Going Long (again) in 2024

An afternoon run, because my morning was full.  On the treadmill.  I just figured it would be easier to monitor my legs.  Plus a good way to listen to blogcasts.

Set the speed at 10:00/mile.  That right calf was fine until around mile 5 when I could feel it tightening.  I stopped to stretch it every so often and it didn't seem to get worse.

My back is still tight/sore, but not nearly as bad as the last few days have been.  I think it's going to be fine by the weekend (hopefully).  

The cold is back after a week or so of mild weather.  -15C/5F with a wind chill of -24C/-11F.

Took it easy, but the right calf still tightened up on me - quite suddenly at mile 2.45; I had to stop a few times to stretch it out, and then cut my run short.  I don't think I'm going to be able to do my long run tomorrow.  I really need to figure this out.

The good news is my back/sciatic.  At about 85% health now.  At least there is that.

Almost didn't run, as that right calf is still very tight.  Decided to go one mile at a time on the treadmill, and ended up with 12.  Still tight, but it never really got worse, so I kept on going, with short walking breaks to stretch it out.

Kept it slow and under control, and walked the hills.  9:42 pace.  Then went for a massage.  She really worked that right calf.  It is very knotted, but let go as she worked on it.  It's just throbbing now.  Hopefully, this torture session helps.  I had to clench my fists all the way through it.

9:27 pace. Still that uncomfortable pressure in the right calf, but I managed to run non-stop.

Even 10:00/mile pace on the treadmill.  Was able to run throughout; maybe the calf is better - it sure felt like it may be.

Steady 10:00/mile pace on the treadmill, increasing to 9:40 for the last 2 miles.

Low back pain is still there, but doesn't affect my running.  The right calf is still tight, but I would say less so.  I'm optimistically hopeful that it is on the verge of releasing for good.  Still stretching and rolling it daily.

Steady 10:00/mile pace on the treadmill.  Able to run non-stop with very little tightness remaining in my right calf.  Lower back pain nearly gone as well - I'm able to sleep through the night again, finally.

I'm not exactly where I should be in terms of my training, having lost 4 weeks or so, but I'm okay with 40 miles this week and see that as a base for going forward.

A road run today in a steadily falling snow. Lots of accumulation on the roads, and not a plow in sight. Took to running in the tire ruts when possible, but even they were messy.

A bit of tightness in that right calf, but definitely better every day I run. An even 10:00/mile pace.

A bit faster today, now that the roads are plowed. 9:27 pace.

Speedwork on the treadmill; first time doing speedwork in 6 weeks, as that's when the right calf problems began.  Even today, it's tighter than it has been, which makes me think it's the speedwork that is triggering it.

4 x 800 @ 7:30 pace with 800 recoveries.

Out x-country skiing for the 8th time yesterday.  I only got out 5 times last season due to the lack of snow, so it has been much better this year.

On the treadmill; 9:50 pace.

Long run on the treadmill; 10:00/mile pace.  Right calf mostly felt decent enough.

Coldest day of the year, so far. Just -29C/-20F. I dressed for it, but there is only so much you can do at those temperatures. I was chilled to the bone at the finish.

The good news is I had no calf pain at all. Hopefully, I've turned the page on that injury.

Even colder than yesterday.  But I added a few layers and did okay.  9:18 pace.

Speedwork on the treadmill.

5 x 800 @ 7:19 pace with 800 recoveries.

First time:  NO tightness at all in the right calf.  Hurray!!!

Even 9:50 pace on the treadmill.

Decided to take it outside today.  3 laps of my 6 mile Goodwill Drive route.  9:22 pace.

It has warmed up a bit, but still on the cold side at -14C/7F.  It was pretty windy though, so it felt colder than that.

It snowed steadily throughout, at times quite heavy.  

Heavy legs at the end, but no pain.

Pretty intense wind out there in advance of a storm heading this way, so stuck to the treadmill this morning; 9:40 pace.

