Training Log Archive: W

A pleasant cruise out to the new Fort Edmonton bridge and around. I would have liked this to be longer and less... dark, but I was on hold with the stupid insurance company for an hour. Criminy, super annoying. Saw very few people on the entire run though, which was nice.

Having a heck of a lot of trouble getting motivated to go out for workouts in the last few weeks. Losing regular morning training partners makes the morning interval workouts even more lonely than usual. This is pretty common for me, since its after the peak season high, and I can't really go on vacation per se, because I use up all my vacation for race and training time. Its back to the grindstone with working 6 or 7 days a week and trying to get back to the 2 trainings a day mode. Especially with the PWT coming up, I really feel like I need to put in a few quality, fast and hard track workouts, but those are really some of the toughest, physically and mentally. Anyone want to come and visit for a week and do morning track workouts? Free room and board......

I'd actually really appreciate it if it got colder. I think that would make workouts a bit more pleasant. Come on fall, here we come.

Well, attempted to go do track intervals, but the track was occupied, so I went to Keilor road and did them on a paved bit. I was going to do 5 x 800m followed by 2 x 1 mile at just a bit faster than my pace I'd go for my approximate 5k pace. At least, that's kind of what I thought. Since I didn't have any measurements, I ran the first one for 2:07, and hoped that was where 800m was. As it turns out I wasn't even remotely close, my Garmin says I did 670m. Ouch. I kind of thought I'd be capable of running a 2:07 without too too much trouble, perhaps not. Its hard to know. I do'nt spend enough time on the track or racing measured road races to have an idea of my pace on an empirical level. That will be remedied in a week and a half at the Stony Plain Rotary 10k, my first road 10k in... wow, a long time.

Then did the "miles" on an uphill. Naturally they weren't a mile, more like a 4:45 minute interval. Did not feel fast at all. Legs felt very heavy.

In 2004 at the Opening Ceremonies in Athens, they had Tiesto DJ the entire parade of the athletes, which then got released as an album (coincidentally titled "parade of the athletes". Its good stuff, quite a bit of it, here's one part:

Headed out east of Sherwood Park for a roller-ski with Paul on the Range Roads. Very good road conditions out there! Rotated between 10 minutes of skating, double poling, and legs only.

Hands are very, very unhappy right now. Blister city.

Well, that was a delightful break-ish, but its time to get back down to business. In case my subtle hinting wasn't clear enough, I've got another 2 weeks until its China Volume 2 for more Park World Tour, September 12-23. I'm honestly not sure how many times I'll race, but it may be as many as 6, since I've got conflicting schedules. I hope its not the one that makes me miss the last day, that'd make me pissssssed!

I'm not sure if I'm in any better shape than 2010, but not quite in 2011 shape. Hopefully for the next two weeks I'll get in both volume and speed. Intervals will be short and sweet, and light workouts will be light and long.

2 hour light run with Nev around the river valley. Lovely day and some solid trail running along the river valley. First run in the new shoes, the New Balance 890 - Link I will admit I was swayed by the Canada colours, but the fact is that I was considering the Brooks Pure Connect until I tired on this shoe and it was very, very comfortable. Its relatively light, so that's nice, though maybe a little firmer than I'd like. I might have also preferred getting another pair of Saucony Mirage's for the support, but we had no 12s, and the hot pink (men's!) Mizuno weren't very comfortable. I'm stunned I bought a New Balance shoe. They generally suck.

So, after the WOC sprint demotion of my Asics Tarther's to speed work, I've now got 890's for running, Tarther's for intervals, and I guess its back to F-lite for sprinting? I'm really hoping the New Balance 1600 comes in in my size before I go. That shoe lots hot (New Balance + Hot ? Crazy talk!)

Wednesday orienteering and Queen E. It was good, the planning was interesting enough that the small technical section to the east was actually interesting, rather than a trail run. The forest seemed not nearly as thick as I remember, actually. Before its often been quite the fight, but this time around it seemed less fight-y and just more leaf-y. I was impressed. Too bad about the homeless camps.

This is a place we should definitely have a night race this fall. As soon I as plan them, since there's only one other person who actually wants to.

Played soccer a day after the COCs long. I didn't feel tired, per se, but I really didn't have any acceleration or speed. I tried to move my little legs as fast as they would go, but where I might go one meter per step, I felt like I went half a meter. After a while I accepted that I wasn't going to move very fast, and so I'd just score by shooting from everywhere. Either way, hello goals for me. I feel less guilty because our defense is atrocious and therefore scoring is perpetually necessary.

