Speed work revelation

So for my marathon training program usually once a week I have to do a "pace" run where I run at my planned marathon pace which is 6:04 per mile. About four weeks ago I started the first one with three miles which turned out to be extremely tough having not done any real speedwork in as long as I can remember. I think for Haney to Harrison last November I did some semi-intervals where I ran :05 x 5 at about a 6:30 pace. Here I was having to run 18 minutes straight at 6:04!! Well at the halfway mark where I turn around I literally had to stop for about a minute to catch my breath I felt so bad. That was running around the neighbourhood where it seems pretty flat when driving or riding the bike but there is actually quite a few elevation changes that are gradual - nothing but a few percent of grade but enough that your breathing changes and you can feel your exertion rising. This sucked so bad I wanted to find a dead flat road and maybe that would boost my confidence somewhat.
In the weeks in between I've been doing tempo runs which is helping the speed but mostly these are done on the treadmill because it's easier to control the changes in speed for short durations. I found that along 40th ave between King George and 184th is the flattest road around through farmland. I did two 6 mile pace runs and found them as hard or harder than the ones around the hood with the slight rises and I think I know why: it could be a mental thing that all you see in front of you is straight road and the finish miles in the distance. A lesser reason could be that there's usually a wind blowing some direction because it's very open along there. The biggest reason I now believe is that the elevation changes make different muscles work and I know the roads around the house so well. Having the knowledge of the roads makes it easier when I go up a rise and the pace slows, I know that I will be able to go down the other side and make up the time with less effort and it all evens out. All the corners as well keeps my mind more occupied than a straight flat road. Last Saturday was a 7 mile run that ended with a 6:00 per mile average and I actually felt pretty good about the whole ordeal. I remember years ago doing the longest pace runs, 10 miles, and finishing tired thinking how I was EVER going to do 26.2 miles at that pace. I chalked it up to not being fully rested or tapered because the marathon itself didn't get that hard until about 22 miles. Anyways, bottom line is that a rolling course seems to work better for me all around and besides, the marathon course ain't all that flat and the changes in elevation do me good.

Another ECG

And although I told them of my last one where my heart rate was 36, this time it was 39 (must be getting old) and they still had to fax it to the cardiologist to make sure I wasn't going to drop dead on the spot.

TdMB update

I think last year the Tour de Mont Blanc did not sell out so everyone who entered was in. This year, however, they were over-enrolled by 150% meaning there was to be a lottery to determine the entrants. Fortunately I was chosen to participate. Even more fortunately my friend Ian Mayhew, British ultra legend, had his name drawn as well so I'll have someone to chase through three countries. Also, Jenn Dick, team member from the World 100k events, has entered the CCC [Courmayeur-Champex-Chamonix] event of 98km so it will be a nice reunion of sorts. Disappointed somewhat I won't be at Ironman which is on the same weekend but that's the way it goes. That pretty much rounds out my schedule for the year. Not feeling overly confident I'll hit my marathon goal still but at the very least it will make me somewhat faster for the last 10km of Chuckanut and give me some strength for the end of Comrades. The only race I'm not sure about is Stormy. I've wanted to do either the 50 or 100mile for years now but it seems there's always been an event or circumstance that disrupts me from doing it. It might be a little much to do a 50 mile trail event three weeks before a 100 mile run but if I do decide to include it, it will be a very slow training run. Honest.

The Totals

762.2 kms of racing this year (although some are 'training' races)

Where ya been?

Sorry to all my many dedicated readers, I have been absent for a couple weeks but not without good reason - okay, being lazy isn't exactly a 'good' reason but it's all I got right now. Plus I've been waiting for some news from the Comrades Marathon people. Read on:

Dear Mr Bentley,

Your application to run Comrades 2010 has been accepted due to your circumstances. Payment will be taken soon and your entry will be captured.


Kind regards,


Steven Johnston
Comrades Marathon Association

Nice.

Status	RaceNo	First Name	Last Name	Gender	DOB	Club	Seeding
	58807	Darin	Bentley	Male	14/08/1970	Canada	A

I sent a letter of appeal with my entry (as per Mr. Johnston's request) detailing what I've gone through so far to try and enter the race. I won't bore you with the details, suffice to say it was a bit of an email battle to get in but it paid off!! The website is Comrades Marathon. There's also the Wikipedia entry which covers some of the history and has the winning times for every race since its inception in 1921. An article from Runners World is a good account of one of their writers who did an 'up' year. This year is a 'down' year from Pietermaritzburg to Durban.
Crap I guess I gotta get off the couch pretty soon.

Not All Roads are Created Equal

As I've been hitting the streets without shoes the last few months I've come to the realisation of some things:

1) Not all asphalt is created equal - some is smooth and great to run on, and other times it's almost an aggregate with a rougher surface that is not so great to run on

2) Cement is a no-no whether clad in shoes (due to the hardness) or barefoot (due to the
coarseness)

3) The white lines on the shoulder are the best road surface to run on - they're smooth and cool and feel good on the feet

4) People still look at me like I'm nuts

The run a couple days ago was a total of 18 miles with the last :20 done barefoot. I really have to figure out a place to ditch the shoes and continue running, maybe going back later and picking them up. It's easier to concentrate on what I'm running around and over without the extra weight in my hands. I picked it up at the end and did some short sprints. For months I was experiencing calf tightness after around twenty minutes but wrote it off to not doing it enough. Then I started experimenting a little more with different styles throughout the run. I was always concerned with never landing anywhere on my heel and all on the ball of the foot and still had the tightness and my calves were very sore the next day (like post-marathon sore). What seems to work better is relaxing the foot and letting it land more forefoot and feel the heel but not until the end. I'm still not landing on the heel but it's doing more work. That seems to be better without the lingering soreness for a day or two.

Sign up begins

This Ultrarunning thing is getting more popular every year so I've hit the Visa hard lately and dropped cash on some events. I had to sign up for the Vancouver Marathon a few days ago to avoid paying even more in a few months time. Also there's the ever-present threat about "signing up early to get a guaranteed shirt size". I figure by doing the marathon my speed should be up and if I can wrangle a spot at Comrades I'll be flying (it's four weeks after Vancouver). The goal at the marathon is to bring my personal best down five minutes to sub-2:40. I'm still thinking of the Historic Half in Ft. Langley in February but am finding it hard to part with $68 for a godd*mn half marathon. I might do something that race but my placing may not be official, if you know what I mean (rhymes with "bandit").

I committed to the Fat Dog 100 mile in July. If that doesn't get me out the door, nothing will. The preliminary schedule looks like this:

Feb - Historic Half (?)

Mar - Dirty Duo 25k

- Chuckanut 50k

Apr - Diez Vista 50k(if I get the entry in on time)

May - Vancouver Marathon

-Comrades Marathon 89k, South Africa (hopefully get an application accepted in early Jan, will post when I know, if I don't get in, see below)

June - Australian 100k Championships (if Comrades falls through)

July - Fat Dog 100 mile, Keremeos to Manning Park

Aug - Stormy 50 mile, Squamish

- Tour de Mont Blanc 166k, France

Sep - Spartathlon (ha! just kidding. Not in 2010 anyways)

Nov - 100k World Championships, Gibralter

Pretty big mix of road and trail but might as well be decent at all distances rather than excel at any one distance.