Treadmill; 9:40 pace.

This is turning out to be a rather hectic week, and so I'm switching my runs around.  Today, I combined speedwork with what was supposed to be Saturday's longish run.

So, 4 x 800s @ 7:30 pace with 800 recoveries. 

It's a cutback week, so I only need 40 miles on the week.  I should be able to manage the extra 13 miles, but might do them tomorrow and Friday and take Saturday/Sunday off.  We'll see.

Treadmill; 9:40 pace.

Easy 10:00/mile pace on the treadmill.

Will take the next 2 days off before I hike my mileage next week.

Took it outside today, as it has warmed up quite a bit. 9:12 pace.

Wow, a lot colder than I expected with that stiff North wind. I had to circle back to put a wrap around my neck. 9:12 pace.

Speed intervals on the treadmill.  5 x 800 @ 7:30 pace with 800 recoveries.

9:31 pace on the treadmill.

Cold, but not impossibly so.  -12C/11F.  Not much wind, so that was a plus.  Three repeats of the Goodwill Road route.  9:05 pace.

Chilled to the bone by the time I finished this run. 9:23 pace.

A very cold morning at -20C/-4F. 9:51 pace.

Pretty chilly out there today at -26C/-15F.  No matter - I was on the treadmill for speedwork.  

5 x 800 @ 7:30 pace with 800 recoveries.

Treadmill; 9:31 pace.

Three 'laps' of the Goodwill loop, with a brief stop to drink after each loop.  9:08 pace.  It snowed lightly the whole time, had a steady wind throughout, and a temperature of -9C/16F.

9:11 pace. Cold North wind, and -22C/-8F to boot. It took a long time to warm up after.

Icy cold still. 9:13 pace.

Speed session on the treadmill.

6 x 800 @ 7:30 pace with 800 recoveries.

Treadmill; 9:31 pace.

A warming trend, so a pleasant enough -7C/20F, albeit with a stready wind.  Two loops + a bit on Goodwill at a 9:08 pace. 

I'm halfway through my 24 week training program.  After loosing weeks 2-5 because of that calf issue, I'm all caught up to where I should be now.

Pretty intense out there today. A very stiff South wind, gusting up to 40 mph, and a heavy snow, which is basically blowing horizontal to the ground.

I ran 10 of the miles East/West, and even then I had to turn my face away from the wind. The two miles running South were nearly impossible. No visibility, plus I had to basically keep my eyes closed. Not nice. 9:17 pace.

Easy 9:28 pace under FAR better conditions than yesterday. Roads a little messy in areas, but no wind to speak of.

Mixed in a bit of speedwork on the treadmill.

5 x 800 @ 7:30 pace with 800 recoveries.

The cold today really penetrated into my bones.  It wasn't terribly windy, nor as cold as it has been, so I'm not sure why.  -19C/-1F.  Maybe just being slightly sweaty and being out there for more than 2 hours had that effect.  I took a bathroom break at mile 9.5 and really had to push myself to get back out the door.

9:05 pace.

More snow coming today; they cancelled all the school busses as a precaution.  Right now, it's clear and sunny, but I guess a big system is coming in.  I may run my 18 miles tomorrow on the treadmill.

Almost 3 hours on the treadmill; 9:31 pace.

That big storm hit yesterday.  Besides very bad roads today, it is very cold and there is a very stiff North wind.  Easy decision to run indoors.

Took it long today.  

5 "laps" of a relatively flat road course, with a stop at my 'aid station' after each lap.

Held a pretty even 9:21 pace through most of it, but faded over the last 6 miles and ended up averaging a 9:28 pace.  I likely ran it too fast even at that.

It snowed throughout - a heavy, wet snow blowing from the South at about 10mph, which was not too bad, but it accumulated over the almost 5 hours so that the roads were pretty mushy by the end.  Warmish, however, at -1C/30F.

