The end of May is nigh and I am yet to race, and as many of my competitors have been in the thick of it already, some of you may be wondering when I will throw myself into the spike-shod mondo battle that we call middle distance racing. Verily I tell you, that day is near. Saturday, May 28th to be precise in which day I plan to race at the Speed River Inferno in Geulph. There is a 2km on offer, in which a Canadian record of 5:02 is looking to be broken, as well as a 1500m which is sure to be quite competitive also. Given the fact that this will be my first race in over 2 months, I'll probably jump into the 1500, with the hopes of running a solid, yet relaxed, rust-buster and try to blow out the cobwebs.
Following Guelph, I'm planning to head down to Indianapolis for a couple 1500m's at the American Miler's Club Series. I know some guys who have done it before and the races are supposed to be set up to qualify people for US Nationals (3:41ish) which should be a perfect pace for me to hang on to.
Then on to our own Nationals, in Calgary on June 22-25th. It's over a month earlier than last year in order to to get people accustomed to the schedule for next year, when Nationals will be the Olympic Trials. These will be held at the same time as this year and have to be that early so as to give qualifying athletes time to re-cycle before the Olympics in August.
After Nationals, I will stay out West and travel to Edmonton, Vancouver, and Victoria for races on June 29, July 1, and July 3, respectively. These are the first 3 stops in the inaugural Canadian National Track League, which also includes meets in Halifax (July 10) and Toronto (July 13). Exact travel details to be announced later, but friends and family in these cities, be forewarned - there might be a homeless, starving athlete looking for a place to stay for a night or two!
When I return from the West, I'll probably skip Halifax, but will hit up the meet in Toronto as it sounds like it might be shaping up to go super fast.
And then, just when it sounds like I might have done enough for season, we're planning the most audacious part of the summer....a racing tour of Europe. Plans are still in the works, but we may hit up the UK for the British Milers Club meets, as well as Belgium and Spain. This will be a big jump from last year, and fingers crossed that the Diamond League meets have a spot on the line reserved for me!
So, that's the plan for now....more details to follow as I figure them out!
Here's to a good one!
Be Easy.
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Sunday, May 15, 2011
I want to ride my bicycle, I want to ride my bike....
When Queen sang about riding his bicycle, all that seemed to be necessary for a good time was a bell and some fat bottom girls. Well, Mr Freddie Murcury, my recent Tour de Farce will beg to differ.
Stage 1: My achilles has been pretty tight over the past few days so on Friday I decided to cross-train and cycle out to Lemoine's Point and back. It's about half and hour each way, so you will appreciate that at approximately 27 minutes into the ride, when I'm about as far from my house as I'll get, lo and behold, I blow out my back tire. I'm also at the furthest point away from my cell phone and a tire repair kit. However, I am fairly close to my Mum's high school, where she teaches, at at the time was about 2:10pm, I decided to run there and get her to drive me and my bike home when school ends at 2:35. Simple. With that plan in mind I lock my bike to a fence and run the 5ish k to the school. I reach the edge of the school grounds at 2:32 and realize that I'm about to hit rush hour when the the school hallways will be packed with kids as they leave class. Me, dressed in black spandex shorts and a rather sweaty t-shirt (it was a blazing hot day), would look decidedly out of place. I enter the school, and yes, it's packed. Brilliant. Acting like I own the place and have important business there, I make a beeline to my Mum's office. She's away at a meeting and has a soccer practice to coach after class anyway. Fortunately, another teacher who I know is about to leave and she offers me a lift home. I'm out of there.
Stage 2: The next morning I did 3 miles easy on the track and then hit the gym with Kev. In the afternoon I did a steady half hour again on the track with James. The achilles was alright...still a little tight though.
