Wednesday, December 30, 2015

Now, For the Rest of the Story!


One of the main reasons for signing up for the Boxing Day 10 Miler was that Claudia (Cornel's youngest daughter) was coming home for Christmas.  Claudia is a very active and vibrant young lady (so full of life as I found out on race day) and like her Dad, she enjoys a very active lifestyle, full of hiking, cycling and running; well and whatever else she can squeeze in.  She currently lives in Vancouver and attends at the University of British Columbia.  As she progresses in her studies, she will be a great resource for our racing nutrition, so stay tuned for that.
She, like the rest of us had started out with the best of intentions, but, those dreaded mid terms were omnipresent and so, her training runs also suffered.  It was hard for me to notice though.  Also, like her Dad, they have a natural running form that makes them a little faster.  I have to admit, it was on account of trying to run along side her and share in her first race experience that I started out with that sub 5 min pace.  Fortunate for me, I do the 10 and 1 program and lost her after 10 minutes.  I was then able to settle into my own personal and much slower pace.  As life shows us, sometimes, things just work out for the best.
It was her longest run to date, but, as her endurance and mental stamina prevailed, Claudia took first place in her age category of 19 and under, winning her a gold belt buckle in her very first race.  Cornel and I were so overjoyed to be part of this experience.  It appears that someone will be returning next year to defend that title in the next age group category and also beat her Dad, who only finished a mere 6 minutes ahead.  So proud of you Claudia!  Also, important to mention, our goal is to be well trained for next years race.

Happy Trails my Friends!

The Under Trained




How much training is considered too little?  Does it depend on the distance or on the amount that you push it?  If it happens to be the latter than my body is cooperating quite nicely.  My partner Cornel (you'll hear him referenced many times in my blogs) has said that we are not able to do any further races without doing the appropriate training and yet, here we go again.
The Boxing Day 10 Miler race was a great thought when we considered it back in late October or early November.  Easy to get in 3 runs a week, right?  That changed into one run a month in November and two in December.  Maxing the distance in those runs at around 5 km as I didn't want to push it too much.  I will do that on the next one.  Sure, then life gets in the way.  Why does time move so fast after 40?
Well, as I always said in my clinics and the mantra I have used in more than one race, "a finish is still a finish".  The one benefit in racing under trained is you tend not to push it as you fear risking an injury for that next race, so you finish without breaking much of a sweat, which means dry clothes.  This is a positive when its only 4 degrees outside.  The other benefits of running at a 60-70 max heartbeat, you can talk a lot; or at least to anyone that is willing to listen.  Its enjoyable, you notice things and the people around you.
Well, just be sure to start off slow.....or when you look down at your Garmin and you're running a sub 5 pace, ease up as you're running way to fast to get through it.  All in all, finishing at the half way point of your gender and age group is satisfying enough for lacing up. Good thing you showed up.

Happy Trails my Friends