Back at home now and thinking about to what a great trip I had and all of those people who helped make it a success for me.
First up: my accommodators. Big thanks to Zoe and Em for letting me stay at their place, keeping me entertained, showing me how to find my way around the city and generally helping me to have a great time! Thanks also to Jairus Streight, my buddy out in UVic who also put me up for a couple nights, zipped me around town on his scooter (think Dumb and Dumber!) for a late-night post-race beer and dinner, and gave me some good pointers on recovery including post-race fuels and the direction to the ocean for an ice bath.
Second: my fans. To Em, Zoe, Mik, Aaron, Jairus, Duke and Brett for making it out to watch my races - in some cases braving heavy traffic and wild backseat drivers for a couple of minutes of racing!
Third: to those following along from a distance. Whether via facebook, text, or this blog, thanks all for keeping tabs on my adventures and cheering me on. I could feel the love from across the country and it was a big help!
Finally and most importantly: to my support staff, my family and coach. For the planning, resources and time put into helping me along the way.
And now, you ask, what is next? Well, the big show: the Canadian National Track and Field Championships, takes place on July 28-31st in Toronto and that is pretty much what this season has been gearing up for. Right now, I have the same feeling about Nationals that I did going into this past series: bring it on! This may change as the event draws near but I am looking forward to meeting all the big boys again and getting a taste of championship racing. So for these next two weeks, Kevin will have me sharpening up in preparation for some tactical races with blistering finishes.
Will keep you posted.
Be easy.
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Kajaks International Track Classic - 1st (4th overall) - 1:51.99
This race was a little hard to get up for as I felt like I had already accomplished my goals for the series, it wasn't a very big meet, and as I wasn't even in the fast section, it was unlikely I was going to be able to run fast. Yet when I found I had to pay a $25 race entry fee (pretty steep for less than 2mins of pain!) I decided I might as well make this worth my while and have a good one.
As mentioned I was not in the fastest section (heats are created based on the time you submit when you register for the race) but was placed in the 3rd heat of the 800m. This was far from ideal, however, luckly there were a few scratches in the heats ahead of me and I was bumped up into the second heat. The race went out and I found myself in last place. However the pack was tightly bunched, and I found myself chopping my stride as we rounded 200m. We went through 400m in 54-55s and while still in last, I felt rather comfortable. Down the back stretch I surged to 3rd but as I was being shielded nicely from the wind by a hulking Kiwi fellow, I decided to bid my time and sit in as we rounded the turn. Off the bend I made my move and charged down the back stretch towards the line. Unusually, I was conscious of what the race announcer was saying and he seemed quite exicted with my finishing kick. This surprised me as I myself was experiencing a bit of a speed wobble and wondering why I wasn't being challenged, but I had done enough and held them off for a half second victory.
The time of 1:51.99 would have put me 4th overall, including the International section, but things could have been different if I was in that section. The time was nothing special, but I was happy with how I raced and it was nice to get a win.
And that was that. My West Coast racing adventure was over. The week had been a long one and as much as I enjoy racing, it is nice to be done and have a break for a little while. My next exploits will be in Toronto at the end of July at Nationals but between now and then I will put in another training block for a little fine tuning.
However, before all of that, I have a day left out West. Today was a lazy day at the beach and tomorrow I will climb the Chief, a mountain north of Vancouver, with some friends. But that's tomorrow; right now, I might go and have a taste of Granville Island Brewary's finest amber ale.
Be easy.
As mentioned I was not in the fastest section (heats are created based on the time you submit when you register for the race) but was placed in the 3rd heat of the 800m. This was far from ideal, however, luckly there were a few scratches in the heats ahead of me and I was bumped up into the second heat. The race went out and I found myself in last place. However the pack was tightly bunched, and I found myself chopping my stride as we rounded 200m. We went through 400m in 54-55s and while still in last, I felt rather comfortable. Down the back stretch I surged to 3rd but as I was being shielded nicely from the wind by a hulking Kiwi fellow, I decided to bid my time and sit in as we rounded the turn. Off the bend I made my move and charged down the back stretch towards the line. Unusually, I was conscious of what the race announcer was saying and he seemed quite exicted with my finishing kick. This surprised me as I myself was experiencing a bit of a speed wobble and wondering why I wasn't being challenged, but I had done enough and held them off for a half second victory.
