Meet My Pet Rock!

The seed to run Lost Soul Ultra was planted during my running of the 2010 SK Ultra. Dave, a running buddy, commented that if I wanted to have a real feeling of accomplishment, I should run the Lost Soul Ultra in Lethbridge. The idea of running LSU was put to rest until the winter of 2012 when I decided to enter my name in the registration lottery and as luck would have it, I won a spot in the Saturday 50k grouping.

I won’t bore you with my training woes and triumphs, but I will say that I was as prepared as I thought I could be.

6h00 Saturday morning, September 8^th, saw almost 80 participants grouped together in the conference room of the Lethbridge Lodge for our pre-race meeting. I remember thinking that everyone else looked like “real” runners and no one seemed as nervous as me. Thank goodness for Jonathan Schmidt, who recognized me and came over to offer some words of advice, “maintain an easy pace, stay hydrated and fueled, and have fun.” Wise words; if only I would have been more precise in my execution!

The first few legs went well. I felt good and I was lulled into a false sense of confidence. The hills were not as terrifying as I had imagined, the weather was perfect and I was maintaining a fairly swift pace (for me anyways). I hit the first two aid stations well ahead of my estimated time and because I was feeling good, continued on with just a handheld bottle and a pack of energy gummies borrowed from my hydration pack (this would prove a costly mistake).

At the Pavan Aid station, things were still going well, body felt fine, hydration and fueling was in line with the race plan. Thirteen minutes after checking in, I checked out with fresh shoes and my hydration pack. This was the leg that concerned me the most, it was the longest and from what I could tell it was going to have some nasty ascents and descents. I was not overly anxious, as I was still well ahead of cut off times and my own imposed aid station times. The plan was still holding together until 4 kilometers in, I went to grab some food from my pack pockets and only found one energy bar. It had slipped my mind that I had borrowed from this pack earlier and I had forgotten to refill at the aid station. I began mentally beating myself up for such a rookie mistake, but soon realized there was nothing I could do about it, so determinedly I continued on.

8 kilometers in, halfway around this leg, my calves started cramping and my stomach was rumbling. I was caught by a few experienced runners, and through the sharing of stories, they found out I was out of food and starting to cramp. One of them gave me some salt tabs and the other shared some energy gel, but the damage was done and not long after they bounded off and I was left to plod along.

I was beginning to let the DNF thoughts enter my mind, “I have already done 30 kilometers in the most difficult race I have ever done, I have nothing to prove, I am happy with what I have done. My wife will be at the aid station, I’ll tell her I am done and we can drive back to the hotel.” However during the last few kilometers of this leg I passed a few runners who seemed to be doing worse than me and my resolve to finish was renewed.

Roughly half a kilometer from the aid station is a barbed wire fence, spread apart and wrapped. The cramping in my calves had worked its way up to my quads and hamstrings and going under or over this barbed wire seemed impossible. I decided to try and step over and straddle the wrap, but half way over my legs seized and I fell over to the other side. After a few choice words in French and some very deep cleansing breaths, I managed to push my carcass up and limp towards the aid station.

There was not a more beautiful sight than seeing my wife and the Pavan building! I explained to Carla my thoughts and without a moment’s hesitation she informed me that we did not come this far to give up. I guess this wasn’t just my adventure, it was hers too. We had invested too much family time for my training to give up so easily.

She gave me some pretzels and Cheezies to eat. I drank some McDonald’s salt packages, crunched some Tums and downed a few glasses of flat Coke and after 37 minutes felt well enough to soldier on. There is no doubt in mind that I would not have continued without the encouragement and support of my wife and the two fantastic lady volunteers who spent every minute of my stay in the aid station with me.

My memories of the last two legs are a little hazy. I remember being severely upset at having to climb the two steep hills in the middle of the next leg. I remember being pushed over by a friendly, but overzealous large dog and the weird look on his owners’ face when I asked them to help me up. I remember joking and laughing with the bikini clad beach volleyball players when I left Peenaquim aid station. I remember joining up with Rod and Michael, two 100 milers, with about 3ish kilometers remaining and listening to their stories from their last 34 hours.

