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So tomorrow is the ZegnaSport Yaletown Grand Prix around the streets just a block away from my apartment. By all accounts it's the first time the Grand Prix have included an 'elite' men's and women's 4.5km race alongisde the usual bike crit racing, so we'll see how the organisation goes.
So far I have to say that I haven't been too impressed. I registered a while ago but have not had any confirmation from the organisers that I have a place on the startline. Any joe jogger could have gone online and entered, so for an 'elite' race you'd at least hope for guys who can break 16:30mins for 5k at the very least. The website has not updated since I registered over a month ago, and if it wasn't for the banner hanging up by Earls saying 'Yaletown Grand Prix 1 July' I'd have my doubts whether it was even going ahead.
That aside I'm looking forward to putting on the racing flats and having a blast. I jogged a total of four laps of the course this evening as my usual pre-race warm up - strides - warm down routine, and found it to be quite entertaining. Once the streets are closed it will make for a great atmosphere, especially through the bar district. My hope is that a load of sub-15min 5k runners don't turn up making me look like a right idiot for even entering. If that happens I know I'll probably pull out after a couple of laps and save myself for something less embarrassing!
Having witnessed some great running over my weekend in Des Moines I am pretty excited to be racing again, just seeing the guys laying it all out is extremely inspiring and it makes me hungry to pour out the pain. So this is my philosophy... early on sit in the pack like Jan Frodeno, then make my presence felt like Brad Kahlefeldt, on the last lap make my move like Lukas Salvisberg and then kick like hell like Simon Whitfield. If it all goes to plan I'll be a happy guy! But as we all know, plans on paper hardly ever work out in real life.
Sun.pm. 20.00m / 2:09:05 / 6:27 miling
Loooong Sunday evening run across to UBC from Yaletown, just couldn't stop myself, had a great time. See the blog entry for more details.
Mon.pm. 7.21m / 48:33 / 6:43 miling
Relaxed run, keeping it smooth and gentle with yesterday in mind, nice to freshen the legs up before the week ahead.
Tue. Rest - flying Vancouver, BC --> Denver, CO --> Des Moines, IA
All aboard the triathlon train for the Hy-vee ITU Triathlon Elite Cup and ITU Triathlon Team World Championships.
Wed.am. 4.25m / 30:30 / 7:11 miling
Easy morning run out to wake the legs up having spent yesterday on various planes and taxis. The heat and humidity of Iowa really hit me despite it being 7:30am and I soon had my vest off.
Wed.pm. 1m WU - 5k tempo (17:20) - 2min jog - 5k tempo (19:01) - 1m WD
I couldn't guarantee my training for the week so decided to get the session done early incase I ended up not being able to fit it in. Over concrete pavements, intersections and a few undulations I felt decidedly ill-prepared for the intense heat. I wore my GB Beijing Olympic shorts and by the end they were completely saturated in sweat, it was ridiculous. In the final 2k I got a stitch and felt like death. I must have looked a right state walking back into the hotel.
Thu.pm. 7.00m / 47:58 / 6:51 miling
Got out the door at 9:15pm into the slightly cooler air for an easy 45mins up to the local mall and back. The mall complex was probably the best part of 4 miles in diameter - crazy!
Fri.pm. 6.29m / 37:09 / 5:54 miling
Got back from team interviews and media activities in the late evening so threw the kit on and headed out for a quick run before we headed off for dinner. Felt a lot better, more acclimatised and fresher so wound up the pace and made it a tempo run. Imagined I was racing some of the triathlon guys for the $200,000 prize cheque, haha.
Sat. Rest - Hy-Vee ITU Triathlon Elite Cup
Early start (06:30am), late finish (01:45am when I finally turned my computer off) so no training, as expected. Decent women's race with an impressive run by Lauren to take third - great to see someone taking their first step onto the World Cup podium, especially when it's long overdue... and then that happened. The men's sprint finish was nothing short of epic with a win for Simon over Brad and Frodo:
Simon probably gave the best interview I've ever done as he finally got one over on Jan to bury the Beijing demons and gave tribute to his daughter. It was a buzz just to witness such a great sporting moment and it's something I'm not going to forget. I'm not sure the Americans were too pleased in hearing the Canadian national anthem though!