Stage 3: I did about 4 miles on the track with some strides and the achilles felt better, but still a little tight. I decided to hit the bike again that afternoon for a solid workout and give my achilles a proper rest at the same time. Unfortunately, mid-afternoon, I was overcome my fatigue and took a nap. A wonderful nap, but I slept past 4pm- the time at which the Queen's Athletic and Rec Centre (ARC) closes. Ok...now I guess I'll have to fix my bike tire. But I haven't the right tools (I broke the wrench in the bike kit the last time I tried to fix a tire). And neither do my housemates or friends. Dad's toolbox in the basement? Nothing there of use. Random drawer in the house after a long search? Bingo! Found an adjustable wrench.
I remove the tire and patch it....but then realize that by the time the patch sets properly and I get the inner tube back on and the wheel mounted, it will be dark. So I ask to borrow my housemates bicycle.
Stage 4: My housemate, Theresa, kindly lent me her bicycle, however our 6 inch height differential meant I had to raise the seat. Not usually an issue except that the seat was locked to the bike frame to prevent people from stealing it. The lock consists of a metal fibre joined in a loop by a vice-type mechanism that is secured with couple of nuts and bolts. I reach for the wrench set (that my friend Clay brought around to my house - belatedly for removing my tire, but in time for this job) and opened it upside down....spilling the contents on the floor. I find the right sized wrench head and remove the lock....and then spend 10mins putting all the pieces back into the correct holes.
Stage 5: Finally out the door and into the wind and rain, at which point I realize that this bicycle it what I would refer to as a "picnic bicycle". That is to say: I'm sure that a young girl in a summer dress and a flower in her hair would love to ride this bicycle to a park to meet friends for an afternoon picnic. There is nothing wrong with that, but it doesn't quite fit the bill for an elite miler in progress looking for some good cardio by hammering out an hour on the road. I'm not too sure how to describe it but the handle bars were funky, the wheels and frame bulky and heavy, the seat in a strange position, and, in an ironic twist of fate, the tires were half flat. I made it about 1 mile before I decided to turn my ride into a 2 mile loop and get home as quick as I could.
Stage 6: Wanting to at least warm up my legs enough to be able to give them a good stretch, I headed back outside and ran to the track for a mile and a half of easy running. Then home, shower, stretch, dinner and onto the blogosphere to release my frustrations in the most creative way I could think of. The achilles was alright but I couldn't be bothered to do much more. Tomorrow I shall reassess the achilles and will be sure to get two good workouts of something in...thought I somehow doubt that I will be cycling any time soon.
Be Easy.
Stage 1: My achilles has been pretty tight over the past few days so on Friday I decided to cross-train and cycle out to Lemoine's Point and back. It's about half and hour each way, so you will appreciate that at approximately 27 minutes into the ride, when I'm about as far from my house as I'll get, lo and behold, I blow out my back tire. I'm also at the furthest point away from my cell phone and a tire repair kit. However, I am fairly close to my Mum's high school, where she teaches, at at the time was about 2:10pm, I decided to run there and get her to drive me and my bike home when school ends at 2:35. Simple. With that plan in mind I lock my bike to a fence and run the 5ish k to the school. I reach the edge of the school grounds at 2:32 and realize that I'm about to hit rush hour when the the school hallways will be packed with kids as they leave class. Me, dressed in black spandex shorts and a rather sweaty t-shirt (it was a blazing hot day), would look decidedly out of place. I enter the school, and yes, it's packed. Brilliant. Acting like I own the place and have important business there, I make a beeline to my Mum's office. She's away at a meeting and has a soccer practice to coach after class anyway. Fortunately, another teacher who I know is about to leave and she offers me a lift home. I'm out of there.
Stage 2: The next morning I did 3 miles easy on the track and then hit the gym with Kev. In the afternoon I did a steady half hour again on the track with James. The achilles was alright...still a little tight though.