The time of 1:51.99 would have put me 4th overall, including the International section, but things could have been different if I was in that section. The time was nothing special, but I was happy with how I raced and it was nice to get a win.
And that was that. My West Coast racing adventure was over. The week had been a long one and as much as I enjoy racing, it is nice to be done and have a break for a little while. My next exploits will be in Toronto at the end of July at Nationals but between now and then I will put in another training block for a little fine tuning.
However, before all of that, I have a day left out West. Today was a lazy day at the beach and tomorrow I will climb the Chief, a mountain north of Vancouver, with some friends. But that's tomorrow; right now, I might go and have a taste of Granville Island Brewary's finest amber ale.
Be easy.
Friday, July 9, 2010
Victoria Interational Classic 1500m - 3rd - 3:42.63
I must first apologize for the tardiness of this post but yesterday was a hectic day and I didn't get round to it.
Secondly, and most importantly, thank you to all those who have been wishing me well and sending their congratulations. I can feel the support over here and it is great to know that people are following along with my racing.
And now for the race report:
This race had a completely different dynamic to it than Monday's 1500m did. To start I was a fair bit more nervous, feeling that I would have to replicate or improve my placing or time from the Harry Jerome. My legs also didn't feel as fresh - my hamstrings were tight, a factor that preyed on my mind through the day. However, by race time I was fairly buoyant: I knew had prepared as best I could during the day and my Ipod pump-up playlist had done its job well.
From the gun a pack of 6 jumped out into the lead and put a gap of 2 seconds on me by 400m. I knew they were going out pretty fast, too fast for me, thus my decision to hang back was a good one, yet I had a sinking feeling as I knew how much work it would take to reel them back in. I was heading the chase pack and no one seemed likely to bridge the gap for me, so I knew it would a tough go. This gap maintained itself, possibly expanding by a second as we went through 800m (the leaders in 1:55-56 and myself in 1:58-59) and even though it was just a smidge faster than Monday's race, it was uncomfortable to say the least. Rounding the bend with 600m to go, all I could think was "bare down and grind" and I started to raise the tempo. One of the rabbits had stepped off by now and another runner had come back to me, so tackling the lead pack didn't look as daunting. With a lap to go at 2:43-44 there was still a gap but I knew I could pick off at least one or more. Down the back stretch we went, and with a final effort over 200m I pulled myself into 3rd place and shook off fellows who had been breathing down my neck for the previous 1400m. My kick finish was not as dramatic as Monday's, rather, it was a more drawn out, protracted effort, and I while I was coming back on the front two, on this day third was the best that I really could have hoped for.
Crossing the finish line and even before the results were posted I knew I had pb'd as this was the first time I had been close enough to the line to see 3:39 on the race clock as I charged down the home stretch. Yet I felt absolutely drained, both physically and mentally. My hamstrings were aching enough to drop off and the 200m walk to my bag and water was an effort in itself. Compared to my elation after Monday's race I felt strangely despondant and 'blah' and while seeing my name and time come on the big screen had a cheering effect on me, for some reason it took some time for me to realize the significance of my race. Looking at the race now, while happy with the time, I most pleased that I had to (and was able to) work hard over the middle of the race to reconnect myself to the leaders. Alot mid-race strength has come from the tempo work that Kev and I have put in over the past 4 weeks.
Unfortunately, I can't find the race video to post and alas, there is no interview for you to try to interpret! I'll finish this blog for now and will recap the rest of my last 2 days later!
Be easy.
Secondly, and most importantly, thank you to all those who have been wishing me well and sending their congratulations. I can feel the support over here and it is great to know that people are following along with my racing.