Run total: 53.32 miles (85.8km) / 5:47:54 / 6:31 miling avg
Comments:
A bit of a strange week with all the travel, change in climate and event work, but it has really got me fired up for the Yaletown Grand Prix. Training was rather sporadic, but at least I got most of what I wanted to do done.
I am just working out my travel plans for the summer, but I could well end up spending six weeks back in Europe from 6 July - 18 August going from Austria to England, to Germany, back to England, to Hungary to England. I'd like to get back to Vancouver after Hamburg World Champs, but we'll see how it plays out.
Right now I want to race hard, get some training in, and try and keep the consistency despite the rollercoaster lifestyle. I knew my life would change when I moved over here and I feel like I'm living the dream; so sometimes I need to forget about the 'triviality' of running and instead focus on enjoying the moment.
Congrats to everyone at VFAC on the Scotiabank Half Marathon results! Top banana!
So despite it being June, the time when base work is effectively put into maintenance mode, I found myself running 20 miles last night... and at a decent lick at that. 2hrs 9mins in fact, and most of that was off road on an out and back route to UBC from Yaletown.
I asked myself why I was doing it as I hit 7 miles, then 8, then 9 on the way out to UBC, knowing full well that every yard I ran forward I'd have to repeat on the way back. But it was almost uncontrollable, the power of freedom being expressed through my legs, this feeling of escapism having been working from 6am until 2pm in my front room, and the knowledge that I was running well and really enjoying myself.
I looked at my garmin stats and it turns out that it's the second longest run of my year, the biggest being 21.5 miles run just before I came out to Vancouver at a time when I still had spring marathon ambitions. Saying that, I was running 2.5 hours on Sundays back home, so longer, but the hilly running around Loughborough was done at a slower pace.
The fact is I think I have an underlying desire for distance. However much I enjoy the 5k and 10k races in the summer, there is one nemesis I need to correct - the marathon. When I cramped up at the 20 mile mark at London in 2006, aged 20, I made a vow that I was coming back to erase my embarrassing 3:07:16 and clock something respectable. Last night I could have jogged a 50 minute 10k on top of my 20 miles and run a sub-3 marathon, easy. It's great to know that any given day I can go out and re-write the record books, so roll on the Royal Victoria Marathon in October when I'll get the chance to do it in anger.
Sun.pm. 14.50m / 1:37:15 / 6:42 miling
Feeling pretty pumped after the Longest Day so did some exploring in Stanley Park, up to the top of Prospect Point and back via Brockton and sea wall.
Mon.pm. 11.50m / 1:06:02 / 6:36 miling
Pretty inspired by the trails in Stanley Park, so back through up to Brockton Oval. I passed a Sikh music festival, great vibe, great dancing. Party in the Park!
Cycling - 16 miles
Tue. Rest - sore calf
Took it easy with a sore calf. My left cleat on my bike shoe broke and screwed up my leg biomechanics. Decided to not to risk it and to take my rest day early.
Cycling - 16 miles
Wed.pm. 7.76m / 48:01 / 6:11 miling
Run over to Kitsilano Beach on the grass for a stretch out. Dropped in 6 x 80m incline strides with walk back recovery. Need to improve my turn over!
Cycling - 16 miles
Thu.pm. 6.23m WU - 2 x 1.83m reps - 5.84m WD
Awesome session in Stanley Park with the guys. See the blog entry for details.
Cycling - 16 miles
Fri.pm. 4.28m / 30:00 / 7:01 miling
Easy grass run lapping David Lam Park by the apartment. Wanted to freshen the legs before the morning track session and felt good for doing it.
Cycling - 16 miles
Sat.am. 2.75m WU - 4 x 1200m hard/400m +25secs continuous - 2.68m WD (0.75m barefoot)
Rep 1 - 3:49 / 1:41 ... Rep 2 - 3:45 / 1:41 ... Rep 3 - 3:44 / 1:39 ... Rep 4 - 3:44 / 1:36
Really nice session where I tracked Jay throughout, trying to keep him in sight. Love the continuous workouts and this was no exception. Great to have Kevin trackside to read the split times.
