Going Long (again) in 2024

My first trail race.  Where to begin?

Well, this is probably one of the biggest and best organized trail races in Canada.  This was the 15th anniversary for it.  Started by a couple 15 years ago - Peggy and George - and they have built it up to a premier event which sells out every year.  That number was 1,220 - included the 50k run, 25k run (my event), the 50 relay and then 12.5 and 25k for walkers as well.

I was incredibly unprepared for it!  I mean, I'm obviously fit, but I honestly never imagined trail running to be like this.  I did not expect it to be SO different from road racing.  But more on that in a bit.

Cambridge is about a 5 hour drive from my home.  Of course, major traffic on Friday going down and with stops along the way - it took closer to 7 hours to get to my hotel.  I decided to go a bit lighter on the beer and pasta that night!  Not easy, by the way, as I watched the Toronto Blue Jays blow the ball game late (again!).

Anyway, it rained all night.  Pretty hard at times.  So, I knew the trails would be slick.  And they were.  I decided to run in the shoes of which I had cut out an opening for my left big toe - the one that always blisters.  Not trail shoes - I'll have to buy a pair for my next race.

The event was a 20 minute drive from my hotel, and I got there in lots of time to pick up my number and kit.  EVERYONE was fabulous - friendly, engaged, helpful - the volunteers here were top notch.  The race headquarters was in "Tent City" - a huge tent which hosted the registration, expo, stage and dinner afterwards.

So, the opening ceremonies were interesting - a marching military band played their way to the starting line.  Raising of Canadian and American flags.  National Anthems.  Amazing Grace.  A few short speaches.  Moment of silence.  And with a cannon blast, the 50k runners were off as the band played on.  All very dramatic.

So, that was 9:30 on the nose.  My race started 10 minutes later.  Just under 600 of us lined up.  I positioned myself about 30 runners back and kept repeating the mantra:  go out easy, go out easy, go out easy!  The cannon blasted.  We were off.  The band played on.  And ... I actually went out easy!

For me, this was 2 laps of a 12.5 km course.  I figured I'd run it at marathon pace - around 7:50 - for the 1st lap, and then pick it up on the second lap.  In truth, I figured coming in under 2 hours would be easy for me.  Oh, I was SO naive!  It only took about 1 mile of running to realize just how naive.

SO different from road racing.  I mean, dirt path and close to trees are nice.  But the constant up and down, coupled with the uneven surface and sharp turns, means there was just no way to get into an even rhythm.  There was one section on a road - maybe a half mile - and here I could get into a rhythm and keep my pace.  But beyond that, forget it.  I had read to go easy on the uphills and attack the downhills.  I tried.  I failed.  And I'm pretty good at aggressive downhill running on the roads.  Here, it was all I could do to keep myself falling flat on my face.  Almost did a couple of times as my foot slipped out.  My legs really took a beating on those downhills.

I watched some of the faster relay runners - they seemed to be able to move with ease over the terrain.  I think it's a matter of training on these types of trails.  I had thought my running on the local snowmobile trail was effective.  Hah!  Not even close.  I'll have to do my training for my next trail race on the local x-country ski trails.  That would be the closest terrain to this.

My left foot turned over on a root or something on my second lap.  It took a few strides to figure out if I was done or not, but I worked it out and kept going.  That foot swelled up on the drive home and I had to drive without a shoe to relieve the pressure.

Beyond that, I finished the race relatively unscathed.  My pace ended up being 8:30/mile - about 45 seconds/mile slower than I had 'conservatively' figured.  Humbling.  My quarter splits (6.25km) were:  31:53  32:34  34:24  and  33:08.  The slowing pace as I went had less to do with being tired, and more to do with being careful.  And reasonable.

This is now almost 48 hours since the race.  My left foot is still a bit stiff, but not as bad as I feared it might be.  My shins seem to be the worst off.  That's new for me, as they are never an issue on the roads.  I'm guessing that's from the downhills.  My quads too are feeling it.  But overall, all is good.  Feeling worse than I do after a road Half, but not as bad as after a Marathon.

