Monday, April 28, 2008

April 28 to May 4

Who ordered the snow?
Dianah after 20 miles.
Sunday, May 4
Cops Run Revisited:  This was one fantastic race and I stand by my earlier comments about it being the finest Half Marathon in the province.  Nick and his crew have worked tirelessly to get this premiere run up and running and they deserve huge accolades.  However, we running geeks eat statistics with our breakfast so I must address the extra distance.  
At 13.4 miles it was 3/10 of a mile over the official half marathon distance.  To get your UNOFFICIAL time do this:
1)  Take average pace and convert to seconds (i.e. mine was 8:43, 8 minutes = 480 seconds + 43 seconds = 523 second/ mile.
2) Divide by 10 (i.e. mine was 523 / 10 = 52.3.
3) Multiply by 3 (i.e. mine was 52.3 x 3 = 156.9),
4) Divide by 60 (i.e. mine was 156.9 / 60 = 2 minutes, 36.9 seconds, rounded to 2 min, 37 sec)
5) Subtract this time from your OFFICIAL time to arrive at your UNOFFICIAL time (i.e. my official time is 1:57:20 - 0:2:37 = 1:54:43 is my unofficial time)
For me this is a new PB by 50 seconds so I'm pleased, however I stand by the official time as all of you should.  Thanks again Nick, twas a great race!
Tuesday Run Club, 3.47 miles, slow pace
The Run Club is set up to be a non-competitive, inclusionary, welcoming drop in club, kids can come and go as they please.  They don't need to be the best, the fastest, the coolest ... they can just be themselves. This, I believe, is the reason for its success.  The only incentive (aside from the freezy and lime-green shoelace) is the accumulation of kilometers.  After each run I update their total on the bulletin board.  There exists amongst the kids an incredible desire to watch this distance grow. When they come to Run Club they must sign in and and agree to follow the safety rules.  We discuss the honor system in logging their distances and the consequences for logging an inaccurate distance.  There's enough adults to monitor the group so cheating is rare. The consequence for logging an exaggerated distance is they are disqualified for that run and their distance is marked 0 (for that run only).  I speak to them and remind them of honesty. They are welcome to return next day, and they usually do.  The lesson is one of those important life lessons with an appropriate consequence that all kids need from time-to-time.  Kids enjoy these lessons and eventually they learn from them, but only if they have enough important adults in their life who show they care.  Sadly, there are many kids set adrift without a strong family network.  Teachers, social workers, coaches, and spiritual leaders can help fill in the void and play a crucial role in the development of children, but the can only do so much.
Wednesday, 6.24 miles, 9 hill reps Jacques, Debbie, Nazir, Ken
Here's how hill training works for us.  We meet about a mile away from Garbage Hill.  We slow-jog to the hill.  We run over the top to the other side at a good pace.  Repeat 8 times (9 if you're a running geek).  Each week we run one additional hill rep until we hit the magic 10 (11 if your a running geek).  According to our schedule we were off by one hill tonight.  We'll make up for it next Wednesday. Do join us if your in the neighbourhood.
Thursday Run Club, about 3 miles, slow pace.  This is about the time when the Run Club morphs into the Marathon Club.  As mentioned earlier Run Club is drop in, kids come and go as they please, but most come and stay.  Some of the kids are real keen runners and the thought of the marathon event appeals to their fun side and, dare I say it, their competitive side.  The kids who have run it the last two marathons compete against their previous times.  The events open to the kids are The Super Run at 4 k, the 10 k, the marathon relay, and the 1/2 marathon.  I sent letters home with the kiddies last week so I'll be putting a team together over the next couple of weeks.  The only requisite is they must reach their silver level in running club before they can officially join the Marathon Club.  I would sure like to order some tee-shirts for the kids if anyone has some ideas.  I'm hoping for at least 20 kids this year.  A big nod goes to The Manitoba Marathon for helping teachers organize the event and for providing little incentives which are HUGE in the eyes of my kids.   The other day I called their office to order some posters and official shoe laces and they arrived within an hour!  That's a whole lot better than mere good service, it's unbelievable service!  Craig taught them well before departing.
Thursday Clinic, 6.01 miles, Speed, 8:16 m/m pace
Tonight's clinic instructor was Don Derksen of Sound Touch Therapeutic Massage located at 161 Stafford, phone 782-2084.  I booked a pre-marathon and post-marathon massage appointments with Don and I think I'll book a few more especially as our training becomes more intense.
I ran with an old pal of my son this evening.  They went to different schools but knew each other from the neighbourhood and have mutual pals.  His name's Mike and he training for a 3 hour marathon.  I wanted to run with him this evening for two reason.  One, to see if I could keep up with such an incredible athlete. Two, I miss my son terribly and it felt good running with one of his peers.  We had a good talk about Max and Mike said some good things about my boy which pleased me, but also made me sad.  Max has been working in Japan since early January and is presently getting ready to cycle and WWOOF across the country.  I miss him so.
Saturday:  Dropped by City Park Runners and picked up a very nice hydration pack from Fuel Belt.  I tried it on Sunday's long run and I'm very pleased with it's performance.  The weight is distributed evenly and the belt is super comfortable.  I barely felt it during the entire run.  My only beef is the two bottles at 300 ml each isn't enough for an unsupported long run.  I would prefer the bottles to be a little bigger, say 400 ml each.  Perhaps they sell the larger bottles.  Excellent service seems to be the normal at City Park.
Sunday, 20 miles, 9:40 m/m pace (with walk intervals) 3 hr, 13 min, 21 sec 
Yours truly.
After 20 miles... freezing!
Snow in May?  Crazy!  The wind was a little nasty and as Rod said it seemed to always be in our face regardless of the direction we were heading.  We moved pretty quickly today and aside from an emergency bathroom pit stop we stayed true to the course and pace.  Unfortunately Ken had to pull out at about mile 4 due to some tightening in his calf and John, still suffering from last week's twisted ankle, ran a little slower than normal.  (Memo to John... slow it down buddy, take it easy, you might want to take the week off from running and pamper that ankle.)  Thank you Debby for running along side John for the last 5 or 6 miles.  We look out for one another.  Our thoughts go to Naomi who pulled out of the marathon training after last week's Cop's Run.  She's been nursing an injury almost from the start of training and has toughed it out, but now, wisely, she has decided to join a half-marathon group.  I know Naomi is hugely disappointed with her decision, but it's the right one to have made.  We miss her positive energy and the spark that she brought to our little group. Naomi is dependable, strong, and a very capable runner.  There will most certainly be a next time for this gal!
This was one of those character building runs that we're becoming all to familiar with; ice-block hands, wet feet, eyes stabbed by ice pellets, wind in the face... you know, same old, same old ;>).
We were discussing the optimal distance for a pre-marathon long run.  Some say 18 some say 20... what do you think?  Click the poll on the right side bar to weigh in on this hot topic!  I'm thinking psychologically speaking it makes sense to go up to 21, but beyond that exist a huge potential for injury.
It was another great week to be alive and in good health... thank you for sharing it with me.
M
Week total mileage = 38.72
And finally, the power of focus....