Total time for 4 miles: 21:42 / ~5:25 miling
Cycling - 10 miles
Run total: 64.08 miles (103km) / 7:10:08 / 6:42 miling avg
Cycle total: 90.72 miles (146km)
Comments:
Really nice week, two great sessions and no recurring injury from last week which is the main thing. Feeling very motivated to run some fast times this summer and the legs are responding well to what I'm putting them through. Hopefully last week's 5k is the start, not the peak, of what I can achieve.
I'm not sure if the cycle commute across Lions Gate Bridge each day is necessarily aiding my training, but psychologically I feel like I'm getting some decent aerobic work in, even if I am only spinning for the most part. My legs are a lot more toned because of it and my quads are certainly more prominent than they have been.
This coming week could be tough with training as I fly to Des Moines, Iowa, on Tuesday ahead of next weekend's elite triathlon. Therefore I'm going to play it by ear, but hopefully I can wangle in a session and a tempo at some point. Next race is when I get back on Canada Day in the Yaletown Grand Prix. As a Yaletown resident I'm looking forward to getting the opportunity to smash it through the streets past my local bars, however if it turns out to be a sub-15min elite athletefest, as I fear it will, then I'll be pulling over to the side for a pint instead!
Anyone walking through Stanley Park this evening must have thought there was some kind of camp guys' running club going on as this chain gang of topless fellas came storming through at five minute miling. We were flying, pushing each other hard and towing ourselves along in one long line of exalted brilliance.
There's something really empowering when you find a group of similarly paced runners who all want to lay it out on the line rep after rep. Without each other we wouldn't run as fast, train as hard or necessarily have that motivation to pull ourselves down to Stanley Park on a Thursday evening. Aside from Brad who ran the 10k at Longest Day, the other four of us were covered by just 18 seconds in the 5k, so we're all really close.
The warm was good, I felt pretty fresh, although finished needing a drink without a water fountain in sight - typical! It was great to have Ian Druce down training with us; a few of us were telling him to come along back at last week's 5k, and he was a very welcome addition to the group. Top bloke!
The session was 2 x 1.85 mile laps of the park, starting on the Rawlings trail by second beach before routing along the bottom before the slight drag up to the footbridge and back along the Lover's Avenue trail towards second beach.
Me chasing Graeme for fourth at Longest Day 5k
The mass start of rep two was a better paced affair. Jay stormed off as per usual and somehow I ended up at the front of our group, feeling really good, running fluently and striding out well. However once we hit the incline I went through a bad patch, probably from going off too hard, and really had to battle to hang onto Brad at the rear of the group. My head was rolling like Paula Radcliffe, much to my amusement. I felt better once we had got to the top again and gradually worked my way to the front before trying to pick it up in the final 400m with Ynuk on my shoulder - 9:20.
Ian (white vest), Phil (red vest), Ynuk (blue vest), Mike (red vest), Phil (blue vest) at Longest Day
Unfortunately my lower legs seem to be having a rough week. I postponed Tuesday's easy run by 24 hours as my left calf tightened up because of a broken cleat on my bike shoe which skewed my muscle; and during the session my popliteus on the back of my left knee was tightening up and it became very rigid on the warm down. Back on with the compression socks (left one rolled up to my thigh) and we'll see how it feels in the morning. Hopefully some knee extension on the easy ride into work will loosen it off!
Sometimes we all find it hard to get out of the door and into our stride. Motivation is often lacking in runners, usually in the winter during the base phase when we're clocking big miles, running twice a day and generally feeling constantly tired.
I remember earlier in the year when I was running over 100 miles (160km) a week, grinding it out day after day, but thankfully every evening I would meet up with the squad and train with the guys and girls, distracting myself from the fatigue. I found that hitting big miles was actually a motivating factor. The satisfaction of clocking three digits in the diary kept me going, even though the comfortable duvet was ever present on those cold wet mornings.
