Ultra Encore (MEC Race Recap)

On Sunday 07th August I completed my second ultra marathon - running 50km at the MEC Race Series in Gatineau Park in 5 hrs and 8 mins. 
http://events.mec.ca/event/148916/mec-ottawa-race-four-11k-20k-30k-50k-trail-2017 

This was my first trail race and is all part of the physical and mental preparation for the Midnight Moose Ultra next month. 

The weather was near perfect, after a rainy few days the morning was bright and cool - and as the day got hotter there was plenty of shade on the trails. 

The course had been simplified because of a couple of trail closures caused by all the summer rains, so there was a lot of wide double track - including stretches on he Ridge Road that runs through the park - and not much technical trail.

I had expected to finish around 6 hrs but the cool weather and course changes made the race easier than expected. 

The 50k course was a 30k + 20k laps (or 28k + 21k according to my watch!), much of the two courses overlapped and used the same trail so I was a lot more confident in the second half and actually ran a negative split. 

I found the trails a lot more enjoyable than the pavements in Niagara, but the temperature was also a major factor.  I was pleased with my nutrition - alternating between Cliff bars and Cliff energy 'Bloks', with water in my pack and taking Nuun electrolytes at a couple of the water stations. 

It was my first opportunity to think about a drop-bag: I had spare shoes and food at the 30 km mark.  I didn't end up needing it but it was a good thinking exercise to plan contents.  I had also prepared some hiking poles, but the course was fast and wide enough that they weren't necessary either.

Overall this was a good confidence boost, and I don't think I need to change my training plan, just making Relentless Forward Progress.

And I've managed to raise $1,120 so far for the great work being done by Start2Finish!

Sponsorship link: https://www.gifttool.com/athon/MyFundraisingPage?ID=1466&AID=1695&PID=602510&Preview=Y
 
Every penny appreciated 😊

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Peak Performance?

Training has gone up a gear this week, with an opportunity to undertake a fitness assessment at the Peak Centre for Human Performance, and a friendly but fast 5 km event.

www.peakcentre.ca

The fitness assessment included testing maximum VO2 rates and lactate acid production, as a basis for understanding current physical fitness and potential performance. It involves wearing a face mask and having finger-tip blood samples taken every couple of minutes as treadmill speed is steadily increased.

I managed to go quite far, but in the end my lungs gave out before my legs, as it became harder and harder to breathe in the mask.

The initial results suggest I could physiologically be capable of running some quicker marathon times! Maybe next year my target will be speed over distance...

I'm looking forward to the follow-up session to find out some more about how to apply the data to my training.

www.events.runningroom.com/raceId=13076 

My first fast run in a while was the Neuro Dash 4 Brain Cancer 5K hosted by the Orleans Running Room to raise money for the Brain Tumour Foundation of Canada, in memory of a member of the local running community.

After so many long training runs it was a great opportunity to open up for a sprint distance along the river pathway. 

The event is informally timed , and I ran the 5 km in just over 20 mins which is close to a personal best.

   
 
 

 

Happy Trails (7 Month Sit-Rep)

Peace & Quiet

1597 km down, 420 km to go.
$1,120 raised, $897 remains.
Donate:
https://www.gifttool.com/athon/MyFundraisingPage?ID=1466&AID=1695&PID=602510&Preview=Y

July has been a quiet month, this is the only blog post I've written, with no races to report on - but no news is good news: the training has been building steadily.

I'm managing to do 5 runs per week at the moment, and my weekly mileage is currently around 90 km, which is quite a big jump from my marathon program - I'm being as careful as possible to avoid injury.

There are now just over 7 weeks until the Midnight Moose Ultra trail race. I'm enjoying exploring the trails and being in nature.  Seeing the beavers at Petrie Island was a particular highlight, plus all the great views.

Next week I will be getting performance tested to confirm what my current capabilities are and accurately define my training zones, then at the weekend I'll be using the MEC 50km in Gatineau Park as a major training event.

I'm also hoping to do a couple of other last minute local events around Ottawa in the coming weeks - so I have a feeling that August will be feeling busy again!

Gatineau Park - Tawadina Lookout (Wolf Trail)

Halfway There (6 Month Sit-Rep)

1189 km down, 828 km to go.
$1,110 raised, $907 remains.
Donate: https://www.gifttool.com/athon/MyFundraisingPage?ID=1466&AID=1695&PID=602510&Preview=Y
 


Niagara Ultra selfie

June was light on mileage in comparison to full marathon training and racing - apart from that little 50 km ultra in the middle of the month... 

I'm amazed at the generosity I've received so far.  I didn't really expect to raise $1,000 and I'm grateful for every dollar donated.

I am well on track to achieving my 2017 km target. The next 12 weeks will be spent preparing for the Midnight Moose Ultra trail race - and if I stick to my training plan I can expect to reach my 2017 goal during that event.  That would feel pretty special!

The transition from roads to trails is part of this training.  The month of June included my first ever trail runs.

I expect I'll be spending a lot of my summer weekends training in Gatineau Park!


25 June: first trail run - King Mountain (Gat. Park)

My First Ultra

The visit to Niagara was based on a family road-trip, with an aside to take on my first ultramarathon.

I was relying on the recent marathon in Ottawa to get me through the distance without any race-specific training.  With only an extra 8km (5 miles), the 50km distance is often referred to as a gateway (or “baby”) ultra. 