And now for the race report:
This race had a completely different dynamic to it than Monday's 1500m did. To start I was a fair bit more nervous, feeling that I would have to replicate or improve my placing or time from the Harry Jerome. My legs also didn't feel as fresh - my hamstrings were tight, a factor that preyed on my mind through the day. However, by race time I was fairly buoyant: I knew had prepared as best I could during the day and my Ipod pump-up playlist had done its job well.
From the gun a pack of 6 jumped out into the lead and put a gap of 2 seconds on me by 400m. I knew they were going out pretty fast, too fast for me, thus my decision to hang back was a good one, yet I had a sinking feeling as I knew how much work it would take to reel them back in. I was heading the chase pack and no one seemed likely to bridge the gap for me, so I knew it would a tough go. This gap maintained itself, possibly expanding by a second as we went through 800m (the leaders in 1:55-56 and myself in 1:58-59) and even though it was just a smidge faster than Monday's race, it was uncomfortable to say the least. Rounding the bend with 600m to go, all I could think was "bare down and grind" and I started to raise the tempo. One of the rabbits had stepped off by now and another runner had come back to me, so tackling the lead pack didn't look as daunting. With a lap to go at 2:43-44 there was still a gap but I knew I could pick off at least one or more. Down the back stretch we went, and with a final effort over 200m I pulled myself into 3rd place and shook off fellows who had been breathing down my neck for the previous 1400m. My kick finish was not as dramatic as Monday's, rather, it was a more drawn out, protracted effort, and I while I was coming back on the front two, on this day third was the best that I really could have hoped for.
Crossing the finish line and even before the results were posted I knew I had pb'd as this was the first time I had been close enough to the line to see 3:39 on the race clock as I charged down the home stretch. Yet I felt absolutely drained, both physically and mentally. My hamstrings were aching enough to drop off and the 200m walk to my bag and water was an effort in itself. Compared to my elation after Monday's race I felt strangely despondant and 'blah' and while seeing my name and time come on the big screen had a cheering effect on me, for some reason it took some time for me to realize the significance of my race. Looking at the race now, while happy with the time, I most pleased that I had to (and was able to) work hard over the middle of the race to reconnect myself to the leaders. Alot mid-race strength has come from the tempo work that Kev and I have put in over the past 4 weeks.
Unfortunately, I can't find the race video to post and alas, there is no interview for you to try to interpret! I'll finish this blog for now and will recap the rest of my last 2 days later!
Be easy.
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Pre-race
I know you were all worried about me, so you will be happy to hear that I arrived safely at my friend Jarius's house in Victoria last night. I left Zoe and Em's house in Vancouver at 3pm and arrived at Jairus's at almost 9pm. Approx 6 hours of travelling! I took 4 buses, one train, a ferry, and a minivan belonging to a nice elderly German couple. People were very friendly with help with directions along the way and breaking loonies for me, and in total the trip only cost me $14.65. My assessment of the public transit in BC: good value for money. (You know my opinion is valid because I spent a summer sweeping floors/being a carpenter at Bombardier.)
Anyway, I am here in Victoria and from what I have seen, it looks to be a very nice place. So far today I have watched the Spain-Germany game, gone for lunch, a little LSATing, and soon off to the stadium to pick up my race registration package.
And how am I feeling for this race? A little more nervous than the last one but I like to think (and tell myself) that I am just warming up. We'll see what happens.
Be easy.
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Harry Jerome 1500m - 2nd - 3:43.25
I was relaxed all day - keeping busy with some physics homework, a few emails and figuring out my way to the stadium. I met some friends of mine at the track when I got there and chatted with them and then went on my warm-up. Almost got lost on my warmup in the park but luckily ran into a friend also on his warmup and he pointed me the right direction. I was thinking: "Heck, I should be really nervous right now but I am too busy enjoying myself" I couldn't help myself: I was at this international calibre track meet with the big names and upandcomers in Canadian athletics, in a beautiful stadium with 100ft evergreens towering over the track on one side and a mountainous vista on the other, and as one of the last seeds in my race, feeling like I have nothing to lose. Then, 2 minutes before my race I hear the women's 1500m results over the loud speaker - 4:10.01 for Douma-Hussar. Then my world fell apart and I thought "what if I run 4:10 and stagger across the finish line dead last?" I could feel my heart rate jump and my breathing quicken. I had barely enough time to collect myself before we were called to the line and BANG.