Easy run on the treadmill, just to get my legs moving.  10:00/mile pace.

Roads are in terrible shape after 2 days of storm, so took it to the treadmill again.  10:00/mile pace.

Hard to get motivated for this run, for some reason.  The sun is out, and I wanted to take it outside, but that North wind is icy.  Still, outside I went.  Almost changed my mind right away, but kept at it.  Temps are -12C/10F, but that North wind is blowing at 14-21mph, making it feel like -22C/-8F.

Ran the first 4.5 miles along the highway, which was mostly clear of snow and ice.  Up to the Falconbridge traffic circle and back, and then the balance down Goodwill Drive.  That was treacherous.  Glare ice, mostly, with just the odd bit of clear road and the occassional section of packed snow.  I really had to be careful.  Running the last 3 miles directly into the wind didn't help.

I got frost bite on the tip of my nose during one of my runs last week, and it is still not healed.  I kept it covered as best as I could.  Unfortunately, I fell just 150 meters shy of finishing.  Managed to tuck and roll ok, but still scraped and bruised my right knee, with a bit of blood, and the third finger on my right hand is now numb.  Must have jammed it when I hit the ground.

Anyway, it's done.  9:18 pace.  And a warming trend is coming next week, so it will be slush and water to contend with, instead of ice and cold.

Easy 9:11 pace.  Ran on snow packed roads, so not as slippery as Saturday's run.  Turns out I broke the bone in my third finger when I fell.  Swollen, is bent and still hurts.  But it's just a finger.  Put a splint on it, and then decided I didn't want to wear that for the next five weeks, so took it off.

Tapped the two maple trees in front of my house yesterday.  This week, there is a warming trend.  The sap should start running.

Easy run at 9:15 pace. More and more bare pavement, so less and less ice.

Speedwork on the treadmill.  

6 x 800 @ 7:30 pace with 800 recoveries.

Warming up; hovering just a bit below freezing.  Full moon was spectacular this morning.  A bit of fog, and a light hoar frost.  9:26 pace.

A balmy 6C/43F morning.  Nice to see the snow pack slowly shrinking.  A heavy rain/possible thunderstorm is on its way, so I was happy to finish this run before it arrived.  9:08 pace.

Snowed a fair bit overnight and back to cold.  I was chilled to the bone when finished.  Happy to have clear skies, however.  When the sun rose, it felt good on the face.  9:16 pace.

Easy run on a mild day with a light snow falling; 9:16 pace.

Speedwork on the treadmill.

6 x 800 @ 7:30 pace with 800 recoveries.

Easy run at 9:18/mile pace.  Had to leave early, so ran most of this in the dark.  Not much wind, which is good, because it was chilly at -10C/14F.

Managed to run 12 miles outside before the stiff North wind put me on the treadmill for the last 12 miles.  It was snowing, not terribly cold at -10C/14F, but the North wind is blowing at 21mph and gusting to 32mph.  It wears you down after a while.

9:19 pace outside; 9:31 pace on the treadmill.

I registered (barely) for the BB Backyard Ultra here in Sudbury in October.  They sold out in 24 hours.  I didn't know.  Last year, for its inaugural race, they didn't sell out.  So, I didn't think there was a rush.  I had some free time on Thursday afternoon, so I signed up then.  What I didn't know is that they had already sold out their 100 spots, and had added another 25.  I think I might have gotten the last of those 25, as they stopped taking registrations right after I submitted mine.  And there is already 30 on a waitlist.  Sounds like it will be quite the event.

9:26 average pace for this long run.  Not great conditions.  It snowed all night and it was still falling, with a stiff East wind.  School busses cancelled.  I ran it in 4 segments, circling back for a nutrition/hydration break 3 times.  Also allowed me to warm up a bit before continuing on.  Had to run in the tire tracks of cars, as no snow removal crews to be seen.