I'm going to take another day or so off from running, and then get back into it - want to go easy and keep my base for the next couple of months before I start gearing up for Boston.  I have a couple of 10 k events I might do in that time:  Hamilton in early November, and Detroit's Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving.

As far as future trail runs:  I have my eye on another 25K next Spring, about 8 weeks after the Boston Marathon, but that as a prelude to my 1st Ultra - which will be the 50K Run for the Toad one year from now.  Four loops of the race I just finished.  

Easy recovery run.  8:45 pace.  Feeling pretty good, actually.  Still a bit sore in that left foot, and the right shin.  I'll be keeping it easy for a while.

Easy run at an 8:49 pace.  Still a slight tinge in the left foot, but the right side is 100%.  Go Blue Jays!

Easy run; 8:32 pace.  Left foot feeling much better now.

Easy mileage, on the faster side; 8:22 pace.

Easy run; 8:28 pace.

Easy run; 8:45 pace.

I'm leaving later today for Southern Ontario again ... running a 5k Turkey Trot in Guelph tomorrow morning.  Five races in 5 weeks - must be a record for me.  But then that will be it for a while - want to just run easy base mileage leading up to the start of my Boston training which begins in 2 months.

Long story short:  I nailed a new PR.  Actually blew my old one out of the water ... cutting off 26 seconds from my previous best.  I'm VERY happy!  20:10 official finish.  22nd overall and 2nd in my age division.

The long version:  After running 4 races in 4 weeks, I hadn't planned on this one.  But I was nudged to when I heard of 3 races on our Canadian Thanksgiving Day.  The first was a 5k trail race, and that was my 1st choice until I couldn't find a hotel nearby at a decent price.  My second choice was a point to point road 5k, but when I went to register, it was sold out.  So, I went for this one ... a series of road runs of various distances following a route around Exhibition Park in Guelph, Ontario.  I opted for the 5k.  I actually wanted to see how fast I could run this distance to help give me some idea of a goal time for Boston.

So, I left Sudbury on Sunday afternoon and arrived in Cambridge (of 25k Trail Race fame last weekend) just as the sun was setting.  I checked into my hotel, and then went to Boston's Pizza to eat, drink, and watch the Blue Jays take on Texas in game three of their series.  WHAT a game!  Lasagna, beer and baseball.  Works for me.  I remembered that 4 beers helped me a few weeks ago in my Toronto 5k, so 4 beers it was.  Of course, that previous game saw Toronto slaughtered.  This time, it was high fives all around with complete strangers.  I didn't get to bed until almost midnight, but the race didn't start until 11:30 the next morning, so all was good.

COLD morning!  Had to scrape my windows.  At 8am it was -3C/28F, but it warmed up to an ideal 7C/45F by race time.  It was clear and no wind.

The race was only a 20 minute drive from my hotel.  The route around Exhibition Park is 1800 meters, so my race was about 2 3/4 laps of the route.  I checked it out on google maps ahead of time, and I walked it the morning of.  The long stretches of the block are about a half mile long, and the shorter ones then are a little more than 100 meters.  That's where the hills were.  Both were uphill; one was 50 meters up sharp, while the other was 100 meters up.  Both downhills on the long stretches were gradual.  Not a difficult course.

I positioned myself pretty much on the line.  There was no timing mat at the start - just at the end, and I wanted an accurate official time.  Turned out it was a good position for me.  I came in 22nd out of 272 runners.  The first mile was my fastest - run in 6:25.  The second I ran in 6:33 and the third in 6:29.  The final 200 meters I sprinted at a 5:18 pace, peaking at 4:54.

