Going Long

Time  37:20

Distance 6k (3.75 mi)

Pace  6:13/km (9:57/mi)

HR Zone  140-160 bpm

HR Avg 151 Max 166

In Zone 80.8% of run

Time  1:04:23

Distance 10k (6.25 mi)

Pace  6:26/km (10:18/mi)

HR Zone  140-160 bpm

HR Avg 152  Max 173

In Zone 86.8% of run

Nice easy run pushing the girls in the double stroller this morning.

Down through the park, along the lake east to Stadium Rd and Lakeshore Blvd.

Left a little later than normal (around 10:30 am), so there was much more traffic along the M-G Trail as we did our out and back route.

The girls did well until they started to battle going up Spring Rd within a kilometre or so from the end.  Doesn't it figure that they are angels all the way for almost 2 hours, and then start kicking each other and fussing when I'm doing the last hill of a long run?  :-)

Pushing the stroller that far was tough on my legs, but it kept me going slower and in my target heart rate zone.  I don't think I've ever been over 80% "in-zone" for a long Sunday run before.  It DOESN'T mean I'm going to be pushing the girls every Sunday (32k??  Yikes!).  But it does mean that I am capable of going sl-ow-ly. 

Time 1:59:51

Distance 16k (10 mi)

Pace  7:29/km (11:59/mi)

HR Zone  120-144 bpm

HR Avg 136  Max 170

In Zone 81% of run

Seemed to be flying today.  Hadn't been down around 5:30/km pace for my tempo run in a long while PLUS keeping my heart in the target zone for over 90% of the run.

I started with few hundred metre jog to get the blood moving to the muscles, and to get the heart rate up before I started my Garmin.  It was a bit on the cool side too, which probably helped a bit.

Felt great after finishing up and made me think about race strategy for the upcoming 10-miler on July 19. 

Time  32:48

Distance  6.01k (3.75 mi)

Pace  5:27/km (8:43/mi)

HR Zone  140-160 bpm

HR Avg 155, Max 162

In Zone 91.3% of the run

First set of hills for this cycle.  Actually, my first hills since December '08 as I was injured and then chicken about re-injuring my calf during March and April when I had hills on my schedule last cycle.

It was warm out today, 23C and sunny.  Kind of silly to go running hills in the middle of the day, but that's what I did.  I do like the sauna feel, so perspiring so much is a bit of a reward during a hard workout.

Plugged my heart rate zone in at 170 max and 120 min.  Not sure what that is going to do to my "quality" stat that I keep track of.  With such a wide zone, it's easier to stay in it.  I continued with the warm-up that I did yesterday.  It seems to get my head into the task at hand better than when the clock has started.  Not sure how I'll handle it at the start corral of the next or any future races.  We'll see . . .

Time  54:41

Distance  8.5 k (5.3 k)

HR Zone  120-170 bpm

HR max 175 avg 148

In Zone an amazing 97% of the run.  Gotta say that for a long or tempo run coming up!

Nice, slow run this morning.  Stepped off at 7 am, beating the heat by a couple of hours. 

Had the ipod charged and working for the first time in a few weeks.  Also took along a gel for the first time on a run.  I found during the Ottawa race that I was too tense and out of it to chew and swallow a Luna bar late in the event.  I'm thinking I'll carry a couple of bars and a couple of gels for the next marathon - in the hopes of getting all the carbs into me that I need when I'm out there.

Missed out on the third Five Peaks race on Saturday because I was working overtime to cover striking workers.  I hope I can get out to the other two before the end of the season. 

I feel like my training is going well, I'm hitting my stride in advance of the 10-miler next Sunday.  Should be able to improve on last year's time. 

Time  2:13:52

Distance 19k (11.9 mi)

Pace 7:02/km (11:16/mi)

HR Zone  120-144 bpm

HR Avg 136, Max 161

In Zone 88.7% of run

Ran a new route this morning.  Along the West Toronto Railpath.  The city has reclaimed one of the rail right-of-ways that pass through the west end.  It follows the extreme eastern portion of the GO/CN rail corridor from just north of Dupont St to Dundas St W.  It's only about 2km long, and I hope for the day when the rest of the land south of Dundas all the way into the downtown core is re-claimed, but it is a great start.

Smooth surface and empty this morning.  There is still some work being done to finish off the construction.  Welding and installing rails along several of the bridges on the route.  Also putting grooved cement down in advance of entrance/exit intersections.

I did a 6k tempo run today, so I had to extend the route from the end of the railpath almost back up to Bloor St along Sterling and Perth Aves.  Seemed funny to be running 800m on the front side of industrial properties I had passed from behind on the path.

I think I'm going to search out the Beltline Park across the middle of the City, as I think it's a similar set-up but much longer.  I've generally stuck to my neck of the woods in my running, only going further afield on my long runs with experienced leaders who KNOW THE ROUTE!  hehehe

Time  32:57

Distance  6.12k (3.8mi)

Pace  5:23/km (8:36/mi)

HR Zone  140-160 bpm

HR Avg 155, Max 166

In Zone 89.8% of run

Ran home from work tonight.  Cool and overcast.  Sprinkled rain a couple of times.

Fairly non-descript night.  Noticed that some parts of the path were very dark, even running along high volume roads through the city.