I find myself in the lead, about 2 yards behind the rabbit. I'm not known for my starts but there I was leading the international field and not having the slightest sense of where the rest of the pack was behind me. Not wanting to be the sacrificial lamb I held a comfortable pace - fast enough to allow for a decent time, but slow enough to try to entice the others to pass me and do a little work themselves. At 700m they did pass me and by 900m I was in 6th position. That first 700m I had been telling myself to retain focus once I get passed and jump on the train as it passes by. At 400m I felt power in my legs and at 200m I knew there was a chance. I started to make a move outside on the bend but the guys in front were doing the same...so I jumped on the very inside of lane one, an unorthodox move as it holds the risk of being boxed in - but a classic go-to move in my books. The 5 ahead of me were strung out across the lanes so I picked my gap and made a smooth and relaxed surge down the homestretch..... that's good coaching. And that's the race in a nutshell.
I find myself in the lead, about 2 yards behind the rabbit. I'm not known for my starts but there I was leading the international field and not having the slightest sense of where the rest of the pack was behind me. Not wanting to be the sacrificial lamb I held a comfortable pace - fast enough to allow for a decent time, but slow enough to try to entice the others to pass me and do a little work themselves. At 700m they did pass me and by 900m I was in 6th position. That first 700m I had been telling myself to retain focus once I get passed and jump on the train as it passes by. At 400m I felt power in my legs and at 200m I knew there was a chance. I started to make a move outside on the bend but the guys in front were doing the same...so I jumped on the very inside of lane one, an unorthodox move as it holds the risk of being boxed in - but a classic go-to move in my books. The 5 ahead of me were strung out across the lanes so I picked my gap and made a smooth and relaxed surge down the homestretch..... that's good coaching. And that's the race in a nutshell.
Sunday, July 4, 2010
One day out.
For some reason, Lady Inspiration seems to to witholding herself from me and the words for this blog are not coming very fluently to me. I can only hope that she is saving herself for tomorrow night at the Harry Jerome Classic as I round the bend with 200m to go. Thus, for now, I shall state the facts of what is going on over here as I prepare for tomorrow's endeavour.
Saturday - I arrived in Vancouver and was greeted at the airport by 3 friends of mine from Queen's: Emily, Em and Zoe. I shall be staying with Em and Zoe for the next week and am awfully glad of their company and hospitality. As independent as I am, I should not like to spend a week in a big city more or less on my own. It is always great to see them and they will make the week so much more enjoyable. Muchos gracis amigos!
Upon arriving in Van, I went out for a run and did a couple 200s on a gravel track near the house. They were about race pace and intended to wake my legs up from the flight and remind them of what they will be doing on race day. For some reason, I felt a little wonky....and I am not sure why, however, I do often feel a little off before races. Hypersensitive?
Be that as it may, I am feeling confident for my race tomorrow. My latest training block coupled with the depth of the field give me no choice but to run fast. The nerves haven't hit me yet (although that may have been them on Thursday freaking me out about my hamstring) but I imagine they will hit me tomorrow at some point. When they do, I shall deal with them -let them wash over me, give them 5 mins, and then dispose of them. A friend once told me, "nerves are like a rocking chair: they give you something to do but they don't get you anywhere."
Today I toured around Vancouver in the morning with Em, checking out the shops and markets at Granville Island, then did a little grocery shopping, and went to see a band called Hey Ocean with Zoe and Emily. A relaxing day - perfect for keeping my mind off the race, although having the car towed for being parked in the wrong place was drag. Also got in an easy run...just a half hour to loosen up the legs with Em in the Pacific Spirit Park and then a few fast strides (approx 100m efforts at 75-90% speed).
