Gentlemen, please try always to remember: the track is a tempestuous mistress. Some might go further and dub her a saucy minx; she will pluck at your heart(ham)strings and drive you to despair, yet under the spell of a euphoric daze she will entice you with riches of gold and record-boards.
Such has been my plight over the past week. I had been easing myself back into more serious track workouts in an attempt to prepare for OUAs when my hamstring seemed to be acting up again. Frustrated, I began considering the prospect of canning the season in order to let the hamstrings completely rest so as not to jeopardize my summer season. With only a week before OUAs and 3 before CIS, I figured that it might be better to cut my losses now than try to limp on for the rest of the season and watch despairingly as races slip from my grasp. My coaches and advisers, urged against rash decisions and advocated a return to the basics: simplicity in training and racing. I heeded their words, yet opted to abstain from the weekend's track meet at McGill in order to preserve myself for OUA's the next weekend. A chance email informed me that I had no choice but to race at McGill, as I needed to have run twice during the season to compete in the championship events.
And so with slight foreboding I went to McGill and raced a 1000m. And won in 2:27.4. Without any inkling of hamstring trouble. In fact, it felt better after the race than it did beforehand.
Now I struggle to decide which races to run at OUAs. The 1500 is a given, but which of the 1000m or 4x800m do I compete in? Is it greedy of me to want to race them all, given that I was considering staying home as of 5 days ago? Alas, how the fickle heart can be swayed.
Regardless, for all of my rather melodramatic prose, I am glad to be back running and racing. I can still feel something in my hamstring, but it doesn't seem to limit my running. Any workouts that I am doing now take place on hills, in order to ensure proper muscle recruitment and running form, and I am maintaining my glute and core strengthening exercises.
When I toe the line at OUA's it will be a stress-free and enjoyable experience: I cannot change what has happened in the last few weeks, whether my hamstring injury was a figment of my fevered imagination I will never know, but I come to race. I come to race.
Be Easy.
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Friday, February 11, 2011
I guess someone has to carry the flag!
In other news, my sister Steph just broke 10mins in the 3000m down in Boston. She ran 9:58.58, which is not only a new indoor pb (personal best), but equals her outdoor pb too, which is often difficult to do as the tighter turns on the indoor track slow things down. Not to mention the fact that she won her heat by a whopping 11 seconds, pretty much running the whole race alone.
Look out for more from this girl in the weeks to come!
Be Easy.
Look out for more from this girl in the weeks to come!
Be Easy.
Fartleking around
Well this has been an interesting and frustrating last week and a half. Lets start where I left off last time....I was a day out from a workout with the sprint team, to work on my "git down" speed. The practice went well, I worked on my form when running fast - we did some starts (Sprinters 1: Matt 0), then we ran a 350m which I approached rather tentatively and only ran a 44.9 (Sprinters 2: Matt 0) and then we finished with 3 x 200m about 25-26sec (Sprinters 2: Matt 3)...I just needed to tire them out a little bit first! My hamstring were good...at the time, for the next day I woke up with a localized pain in my left hamstring - a sure sign of a strain. Foolishly, I jogged 6 miles on it thinking I could run through it. Didn't help.
I took the next day off and then hit the bike and the pool for the next 3 days. In that time I tried to figure out what the cause of these recurring hamstring strains is and sought help to correct them. It seems to be a combination of overstriding when going fast and mis-firing glute muscles which causes added strain on the hamstring.
So, following a visit to a trainer for some strengthening exercises, some research by myself and Kev, and a trip to a masseur, I am now back running. I have just been fartleking and steady running this past week in order to reintroduce my legs to running with a little speed work thrown is as I feel. (Fartlek is a swedish term for "speedplay"). I was supposed to run York last weekend, and then Boston this weekend, but pulled out of both in order to let the h-strings recover as best as possible.
As we look ahead, I will ease into more strenuous, faster workouts and will race the 1000m at McGill next weekend. I just need to get a race in so I can run the 1000m at OUAs as the beginning of my championship push on the following weekend. In a scenario reminiscent of cross-country CIS last fall, I hope to build up from injury to peak at just the right time. I won't be pleased with a 13th place finish this time though!
Be champions.
