Last night was pretty uneventful. My roomies went downtown to hit up a bar, while I stayed home and ate bok choy. What a wild night! I ended up going to bed pretty early, knowing that I'd be hitting pavement the next morning.
I woke up with a sore throat, not a great way to start off your day on any account, but going into a long run, it kind of saps you for energy. Let's make this a long, slow run. I have no problem with that. Not every single outing has to be fast. I notice my roommate's truck is not in the driveway. Must have been a good night indeed! Booyah! High Five! Actually I think he just got up before me and went for coffee. As I slowly climb up Hastings Street, I get stuck at a red light, and notice a truck-drivin man, sporting 80's sunglasses giving me the ol' stinkeye (I presume). Wait a minute! My roommate is a truck-drivin man who sometimes wears 80's sunglasses and sometimes gives me the stinkeye I presume! Oh well. I shake it off as coincidence. (more on this later)
As I saunter down Hastings street, I hang my usual left on Nanaimo, past the Sweet Tooth Cafe. I should really stop in there someday, as I have a bit of a sweet tooth myself. Up Nanaimo I go, left on Broadway and right at Van Tech. There's a soccer match underway on the field, but I don't have time to stop for a gander. I have places to go, calories to burn. Down the hill, up the hill, past the stench of stale beer courtesy of the Returnit Depot, and along Broadway to Boundary. Hanging a left, I pass a motorcycle showroom. Reminds me of Easy Rider. RIP Dennis Hopper.
Up to the top of the hill I go, and stop in at my front door for a sip of the water I so carefully stashed in the mailbox. As I turn to retrace my steps and head back down Boundary, I look up to the window, making eye contact with my roommate, who is playing guitar. I give him the satanic devil horns, he gives me a Pete Townsend-esque Windmill, and all is hunky-dory. I wonder if he's practicing for 20 questions later.
Back down Boundary I go, past the car dealerships and all their motorized sadness, then a right on East 1st. I really need to beef up my routes, otherwise this blog is gonna get pretty boring, pretty fast. As if it already isn't! Ba-Boom! Up 1st I go, past a gas station, touch my lucky lamp post, back down the hill, left on Boundary, and Whammo! I just narrowly avoid being struck my a Subaru. I love it how drivers will roll through a stop sign, only looking left to see what traffic is coming, not even taking a glance at the sidewalk to their right. As a unceremoniously flip the bird to the lady driver, yelling some profanity that I won't repeat on this blog (The Pope might be reading), the man in the passenger side gives me a look as if to say, "I know" and the lady fakes an apology. Here's a twist: I noticed a handicapped tag hanging from the rear-view mirror. I wonder if she got her handicap while jogging and being struck by a brutal driver who doesn't look right because no cars could come from that direction. Never mind pedestrians, they bounce.
After putting this high-functioning handicapper behind me, I finish up my run and stretch out in the driveway. My roommate, coffee in hand, yells from the deck, "Man, I saw an old man running on Hastings who looked just like you!" Old man? Well, at least he didn't say handicapped woman. That would have gotten on my nerves.
Tomorrow is a rest day, and good thing, because my sore throat is intensifying and I even detect a little bit of a sniffle and cough. I need 2 things right now. Nyquil and bed, preferably in that order. That's all I need, sleepwalking AND consuming cold medication. Did I mention I sleepwalk?
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Friday, January 7, 2011
Classic 6K on a Friday
This has to be my favourite day of the week so far. No school, Little Britain marathon on Netflix (that could be any day, I suppose) and best of all, it's not raining at the moment! I set off on my usual hill route. That's right, pretty much all of my runs involve a hill or two. I live on a hill. These 2 idiots Jack and Jill are always coming up here looking for water. Shove it, Jack!
South down Boundary Road I go, past the car dealerships with all their cars and sadness, then I hang a right on East 1st, climbing up the 1.5km hill to Renfrew, where I touch my lucky lamp post and turn around, down the hill and left on Boundary, back up the hill. There goes Jackie boy again, looks like he broke his crown, and you guessed it, his lady friend is tumbling after him like a raving lunatic. Typical.
