Training Log Archive: Funderstormin

Laura Secord 25K in Niagara Falls. I did this race last year when it was held at the start of the season and despite the trail conditions thought it was a really fun event and an enjoyable route. This year the race was moved to July which I can understand but I was disappointed (yet optimistic) when I heard that the course would be entirely different.

Aside from all of the army tents (there is an army run and march going on at the same time), the race had a very small, low-key feel to it and all of the races (25, 50 and 100K) were pretty tiny. Forecast was for a hot day so was glad we started early.

Ran from the start to 6km with a group of three runners whose pace was slightly faster than mine, which I reasoned was a good thing. The first part of the course was an out and almost all the way back through some famous tunnel. The challenge of the out and back on single track was lots of jostling with the faster runners who were on their way back. At the 6km aid station two of the group stuck around to refuel so I kept going.

From 6-16.5km I ran with a really nice girl named Jenn who was from Waterloo. It was her first trail race and she was eager for the company so we ran together and the time flew as we swapped stories. At the beginning, she was pushing the pace, which I was happy to have someone do but I was a bit concerned that she had no water or fuel with her. I offered her a gel but she was worried about her stomach. We ran together to the 14.5km aid station where she started to feel not so great so we walked a bit. This section was a 1km out and back through an urban park. There were a couple of sections like this where we had to run down to something, run around a circle and then head straight back which didn't make a lot of sense to me. Jenn was starting to fade but I was hoping a gel at the 16.5km aid station would perk her up. She took a spill on the "back" section of the Bruce Trail that we had been running and wanted to walk to recover. I was really torn as I was enjoying her company and know she was happy to have it as well, but I was also feeling really good still at this point and wanted to press on. She gave me the go ahead to keep running and I told her I'd wait for her at the finish.

From 17-22km I tried to make up a bit of time and (looking back) probably pushed a bit too hard. I passed 4-5 people in this section which I don't care about from a competition standpoint, but it did make me happy that I was still feeling good enough to do this as I am often waiting for the moment where the wheels fell off the bus...

...which they did around 23km! We were running back through a section we'd already run and I was fading quickly, although I am sure this was more mental than physical. I got annoyed when I saw my Ambit was already reading over 25km and I wanted to be done! The finish line eventually arrived and I found Jenn's mom and told her she'd be done soon. Had an applesauce and grabbed some water and waited for her to come through.

In my last long trail race (Trail Marathon at the end of April with Bash) I felt terrible both mentally and physically, but this race felt great. I felt mentally in control (okay...maybe until the last 2km) and like I was running consistently. After a successful experiment using only Tailwind on a Hockley loop the previous Sunday, I decided to make this race test #2 and only use Tailwind again. Always hard to tell if the effect was real, the wind was blowing in the right direction or I just had the right hair elastic in, but I felt like my energy was really consistent. Because all of my fuel is in my bottle, I was encouraged to drink more (I went through four bottles) which was good on a hot day. This was also my first long race using just a handheld instead of a pack which was I was also happy with until the nozzle on my handheld ripped at about 12km which made for some strategic sipping the rest of the race!

I had a great day but don't think I'd do this race again because I didn't enjoy the multiple out-and-back structure of the course. Most of it was on single track and despite the fact that the field was small, with three races going on, there was a lot of trying to figure out who was going to move to the side with other runners. There was one nice section (3-4km) of the Bruce Trail which we did twice, but other than that, the route wasn't particularly memorable and I didn't enjoy it as much as last year. It was fun to be part of the bigger military event (we started and finished between two big trucks) and got dog tags instead of finisher's medals.

So all and all a great day and one that made me look forward to the half-marathon at the North Face race in a couple of weeks!

C • Woooo! So great to read. Al... 10

Easy spin around my house.

Post-work run with a friend in Bechtel Park.

Morning run on the trails at Point Farms Provincial Park. Trails are pancake flat but it's always fun to explore somewhere new!

On the TRX in my basement watching the Ginger Runner's video interview about Western States with Rob Krar.

Different poses than last time so hard to compare...always have to remember to try to stay in the middle of the board! This feels more like strength / balance training than yoga to me (especially those birdcages!) but is fun nonetheless!

C • Strength 3

Second SUP yoga class up in Caledon. This is such a fun thing to look forward to on a Monday night...just wish I could get there earlier for a swim as I find myself envious of the triathletes doing laps!

Joined BiT for his third Hockley loop of the day. He came back from his second loop right on his target time and still in good spirits. We lucked out with the weather on this one with rain only on the road sections (or we didn't notice it in the woods!). Trail wasn't quite as messy as I had expected after all the rain and this was probably one of my most enjoyable Hockley loops ever as I'd never done one at this time of day (we never saw another person), the temperature was perfect for running, and the pace was comfortable for me. So impressed that BiT managed to churn out three of these! As we were coming down the last road, I declared that in order for me to do one more loop, I'd need to be paid $500 but that jumped to $2500 for another two loops.

I've been trying out Tailwind off and on for the past couple of months but decided I'd put it to the test today by only using it on the run and not eating anything else. My weirdo stomach cramps from the day before were still plaguing me so not adding any food while running to the mix seemed like a good idea as well. Had three packages of Tailwind (200 calories each) and was feeling I had consistent energy throughout and even at the end. Probably should have had one more but was happy with the way things felt. Am going to do another test at Laura Secord 25K this weekend and see how it goes. I'll carry some back-up fuel but plan to use just the Tailwind.

C • Tailwind 8