And that's about it for the past 2 days. I shall run mid-afternoon tomorrow to shake out the legs and then I race at 8pm. The meet, The Harry Jerome Track Classic, is at Swanguard Stadium in Burnaby and somehow Kev has worked his cunning magic and got me into the International section in the 1500m. Flip, I'm excited bru!
Goodnight and Be Easy.
Note - this blog has taken me almost 2 hours to write. I deleted it twice (accidentally) and took a break to shave in the middle of it. Hence the mention of Lady Inspiration at the top. Hope it makes sense!
Saturday - I arrived in Vancouver and was greeted at the airport by 3 friends of mine from Queen's: Emily, Em and Zoe. I shall be staying with Em and Zoe for the next week and am awfully glad of their company and hospitality. As independent as I am, I should not like to spend a week in a big city more or less on my own. It is always great to see them and they will make the week so much more enjoyable. Muchos gracis amigos!
Upon arriving in Van, I went out for a run and did a couple 200s on a gravel track near the house. They were about race pace and intended to wake my legs up from the flight and remind them of what they will be doing on race day. For some reason, I felt a little wonky....and I am not sure why, however, I do often feel a little off before races. Hypersensitive?
Be that as it may, I am feeling confident for my race tomorrow. My latest training block coupled with the depth of the field give me no choice but to run fast. The nerves haven't hit me yet (although that may have been them on Thursday freaking me out about my hamstring) but I imagine they will hit me tomorrow at some point. When they do, I shall deal with them -let them wash over me, give them 5 mins, and then dispose of them. A friend once told me, "nerves are like a rocking chair: they give you something to do but they don't get you anywhere."
Today I toured around Vancouver in the morning with Em, checking out the shops and markets at Granville Island, then did a little grocery shopping, and went to see a band called Hey Ocean with Zoe and Emily. A relaxing day - perfect for keeping my mind off the race, although having the car towed for being parked in the wrong place was drag. Also got in an easy run...just a half hour to loosen up the legs with Em in the Pacific Spirit Park and then a few fast strides (approx 100m efforts at 75-90% speed).
And that's about it for the past 2 days. I shall run mid-afternoon tomorrow to shake out the legs and then I race at 8pm. The meet, The Harry Jerome Track Classic, is at Swanguard Stadium in Burnaby and somehow Kev has worked his cunning magic and got me into the International section in the 1500m. Flip, I'm excited bru!
Goodnight and Be Easy.
Note - this blog has taken me almost 2 hours to write. I deleted it twice (accidentally) and took a break to shave in the middle of it. Hence the mention of Lady Inspiration at the top. Hope it makes sense!
Friday, July 2, 2010
Nervous, neurotic or necessary?
Each Canada Day, the Kingston running community holds the Limestone Mile, a nice little mile race that loops around a few blocks of downtown Kingston, finishing up infront of city hall. I was due to run in this race, but pulled out half an hour before. The reason was that my hamstring was feeling a little suspect and, 4 days before I race on the west coast in the PacifiCanada Track and Field Series, I did not want to damage it any further.
Now, this hamstring was sore from a workout a earlier in the week in which I had dropped some 200s faster than I ever have before. Coupled with the fact that I have been working on opening up my stride while going fast, I have been working my legs a little harder than usual. So despite an easy day the day before, my hamstring was a little achy on the morning of the race. Such a feeling as this is always difficult to diagnose as easy running does not cause any noticable pain, but you fear to go faster in case of something pulling suddenly. Runners (as I am often told), are a little neurotic in that all they think of when they are running is how they are feeling physically (and sometimes mentally). Thus, they can be a little hypersensitive and tend to always find something wrong with themselves. There is also the suggestion that such a feeling of an oncoming injury and the fear to push it may stem from nerves, especially those which may come during the advent of such races as I will be in next week. "Feeling injured" may be an defense mechanism: to provide a suitable excuse if things don't go well or it may be a coping mechanism: to take one's mind off the job ahead. Both of these suggestions do have merit, and I can understand how such ideas may come about. (I must note that the runner's lot is a mental struggle: bearing the loneliness of many solitary miles, balancing between "training and straining" during workouts, the releasing of months' worth of excitement and energy into a few minutes of a race, and finally the reduction of oneself to a few numerical digits on a results sheet for all to see and compare.) However, I have also come to believe that at such levels of training and racing, one is constantly skirting a fine line between top performance and the oblivion of injury. Maybe riding this edge is necessary to be at peak fitness. Perhaps I have been flirting with this edge a little too close in recent days but maybe it bodes well for next week? (Or maybe this is just another mental ploy to convince myself that everything will be alright!)