Stage 3: I did about 4 miles on the track with some strides and the achilles felt better, but still a little tight. I decided to hit the bike again that afternoon for a solid workout and give my achilles a proper rest at the same time. Unfortunately, mid-afternoon, I was overcome my fatigue and took a nap. A wonderful nap, but I slept past 4pm- the time at which the Queen's Athletic and Rec Centre (ARC) closes. Ok...now I guess I'll have to fix my bike tire. But I haven't the right tools (I broke the wrench in the bike kit the last time I tried to fix a tire). And neither do my housemates or friends. Dad's toolbox in the basement? Nothing there of use. Random drawer in the house after a long search? Bingo! Found an adjustable wrench.
I remove the tire and patch it....but then realize that by the time the patch sets properly and I get the inner tube back on and the wheel mounted, it will be dark. So I ask to borrow my housemates bicycle.
Stage 4: My housemate, Theresa, kindly lent me her bicycle, however our 6 inch height differential meant I had to raise the seat. Not usually an issue except that the seat was locked to the bike frame to prevent people from stealing it. The lock consists of a metal fibre joined in a loop by a vice-type mechanism that is secured with couple of nuts and bolts. I reach for the wrench set (that my friend Clay brought around to my house - belatedly for removing my tire, but in time for this job) and opened it upside down....spilling the contents on the floor. I find the right sized wrench head and remove the lock....and then spend 10mins putting all the pieces back into the correct holes.
Stage 5: Finally out the door and into the wind and rain, at which point I realize that this bicycle it what I would refer to as a "picnic bicycle". That is to say: I'm sure that a young girl in a summer dress and a flower in her hair would love to ride this bicycle to a park to meet friends for an afternoon picnic. There is nothing wrong with that, but it doesn't quite fit the bill for an elite miler in progress looking for some good cardio by hammering out an hour on the road. I'm not too sure how to describe it but the handle bars were funky, the wheels and frame bulky and heavy, the seat in a strange position, and, in an ironic twist of fate, the tires were half flat. I made it about 1 mile before I decided to turn my ride into a 2 mile loop and get home as quick as I could.
Stage 6: Wanting to at least warm up my legs enough to be able to give them a good stretch, I headed back outside and ran to the track for a mile and a half of easy running. Then home, shower, stretch, dinner and onto the blogosphere to release my frustrations in the most creative way I could think of. The achilles was alright but I couldn't be bothered to do much more. Tomorrow I shall reassess the achilles and will be sure to get two good workouts of something in...thought I somehow doubt that I will be cycling any time soon.
Be Easy.
Friday, May 13, 2011
Monday, May 2, 2011
I'm Back Baby!
Ok ok ok! I'm sorry! Once again, I find myself apologizing for my complete disappearance from the blogosphere. The reason for my absence is that I was giving everyone a chance to follow the Canadian elections...I knew that my riveting posts would distract everyone from the circus that is Canadian politics. Know that voting day has come, and that you have all completed your civic duty, you can get back to more interesting things...my blog!
I jest, my lack of posting was actually due to a hectic last few weeks of school and exam period. With 5 years of collegiate knowledge under my belt, one would think that I would have the organization capacity to figure my life out and coast through my final weeks at school. Not so! As it was in the beginning, so shall it be in the end: a mad scramble. However, I have survived to tell the tale and hopefully pick my diploma too! (just kidding Mum)
But onto my running...my academics once again failed to detract significantly from my athletics and my training has given me the form to win 2 rather prestigious races: the 3rd annual Highway 2 McDonald's Challenge in late March (2.5mi run from Queen's campus to McDonald's, eat a Big Mac, large coke and large fries and run home - my splits were 12:13, 13:41 (order and eat), 12:51) and then the Kingston Race Weekend 5k roadrace (15:21) just yesterday. Following my last post, I took a week off running and then put in 3 weeks of lower mileage easy running. I was also seeking treatment for my hamstring, which was continuing to give me some problems. I sought the help of an osteopath who treats the body in a system-function perspective, that is, the source of the pain may not be the actual site of the injury and that fixing the problem requires that all parts of the body, including skeletal, neural, visceral (organs) and muscular components, are able to express their natural capacity to move. A few treatments later along with the weeks of easy running and I'm back to feeling like the man I used to be...who/what was that man, you ask?.....hard to describe, but in a few words: I'm running well and enjoying myself again.