After finishing up my run, I decide to do a little abdominal workout. All those delicious Halloween chocolate bars my roommate's parents gave him for Christmas (huh?) have done a number on my mid-section, so I'd better throw in a few crunches. Nobody likes a guy with moobs, so I added a few dozen pushups. That's good for today, I think.
You might be surprised to know that not everything I do revolves around running. In fact, I like to play the bass guitar and sing now and then. I'm not very good, but when my roommate jumps on the drums, we invent this make-believe band called "20 Questions". The whole idea is that he'll think of something, an object, a person, etc and I'll keep playing the same riff over and over, asking him questions, to which he replies with a positive or negative response. I happened to look out the window and saw an eagle.
"Is it an eagle?" I sing magestically.
"No, it's not an eagle," he retorts, almost as magestically, but not quite.
"Is it a robin red-breast?" I sing triumphantly, thinking it must be so.
For some reason (probably booze-related), my roommate cracks up at this line, not able to answer. I ask again.
"Is it a robin red-breast?"
Only this time, he replies with the same question.
"Is it a robin red-breast?"
"Is it a robin red-breast?"
You know when a record starts skipping, and you're just too lazy/intrigued to get up and change it? That's us. We must have sang "Is it a robin red-breast?' 100 times or more, adding harmonies, both high and low. By the end, we're laughing so hard we can hardly play our instruments. This fun lasted for about 20 minutes or so. I looked out the window and saw someone walk up the street, stop, give a confused look towards our house, then cross the street and continue walking, looking back in horror. Yeah, we're that house. We make this block interesting, and dammit, we like that about ourselves. You might think we're weird, you might think we're creative, but dammit, we're not on drugs and I don't even drink anymore. How's that for a glimpse into my brain, eh? Scary.
Okay, tomorrow is a rest day, but after that I'll be back to writing about running, I swear. Unless I finally figure out the answer to this 20 questions thing. There might be an album in the works.
South down Boundary Road I go, past the car dealerships with all their cars and sadness, then I hang a right on East 1st, climbing up the 1.5km hill to Renfrew, where I touch my lucky lamp post and turn around, down the hill and left on Boundary, back up the hill. There goes Jackie boy again, looks like he broke his crown, and you guessed it, his lady friend is tumbling after him like a raving lunatic. Typical.
After finishing up my run, I decide to do a little abdominal workout. All those delicious Halloween chocolate bars my roommate's parents gave him for Christmas (huh?) have done a number on my mid-section, so I'd better throw in a few crunches. Nobody likes a guy with moobs, so I added a few dozen pushups. That's good for today, I think.
You might be surprised to know that not everything I do revolves around running. In fact, I like to play the bass guitar and sing now and then. I'm not very good, but when my roommate jumps on the drums, we invent this make-believe band called "20 Questions". The whole idea is that he'll think of something, an object, a person, etc and I'll keep playing the same riff over and over, asking him questions, to which he replies with a positive or negative response. I happened to look out the window and saw an eagle.
"Is it an eagle?" I sing magestically.
"No, it's not an eagle," he retorts, almost as magestically, but not quite.
"Is it a robin red-breast?" I sing triumphantly, thinking it must be so.
For some reason (probably booze-related), my roommate cracks up at this line, not able to answer. I ask again.
"Is it a robin red-breast?"
Only this time, he replies with the same question.
"Is it a robin red-breast?"
"Is it a robin red-breast?"
You know when a record starts skipping, and you're just too lazy/intrigued to get up and change it? That's us. We must have sang "Is it a robin red-breast?' 100 times or more, adding harmonies, both high and low. By the end, we're laughing so hard we can hardly play our instruments. This fun lasted for about 20 minutes or so. I looked out the window and saw someone walk up the street, stop, give a confused look towards our house, then cross the street and continue walking, looking back in horror. Yeah, we're that house. We make this block interesting, and dammit, we like that about ourselves. You might think we're weird, you might think we're creative, but dammit, we're not on drugs and I don't even drink anymore. How's that for a glimpse into my brain, eh? Scary.
