Marathon Training...Mountain Running...

A little late but it seems that this past week was just a blur and I am just getting to put thoughts to paper...so to speak on another hard week of training.  I feel that I am truly starting to push my limits and getting stronger for it.

Saturday August 27th marked the efforts of our group (Greg, Walter, Chris, Antonio, Ken, Dean and myself), as we started out on the second half of the Kneeknacker (http://www.kneeknacker.com/race-info-course/).  The full course is a 30 mile race that stretches from Horseshoe Bay to Deep Cove, Climbing 8,000 feet and descending another 8,300 feet, following the Baden-Powell Centennial Trail up and over several mountains that grace the north shore of Vancouver.

The first half was accomplished back on July 30th and was my first real run on Mountain trails.  We started out at Horseshoe bay and finished at Cleveland Dam at the foot of Grouse Mountain (15 miles).

 

It is not every day that you can experience the agony of mountain climbing, the thrill of running through wilderness trails, pause and witness the awe and beauty of nature as you stand some 4,000 feet above the world and take in all the sights to behold.

 The second 15 miles was just as exhilarating, inspiring and really put into perspective our place on the Earth.  With a few stops along the way to discuss how we were all doing, take in food and water, clean up some cuts and scrapes from some tumbles and gather the group in; (we tended to spread out along the trail as the technical difficulty of it would dictate who could lead and who would follow), we made it to Deep Cove in just under 4 hours.  Amazing run!

With other engagements calling, some had to depart while the rest of us joined by some other family members embarked on the Grouse Grind (2 km hike straight up) and stretching the limits of our abilities even further considering the run we had just completed.  Another round of training in the books and some good fun with friends too!

If asked 3 1/2 years ago, I would never have imagined that I would be doing something like this.  I think that we are all so much more capable than we know, than we give ourselves credit for.  Find passion in whatever you do...in your family, your children, your spouse.  Find passion in what interests you and just go for it!  Pour in your soul and give it everything you have in those moments.  You will never ever regret a single day!

Both of these runs, really added some good mileage for the marathon but even more so, it was the time spent on the legs.  Getting used to the time is critical.  The speed will be there, the breathing and conditioning will be fine...endurance in all of this is key.  The week prior set a new personal best in distance trained, topping out at over 90 km for the week.  This week saw another 60 km travelled.  5 weeks to the Victoria Marathon and I think that I am right on track.  Today, Sunday Sept 4th would normally be a long run day but I figure a days rest is in order and the long run will happen tomorrow.  Let's see what 31 km will do to me then.

Until tomorrow...I can't wait!

Sunday Long Run - Breaking Down Barriers

Well it came and went and thank you for last Monday's recovery day.  As mentioned, Sunday capped off a hard week of training only really to be paused for a moment before this week took over.  It was a welcomed relief that Monday brought a day of no running.  Although no matter how tired, how sore or fatigued you feel; even on a recovery day it seems as though you should be out there running. 

Dean and I ran a good 33 km on Sunday that had its' share of hills, road and trail.  I felt pretty strong as we trotted along at a decent pace.  I have been struggling this year with the Psychological aspect of running.  Trying to break down the negative thoughts that want me to stop when I feel tired or a little uncomfortable.  Even a couple weeks ago nearing the end of another long run, I stopped short of 34 km and walked a bit before picking it up again and finishing off the run 2 km later.  I let my mind get the better of me.  This week I could feel those same thoughts coming which really gave me an odd feeling.  I can vividly recall thinking to myself at around 27 km "I feel great, strong, this is easy" and no sooner had those thoughts gone through my mind, I questioned their validity!  Why did I want to defeat myself?  How could I come up with two opposing ideas on how I felt in almost the same instant?  Confidence maybe?...Maybe! 

At this moment, I decided to break down the wall that was really keeping me from succeeding this year and continued on in despite of those demons.  The power of positive thought should never be underestimated.  We are all truly capable of way more than we know and should trust ourselves to break down those barriers even if we are wondering or questioning at that same instant, our ability to do so!  The answer is yes.  Yes we can.

I finished the run strong, and was looking forward to another hard week of training.

In The Beginning

Well maybe not the beginning...I will save that recap for another day, but thought I would describe where we are right now. 

Another day of training has gone by as I, along with Dean set our sights on the Victoria Marathon in October.  We are nearing the end of the Aerobic Capacity phase of our training and though this week was supposed to be one of recovery it has been anything but.  Thanks to 4 days vacation last week at the trailer, smores, hot dogs and the ever popular buffet restaurant, Four Seasons I found myself a victim to temptation. It was well worth the distraction though, we had a great time playing in the pool, lying in the sun and visiting the scenic Fairhaven, WA!  Fairhaven Village Fish'n Chips...awesome!  And can you believe 50 flavours of soft serve ice cream!!

  Knowing that you really can never make up the lost kilometres, I decided to make this a bit more of a hard week than was scheduled after missing out on a combined 4 hours of running.  I feel so guilty, no really I do...it's a sickness I know!

Running since Tuesday, I have accumulated 53 km.  With our Sunday long run tomorrow of 34 km, it will push the total to 87 km.  This is certainly something that we are used to, so there is not much concern about fatigue or injury at this point.  We'll see what happens next week as sticking to the schedule means another very hard week leading up to more specific marathon training.  With 7 weeks to the Marathon, it's crunch time.  No more giving in to temptation!  Well maybe a little...

What do I have to say?

Well, this is my first attempt to run into the world of blogging.  What makes me think that I have anything to say or that anyone will care?  I guess that I will find out.  I have many thoughts while running, reasons why I run and feelings that overcome me.  Maybe this is not so profound and in a world of so much information I can only hope to share in my experiences, to enlighten and inspire others to get up and get out into the world.  Find your passion and live healthy!