When I saw the clock on the home stretch, I could see it approaching 20 minutes.  I knew, based on my mile splits, that I would not break 20, but I was still sad to see it turn.  However, I was pumped at my time.  A good race.  And in looking back, I could not think of where I might have picked up the 10 seconds.  If I attacked the hills harder, I would have gassed.  If I ran the straights harder, I would have faded more at the end.  As it was, in the final 200 meters, I passed a number of runners, but had one final runner in my sights.  I couldn't find an extra gear to catch him, and he ended up finishing a half second ahead of me (and a 27 year old, so I don't feel bad).  But the fact that I knew I could not run faster than I did tells me that I ran the best I could this day.  I'll take it.

And, having a 20:10 5K under my belt today, tells me that my Boston goal time of 3:25 or less is very achievable.  I've decided to go with the Hanson's program again.  Officially starts in 9 weeks.  Between now and then I'm going easy with base mileage.  Maybe a 10K Turkey Trot on American Thanksgiving .  Maybe.

3 recovery miles; 8:55 pace.

Easy run; 8:41 pace.  Actually warm enough to run in shorts and without gloves.  Dark, however.  I'm back to running with my head lamp.

Easy paced run in the cold morning mist; 8:46/mile.

Easy run in the dark; 8:49 pace.

Easy run; 8:51 pace.

Easy run; 8:46 pace.

On a pilgrimage to the Holy Door in Quebec City with a bus full of parishioners.  Yesterday was our travel day - 12 hours to get there.  Today I ran in the Plains of Abraham.  You'd think with "plains" in the name, they would be flat.  They are not.

The old city where we are staying is built on top of cliffs that overlook the St. Laurence River, about 300 feet below.  I ran along a forested trail in the Plains of Abraham park - lots of ups and downs.  At one point, I came to stairs that I decided to take to the bottom.  I ran along the river for a bit, and then doubled back and ran up the stairs.  All 300 feet of them.  Pretty steep climb too --- my GPS went into 'pause' mode during the climb.

Anyway, I guess this would not qualify as an easy run.  But it was fun.

Our tour today took us to Montmorency Falls, a 276 high waterfall.  I had been there before and had climbed the stairs to the top.  This time, we rode the bus up and had lunch, and then everyone took the cable car down.  I took the stairs.  Then, since there was time, I ran back up on a trail to the top, and then took the stairs back down again.

That afternoon, my run.  Our tour guide said you could walk along the top of the old city walls and that it was 2 miles around.  So, I figured I'd do a few loops.  Unfortunately, it was not the flat trail I imagined it would be.  LOTS of ups and downs.  Lots of cannons too - like everywhere.  Cool.

Anyway, after half a loop, I decided to run up the stairs to the Plains of Abraham again, and just finished my run on the forested trail there.  Still lots of ups and downs, but not as sharp as in the old city.  My legs were pretty gassed after 2 days of hills and stairs, but tomorrow is the bus ride home, and so no running.

Back home again.  7 easy miles on the flats of the valley.  Nice, for a change.  My easy 8:32 pace felt super easy today.

Easy run; 8:38 pace.  A few flakes of snow, and a cold north wind.  Temperature hovering around 0C/32F.

Easy run; 8:56 pace.  Just -3C/27F with a bit of a north wind.  So, cold.

Easy run in the snow, then sun, then back to snow.  8:44 pace.

Easy run in the morning frost; 8:47 pace.  -2C/29F.

Easy afternoon run (work day started too early today); 8:35 pace.

Easy afternoon run (another crazy morning); 8:33 pace.

Easy run in a light mist; 8:49 pace.

Easy run; 8:48 pace.

My sister is running her 2nd Half this morning up in Temiskaming Shores.  The Haunted Hustle.  Wish I could be there to cheer her on.  I'm so proud of her!  Go Cindy Go!

9 easy miles; 8:44 pace.  I had to bring my truck in this morning for a recall on the air bag, and so ran a city route along a trail section I had been wanting to visit.  About 2 miles to get there, and so 4 miles of road running and 5 on the trail.  Turns out it is a well cared for trail along what's known as Lilly Creek in New Sudbury.  A nice change.