Okay, tomorrow is a rest day, but after that I'll be back to writing about running, I swear. Unless I finally figure out the answer to this 20 questions thing. There might be an album in the works.
Thursday, January 6, 2011
13 - My new lucky number
I felt pretty darn good today - the bruise on my left foot is gone, so no need to wrap it with a tensor bandage anymore. However, I'm noticing some discomfort on the bottom of my left big toe. Can I call that an index toe? As long as I flip through periodicals with it I guess. I hate to say I "toed" you so, but I think I "nailed" it. Ahh foot humour. Maybe I shoud have been a chiropodist, if only for the puns. (Ahh what the heel?)
Anyway, today is just like my last 13K, same route and everything, except for one tiny detail - the weather is not being kind. It's rainy, it's cold, it's gross, and I must be crazy for doing this. Let me check. Yup, crazy!
Starting out was harder than I thought. I looked out the window, I paced nervously, I chewed my nail, I paced around some more, waiting for the sun to come out. My roommate commented that he saw some other people out running this morning, sort of easing my uneasiness about the situation. Easier said than done. I'll have to ease into it, easily. Easy does it.
Donning my new raincoat and splash pants (that's right, I still call them splash pants), I braved the yuck and put one foot in front of the other. Remembering the nice, warm cup of coffee I had this morning helps things along, and before I know it, I'm steadily bouncing along, not even bothered by the rain. Of course, I had to leave the ol' MP3 player at home today because I don't want it to get ruined. Apparently the M in MP3 stands for "Might not work if you drop it in a puddle." I'll just have to sing! Today it's "Jogging in the Rain", that classic Gene Kelly Romp. Oh wait, that was Singing? That's precisely what the lady I passed at the bus stop was thinking. "You call that singing?" Yes, yes I do.
Not much else to report today, other than the fact that I got soaked. Coming home, I hung my jacket up to dry and changed into my jammy-jams (yes, I still call them jammy-jams) and made myself another coffee. 2 coffees in one day is allowed around these parts. That's just how we roll. Crazy, I know.
In conclusion, to answer a question I posed yesterday, "Yes, you can run with an umbrella, provided you want to look like an idiot, or Mary Poppins." I do not, so I did not, thus the wetness. At least this way I can mask my hyperhidrosis. That's just gross, Nathan.
Anyway, today is just like my last 13K, same route and everything, except for one tiny detail - the weather is not being kind. It's rainy, it's cold, it's gross, and I must be crazy for doing this. Let me check. Yup, crazy!
Starting out was harder than I thought. I looked out the window, I paced nervously, I chewed my nail, I paced around some more, waiting for the sun to come out. My roommate commented that he saw some other people out running this morning, sort of easing my uneasiness about the situation. Easier said than done. I'll have to ease into it, easily. Easy does it.
Donning my new raincoat and splash pants (that's right, I still call them splash pants), I braved the yuck and put one foot in front of the other. Remembering the nice, warm cup of coffee I had this morning helps things along, and before I know it, I'm steadily bouncing along, not even bothered by the rain. Of course, I had to leave the ol' MP3 player at home today because I don't want it to get ruined. Apparently the M in MP3 stands for "Might not work if you drop it in a puddle." I'll just have to sing! Today it's "Jogging in the Rain", that classic Gene Kelly Romp. Oh wait, that was Singing? That's precisely what the lady I passed at the bus stop was thinking. "You call that singing?" Yes, yes I do.
Not much else to report today, other than the fact that I got soaked. Coming home, I hung my jacket up to dry and changed into my jammy-jams (yes, I still call them jammy-jams) and made myself another coffee. 2 coffees in one day is allowed around these parts. That's just how we roll. Crazy, I know.
In conclusion, to answer a question I posed yesterday, "Yes, you can run with an umbrella, provided you want to look like an idiot, or Mary Poppins." I do not, so I did not, thus the wetness. At least this way I can mask my hyperhidrosis. That's just gross, Nathan.
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Wait For It... 5K!