The course was an out & back along the scenic Riverside Trail from Niagara-on-the-Lake to the brink of the famous Horseshoe Falls. The forecast was hot, with potential thunderstorms that didn’t materialize.

My target was to finish in less than 5 hours, but my main goal was to enjoy the run and finish with enough energy to continue sightseeing in the afternoon!

At the start line the conditions were overcast but already warm.  The vibe was relaxed, and it was particularly great to be in the company of around 20 runners from my local club.

Photo: Vincent Young

With my longest ever run ahead of me and a bottleneck at the start, I began with a couple of easy km to get warmed up and allow the field to spread.

As I got into my stride the sun started to come through, and by about the 10km mark it was getting really hot. This was also where the main hill on the route occurred with a steady climb from 11-13km.

The scenery was a great distraction, with some beautiful heritage trails and views of the river. After the climb the route follows the gorge and it was fascinating to see the vultures spiralling above, and the sparkling blue, green water below.

I reached the American Falls just after 9am and the tourist traffic was already starting to get busy.  I joined them admiring the view and taking a few photos! Pushing on through the refreshing mist to the turnaround point at the Horseshoe Falls, it was surreal dodging around coach loads of people who were oblivious to an event taking place, making the occasional cheers even more appreciated.

Peace and quiet reigned back along the Niagara Parkway, although the temperature was still climbing. At the 30km water station I paused to fill my hydration pack with ice and to put sunscreen on my neck and shoulders (but not enough to stop my shoulders blistering).  As I moved out I could feel my left knee beginning to struggle and my pace started slipping.

After catching me on the Ottawa Marathon, once again Tony caught me walking around the 32km mark!  We fell into step together and it was nice to have some distracting conversation.

For the next few km we moved along steadily, but I had to focus on short term objectives – just pushing on to the next landmark or water station. By 40km I was barely hanging on to Tony, and around 42/43km I started to drop back.

There isn’t anything ‘baby’ about those last 8km. I got through them on a mix of running, shuffling and walking – with less and less running.  My final distraction from my knees and feet was the mental arithmetic on my pace… I calculated my buffer slipping away and the 5 hour mark was looming.

With a last burst I was able to cross the finish line in 28^th place,

with a gun time of 4 hrs 59 mins,

and a chip time of 4 hrs 58m 27s.

The post-race was fantastic, with the family joining me at the finish – and free beer and pizza for runners, it was great to sit back and swap race stories. Despite some sunburn and aching knees I was happy to feel strong enough to visit the falls with my family that afternoon – but definitely with a new perspective.

Results and photos online: https://niagarafallsmarathon.com/june-17-niagara-ultra/ 

 

Ultra Goals

I've never run further than a marathon.
I've never raced (or really run) trails.
I've never run through the night before.
I have signed up for a 110km overnight trail run (and I'm not sure why).

After completing 4 marathons and having never participated in an ultra, I am suddenly registered for three!

I came across the Midnight Moose Night-Time Ultra Trail Race online and something about it stayed in the back of my brain and wouldn't go away. So after some conversations identifying a partner in crime (thankfully someone with a little ultra marathon experience) I am signed up. Tony and I, hopefully with one or two others, will take it on together.

Even now I'm not sure that it has sunk in... that I'm really registered... that I will really be on the start line at 10pm (let alone finish).

To try and develop some experience I have registered for a couple of 'gateway' (or 'baby')ultras.  The 50k distance is the next step up from the marathon, and a surprisingly popular race distance, so there are quite a few around. I've registered for one in June and one in August.

This weekend I'll be running the Niagara Ultra, from Lake Ontario to Niagara Falls and back. Then I'll start to get some trail practice ahead of the local MEC 'Race Four' Event: a 50km trail run in Gatineau Park.

I don't really know how to train for the bigger distances, but I've started by switching to runs based on heart rate rather than distance/ pace to try and build endurance.  I'm also reading up online and using some library books to try and develop a training plan for the summer.  So much for taking it easy!

http://3beaversracing.com/midnight-moose-ultra/

https://niagarafallsmarathon.com/june-17-niagara-ultra/

http://events.mec.ca/event/148916/mec-ottawa-race-four-11k-20k-30k-50k-trail-2017


 

5 Month Sit-Rep

1033 km down, 984 km to go.
$885 raised, $1,132 remains.
Donate: https://www.gifttool.com/athon/MyFundraisingPage?ID=1466&AID=1695&PID=602510&Preview=Y
 
May was busy! 

At the start of the month my Running Room marathon clinic invited me to provide an overview of the work that Start2Finish does.

It was a great opportunity to raise the profile of the charity.  I received some generous donations, and even recruited a couple of coaches for the Ottawa programs.

The weekend before the marathon I was in St John's, NL for a family holiday.

Visiting friends, walking, eating, drinking, and late nights = a great vacation but not an ideal taper week!

Whilst on a training run there I did stop at the Terry Fox 'Mile Zero' monument. It seemed fitting to visit a memorial to the godfather of Canadian charity-running during my year of fundraising.

Terry Fox memorial, St John's, NL

http://destinationstjohns.com/article/terry-fox-monument-in-st-johns-marks-mile-zero-of-the-marathon-of-hope/