Welp, one more chance to redeem myself. I first had an extensive pre-race strategy to deal with the heat. The night before I put my pre-shirt in the freezer. I also made sport drink popsicles. Froze a ton of ice cubes. Got the ice cream maker to make some sport drink slushy. Had 6-7 water bottles of cold water. The plan was to pre-cool as much as possible for a hot day. I soaked myself and everything I had in water, then jogged to the start in my warm-up shirt. Put on my race shirt and doused myself in the rest of the water, and went. Did it work? Who knows? Would one degree of internal temperature be noticeable? It was still hot and flippin' hard, that's for sure.

Almost immediately on the long run to 2, my legs were pretty grumpy. I was envisioning another sprint, where I just didn't have it. A brief mistake to four and five, and then a bad mistake at 7 which lead me to bail out to the trail. I went over the top of the hill but I think I was too high. So I went out to the clearing and then followed the re-entrant up from the trail. The control was pretty hidden in that bit of green. I then crushed 8-14, as I slowly started to feel a bit better. Then I lost all that time over again at 15. I overshot and when to the next hill along the creek, where as if I'd just go to the water-side and run along it, I would've seen the control from a long way away. The clearing bit on the north side of the river was slightly blurred into the contour lines (yeah yeah, compass compass compass). I took a very cautious route to 19, as I went all the way around to the north and east past finish. Everyone said that that indistinct trail was pretty obvious, but since I buggered up a virtually identical leg yesterday, I was taking next to no chance.

The last 5 controls were basically a war of attrition and possibly not necessary. None of them were remarkably difficult, just a painful run through the grass.

As it turns out I one of the first few guys to finish on our course and the first starter of the "red group", so they all had much more packed down and elephant tracks to run in. Yet, I won and Forest who started even earlier than me was 5th. So, pbbbbttthfffft.

All in all, equal levels of rage as usual, but oddly enough, my most successful Westerns/COCs. 3,1,2,4,3,1. I'd almost suggest the next most successful guy was Brian May. Better start taking up skiing, boys.

Also, Damian Renard did this course in the spring in like, 80 minutes. Embarrassing.

And I still didn't collapse at the finish line.

C • The Long 9

COC Long - Course 10 - Splits

Now this, the COC Middle, unleashed all of my fury. I haven't felt this enraged since last year's COC sprint, probably because I haven't blown such a big lead since then.

I even told myself, as I was heading to 13, "this is going to be tough, be careful", and then I wasn't. I cut through the marsh, and then spotted the lake, but I identified the wrong re-entrant and went to far. I couldn't figure out where I was so I somewhat blindly headed back towards the lake. The big problem was that with the vegetation, it was incredibly difficult to even see the re-entrant, it was a one contour and one form line where the contour interval is 2.5m. So, I returned to the lake, took a different approach, and found it that time. The rest of the course was so-so.

I find that when I cross the line, I pretty much immediately know how I did. And in this case I knew that I was probably winning, and then blew it all on that control. I was actually convinced I'd be more like 5th, but apparently I blew such a big lead, that it meant I still got third. Again, though, like last year's COC sprint, I didn't want it. Because I was so mad.

However, in retrospect, who would've thought that I'd threaten in a middle? I actually have more COC medals in the middle than any other distance. What's up with THAT?

I guess I can say that I should be feared in every event. I can crush you at any moment. Just makes me madder when I lose.

There are only two other guys in North America that I would worry about in every discipline.

C • thanks but... 3

COC Middle - Course 10 - Splits

I'm.... not quite sure what to say about this race.

Personally, I was felt roasted by number 3, and just could not get going at sprint speed. What hurt me most was the control just after the spectator one, where I saw my control, but felt it wasnt' because I was going to a different spur. I went to the one I thought it was on and then had to turn around. But, aside from that, it was just really, really slow. The felt far more like a short middle than a sprint. And I don't have a problem saying that I would probably have a different outlook if I had won. As if that's news to anyone.

Anyway, I still have this skepticism about the results, too. Again, since I lost, my brain contains a lot of conspiracy theories. I'm not as distraught because I feel like this race will have always have a little asterisk beside it.