7 comments:

Jen said...

Oh, great video! And sounds like a great week. I can't believe the snow! What crazy weather for May. We got snow last week too, but nothing like that! And that's an awesome pace for a 20 miler in that weather! You guys are great! You are really lucky to have a such a great group! So about how long is garbage hill? Do you run down the other side or just go back down the front side and run it again? Just wondering! Have a great week!

Anonymous said...

I already miss you guys so much and was thinking about you when the snow kept coming and coming on Sunday morning. As crazy as it sounds, all i wanted to do was get out and run with you guys regardless of the weather. Now, that is when you know you have transformed yourself into a runner. I am truly disappointed that i cannot continue to make my personal distance milestones with this amazing group of people that are so inspiring and supportive to eachother. I will be watching for each and every one of you from the sidelines during the marathon and cheering every step of the way. I will relish in your accomplishments. I hope to be back next year, uninjured and ready for a challenge. I hope to see your friendly faces back.

Way to go!

Unknown said...

Thanks Jen, It is a great video isn't it! And yes, our group is fantastic and we wish you were part of it. Hill training is weekly for about 6 weeks. We do a one mile warm-up and one mile cool down. We go right over the top down the other side, turn around and repeat the the way. I can't recall the distance from one end to the other or the height/ grade. I'll check this Wednesday with the fancy Garmin 301. We're pretty tired of winter round here and the snow and wind chill on Sunday took us all by surprise! Good luck with your training. Cheers, M

Unknown said...

Naomi, We're equally disappointed you had to pull out at this late stage and we feel your pain (figuratively speaking of course.. your pain is your pain). You really do need to understand how much we all missed you on Sunday. When I announced at the start that you had pulled out there was a collective groan. It sucks, I know, but you did the right thing darlin'. Go easy, rest well, and keep strong. I'm really pumped that you'll be cheering us curb side on race day... I'm already getting choked up, but I'm Irish and the Irish are emotional ;>) . Each of us will carry a Naomi patch across the finish line on race day. I count the days for your next time. Cheers, M

Anonymous said...

Hi Naomi, I know exactly how you feel! I have been out for awhile now with an injury and yes, as you said, all you want to do is go running, regardless of how the weather is (even considering how cold it was on Sunday). I wish you lots of strength and patience for a full recovery. Don't worry, you will be out there on those long runs soon enough!

Anonymous said...

Hi Naomi, Sorry to hear that you had to pull out of the full Marathon, but like Michael says it is the best thing to do before your injury gets beyond repair. I know that you are disappointed and that you tried to go for as long as you could. You proved so by completing the Cop's run with your injury and having a PB at the same time. We all miss you and wish you Good Luck in your future runs. The June 8th run is a short run before the Big Day, maybe we'll see you there.
Congratulations on your PB

Anonymous said...

Hi Naomi, Rest now and those milestones will be sure to follow. You were and still are an inspiration to all of us, and you will be in our hearts from start to finish.