Back to back long runs.  9:16 pace.  A steady North wind, but not as strong as on Saturday or yesterday.  The snow packed roads are icy, so had to watch my step in a few places.

On the treadmill; 9:31 pace.

Treadmill; 9:31 pace.

So, here's the scoop:  I'm supposed to run the 30K Around the Bay in Hamilton on Sunday.  It's the oldest race in North America, and one I've always wanted to run.  Sells out very quickly, so I registered early and am in.  Bib #3141.

Problem is, I've found every excuse not to go.  It's a 4 1/2 hour drive to get there for something that is essentially a training run.  I can't race it hard, especially after a 70 mile week and no day off tomorrow (just 6 miles to run to hit my 70), so will be running ultra slow - likely in the 9:30 pace range, which is what I've been traning at.

The only real incentive is the simple fact I've always wamted to run it.  Plus, getting away for a few days is always nice.  The sunk costs are just the entrance fee and the airbnb, which is negligible.  

Now, two major storms are brewing.  One, a snow storm, should hit later today and continue until tomorrow morning, which is when I plan on leaving.  Despite the large amount of snow predicted, it likely won't impact my driving South.  In Hamilton, it will be mainly rain.  But on Sunday, my return day, they are predicting a major ice storm.  That could see highway and road closures, major power outages, and just overall nastiness.  

I'll make my decision tomorrow morning, after my run.  The one element in my favour is that I can delay my return until Monday, if necessary.

On the treadmill; 9:31 pace.

I've decided to go.  It will be an interesting drive there, and I'm not sure I'll be able to get back on Sunday; I'll deal with that when the time comes.

As I described previously, this was planned to be a training run, and I certainly didn't race it.  Still, I ran it faster than I had planned.  Easy to get caught up in the race environment.

I always wanted to run this race; the oldest race in North America, beginning in 1894.  As they promote it:  "Older than Boston".  The biggest challenge was getting there, and then getting home.  I drove down in the midst of an ice storm.  Lots of trees down, and power outages.  The highway was mostly okay, except for one 60 mile stretch that was pretty bad.  Same thing coming home on Sunday.

It rained throughout, and was cold, sitting at around 2C/35F.  It's a big event, with 3,700 runners.  I ran middle of the pack, and just took my time at an easy pace.  Most miles in the first half were at my average training pace, or a bit faster.  I ran slow up the hills and fast down the hills.  Quite a few hills, some steep, especially on the second half.

I picked it up on the second half, and ended up running an average pace of 8:54.  That put me just a little ahead of the middle in all three results:  overall, male, and age group.

The course itself is nothing to write home about:  Hamilton is a steel city, and industry is located, of course, on the waterfront.  So, for the first half, you run through the area where there are factories and steel mills.  Ugly and smelly.  The second half was through more residential neighborhoods.  The parts along or close to Lake Ontario where you would be able to see Toronto on a clear day were shrouded in fog, so nothing scenic there.  It was just a cold, wet day where you only wanted to keep going and finish.

Extremely well organized event, as would be expected for one with such a long history.  The only bottleneck was checked bag pickup at the end, which was run by charity volunteers.  That took longer than you'd want, and then I still had a 25 minute walk to get back to my car and a 5 hour drive home in rain/freezing rain.  A bit white knuckle driving at times, and the one spot where I hoped to grab a coffee was shut down because of the power outage.

However, made it home and feel pretty good today.  Will take Monday off and this whole week will be a cutback week in advance of my 50 mile training run next Monday.

Strong North wind and a chilly -13C/8F, but clear skies and bright sun, which felt good on the face.  9:08 pace.  Quads a bit sore from running the downhills hard on Sunday, but not too bad.

Easy 9:31 pace on the treadmill.

Treadmill; 9:31 pace.

Started off with snow - big, wet flakes.  Then switched to rain, with some sleet mixed in.  9:07 pace.