Didn't have my Garmin on (too difficult to pick up sattelites in the downtown core) so I didn't have moment-to-moment information about my pace and average pace.  It seems like I did ok though, feathering my heartrate to stay inside my steady run target zone.

Time  1:07:08

Distance 10.18k (6.4 mi)

Pace 6:35/km (10:33/mi)

HR Zone  130-150 bpm

HR Avg 144, Max 167

In Zone 87.8% of run

Pretty good ten mile result this year.  Shaved nearly ten minutes off of my time from 2008.  Felt strong over most of the length of the course, only a few momentary lapses of concentration.

Weather was warm, but not unbearable.  Good field, and saw a few friends from HP RR before and during the race. 

Splits show a continuous improvement throughout the race, peaking in a sub 5-minute kilometre in my dash to the finish line.  Quite amazing, given I took my last walk break just past 15k on the course. 

815 of 1724 Overall Classification

107 of 148 Category Classification

585 of 892 Gender Classification

1:28:42 chip time,  5:39/km pace

Gun splits: 

5 miles 46:21

10 miles 44:23

Garmin splits:

5k  27:53  5:35/km pace

10k  27:32  5:27/km pace

15k  27:23  5:21/km pace

16k  5:55  4:55/km pace

Nice AM tempo run this morning.  Set out for on my normal route, but ended up going down Runnymede to Bloor and then west to South Kingsway.  Hadn't been down that stretch of road since Learn to Run clinic days, I think.

Added a km and a bit to get back to the entrance of High Park, and walked home from there.  Although it was a good run, I didn't feel like pushing it up toward 8k on my tempo training.  Figured my race result gave me some leeway to cut it where I did.

Time  43:02

Distance 7.2 k (4.5 mi)

Pace 5:59/km (9:34/mi)

HR Zone  140-160 bpm

HR Avg 152, Max 173

In Zone 90% of run

Ran home from work after 11 pm tonight.  Got out on Front St, and found it drizzling rain.  It was still warm, and not much wind.  In the last five weeks of being re-deployed because of the municipal strike, this was a moment where the purpose and benefits of what I was doing was abundantly clear.  I dove head first into the night.

Found it interesting that the difference in total time between my tempo pace and my steady pace is not very significant.  I wonder what that means?  If I do 10k in 1:02 at tempo pace, and do 10k at 1:04 at steady pace, what is the payoff for pumping 10 beats per minute faster over that hour?

As I get more accustomed to the heart rate training program, I see that time matters less than quality of a run.  By that, I mean the amount of time I stay in my target heart rate zone for a particular type of run.  Tempo, Steady, Hills, Long Slow Distance - I'm starting to feel very comfortable at all paces and distances.  I remember how much I struggled trying to stay with the recommended training times in my previous programs.  Now I've released myself from "the tyranny of the stopwatch" but have completely bought into the "tyranny of the heart rate monitor"!  hehehehe

It is nice to score a big PB as I did on Sunday, but PBs aren't something for every day.  Staying in my target zone IS.

Time  1:05:21

Distance 10.2k (6.4mi)

Pace  6:24/km (10:15/mi)

HR Zone 130-150 bpm

HR Avg 141, Max 169

In Zone 90% of run

Short, steady run in advance of a long run on Sunday.

Time 37:59

Distance  6k (3.75 mi)

Pace  6:19/km (10:07/mi)

HR Zone 130-150 bpm

HR Avg 141, Max 153

In Zone 95.7% of run

Long run this morning.  Covered the gamut of weather phenomenon.  Overcast/cool/breezy for the first 1/3 of the run. Sunny and hot for the second 1/3.  Rain, lightning and thunder for the final 1/3 of the run. 

Saw the marathon clinic coming back in along Eglinton Ave W, west of Scarlett Rd.  I was going out at that point, heading to my turn around at Martingrove Collegiate for the final 10k of my run.

Felt tired and sore for most of the rest of Sunday, although quite refreshed after family namp with Jamie.  I'm writing this Monday morning and it feels like I could go out and do another 30k today!  Actually, I'll take my scheduled rest day, thank you very much.

Time  3:30:43

Distance  29k (18.1 mi)

Pace  7:15/km (11:37/mi)

HR Zone  120-144 bpm

HR Avg 137, Max 156

In Zone 82.9% of run

Hot and humid this morning.  Regular 6k tempo run on the schedule. 

Stopped to say hi to a running pal from a couple of years ago along the way.

Time  37:07

Distance  6k (3.75mi)

Pace  6:11/k (9:53/mi)

HR Zone  140-160 bpm

HR Avg 149, Max 168

In Zone 86% of run

Long, steady run home from work tonight.

Time  1:11:21

Distance  10k (6 mi)

Pace  7:08/km (11:24/mi)

HR Zone  130-150 bpm

HR Avg 141, Max 171

In Zone 92.4% of run

Got out for my hills this week, in advance of a very busy weekend.  Hope that I can still do my 20-miler on Sunday or possibly postpone to the holiday Monday.

Time  1:05:00

Distance 9.6k (6 mi)

Pace 6:46/km (10:50/mi)

HR Zone  120-170 bpm

HR Avg 145, Max 173

In Zone 98.5% of run