Gone is the Treadmill

For 16 years I lived in Prince George, BC which is "located" in Northern British Columbia (in fact it is in the middle of the province). Being northern, Prince George experiences winter from the end of October to April with temperatures in January dipping to -35°C (-31°F) and on average has 85 inches of snow fall per year. You have two options for being a runner in this climate: outside or inside.

For many years I ventured out into the frigged temperatures to get my runs in.  At that time I wore a minimal number of layers as I enjoyed the freedom of moment as opposed to having a bulky winter jacket on.  Winter by winter this approach worked, but was not ideal and not enjoyable.  Enter the treadmill.  The treadmill changed my life. No longer was I running in the extreme cold, but rather I was running long distances (inside) and enjoying the fact that it was 20°C.  The challenge is that many people complain about the intolerable level of repetition and boredom that sets in on a treadmill, but I came up with an acceptable solution.  To counter this, I configured my space so that I could listen to music, audiobooks or watch training videos as I ran.  It worked well and for the 9 years I ran on treadmill in the winter and streets in the summer.

In September 2011 I moved to Victoria, BC.  Victoria has a temperate climate with mild, rainy winters and cool, dry and sunny summers.  During the winter, the average daily high and low temperatures are 8 and 4 °C (46.4 and 39.2 °F), respectively. The summer months are equally mild, with an average high temperature of 20 °C (68 °F) and low of 11 °C (51.8 °F), although inland areas often experience warmer daytime highs. The average rainfall is 583.1mm per year with November, December and January being the rainiest.  Combine this with ocean views, an abundance of provincial parks and greenery to make this a runners paradise.

So with a drastic change in climate, I have now been running outdoors for an entire year and enjoying every moment of it.  On Friday I really needed to go for a run but was unable to go outside as I was a single parent for the night.  So I decided to put on my gear and head for the treadmill (which has been collecting dust, literally).  I ran for about 5 minutes and it was a long 5 minutes.  I struggled physically and mentally trying to adjust to running on the spot with no scenery, no forward movement , no freedom and a roof above my head. It didn't happen, I stopped. The experience was almost a 180° from running outside leaving nothing to be desired or to want to be repeated.  The outstanding issue was the fact that I still wanted to run.

I am not sure that I will run on a treadmill again. I would rather do a 60 minute P90X session (which I enjoy) before going back to an experience what does not feel comfortable or natural.  The freedom and feeling of running outdoors year round has changed my state, my physical and my life. Not sure if this comparable with your experience?  If you are not getting outside, you should - rain, shine, or snow it is so much better in so many ways.

Long live the outdoors. Gone is the treadmill.

Milestone Run: 43km.

Laced up in my ASICS GT-2170s I hit the road this weekend not to compete in the GoodLife Victoria (BC, Canada Marathon), but rather to run my-marathon which turned out to be a 3 hour 36 min, 43km run; a great milestone on the road to something much grander.

The journey started out much different than it has in past efforts, this time I was prepared.  To ensure I had enough hydration and nutrients, the night before I packed 40 oz of water, a gel pack and a cliff bar and had on standby the same items for restocking during the run. In addition, I prepared a jai seed pre-workout blend which included:

1/2 tbsp maca
1/2 tbsp hemp seed
1/2 tbsp flax oil
1/2 tbsp flax seeds
1/2 tbsp chia seeds
1 medium organic kale leaves
1 banana
1/2 cup of frozen mango slices
1/2 cup of coconut water
1/2 cup of orange juice
1 cups of water

Rising at 6:00 am I started my morning with my pre-workout blend.  With this downed and the sun starting to rise,  I headed off on a familiar route which included a 17.5 km loop repeated twice followed by a smaller 8 km route for a total of 43 km.  The goal was to keep relatively close to home in cellular range in case things did not work out in my favour.

As the run began, I made a conscious decision to consume water every 2.5 km in order to stay hydrated.  At the 10 km mark I drank the gel pack and continued on to my first refuel point at 17.5 km. The run to this point was as amazing as it has been in previous < 30 km runs.  The key has been to ensure that my heart rate was steady and my breathing untaxed, meaning I was running for the long-haul not a 10 km sprint.  At the refuelling point, I consumed the cliff bar and grabbed another 40 oz of water, another gel pack and cliff bar and added it to my pack.  Off running again, I continued to consume water every 2.5 km and at kilometre 27 ate another cliff bar.  The next 8 km to the refuel point (at 35 km) were excellent as they were in the first 17.5 km.  At 35 km I consumed the final gel pack and continued to consume water every 2.5 km to the finish at 43 km.