I took the next day off and then hit the bike and the pool for the next 3 days. In that time I tried to figure out what the cause of these recurring hamstring strains is and sought help to correct them. It seems to be a combination of overstriding when going fast and mis-firing glute muscles which causes added strain on the hamstring.
So, following a visit to a trainer for some strengthening exercises, some research by myself and Kev, and a trip to a masseur, I am now back running. I have just been fartleking and steady running this past week in order to reintroduce my legs to running with a little speed work thrown is as I feel. (Fartlek is a swedish term for "speedplay"). I was supposed to run York last weekend, and then Boston this weekend, but pulled out of both in order to let the h-strings recover as best as possible.
As we look ahead, I will ease into more strenuous, faster workouts and will race the 1000m at McGill next weekend. I just need to get a race in so I can run the 1000m at OUAs as the beginning of my championship push on the following weekend. In a scenario reminiscent of cross-country CIS last fall, I hope to build up from injury to peak at just the right time. I won't be pleased with a 13th place finish this time though!
Be champions.
Sunday, January 30, 2011
A week in review
There are two things I love: a full stomach and a full night's sleep. So you know things are getting serious when forgo either of the two for any cause. Hence, 3 early morning and pre-breakfast runs (back to back no less) this week, is a rather significant occurrence.
Indeed, this has been a pretty solid week of training for me so far. With the luxury of not racing this weekend, Kev and I have been able to schedule some quality workouts that target every aspect of my fitness: endurance, power, strength, and speed, without having to worry too much about tiring me out. I'd done a 4mile tempo, hill repeats, 1km repeats, a med-ball workout, and a couple of steady runs in between. Still to come is an interval session tonight and then a training session with the Queen's sprint team on Tuesday. It's all part of a training block which will end with a mile attempt in Boston in 2 weeks time. I'll also have a 1000m race in York next weekend, although I (hopefully) won't be trying to kill myself to run a good time there: it will be an extension of my training, just another good workout.
So that's been my week; the consistency of the morning runs is something that I'm going to try to be consistent with. It will help add a little mileage and I can also throw in other workouts there too: plyometrics, weights, and medicine ball exercises, that will supplement my running.
It is tiring though - I often need a nap later in the day and also have to eat more. I feel like I am becoming rather mechanized: sleeping, eating and running at certain times and in specific amounts. I presume that I am looking at what it is like to live "like a clock", something I referred to in post in the XC season. I never quite achieved it then, but I think I just might be on the verge of it now. I feel healthy and am pleased with how my hamstrings are doing (knock on wood) so we'll see how this goes!
Be champions.
Indeed, this has been a pretty solid week of training for me so far. With the luxury of not racing this weekend, Kev and I have been able to schedule some quality workouts that target every aspect of my fitness: endurance, power, strength, and speed, without having to worry too much about tiring me out. I'd done a 4mile tempo, hill repeats, 1km repeats, a med-ball workout, and a couple of steady runs in between. Still to come is an interval session tonight and then a training session with the Queen's sprint team on Tuesday. It's all part of a training block which will end with a mile attempt in Boston in 2 weeks time. I'll also have a 1000m race in York next weekend, although I (hopefully) won't be trying to kill myself to run a good time there: it will be an extension of my training, just another good workout.
So that's been my week; the consistency of the morning runs is something that I'm going to try to be consistent with. It will help add a little mileage and I can also throw in other workouts there too: plyometrics, weights, and medicine ball exercises, that will supplement my running.
It is tiring though - I often need a nap later in the day and also have to eat more. I feel like I am becoming rather mechanized: sleeping, eating and running at certain times and in specific amounts. I presume that I am looking at what it is like to live "like a clock", something I referred to in post in the XC season. I never quite achieved it then, but I think I just might be on the verge of it now. I feel healthy and am pleased with how my hamstrings are doing (knock on wood) so we'll see how this goes!
Be champions.
Monday, January 24, 2011
Okay, I can't figure out how to get the race video on my blog and I am getting tres fatigue. Here is the link for meow. I'll post the video soon. I believe you have to scroll to 1:09.
http://video.discovervideo.com/vp/playindex.asp?id=026E3BAE-B119-4592-9F78-8A1550687569
http://video.discovervideo.com/vp/playindex.asp?id=026E3BAE-B119-4592-9F78-8A1550687569
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Season opener: 3:48.45
New York City baby - the city that never sleeps. And it's absolutely true! Flip that city is wild. I hadn't been there for a few years, and I'd forgotten what it was like. Sensory overload in every way!