My good friend Kevin Seaward, an international from Northern Ireland, recently posted this now infamous quote on his facebook page:
"Running is a big question mark that’s there each and every day. It asks you, ‘Are you going to be a wimp or are you going to be strong today?'"
- Peter Maher
Peter Maher was a Canadian marathon runner who competed mainly in the 1990's. He was credited for a brief period with the record time for a half marathon and competed in the Olympic men’s marathons in Seoul, 1988 and Barcelona, 1992 and ran sub-2:12. In other words, he is a bit of a legend.
His description of running as a 'question mark' is interesting. In my experience the questions thrown up through training revolve around finding that kick to get out of the door every morning and evening. Am I going to be that proverbial wimp, or am I going to be the tough guy, the one sucking up the hurt for the greater good of my performance? Am I going to take the easy option and take the day off, or am I going to stand back at the end of a race knowing I have given everything I possibly could have done?
Unfortunately for runners, this can become obsessive. Days constantly spent thinking about the evening's training session, the times you want to run, that fear of the niggle growing in your right calf muscle, the wonder about what your rivals are doing, the feeling you need a caffeine hit to get you going again. We've all been there, and we know that only the strong perservere and get their just rewards.
Maybe the best summation of overcoming the issue is from former US Army General and 1912 Olympian, George Patton:
"Now if you are going to win any battle you have to do one thing. You have to make the mind run the body. Never let the body tell the mind what to do. The body will always give up. It is always tired morning, noon, and night. But the body is never tired if the mind is not tired ... you've always got to make the mind take over and keep going."
My question now is: am I strong enough today to give it everything in tonight's session?
When really I know deep down inside, so that I don't even need I ask in the first place, I am.
Since moving to Canada it's become very apparent that there isn't actually a system in place to aid recruitment or competitions for clubs. I always took it for granted back in Britain that throughout the season I would race for my team, Cheltenham Harriers, in a number of competitions. It meant that no matter what fitness level I was in I would don the vest and do my best to support my team and clubmates wherever possible.
Racing old friend Ed Womersley at the Birmingham League Div 1 race in Gloucester, clubmate Jeremy in the background
Canada is quite different. The only athletics club of note in the whole of Vancouver is the Falcons, although there are other clubs dotted around the surrounding towns, such as Richmond, Burnaby and North Vancouver. Results for road races are posted with the city of residence of the runner, not which team vest they were wearing, and there are no inter-club competitions, even on a local level.
Giving the captain's team talk to the Loughborough guys before British Uni XC Champs 2006
Everything here is individualised. Name, date of birth, city of residence. That's all that counts. There isn't that identity where your training group or coach is highlighted. For instance, in the current British Columbia Athletics Road Race Series my training partner Jay is placed in third. There is no mention that he runs for the Vancouver Falcons, so those people interested in the runner don't see the background as to what makes him successful. Does the average recreational athlete in a local road race even know that there is an athletics club in Vancouver that they can join with like minded individuals? They sure can't see it when they receive their results. When Vancouver is such an active city, and one where I pass literally hundreds of people out running every week, why aren't more of them attached to a club?
The Vancouver Falcons - we'd make a great team!
I'm not having a go at my Canadian club here, far from it. I love training with the guys every week and I think it's a very energetic and motivating setup with excellent coaching; but where are the opportunities to race for each other and not just against each other? We'd make a great team, one where we'd give every last drop of energy to have us succeed as a group. As team mate Brad posted on his blog: "I am looking forward to workout on Thursday and meeting up with the rest of the blue train after their great showing last Friday. 3rd through 8th and a bunch right after that. What a group." But unfortunately, despite the camaradarie I can't see us getting the chance to pull on the Falcons vests to battle it out against the Richmond Kajaks or the Island Road Racers; and I think it's a real shame.
Old Marlingtonians/Stroud AC, the winter training buddies and former school team mates
Ironically back in Britain there have always been complaints about the state of the club system, from the low turnouts at BAL matches to the arguments over the apparent poaching of athletes. The message I will take back with me is that the British distance fraternity should count themselves lucky to have such opportunities to compete against each other on such a regular basis. It's one thing to run for yourself, but it's quite another to run for your team.