Today I've got a fast 5K on the agenda - since it's raining kittens and dobermans out there, I'll hit the treadmill on campus - if I can get one, that is. Seems like everybody had the same idea today, so it's going to be tough to get on there.
I decided to warm up close to the treadmills so I could pounce like a cat when one opens up. Looks like I'll be waiting a while. I decided to try the Elliptical machine in the meantime. I forgot how weird this machine is... it's almost like running, but not quite. My legs feel a little too confined, like I need to stretch them out more. Still, I got a good sweat going, and after 15 minutes, a treadmill behind me opened up. Yoink!
Since I've already "run" the equivalent of 2 miles on the Elliptical, I'm sufficiently warmed up and ready to bust right into my run. I'll aim for 5K in under 20 minutes, and my aim must be pretty good today, because that's precisely what I did! Here's a tip - always increase the incline a little on a treadmill (2%) to account for things like wind resistance, hills, and of course the fact that the ground doesn't move under you when you're outside - well, it does if you count the Earth turning, but we can't really feel it. We're like the ant that keeps running when you turn your hand over and over. "Wow! This giant flesh-coloured mountain never seems to end!" At least that's what my Ant tells me.
As I approach the 3-mile (5K) mark, I up the incline and the speed. Let's finish the last quarter-mile hard, and so I did! Following that, I did a little cool-down walk, eating up the remainder of my 20-minute time limit. I believe the run itself was 18 minutes, 10 seconds. I finished off my day with 3 sets of chinups, triceps dips and some squats on the ol' Bosu Ball. Just a light weight routine, enough to activate the core, back and legs. Now, get me out of this crazy place! The lunchtime gym rush is about to hit!
Tomorrow = 13K Rain Run. Is running with an umbrella possible?
I decided to warm up close to the treadmills so I could pounce like a cat when one opens up. Looks like I'll be waiting a while. I decided to try the Elliptical machine in the meantime. I forgot how weird this machine is... it's almost like running, but not quite. My legs feel a little too confined, like I need to stretch them out more. Still, I got a good sweat going, and after 15 minutes, a treadmill behind me opened up. Yoink!
Since I've already "run" the equivalent of 2 miles on the Elliptical, I'm sufficiently warmed up and ready to bust right into my run. I'll aim for 5K in under 20 minutes, and my aim must be pretty good today, because that's precisely what I did! Here's a tip - always increase the incline a little on a treadmill (2%) to account for things like wind resistance, hills, and of course the fact that the ground doesn't move under you when you're outside - well, it does if you count the Earth turning, but we can't really feel it. We're like the ant that keeps running when you turn your hand over and over. "Wow! This giant flesh-coloured mountain never seems to end!" At least that's what my Ant tells me.
As I approach the 3-mile (5K) mark, I up the incline and the speed. Let's finish the last quarter-mile hard, and so I did! Following that, I did a little cool-down walk, eating up the remainder of my 20-minute time limit. I believe the run itself was 18 minutes, 10 seconds. I finished off my day with 3 sets of chinups, triceps dips and some squats on the ol' Bosu Ball. Just a light weight routine, enough to activate the core, back and legs. Now, get me out of this crazy place! The lunchtime gym rush is about to hit!
Tomorrow = 13K Rain Run. Is running with an umbrella possible?
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Jan 4th - 13K in the Cold Winter Air
Today is my first long-ish run of the year. 13K doesn't seem long compared to the 42.2 I'll eventually run on race day, but when it's cold outside, the lungs will burn and the muscles will cramp, making it seem harder than on a nice, mild day. As a great man once told me though, what doesn't kill you will only make you stronger. I don't imagine Boston will be tropical in April, so it's all good.
I started out heading West along Hastings Street, rolling along the long hills between Boundary Road and Nanaimo St, hanging a left and working my way up to Broadway. I've brought my portable radio along for the ride today, keeping it tuned to CBC, the only radio station that matters, as far as I'm concerned. Good tunes today.
As I approach Van Tech, the local vocational school, I get a flashback to my own highschool days. I dreaded the idea of running any sort of distance back then, and was around 40 pounds heavier. As another great man once sang, "The times, they are a-changin'". Down another hill and back up I go, catching the smell of stale beer as I pass the bottle depot. Part of my training is to cut out the booze, and running past this place every day will help - who needs booze when you've got running shoes?