HPP Fundraiser Ultrarsprint. I don't know, even 5 days later now, I'm still of the attitude of "I'm never flippin' doing that ever again". Perhaps that'll wear off, but the level of attendance really doesn't feel like it warranted the ridiculous amount of time I spent perfecting that map and the courses and the format and bagging all those maps and then taping them shut and getting those prizes and writing up instructions and a promo for the website and book and jumping through all the hoops the Legislature put up and STILL listening to some people moan and groan about making sure they get a prize or my 'incorrect' penalty system or having my heart hurt a little by seeing that 50% of the posts on the race on this exact website were about how best to game the system in an effort to get a better result. All this for the casual fundraiser race.

I know I brought it on myself due to the sin of being ambitious, but, criminy.

In all fairness, some people there appeared to be having a good time. And now there is a sweet iconic photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/adrianzissos/78060077...

C • Sprint 6

Relay time! In one of the parks I probably know better than any other park in the city. I've planned 4-5 meets there myself, and spent countless hours running through it, roller skiing through it, cycling through it, and etc. It was kind of like I could look at the map, and identify exactly where it was almost immediately. Unfortunately, a few of the controls were in the green so although I knew where it was, I had a bit of difficult actually physically finding it.

I'd stand there and say "I KNOW its right here, and then I'd fight through the green only to find it on the other side of the tree I was standing beside, or something.

In some areas of that park, there for some reason these metal poles sticking out of the ground. I have in the past tied orange ribbons around them. Unfortunately I found another one by control 3 by kicking it. Hammering into the control, smashed my foot right into it, landed heavily on my right knee and sliding straight into the control. About 30-40 seconds later I was able to start running again, at which point I realized I couldn't remember if I had punched the control or not. I spent the rest of the race worrying about that. (turns out I did).

Glad that finally some people got to run on some of the maps that I spend inordinate amount of time on. No one really ever has any reason to come to Edmonton, so it was nice that everyone I know actually came to visit me for once (well, sort of visit). There's an awful lot more to see.

Wow, if I thought I was out of gas yesterday in the sprint, the controls after 15 today were a train wreck. After the spring debacle at Rumsey, I was feeling very cautious about this whole race. A lot of slow moving at the start and a few map stops to be certain I was on the right hill and going in the right direction. As the splits show I was leading until 13. Going to 14 I first took the wrong trail, and had to double back, and then got stuck in some extremely green green. I then punched 14, tripped on the radio control cord and fell on my face, totally demolishing the device and flinging it in the woods. I went and got it and briefly tried to put it back together, but all I saw was a block of something and a cord with wires sticking out.

So, I shrugged and kept rurnning. But, after that, the gas was just not there, reduced to walking on the last few controls, and becoming even more cautious because I didn't think my brain was working very well anymore.

But, then I look at the winsplits bonus content and, *sigh*.

Western Canadians - Long: Course 10 - Splits

Well, time for some intensive logging. This logging was contingent on how well I did at COCs, and, now that I approve, logging ho! First off, the Westerns Middle at Elbow Bluffs.

Argh. I suppose I should take consolation from the fact that at one point, I was going quite slow during middles and therefore was never leading the race. Now I generally lead the race, blow it on one control, and proceed to claw back to a decent position after plummeting to mid-basement.

In this race it was number 5. The green dotted stuff was a little confusing. But, firstly, Magnus would tell me "compass compass compass". I tried to go the hypotenuse and hit the trail north of me, but I got pulled downhill and discovered another trail. That pulled me way to low. Then I determined where I was, but when I found an actual trail, I was unconvinced it was the trail on the map, since the last one wasn't. So I climbed, and mistook the green dotted area for green, and I think passed by the control by no more than 20 meters on my way further up the hill. I kept going until I was starting to become concerned I'd gone too high, and was in a different area that still kind of looked like an area with green dots. Eventually I headed west back to the big re-entrant, determined where I was, and headed back down to the right place. Loss - 4 minutes, drop from second to 11th. Then, as I often do, I went on the warpath, climbed from 11th to 4th in 5 controls, and then won 4 straight legs, but it was far too late.

On the flat vague section, my compass definitely could have been better, because I felt I need to feature hop rather than go straight, so it pulled me a little left on 7, for instance.

Finished third by 3:05, time lost due to mistakes, 4:46. Again, argh.