The final leg was not so "excellent" though. My mind, breath and upper body were feeling excellent, but at kilometre 39 my legs began to tire.  Carrying on to 41 km was still good and then it hit, my legs decided that running was no longer an option and I began to walk for about 3 minutes until I decided that this was ridiculous, not what I was out here for and began running again.  With mind over matter I completed my 43 km and felt great about this accomplishment.

The success of this journey has been my training up to this point, but I also believe that both hydration and nutrients played a key roll in my endurance.  All the changes and adjustments that I have made over the past several months by reading ultra marathon and ultra-man books is paying off.  That said, I do realize that the above approach may not be perfect and as I continue running it will evolve.

10 hours later, I am still feeling great, my legs are not tired or sore and I am certain that tonight will be a great recovery sleep.  With this milestone accomplished and my sights set on a larger goal, my training continues.

Going Barefoot (minimal)...

Over the last month or two I have focused my attention from thinking about a marathon to going beyond.  My source of inspiration has come from numerous books such as Born to Run be Christopher McDougall, Finding Ultra by Rich Roll, Eat and Run by Scott Jurek. Ultramarathon Man by Dean Karnazes, and the list goes on.  Inspired by the story,I have begun to think different.

The first thing that caught my attention was the fact that there are many to performing endurance athletes that are either vegan or follow a vegan menu.  With the little that I know and the tweaking of my diet, I am amazed at my energy levels and endurance.  Much to learn and do, but certainly not stopping here.  But this post is not about that, rather...

The second idea that intrigued me was going barefoot (or closer to it).  The stories and discussion within all of these books made me really thing about how I have been selecting footwear with the thought that maybe, just maybe I have been going about it all wrong.  The question is how will I know?  Take a Leap!

For many years I have been wearing an ASICS GT-2170 which is a fairly neutral shoe with a medium (not a technical term) amount of cushioning.  In pondering a switch towards barefoot  I figured my best course of action would be a "barefoot" shoe as I value my feet and cannot picture myself being exposed to the elements and ending up mangled feet.  After a lot of research into shoes, I purchased the New Balance Minimus MR00GB.  

The shoe fits incredibly well with very little movement, like a glove. It features a zero-drop midsole that has the benefits of barefoot but with protection.  

Excited to try the new shoes, I ventured out for an easy 20km road run.  What an experience!  I had never imaged how curious it would feel to have no cushioning and be with the road.  Instantly, my running stride and style changed.  What worked in my GT-2170s, was certainly not going to work here as the cushion in the GT-2170s compensates for a lot.  After a couple of kilometres of running, I fell into a nice pace that felt light on the feet and was comfortable.  As I slowed to a stop at traffic signals, I had to gently slow to a stop as anything abrupt would result in an unnatural stomping feeling.  Carrying on to 5, 10, and 15km, all was well without issue.

The last 5km became a greater challenge.  Running in barefoot shoes (for the first time) has a very different affect on your leg muscles.  The muscles were not tired, but rather they were being worked in a very different way resulting in some tightness, but nothing that you would not feel after an extended run.  Settling back at  home for a check on the feet, all was well, no blisters, no soreness, no issue.  My adventure was good, the shoes were good, and my body is feeling good too.

I can't give a recommendation on a shoe here as it has been day one.  That said, you know what you feel and this was a good run in a great shoe.  As a side note, I also enjoy trail running and picked up a pair of New Balance MT10GY trail running shoes which I have yet to try, but am really looking forward to it. 

Blog Re-launch

Over the past year I have taken a hiatus from blogging.  Instead, I have been using Twitter as a real-time learning and collaboration platform to understand what is happening now, what the great thinkers of the world are thinking and also to collaborate with people.  With all of this information, I have been re-tweeting a lot, but have also provided some of my own contributions.  The challenge is that 140 characters is great snapshot, but is not necessarily enough characters to present an idea, story or approach.

A blog on the other hand has its advantages:

• It allows me to write whenever I want at a frequency that has no expectations.
• It provides an archive of communication.

• It allows for rich media and links to content throughout the internet.

• It allows for a feedback mechanism.

• It allows for more than 140 characters.

• It is a familiar medium.
• It is Open.

There are many more advantages, but instead of listing them, let’s just get started.

Here is how I am anticipating this to work.  Periodically, I will write a post.  The frequency of the posts is unknown and could be several times per week to once a month.  The posts will be typically 500 words or less so that the each post will be a quick and easy read.  

This is an evolution, so please be patient as I get my bearings and please do provide me with feedback.