#130 Stubborn Love

Six days. 

I haven't run in six days. 

It's a different kind of streak and not one I'm at all happy with. It's now the longest consecutive period of time that I haven't run in the past two and a half years*! Tendinitis in early January and the Boston Marathon in 2013. Road2Hope Hamilton in 2012. All meant taking five days off running. Five days. Never six!

And given the persistent pain and noticeable limp in my right leg right now, it's a streak that could continue for some time.

"But I still love her, I don't really care"

What's going on? 

Unfortunately, I'm not really sure. What started as a hip flexor strain, minor and manageable, has become an all-encompassing hip/groin (and the whole right leg really) issue. It's quite literally a pain in my ass! And sure, I probably should not have kept running these past few weeks. Rather, I should have sought treatment much sooner and taken some time off. We runners are just so damn stubborn. Stupid even! 

"I can't be told, ah, ah, it can't be done"

So what?

Running is part of who I am. It's what I love to do. A day just isn't a day without a few easy miles on the MGT or a hard workout with the Lungs. It's about so much more than speed or fitness, competition or performance. It's about health and happiness, meaning and well-being, identity and belonging. And so, it's no wonder that I'm now feeling incredibly nervous, anxious, and excitable (irritable is probably the better word) without running. We really don't appreciate how much we need it until it's gone. Some call it an addiction. Right now, I tend to agree.

"It's better to feel pain, than nothing at all"

What now?

Be assured, I am well aware that a running injury is relatively minor and not really a 'big deal'. Alas, the world ("my" world even) will not end!

STWM is now less than 11 weeks away. My goal is to PB. To run fast. To run hard. To represent the Lungs. To raise some money for Alzheimer's. To enjoy the experience. And also, to win beer. To do so, I'd like to be running some 100 miles a week in preparation, including 32K long runs and long interval speed sessions. Instead, I'm stuck spinning on a stationary bike for 40 minutes at a time (because that's all I can't handle). I'm also stretching and squatting. Massaging and manipulating. Rolling, advil-ing and icing. Seemingly, to no avail. Pre-hab is looking pretty good right now. Rehab, not so much.

I could call it quits. I could bail on my goals and the race altogether. I could take the easy way out and enjoy the time off. Tell myself I need (deserve?) a break. But why? How? There's still so much time. 73 days. Time to rest, reassess, recover and regain. I'm not giving up. I'm just taking a different road. The road less traveled (and less run) it would seem.

Right now, I'll take it day by day. Later, week by week. If I don't run at all for a few weeks, that shouldn't be a problem. If I can make it to September feeling good again, I'm convinced I'll still have a shot. My next races are set to be the B&O Yorkville 5K in early September and the Army Run (Half) in Ottawa later that month. If I can maintain my fitness (spinning til I'm spun out) and recover from the injury, I'm sure I can still run a respectable marathon.

Yes, I may need to modify my goals. I will definitely need to modify my plan. But I won't quit. Not now. Not yet. There's still time. There's always hope. And there's a whole lot I can still accomplish.

"And I don't blame you dear for running like you did all these years"

We runners are so constantly looking forward. Setting new goals. Training for the next race. Rarely do we look back and reflect on how far we've come. What we've done. Instead of stressing about what we haven't yet done or possibly can't do, we should take the time to appreciate what we've been able to accomplish and the small successes along the way. Every step and every run is an important part of the journey. It all counts. 

"Keep your head up, keep your love"

*Consistency is said to be key for distance running success. Dating back to Jan 1st, 2012, a span of 2.5 years (30 months), I have run just over 16,100K (10,000+M). In that time, I have taken (only) 75 days off running. That, I call consistency.

#129 Proud to be Canadian

This past weekend was indeed a long one!

Start of the 2014 Pride and Remembrance Run 5K. Photo: John MacMillan

It started on Saturday with the Pride and Remembrance Run 5K, which for me was the 4th straight year running the race (that's kind of a pun).

I've always enjoyed this race and this year was no different. In fact, with expectations of running (really) fast not really there, I was much less anxious and enjoyed the experience much more. I ended up racing pretty well and finished in 3rd place in a time of 16:27. I followed my teammate Dave Clark for almost the entire race but just managed to draw even and move by him in the last hundred metres or so. More importantly however was that Black Lungs Toronto maintained top spot in the team category competition. Congrats to all the Black Lungs who ran and came out to pace and support our crew!

Black Lungs DC and DW being paced by DCL and MDF toward the Pride 5K finish. Photo: Kevin Gough

Big shout out to the Pride organizers who took into account my and others suggestions about ensuring the race was an accurate 5K (it was!) and also by having two waves so that the faster runners in the field would not collide with the slower runners and walkers when doing the second loop of Queen's Park. The race is now much better for it!

Sprinting for the finish. Photo: Alistair Munro

Following the race and after watching the dramatic game between Brasil and Chile, the real fun started over at Casa Bryne Campbell (the CBC) who hosted another fantastic rooftop patio party in Cabbagetown. Much drinking and dancing were had by all (namely me), which made for a less than epic, albeit memorable, 21K run the next morning.

A short time later, I nervously watched as the Dutchies took on Mexico in the Round of 16. In the end, and despite a less than convincing first 60 minutes, they got the result they (probably) deserved but I was still sad to see Mexico bow out in the very last minutes due to a questionable foul and subsequent penalty kick. Onwards to the quarterfinals against the tournament's dark-horse, Costa Rica...