In any case, I ran today...I did a fartlek (a swedish term for "speed play") which involves changes of pace throughout a medium-long run. The hamstring felt fine and continues to feel alright a few hours later as I write this blog. Hopefully the day off I took yesterday and a little prayer was enough to see this issue through! Knock on wood!
As for this race series next week....I shall blog about it tomorrow as this one is becoming a little long! In short: I fly to Vancouver tomorrow, race a 1500m on Monday and Wednesday and then an 800m on Friday. The races are packed out the hizzang (a colloquial term used by hip youngsters meaning: "really full") with elite milers from around the world - providing me with my first taste of the milieu that I intend on becoming most comfortable in!
I would be remiss (and certainly in for a couple well placed punches) if I did not mention that at the Limestone Mile my sister came 2nd in the women's race and my mother came 5th overall (and first in her age group). While some of us were agonizing over the nerves, neurotics and necessity of a possible injury (and then blogging all about it), others were out there getting the job done!
Ciao for now!
Be easy.
Now, this hamstring was sore from a workout a earlier in the week in which I had dropped some 200s faster than I ever have before. Coupled with the fact that I have been working on opening up my stride while going fast, I have been working my legs a little harder than usual. So despite an easy day the day before, my hamstring was a little achy on the morning of the race. Such a feeling as this is always difficult to diagnose as easy running does not cause any noticable pain, but you fear to go faster in case of something pulling suddenly. Runners (as I am often told), are a little neurotic in that all they think of when they are running is how they are feeling physically (and sometimes mentally). Thus, they can be a little hypersensitive and tend to always find something wrong with themselves. There is also the suggestion that such a feeling of an oncoming injury and the fear to push it may stem from nerves, especially those which may come during the advent of such races as I will be in next week. "Feeling injured" may be an defense mechanism: to provide a suitable excuse if things don't go well or it may be a coping mechanism: to take one's mind off the job ahead. Both of these suggestions do have merit, and I can understand how such ideas may come about. (I must note that the runner's lot is a mental struggle: bearing the loneliness of many solitary miles, balancing between "training and straining" during workouts, the releasing of months' worth of excitement and energy into a few minutes of a race, and finally the reduction of oneself to a few numerical digits on a results sheet for all to see and compare.) However, I have also come to believe that at such levels of training and racing, one is constantly skirting a fine line between top performance and the oblivion of injury. Maybe riding this edge is necessary to be at peak fitness. Perhaps I have been flirting with this edge a little too close in recent days but maybe it bodes well for next week? (Or maybe this is just another mental ploy to convince myself that everything will be alright!)
In any case, I ran today...I did a fartlek (a swedish term for "speed play") which involves changes of pace throughout a medium-long run. The hamstring felt fine and continues to feel alright a few hours later as I write this blog. Hopefully the day off I took yesterday and a little prayer was enough to see this issue through! Knock on wood!
As for this race series next week....I shall blog about it tomorrow as this one is becoming a little long! In short: I fly to Vancouver tomorrow, race a 1500m on Monday and Wednesday and then an 800m on Friday. The races are packed out the hizzang (a colloquial term used by hip youngsters meaning: "really full") with elite milers from around the world - providing me with my first taste of the milieu that I intend on becoming most comfortable in!
I would be remiss (and certainly in for a couple well placed punches) if I did not mention that at the Limestone Mile my sister came 2nd in the women's race and my mother came 5th overall (and first in her age group). While some of us were agonizing over the nerves, neurotics and necessity of a possible injury (and then blogging all about it), others were out there getting the job done!
Ciao for now!
Be easy.
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