Westerns sprint. Well, not much to say about this one. It was flat, fast, and not remarkably tricky. But, tricky enough to let everyone else make mistakes. I don't know what else to say. Control 9 was a problem because I couldn't see the trail I wanted to go in on, so I went to the next one, which made things a bit trickier, and I lost time there. Felt totally gassed around 8. Must've been that Cheer Pack I took.

Western Canadians, Middle: Course 10 - Splits

Travelled to Canmore and did a short run around town on the classic 45 minute route with Lambertino. He said that if I come and do one of those Raid races he'd actually train for it. Do I have the money for yet another trip this year?

C • Raid Team 2

Went for a jog with Nev around the river valley. Did some mini test running of my ultrasprint courses, did a tempo run around them and they took around 3:30 with no punching or maze, so.... they should be just about right. Mosquitos were incredibly plentiful, so that is going to be sub-optimal. Continued on for a run to the groat bridge and back.

Played a little soccer tonight. Kind of a cruel game since we started with only 7 players (since no one else showed up, we even had to delay the game and shorten it) but were basically running circles around the opposition. Though, I was working had pretty much the entire time, so I was pleased with that. After it got to 7-1 I started phoning it in, probably only the last 10 minutes or so. My tally on this team is now 5 goals in about 100 minutes of football. I probably don't belong in this league....

Here's another tune I like to rock out to pre-race. Generally I like the Gorillaz but though some of their tunes are a bit less pump up than others. Very variable in their style. Also a bit of foreshadowing.

A good run along the old railway, kinda muddy, lovely day, good to be back. Legs a little grumpy from not running for a week!

In the spirit of my friend Tara's bronze medal in the track cycling, let's go with a little Canadian content for a pump up song today. Good song. Video that looks like it was done by a high-school student.

Kicked the cold 100%, back to business tomorrow! Not to mention yet another epic travel day.... 11PM train to London, underground to London Victoria, Gatwick Express to Airport, sleep in airport, 930 flight to Edmonton.

I'm not going to lie, there's a pretty obvious genre when it comes to songs that get me pumped up. After watching the women's triathlon, today, though, and seeing Paula Findlay being incredibly distraught after her, well, let's be honest, awful race, I thought I'd whip out one of the songs I like to listen to try and settle things if I'm a little too excited. They also work quite well as depressing songs to listen to when you're angry about bad races.

P.S. There will be more Keane. I love Keane. Thought not quite as much as I love Muse. But we'll get back to more electronica tomorrow!

Well, I'm pretty much over the sickness. And capped it off with going to see the Canada vs. GB match in Coventry, which was amaaaaaazing! Being the only guy to stand up and cheer when Canada scores was a strange, strange feeling. Every eye was trained on me, and probably quite angry and annoyed. Greatest game I've ever seen live. Historic victory.

It was awesome. Though if we lost, it would've been seriously not awesome. This song makes me the most excited at this second. Long, slow build-up, not unlike soccer! Women's triathlon tomorrow morning!

Almost back to 100%, will re-assess in the morning. For now, here's another one of my get pumped tunes. I wanted to go something my rock-esque since that's what they were playing while I was watching the Canadians lose at Beach Volleyball (on BBC, not live). Have I ever mentioned that I wish the tunes at COCs were a little bit more.. modern? Probably. :)

C • Tunes 3

Well, although I'm still a tad sick, I headed out to my old stomping ground, Memorial Park for an OD wednesday night event. Here's a question, do you think its best to wait until you are 110% recovered before going out and training, or be satisfied with 90%? Is it a matter of getting 3 days of training while kinda sick, or missing another 2 and being fully recovered sooner.... But, I digress.

They did a kind of fun thing tonight, you had to start your Emit brick, and THEN draw your own map! But you only got the first 9 controls, because then you'd be back near the start and have to draw more controls, while your time keeps running. I thought that was a clever way to jazz up a relatively easy map. Unfortunately, the map is also old and needs some major TLC, so it wasn't quite as easy as I'd've thought, especially given the number of times I'd run through this park. I would have kind of thought this park, being basically the only major park in the heart of Coventry, would be a very important one to keep up to date, just so that there is a really easy go to place to hold instant orienteering events to the city folk. Seems like an important thing to have!

And, to keep the Olympic pump-music theme going, here's another one of my go to songs. Yes, its from a video game. I don't discriminate on source material!