Up and at them! As I summit another hill (there are plenty of hills in the Heights), I hang a right and continue East down Broadway. Passing a dim sum restaurant, I catch a whiff of the intoxicatingly delicious aroma coming from within. What is dim-sum anyway? Like adding numbers with the lights off? (ba-dum-chish)
Left on Boundary I go, past the not-so-delicious aroma of fast food, and then a left on East 1st. It's quite a climb up to Renfrew, where I touch my lucky lamp post and pull a Uey. Back down the hill, I let myself go and allow gravity to take over, just like I was told. Left on Boundary, up the hill, and I'm home free! It feels good to be finished, and now a nice thorough stretch and a snack are in order. I'm thinking it's a banana and yogurt kind of moment; a nice reward for a hard 55 minutes' work.
Tomorrow: a fast 5K followed by some weights. Stay tuned!
I started out heading West along Hastings Street, rolling along the long hills between Boundary Road and Nanaimo St, hanging a left and working my way up to Broadway. I've brought my portable radio along for the ride today, keeping it tuned to CBC, the only radio station that matters, as far as I'm concerned. Good tunes today.
As I approach Van Tech, the local vocational school, I get a flashback to my own highschool days. I dreaded the idea of running any sort of distance back then, and was around 40 pounds heavier. As another great man once sang, "The times, they are a-changin'". Down another hill and back up I go, catching the smell of stale beer as I pass the bottle depot. Part of my training is to cut out the booze, and running past this place every day will help - who needs booze when you've got running shoes?
Up and at them! As I summit another hill (there are plenty of hills in the Heights), I hang a right and continue East down Broadway. Passing a dim sum restaurant, I catch a whiff of the intoxicatingly delicious aroma coming from within. What is dim-sum anyway? Like adding numbers with the lights off? (ba-dum-chish)
Left on Boundary I go, past the not-so-delicious aroma of fast food, and then a left on East 1st. It's quite a climb up to Renfrew, where I touch my lucky lamp post and pull a Uey. Back down the hill, I let myself go and allow gravity to take over, just like I was told. Left on Boundary, up the hill, and I'm home free! It feels good to be finished, and now a nice thorough stretch and a snack are in order. I'm thinking it's a banana and yogurt kind of moment; a nice reward for a hard 55 minutes' work.
Tomorrow: a fast 5K followed by some weights. Stay tuned!
Sunday, January 2, 2011
Jan 2nd - 5K plus Gym Rat Session
It was so nice out today, I figured I would go for a 5K run over to my college campus, followed by a light weightlifting routine. After speaking to a UBC track coach, I have come to realize that full-body and leg-specific resistance training should play a considerable part in my training routine if I'm looking to make some gains.
The 5K run went pretty well - I'm not really into timing myself too strictly right now, but I imagine it was around 20-25 minutes, taking crosswalks and traffic lights into account. My legs are a little stiff from the race yesterday, so I started off easy, climbing the Burnaby Heights hills with ease. Closer to my destination, I picked up the pace because Sloan came up on the ol' MP3 player. Yessssss. No point in Sloan down eh? (womp-womp)
Once at the gym, 5K behind me, I did a nice stretch, since my back tightened up when I stopped running. I'll always remember leading the stretches as player/coach of my highschool rugby squad, and going with the ol' "head-to-toe" strategy. First, roll the neck back and forth, then rotate the shoulders, arms and traps, upper, lower back and obliques, then hips, glutes, hamstrings, etc etc winding up with the ankles and feet.