The last 2 weeks have seen an increase in mileage and a couple workouts. Having picked up a book by Peter Coe (Seb Coe's father and coach) I was happy to see that Kev's coaching philosophy was reaffirmed by a directive to "never stray far from one's speed", and so even in these early weeks of my base training, Kev and I have been mixing the fast with the slow. In the weeks ahead, my current occupation as a full-time runner gives me the opportunity to commit myself to training both morning and night while a even an intensive schedule of reading and blogging will allow for full rest in between. My mileage will continue to inch up and my coaching consultant, Shane, has devised a rather torturous strength program for me, so I'm also going to have that beach bod that I been yearning for all these years!
To wrap it up, with a little government assistance, continued support from Runner's Choice of Kingston and Mizuno, as well as the never ending support from my main sponsors (Mum and Dad) I have the luxury to be able to dedicate my summer to running. I'm going to keep my mind active with some stimulating literature (Hemingway & co.), my backyard garden (tomatoes and peppers- we're looking at you to actually deliver the goods this year!), and local volunteering (to be determined), but I will be sure to take full advantage of this opportunity to train and compete. I'm now officially living the dream baby!
Anyway, I must be off for now. I have a nap penciled in at 4:30....catch y'all later.
Be Easy.
I jest, my lack of posting was actually due to a hectic last few weeks of school and exam period. With 5 years of collegiate knowledge under my belt, one would think that I would have the organization capacity to figure my life out and coast through my final weeks at school. Not so! As it was in the beginning, so shall it be in the end: a mad scramble. However, I have survived to tell the tale and hopefully pick my diploma too! (just kidding Mum)
But onto my running...my academics once again failed to detract significantly from my athletics and my training has given me the form to win 2 rather prestigious races: the 3rd annual Highway 2 McDonald's Challenge in late March (2.5mi run from Queen's campus to McDonald's, eat a Big Mac, large coke and large fries and run home - my splits were 12:13, 13:41 (order and eat), 12:51) and then the Kingston Race Weekend 5k roadrace (15:21) just yesterday. Following my last post, I took a week off running and then put in 3 weeks of lower mileage easy running. I was also seeking treatment for my hamstring, which was continuing to give me some problems. I sought the help of an osteopath who treats the body in a system-function perspective, that is, the source of the pain may not be the actual site of the injury and that fixing the problem requires that all parts of the body, including skeletal, neural, visceral (organs) and muscular components, are able to express their natural capacity to move. A few treatments later along with the weeks of easy running and I'm back to feeling like the man I used to be...who/what was that man, you ask?.....hard to describe, but in a few words: I'm running well and enjoying myself again.
The last 2 weeks have seen an increase in mileage and a couple workouts. Having picked up a book by Peter Coe (Seb Coe's father and coach) I was happy to see that Kev's coaching philosophy was reaffirmed by a directive to "never stray far from one's speed", and so even in these early weeks of my base training, Kev and I have been mixing the fast with the slow. In the weeks ahead, my current occupation as a full-time runner gives me the opportunity to commit myself to training both morning and night while a even an intensive schedule of reading and blogging will allow for full rest in between. My mileage will continue to inch up and my coaching consultant, Shane, has devised a rather torturous strength program for me, so I'm also going to have that beach bod that I been yearning for all these years!
To wrap it up, with a little government assistance, continued support from Runner's Choice of Kingston and Mizuno, as well as the never ending support from my main sponsors (Mum and Dad) I have the luxury to be able to dedicate my summer to running. I'm going to keep my mind active with some stimulating literature (Hemingway & co.), my backyard garden (tomatoes and peppers- we're looking at you to actually deliver the goods this year!), and local volunteering (to be determined), but I will be sure to take full advantage of this opportunity to train and compete. I'm now officially living the dream baby!
Anyway, I must be off for now. I have a nap penciled in at 4:30....catch y'all later.
Be Easy.
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