First: the saga that was the journey from Ktown to NYC. My intrepid mother and I hit the road about 2:30pm on Friday afternoon, anticipating an ETA of about 9:30pm. Kevin left about an hour later in his own car. We had smooth passage through the border and were rocking out to Queen when a blizzard hit us - whiteout conditions! Not phased, my mother pressed on with caution and rightly so: we passed vehicles in the ditch and interestingly enough, a truck with its trailer on fire. However, once through Syracuse the weather cleared and roads were in much better condition so we continued on through Binghampton, Scranton, and then into Newark. There the fun continued as we searched for the elusive Lincoln Bridge to Manhattan Island. The search was not for the faint of heart and we required the (ultimately useless) advice of several of the local peoples. Understanding their strange dialects was trying, but we tried our best with those backwards settlers and eventually figured out how to get to our destination. Our time of arrival: 11:00pm. Kevin's time of arrival: 10:55pm. We met up with my dad (who was conveniently down working in NYC for the week) and headed to the bar for a stiff drink of rum and coke (hold the rum and coke and mix the ice with water), then, to bed.
Race Day: I arose about 8:30ish and headed down for breakie. The price of $28 for the continental was a bit steep but I took a big gulp of air which held me over until I got back to my room to utilize my emergency travel stash. I then went for a little shakeout in Central Park and topped up my confidence by blasting past a trail of middle aged folk straggling through the last few miles in of a half marathon race. Stretching, some more food, and a little television took me to 11:30 when I went over to the track with Kev and the some of Guelph team who were down there also.
The Armory: a madhouse. The New Balance Games is a highschool meet with approximately 2500 of the little whippersnappers milling around. I was taken to the elite athlete area to relax, but I really didn't have much time. Movement prep, warmup and a couple strides and before I knew it was 1:40 and I was toeing the line. The 200m track was slick: raised off the ground and banked at each end. No idea who most of the chaps are beside me but BANG: we're off! Watching the video (in the Videos section of my blog) will give you a better sense of the race, so I'll just give you a brief outline. The rabbit went out in 58-59ish and then 1:58-59ish but in the charged atmosphere we seemed to be absolutely flying around each bend. There was no time to settle but I think I made the right moves to get into 3rd by 400m. However, that's where this old boy started to fall apart. The race left me and I struggled home for 5th in 3:48.45. A great time, especially for an opener and considering my recent lack of continuity in training, but not how I generally like to finish my races. However, Kev was pleased: another manifestation of good coaching to open up what will be an exciting year!
A cooldown and chat with a good friend of mine Travis, who I met in Australia and lives in NYC, as we watched the elite men's and women's miles. Both excellent spectacles with Taylor Milne of Guelph grabbing second in 3:58.1.
Post race - dinner and a show with my parents was in order for the evening. We went to see an excellent production of Mama Mia, which really allowed me to let loose my vocal cords on the unsuspecting Yanks. Then a couple beers at a local watering hole, then off to bed. The next morning we headed to church at St Peter's cathedral on 5th Ave before breakfasting at a Seinfield-esque diner and then heading home. We left my dad in NYC as he had to stay for another few days, but ma mere et moi had no troubles on the way home. It was -32 C when we arrived home, and the house was an ice box, but what better a way to cool off following a rollicking weekend?
Be Easy.
First: the saga that was the journey from Ktown to NYC. My intrepid mother and I hit the road about 2:30pm on Friday afternoon, anticipating an ETA of about 9:30pm. Kevin left about an hour later in his own car. We had smooth passage through the border and were rocking out to Queen when a blizzard hit us - whiteout conditions! Not phased, my mother pressed on with caution and rightly so: we passed vehicles in the ditch and interestingly enough, a truck with its trailer on fire. However, once through Syracuse the weather cleared and roads were in much better condition so we continued on through Binghampton, Scranton, and then into Newark. There the fun continued as we searched for the elusive Lincoln Bridge to Manhattan Island. The search was not for the faint of heart and we required the (ultimately useless) advice of several of the local peoples. Understanding their strange dialects was trying, but we tried our best with those backwards settlers and eventually figured out how to get to our destination. Our time of arrival: 11:00pm. Kevin's time of arrival: 10:55pm. We met up with my dad (who was conveniently down working in NYC for the week) and headed to the bar for a stiff drink of rum and coke (hold the rum and coke and mix the ice with water), then, to bed.
