about 14 seconds behind.  I don't mind leading, but I don't want people to perceive I'm trying to show them up.  I decided to take the lead.  I always have a twinge of guilt.  I finished 14:14, no PB.

The second interval, I took the lead early on.  Tiffany, who was supposed to pace us for a 14 min said she was recovering from the holidays and apologized for not being able to pace us.  Regardless, I still felt a bit guilty, yet I couldn't crack it, and came in at 14:06.

With JH down, I had one more event for the week.  Running with my cousin (in-law), Darren.  He's fast.  He's sub 3:05 and shooting for a sub 3 on his next marathon.

I was pretty nervous about running with him.  He's so much faster than me.  38 minute for his 10k, 46 for mine.  I told him I'd be running my tempo at 4:40-4:45 / Km.  His slow pace.

The day started off cold and wet, so I gathered my cold gear.  By the time I start my warm-up run, the rain slows down and the sun started to break. I arrive at our meeting spot about 2 mins early and see Darren too.  We have some brief chit chat and the tempo, for me, begins.  Darren helped the time fly by.  I'm watching him run.  He's not sweating, he's hardly breathing, and he has a leisurely cadence.

We spoke afterwards.  Some of the nuggets of wisdom I gleaned were:

• Wearing less is more. If you need one, get a Value Village hoody to keep warm beforehand.
• Enter a few races before the "big" event to get your head more comfortable/familiar around races.
• More mileage.  80-100Km per week.

I'm looking at doing the above.  It's tough being close to a goal, but not quite there.  I mean, if I were stuck at 4:30 marathons, I'd give up.  But this is so close, I can taste it.  These little things might give me the slight edge to go from a 3:31:24 to a 3:30:52.... squeak right in.

The End of the Holidays

It's tough training through the holidays.

Family, friends, and feasting.

Makes for a bit of distraction.

I chatted with my running buddies about Forerunners' speed work.  I liked it and was considering going back.  But the clincher was when I said, this is likely one of my last shots at BQing.  They said, if that's the case, don't compromise.

On Wednesday, I'm back, with both feet in.

John Hill, here I come.

"Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional." - unknown

How Do I Rate?

Before the Haney to Harrison race, I went in line to go to the Starbucks' bathroom.  I chatted with the person behind me as we waited.  I told him our team had a few ringers (i.e. top 10 finishers) and I facetiously remarked that I'm happy to just finish in the top 1/2 of my category.  He said, "that's fantastic!"

I'm surrounded by some really good runners but I'd never put myself in that category.  It's nice to have them as a runner role models.  Sue plateaued for a few weeks after the VIM but has been killing it since.  I can't believe I once thought she was reachable... but at the H2H relay she showed what she was made of:

	Overall	Place in Sex	Km Pace
Sue	31/198	7/72	4:22
Tony	41/198	29/95	4:48

I was pretty respectable on my portion of the race, finishing top 21% overall, and top 30% for males.  But Sue was top 16% overall and top 10% for females.  Her pace for the 13.5km was 26 seconds faster than mine for 13km.

I like to have reach goals. But she's kept on getting faster.

I recently completed my speed work for the year out of Forerunners.  I'd been at it for a month, I started off in the 50 minute group, but dropped down to the 45 minute one.  It's been a tough transition.  I'm near the back of the group and giving it my bestest.

I enjoyed running with the 50 minute group, but I knew that by leading the pack, it was not pushing me to run harder.  When I dropped down to the faster group, I found I have to push hard just to avoid being last.  I'm not sure if you need any more motivation than that.

When I look at myself in the mirror, I see how far I've come.  But I also have that twinge of self-doubt that chips away at my ego.

Sure I've gotten faster.  But then there's Sue and TLT... they have gotten much faster.

I registered for the Vancouver Marathon today.  Four months to train.  Mentally and physically.


"The smaller the mind the greater the conceit." -- Aesop

Trophy Hunting

During a recent outing, a very long time friend and I were discussing life, the universe and everything.  A bit of a preface... I feel it has taken me 40+ years to just begin figuring out what life is about, so by no means am I an expert.  But I said, for me, life is all about doing things that you've never done before... seeking out new experiences and getting everything you can from it.

He said I sounded like a trophy hunter.  Trophies, for you non-PlayStation 3 gamers are "achievements" you receive for doing certain things while playing.  Yes, they are virtual trophies, so they aren't tangible nor do they have any inherent value.  Also, the tasks are not along the critical path to completing the game, but more of a fun aside. In summary, they are little pieces of nothing.  So when my trusted old friend accused me of being a trophy hunter, I thought it made me seem a little superficial.

