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Showing posts from July, 2009

Friday and 30 km to go before Monday

I really have to start cranking out some serious mileage this weekend to make my goals. I am only at 27 km currently and want to end up with 55. The last two runs have felt bad but my times indicate I am still improving so I will just keep cranking out the distance. I have a long run tonight and most likely a couple of runs on Saturday followed up by 10km on Sunday so that should keep me fairly busy this weekend. It has been HOT!!! With the humidex it has been nearing 40 degrees. I have decided to run in the evenings as a result. I love it though and I am starting to feel myself settle into the running routine with only one day off this week I am beginning to realize what the next year is going to feel like.

Fad diets and killer six pack gimmicks

As I browse the net perhaps one of the number one adds on the sides of various sites is the scheme to learn the secret to get an incredible six pack in weeks. Or the secret to loose 25 lbs of fat with little or no work. These adds always show some sort of grotesque before shot (you know the one with white blubber rolls and cellulite) and then a comparison photo that we are meant to believe is the same person with a tight body and bronzed skin, just weeks after following these three easy steps or this one simple rule was obeyed. I am amazed that people buy into this. I find this very troubling. First it is scary how many people are suffering from obesity. America leads the charge followed by Canada and England right behind. I feel that part of the problem can be traced back to school lunch. I can't tell you how many hot ham and cheese I dipped into a gallon of frysauce at school lunch. Or how many lunch lady butter fingers I downed. I must have devoured hundreds of pound...

Monday July 27 training, and a 5000 meter event approaching

Well today was too hot. It was high 20's (80's) and the humidity was through the roof. This morning my legs were absolutely knackered so I decided to push my run into the evening. I ran at 8:00 PM and it was still unbearably hot and humid. Within the first quarter lap of my 5 km loop I knew that one lap was all my legs had in them tonight. So I decided to push the cadence a bit and shoot for a pace below 8 mins a mile. It wasn't bad at all and I was able to finish the lap and I think I should be fresh enough to get 10 km in the morning. I still have this cough lingering on and on but it has improved a bit. I did the full loop in 22:31 which isn't bad for this early in the first ramp of my high mileage increase, and considering I ran nearly 30 Km over the weekend. I am entered to run a 5000 meter open invitational track meet in just over two weeks. This may not be the best idea considering that will be right at the tail end of my first 3-4 week ramp. I am real...

Training week 1 in review July 20 - 26th

Well I completed week 1 of my 58 week training schedule today. This was plain and simply a painful week. My whole goal was to get 50 Km under my belt at a very slow pace, and that is exactly what I accomplished. What made this painful was the fact that the end of June and most of July were devoid of any physical activity. During this period of time I ate unhealthy and came down with a terrible cough. So this entire week was ran while I was sick. It definitely had a negative effect on my week but because I am not too concerned about anything but distance at this point in my training schedule it wasn't a big deal. Highlights Some highlights included consistent improvements in my split times each day. This is the great part about the early stages of training is that improvement comes easily. Later on small improvements are hard won. I improved my diet, and switched closer to my 90% veg diet again. Last night's 15Km run in the rain was definitely a highlight. The entire sky was a...

I am officially training for my first 100 miler!

I am starting my first leg of the training for my 100 mile race. I now have a good base down from the last year of running, and I now know I can handle the training distances, so now begins my journey to conquer a difficult ultra-distance trail race for 2010. My hopes are for the Wasatch 100 miler, but I will need to register soon and make it through the entry process. Some other options are the Stormy 100 near Squamish , BC, and the Cascade Crest in Washington. I have been fighting a nasty cough for two weeks and I finally decided that I needed to start running regardless of this cough. I definitely feel the effects that my health and our vacation and all the crappy food I ate has had on my performance . Just a month ago I was cranking out my fastest half marathon ever, now today I struggled to nail my 10 Km in a reasonable time. I have a strategy for how I will tackle my training. My first main objective is to obtain a consistent and high mileage base. Some time in Novemb...