On Monday morning, Melinda and I drove to Ingersoll to spend some time with my family. I really can't say enough about how much I enjoy being at "home" and out of the big city (we left about the same time our utterly embarrassing and downright disgraceful 'mayor' Rob Ford was making his return to city hall). Among other things, we cruised around in a convertible, ate pancakes at Oma's, enjoyed a delicious BBQ at Barry and Shielas' and watched Jurassic Park on a big screen and under the stars.

To kick off my Canada Day celebrations on Tuesday, I made the short trip to Embro, ON for the Highland Games 10K Road Race. There we were met with somewhat contrasting conditions: overcast skies with gale-forced winds, yet warm temps and crippling humidity. The race began at 9 a.m. and it started off hot (in more ways than one). I ran the first K way to fast (chasing some hot-headed high-schoolers in the 5K) but quickly settled into a not uncomfortable pace and also found myself with a clear lead. The skies grew darker by the minute and right around 3K the first drops started to fall. Within seconds, a light rain had evolved into a outright downpour and it wasn't long before I was soaked from head to toe. I glanced at my watch to see 17:25 at the 5K mark and figured I might be able to hold on for another five and finish around 35min. The rain continued, and perhaps even intensified, for another few K before it stopped altogether around 8K. It was only then that I realized the winds, that again begin to howl and were hitting me hard and head-on. Those last 2K were a battle but I managed to hold on and cruise into the finish taking first place comfortably and dipping just under 35 (official time of 34:58).

Showing off my hardware and firm stare at the Embro Highland Games. Photo: Melinda C

For my effort (a glorified tempo session), I took home a small trophy (very cool) and $75! Not a bad start to Canada Day. We (Melinda, Charlie as well as my folks and even some family) stuck around and took in some of the Highland Games festivities which included a tug-of-war contest, dog agility shows, sheep shearing, wool spinning and a bunch of fat guys throwing big rocks in a field. Oh, and the incessant sound of bag-pipes! Haha The Scottish... I truly enjoyed every minute.

Following this, it was much more eating and drinking to celebrate the holiday followed by a reluctant return to TO.

With those shorter races now over, the months of July and August will be primarily aimed at marathon training for STWM. This will mean a few more weeks of speed training before a big emphasis on endurance building. On July 13th, I'll do a "fun run" at The North Face Endurance Challenge Half, which is the same day that the Dutch should be crowned World Cup Champs!!! Lots to look forward to...

#128 Comes and Goes (In Waves)

The Longest Day Ekiden Relay start. Friday June 20th. Leslie St. Spit. Photo: A Thuss.

Before I begin, I'd just like to thank ALL the runners, volunteers and supporters who came out to make 'The Longest Day Ekiden Relay' a success. It's great to see the Toronto running community come together and celebrate our collective commitment, competitive spirit and camaraderie. Complete results can be found here.

#STWM Marathon Training Part I: A Need for Speed

Training for STWM is now officially underway (technically it began several weeks ago with continued recovery and "base building") but before logging the big miles and hammering long intervals to prepare us for racing 42.2, Coach Campbell has us (The Black Lungs) do a four week "speed phase" with fewer Ks and faster (funner?) shorter intervals and hill workouts.

As an overview, our weekly mileage remains steady around 100-120K with a single speed session on Thursdays, a weekly long run (21-27K) on Sundays, and lots of easy and aerobic (i.e. auto-pilot) runs with occasional striders added to the end.

As an added "treat", many of the Lungs are also either running the Pride 5K this Saturday (that may or may not be exactly 5K, but which is nonetheless a fantastic event with great post-race refreshments) or the Canada Day 5K in Burlington a few days later. These efforts are meant to both test our current fitness and speed, as well as develop it further. It's also a great excuse to race a shorter summer race and enjoy the team aspect of running as a group. Of course, the post race beers and BBQ help quite a bit too!

From a more personal perspective, I am not in the best head space right now when it comes to running. I'm in a bit of a rut as I continue to deal with a right leg (hip, groin, not exactly sure what) issue that is manageable most of the time, but occasionally a pain in the ass (quite literally in fact). Add to this a more recent issue acclimatizing to the heat and humidity (combined with low iron levels) and I find myself more fatigued than I should be and unable to hit the paces I want too or run comfortably for very long. Luckily, it is 'early' in the build and I am very much hoping to "run through" these issues and arrive on the other side, better and faster than before.

This time last year things were looking very different as my training was going almost perfectly to plan. I was injury free and about to break 16 min in a 5K for the first (and to date, only) time. This I did at the Pride 5K (2013) where I ran 15:53, good for third overall and was over the moon. 

Just today I wrote a short piece for the (Canadian Running) magazine about our self-perceptions (of who we are now and who we want to be in the future) and how we can 'use' these to our benefit. A big impetus for that was where I'm currently at. As runners we are always looking forward and hoping to continue to improve. It is therefore very challenging (mentally more than anything) when weeks, months and perhaps years later, you are not only NOT moving forward, but feeling as if you're going in reverse.

I've never been one to use excuses for failure or sub-par performances, but rather pride myself on always remaining positive and taking control of my circumstances. Now more than ever, I must consider the long term goals I have set for myself (i.e. running well at STWM) and make the changes that will set me up for achieving them. That is likely to mean acknowledging and accepting this current setback and doing what is necessary to get through it.

We all struggle from time to time. Runners know and experience this perhaps more so than many others. It's how we respond to our struggles and overcome them that make us the better people and better runners we strive to be.