Race Day: I arose about 8:30ish and headed down for breakie. The price of $28 for the continental was a bit steep but I took a big gulp of air which held me over until I got back to my room to utilize my emergency travel stash. I then went for a little shakeout in Central Park and topped up my confidence by blasting past a trail of middle aged folk straggling through the last few miles in of a half marathon race. Stretching, some more food, and a little television took me to 11:30 when I went over to the track with Kev and the some of Guelph team who were down there also.
The Armory: a madhouse. The New Balance Games is a highschool meet with approximately 2500 of the little whippersnappers milling around. I was taken to the elite athlete area to relax, but I really didn't have much time. Movement prep, warmup and a couple strides and before I knew it was 1:40 and I was toeing the line. The 200m track was slick: raised off the ground and banked at each end. No idea who most of the chaps are beside me but BANG: we're off! Watching the video (in the Videos section of my blog) will give you a better sense of the race, so I'll just give you a brief outline. The rabbit went out in 58-59ish and then 1:58-59ish but in the charged atmosphere we seemed to be absolutely flying around each bend. There was no time to settle but I think I made the right moves to get into 3rd by 400m. However, that's where this old boy started to fall apart. The race left me and I struggled home for 5th in 3:48.45. A great time, especially for an opener and considering my recent lack of continuity in training, but not how I generally like to finish my races. However, Kev was pleased: another manifestation of good coaching to open up what will be an exciting year!
A cooldown and chat with a good friend of mine Travis, who I met in Australia and lives in NYC, as we watched the elite men's and women's miles. Both excellent spectacles with Taylor Milne of Guelph grabbing second in 3:58.1.
Post race - dinner and a show with my parents was in order for the evening. We went to see an excellent production of Mama Mia, which really allowed me to let loose my vocal cords on the unsuspecting Yanks. Then a couple beers at a local watering hole, then off to bed. The next morning we headed to church at St Peter's cathedral on 5th Ave before breakfasting at a Seinfield-esque diner and then heading home. We left my dad in NYC as he had to stay for another few days, but ma mere et moi had no troubles on the way home. It was -32 C when we arrived home, and the house was an ice box, but what better a way to cool off following a rollicking weekend?
Be Easy.
Friday, January 21, 2011
Big Apple Bound!
Off to NYC in about 20mins! We're staying right downtown New York, only a few blocks from Central Park, so hopefully I don't get mugged when I'm on my morning shakeout tomorrow! I race at 2:45 (I believe) and then we're staying that evening for a night on the town. My parents are coming down, as is Kevin.....it's going to be just wild.
As to how I'm feeling....well my hamstrings kept acting up this past week. First my right, now my left, so hopefully they both cooperate tomorrow. All I need is 3:45 (hopefully less than) of good behaviour from them! Otherwise I'm feeling good: I did 5 miles easy on the t-mill this morning. No nerves yet, but I'm sure they will come. Right now I just need to recall the pain that I will be facing in that last 500m, and remind myself that it will be nothing new, nothing to trouble myself over. I have touched into that threshold during training in the past few weeks, but its always a little different in a race. Am I ready for it?
In any case, its just a race, with some familiar faces and some strange ones, but racing is what love to do.....flip bru I'm excited!
Be Easy.
As to how I'm feeling....well my hamstrings kept acting up this past week. First my right, now my left, so hopefully they both cooperate tomorrow. All I need is 3:45 (hopefully less than) of good behaviour from them! Otherwise I'm feeling good: I did 5 miles easy on the t-mill this morning. No nerves yet, but I'm sure they will come. Right now I just need to recall the pain that I will be facing in that last 500m, and remind myself that it will be nothing new, nothing to trouble myself over. I have touched into that threshold during training in the past few weeks, but its always a little different in a race. Am I ready for it?
In any case, its just a race, with some familiar faces and some strange ones, but racing is what love to do.....flip bru I'm excited!
Be Easy.
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