After the warmup/stretch it's right into the weight routine. Here's what I did:
Box Step with Knee Drive: 2-3sets x 15reps (each leg)
(You can do these on a Bosu Ball with the flat side up, or just a bench)
Bench Dips: 2-3sets x 15 reps
(great for the triceps, also good for the core if you keep your legs and back straight)
Dumbbell lunges: 2-3sets x 15reps (each leg)
(Do these in place if the gym is busy, otherwise head out into the hallway)
Oblique crunches: 3sets x 20reps
(There's a machine for this, I believe it's called the Roman Chair)
Squat to shoulder presses: 2-3sets x 15reps
(Grab a barbell with light-ish weight, make sure to keep your back straight, using a weightlifting belt if available)
Push-ups: 2-3 sets x 15 reps
(Lowering slowly, powering up)
One leg squats: 2-3 sets x 15reps (each leg)
(I do these on the Bosu Ball (round side up) to add a little extra ankle and calf workout)
Supermans (Supermen?): 3sets x 20reps
(Lying on your belly, lift your left leg/right arm & vice versa. Deep breaths.)
Cool down: 10 minutes of light jogging/walking on the treadmill followed by plenty of stretching (head-to-toe).
After my workout, I sat down in a common area & relaxed for a bit, just in time to catch the end of the Canada-Switzerland hockey game. Our boys looked okay, beating the Swiss 4-1. Next up, the USA.
I could have jogged home, it was such a nice day, but I decided to take public transit so I could swing by the grocery store. Like Ol' Mother Hubbard, my cupboards were bare. I picked up some veggies, brown rice, chicken breast and hoi sin sauce. You can probably guess where I'm going with this - stir fry heaven!
Tomorrow is a rest day, but that doesn't mean loafing around. I find that 20-30 minutes of light activity like walking or cycling works well on a rest day, so that's exactly what I'll do. Judging by the red sky, it's going to be perfect walking weather tomorrow. I'll leave the rest up to you.
The 5K run went pretty well - I'm not really into timing myself too strictly right now, but I imagine it was around 20-25 minutes, taking crosswalks and traffic lights into account. My legs are a little stiff from the race yesterday, so I started off easy, climbing the Burnaby Heights hills with ease. Closer to my destination, I picked up the pace because Sloan came up on the ol' MP3 player. Yessssss. No point in Sloan down eh? (womp-womp)
Once at the gym, 5K behind me, I did a nice stretch, since my back tightened up when I stopped running. I'll always remember leading the stretches as player/coach of my highschool rugby squad, and going with the ol' "head-to-toe" strategy. First, roll the neck back and forth, then rotate the shoulders, arms and traps, upper, lower back and obliques, then hips, glutes, hamstrings, etc etc winding up with the ankles and feet.
After the warmup/stretch it's right into the weight routine. Here's what I did:
Box Step with Knee Drive: 2-3sets x 15reps (each leg)
(You can do these on a Bosu Ball with the flat side up, or just a bench)
Bench Dips: 2-3sets x 15 reps
(great for the triceps, also good for the core if you keep your legs and back straight)
Dumbbell lunges: 2-3sets x 15reps (each leg)
(Do these in place if the gym is busy, otherwise head out into the hallway)
Oblique crunches: 3sets x 20reps
(There's a machine for this, I believe it's called the Roman Chair)
Squat to shoulder presses: 2-3sets x 15reps
(Grab a barbell with light-ish weight, make sure to keep your back straight, using a weightlifting belt if available)
Push-ups: 2-3 sets x 15 reps
(Lowering slowly, powering up)
One leg squats: 2-3 sets x 15reps (each leg)
(I do these on the Bosu Ball (round side up) to add a little extra ankle and calf workout)
Supermans (Supermen?): 3sets x 20reps
(Lying on your belly, lift your left leg/right arm & vice versa. Deep breaths.)
Cool down: 10 minutes of light jogging/walking on the treadmill followed by plenty of stretching (head-to-toe).
After my workout, I sat down in a common area & relaxed for a bit, just in time to catch the end of the Canada-Switzerland hockey game. Our boys looked okay, beating the Swiss 4-1. Next up, the USA.
I could have jogged home, it was such a nice day, but I decided to take public transit so I could swing by the grocery store. Like Ol' Mother Hubbard, my cupboards were bare. I picked up some veggies, brown rice, chicken breast and hoi sin sauce. You can probably guess where I'm going with this - stir fry heaven!