Was supposed to run 50 miles today, and decided to run it with the Backyard format, to see how it felt.  I had previously measured out 2.08 miles, for an out and back of 4.167 miles.  My plan was to start at 6am and finish at 6pm today.  I didn't plan for the Spring storm that is hitting us big time!

Everything is shut down today.  Major storm.  Lots of snow and very strong wind.  But I set out, as planned, at 6am.  At that point, it wasn't too bad.  Just a light snow and little wind, and a comfortable temperature of -4C/25F.  I ran the "yard" with a pace around 10:30/mile, and had a little more than 15 minutes to rest before my next "yard".

The wind picked up for this lap, and the temperature was dropping.  Still, not too bad.  By the third lap, however, it was snowing heavy and the wind was blowing at 20 mph.  The wind just kept getting stronger after that, and the snow was falling fast.  Visibility was about a quarter mile, and less than that at times when the wind gusts picked up.

By Noon, it was really quite miserable out there.  The wind is blowing from the North at 27mph, and gusting to 38mph.  My route is essentially a bit less than 2 miles North and then the same back South, with a bit of East/West to make up the rest.  So, going out is a slog, but coming back is kinda nice.  The real problem is the deep snow on the road.  There is very little traffic, so no tire ruts to run in.  By now, the snow is drifting across the road and is reaching half way up my calf/shin.  It is a real slog to move through it, and I'm beginning to feel the strain.

By the time I was on my 8th yard at 1pm, I was feeling pain in both my knees, shins and hips from having to force my feet through the deep snow.  At that point, I made the decision to call it a day.  I figured that 4 more laps would cause an injury that wasn't worth it for a training run.  No regrets.  That distance in those conditions was pretty awesome.

So, I know a bit more about the Backyard "feel" now, and have a bit more confidence going into my 100 miler next month.  It was really nice to have that 15 minutes between laps to rest, dry off, change socks, shirt and hat and whatever else was soaked through.  It meant the cold never penetrated deep, and I was comfortable enough running.  The fierce wind I could handle; it's just the deep snow that did me in today.

Aftermath of Monday's storm:  All highways out of Sudbury to the North, East and South were closed.  7 inches of snow fell.  That broke a record that was 102 years old.  There was major drifting on top of that, with snow almost to my knees on the road in places.  I'm glad I stopped.  I should have run yesterday instead.  At least the sun was out.

Anyway, I decided to pick up some of the mileage today, since I wanted to see how my legs were doing after Monday.  On the treadmill at an even 9:31 pace.  Everything felt fine.  I could have run further, but I have to leave to drive to North Bay for the Chrism Mass very soon, and so didn't have time.

Run in North Bay before I head back to Sudbury; 9:21 pace. They didn't get clobbered with that massive storm on Monday here.

Sunrise run; 9:08 pace.

9:14 pace on a gorgeous morning; clear skies, little wind, and a comfortable -4C/26F temperature.

After Saturday's run, my right knee was pretty stiff.  I realize I hadn't done much stretching or foam rolling, which is a mistake in the midst of peak mileage.  So, a lot of that yesterday and today.

This is a cutback week, so I'll continue doing lots of stretches and foam rolling.  The knee is still a little tight, but not quite as bad as it was Saturday afternoon.  

I kept it ultra slow today; 10:13 pace.  If need be, I can take some extra days off this week before ramping up my mileage for one more week.

Light snow falling, with some wind.  Pushed it a little faster and a little further; the knee is feeling better.  9:30 pace.

Treadmill run; 9:31 pace.

Cold and wet.  It rained off and on throughout.  Mostly on.  Great Good Friday weather.  9:31 pace.

A bit warmer today at 6C/42F, but still raining.  Foggy too.  9:23 pace.

It started off decently enough, despite a stiff East wind and a coolish 4C/39F.  At mile 8, it started to hail.  That turned to rain quickly enough, and by the time I was done, it was pouring rain quite hard.  9:11 pace.