Well for me, my big pursuit is obvious.

In 2009, Boston sold out in late January, at the time it surprised many how quickly.  For 2010, it sold out in November 2009.  And now for 2011, it sold out in 8 hours.  My confidence of running a 3:30 is pretty high, as long as I can stay healthy, but with the accelerating pace of the sellouts, it seems that I may have to do better.

I bumped into a couple of running buddies last week and we had a quick discussion about it.  Beverly thought they should charge more rather than raising the bar.  I don't agree with that.  At $135, it is on par with the a major marathon, but 1/2 the cost of NY.  But I believe that Boston should be "good" runners and not just OK runners with money.

If Boston raises the qualifying times, I don't know whether my best will be good enough.  I do know that come May 1 (VIM) I'll be prepared to give it my all.  I also know, when I'm done, and nothing is left on the table, I'll be proud of what I've done, where I came from, and what I went through.  Sure, it might not be enough, but in the end, I'll be delighted knowing how much I've gained, and the only thing I've lost??? Well,  just a trophy.

When One Door Closes, Another is Opened...

It's been an interesting last few days....

Monday, I went down to watch a few friends race the Turkey Trot.  The cool dry weather made me wish I had run it too, but alas I had a coffee in hand stood on the sidelines.  My running buddy, Sue, had a killer run and came in 3rd overall for women and 2nd in her age group with a time of 42 minutes!

After a brief running/training hiatus, she's been back with a vengeance.  I marvel at the fact that I once ran beside her doing speed work...

On Wednesday, Sharon, my coveted neighbour, told me she's tired of running.  I'm a little disheartened to hear her say that.  She's been really pushing the pace the last month or so, and she's started to show signs of wear.  I suggested she take a break from running for a week.  Fitness wise, it won't change much for her December 6 marathon, but it might allow her to recharge her batteries.  I think she could learn a lot from what Sue did.


So for me, I am a big fan of John Hill.  He transformed me from a mediocre runner to... well, something a little faster than mediocre.

The clinic restarted in September, but I was injured and decided against rejoining, and with my Victoria dreams gone, I wanted to commit to taking a couple months off "hard" running.

Wednesday evening, I planned for my first workout with Forerunners.  I was very nervous going in.  It's hard to explain why, but it feels like when you're back in school... and whether you made the cut to be on the "good" team.  With much trepidation, I ventured forth.

I arrived and quickly scanned the store.  About 50 people, pretty fit/young crowd.  I paid my $5 and was given a brief summary of what to expect.  Thankfully, there was a wide range of pace groups making me feel I'd be comfortable in my group.  As the groups were broken down by 10k race pace, I selected the "50 minute" group as I didn't want to push it on my first speed work in a month.

There were 6 or 7 in our group and we headed out for a quick warm-up and some light stretching.  I am not a big believer in pre-workout stretching, but I followed along... "when in Rome..."  But you just can't look cool doing horsey kicks!

The run was a pyramid, running for a short time, to a longer time, back to a short time, with equal breaks in between.  Pretty straight forward.  I didn't want to kill myself so I took it down a notch.

At the end, I said "hi/bye" to a few people and went home.  A nice change from hanging out in the wet/cold for 30+ minutes at JH.

I'm happy that I went and I'm already planning to be a regular.

The Joy of Running

I like to run.

Running is just me versus myself.  No stupid games, no drama, no hidden agendas.  If only life were that simple.

This is an especially nice time for me.  I'm not in serious training mode, so I can explore more.  Tuesday morning I trained with my daughters' XC team and then went for a jaunt through the endowment lands with some of the moms.  After the main run, I proposed an interval run of 1 mile to a splinter group.  The top finisher seemed very happy with herself and why not?  She hadn't run that fast since her college days... (she was actually 2 minutes faster then!)  The following day, CM and I were supposed to do some speed work, but instead we did a 6 miler at a "no man's land" pace[1].  But it felt great.

When the weight of goal oriented training is lifted, albeit temporarily, it's like a breath of fresh air.

I still don't believe in doing anything half-assed.  If I'm doing anything, I'm all in.  It's just now, I'm all into the relaxing/casual running.  It's kinda nice.

But in the back of my mind, I know that this ride is going to end.  And when it does, I'll be ready to jump in with both feet.

"The achievement of your goal is assured the moment you commit yourself to it.” M Douglas

[1] The pace between a long slow distance and tempo has marginal benefits for training.