Tomorrow is a rest day, but that doesn't mean loafing around. I find that 20-30 minutes of light activity like walking or cycling works well on a rest day, so that's exactly what I'll do. Judging by the red sky, it's going to be perfect walking weather tomorrow. I'll leave the rest up to you.
Saturday, January 1, 2011
Kickin' It Into Gear - Resolution Run 5K
It's January 1st, 2011. I officially began my training for the Boston Marathon today. A local running shop hosted a "Fun Run" 5K race along the Stanley Park seawall, just West of Vancouver's downtown core. I went into the race with the mindset that "it's just a training run. I'm not looking to break any records today." There's always a goal though, and 5K in under 20 minutes would be nice.
They did a special New Year's style countdown and we were off to the races! I started off modestly, five positions back from the leader. Keeping him in my sights is important, but I'll let him do his thing in the first Kilometer. I'm keeping a 200M sprint to the finish line in my back pocket.
After about 2K, I gradually passed #5 and #4 and found myself neck and neck with #2, a young runner who I saw warming up with sprints earlier. Not sure about that strategy. I noticed him struggling a bit, probably from breathing the sub-zero air, so I said goodbye and passed him. Now it's just the leader and me, mano a mano.
Unsure of the route, I decided to follow the leader closely and wait to see if he tired out. Not gonna happen. I saw him looking back over his shoulder, about 10 or 20 yards ahead of me. I started to push a little more as we climbed the final hill at Lumberman's Arch, but then back down the other side we went, and #1 stepped on the gas. My 200m sprint has now turned into a 500m, but his lead grew, I couldn't catch him, and alas the better man won. My final time was just under 19:00. That's well off my Personal Best, but it's something I can build on in the coming weeks.
I talked to the winner afterwards, and it turns out he'll be running in Boston too. We'll meet again, Darren. We'll meet again.
I'm kinda glad I didn't win today, actually. It's all motivation to work harder and get faster. Unfortunately I dropped something on my foot the other night and had a big bruise, so I wrapped it in a tensor bandage before the race. This worked, as I didn't feel it at all. After finishing, I sat down on a bench, popped my shoe off and removed the bandage. Enter the paparazzi, and suddenly my nasty foot bruise is getting some media attention. The photos will surface on TMZ soon, I'm sure.
So, a Happy New Year to everyone out there. May your 2011 be happy and healthy. Talk soon. K bye.
They did a special New Year's style countdown and we were off to the races! I started off modestly, five positions back from the leader. Keeping him in my sights is important, but I'll let him do his thing in the first Kilometer. I'm keeping a 200M sprint to the finish line in my back pocket.
After about 2K, I gradually passed #5 and #4 and found myself neck and neck with #2, a young runner who I saw warming up with sprints earlier. Not sure about that strategy. I noticed him struggling a bit, probably from breathing the sub-zero air, so I said goodbye and passed him. Now it's just the leader and me, mano a mano.
Unsure of the route, I decided to follow the leader closely and wait to see if he tired out. Not gonna happen. I saw him looking back over his shoulder, about 10 or 20 yards ahead of me. I started to push a little more as we climbed the final hill at Lumberman's Arch, but then back down the other side we went, and #1 stepped on the gas. My 200m sprint has now turned into a 500m, but his lead grew, I couldn't catch him, and alas the better man won. My final time was just under 19:00. That's well off my Personal Best, but it's something I can build on in the coming weeks.
I talked to the winner afterwards, and it turns out he'll be running in Boston too. We'll meet again, Darren. We'll meet again.
I'm kinda glad I didn't win today, actually. It's all motivation to work harder and get faster. Unfortunately I dropped something on my foot the other night and had a big bruise, so I wrapped it in a tensor bandage before the race. This worked, as I didn't feel it at all. After finishing, I sat down on a bench, popped my shoe off and removed the bandage. Enter the paparazzi, and suddenly my nasty foot bruise is getting some media attention. The photos will surface on TMZ soon, I'm sure.
So, a Happy New Year to everyone out there. May your 2011 be happy and healthy. Talk soon. K bye.
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