With less than a kilometer remaining, we had to climb what seemed to be the steepest hill of them all. I methodically made my way up the ridge and when I crested the lip I could see the finish banner. I tried to break into a celebratory jog, but my legs would not cooperate, so I did what I had been doing for most of the last 14 kilometers and walked into the finish. I had completed the Lost Soul Ultra in just over 11 hours.

 

And Dave was right; I did feel like I had accomplished something! 

Is it time to put this Clydesdale out to pasture?

I have reached the pinnacle of this cycle of my ultra training. Consistent weeks of high 50 and low to mid 60 kms have my body walking a tightrope between healthy and broken.

At this point my confidence is starting to take a hit. I have a nagging Jiminy Cricket that insists I am not made to do this kind of running (how many other Clydesdale ultra runners can there be?). Most days I don't listen, but nonetheless he seems to be creeping in more often!

I am however listening to my body. I know that I have to push past my (perceived) physical and mental limits if I am to be fully prepared for my fall ultras. I know from my previous 50km ultra that finishing is a balance of consistent training and a positive mental attitude.

I am lucky enough to have a wealth of experienced trail and ultra runners to lean on and I hope that my constant questions and requests for long run partners are not becoming tiresome. The physical benefits I gain from running with these guys and gals is just as valuable as the advice they are passing on. Hearing their stories of missed training runs, bloody nipples and aid station mistakes allow me to be less hard on myself when I make my own mistakes.

What is most important I guess is that I am still enjoying getting out the door and off the road. For now this Clydesdale is safe  from being sent out to pasture...

Race Report – 5 Peaks Central Alberta – Canmore Nordic Centre

June 16^th, 2012

The second race in the 5 Peaks Central Alberta trail running series took place at the Canmore Nordic Center. The Canmore Nordic Center is located just above the town of Canmore and was the host of the cross-country and biathlon events during the 1988 Winter Olympics.

Canmore enduro elevation chart

The weather leading up to the Saturday morning race was a little sketchy; rain, thunderstorms and snow. This mix of meteorological delights made for some muddy and slippery sections on the trail, but nevertheless added to the experience! 

223 participants ran the sport course (5ish kilometers) and 195 participants endured the enduro course (10ish kilometers). Both courses included double track, rolling hills, steep climbs and lots of single-track. Sport course racers began ten minutes before enduro racers to help alleviate bottlenecks in the single track. As with most 5 Peaks trail races, runners seeded themselves and started at the sound of “Get off the road!”

Canmore Enduro course map

The first couple of hundred meters was open and allowed (somewhat) for the crowd to thin out. Double track soon turned to single track with sharp turns, rolling hills and some minor traffic jams. Roughly 3 kilometers into the course, the trail opened up to a meadow and a leg punishing 1.5 kilometer of uphill. I managed to push myself through this section with a combination of running and walking, knowing that what goes up, must come down! At kilometer 6, the downhill started and continued for roughly one kilometer. This section included scree fields, double track and gnarly single track. It was here that I managed to catch 6 other runners and we ran the rest of the race in formation (sorry about the heavy breathing team!). With a little less than half a kilometer remaining we crested one last hill and the finish flags came into view. A gradual uphill brought us to the finish line of the most technical trail race that this Saskatchewan Clydesdale has ever run. Check out the race results here.

After the race I had an interesting conversation with a former Canadian Mountain Running team member (Phil Villeneuve) and a gifted young runner who is aspiring to make this year’s team. One amazing aspect of these local events is the mixture of elite and recreational runners. Few other races give you the ability to run and chat with runners from all backgrounds and experience levels.

Étant un Clydesdale (un coureur qui pèse plus de 200 livres), j'ai des problèmes d’irritation lorsque je cours de longues distances. Ce qui fonctionne bien pour moi est de porter une paire de culotte de compression et de les couvrir avec une paire de short  de course de fond. Le short double Voracious de North Face fournit les deux options dans un short; une paire de culotte de compression intégrée à l’intérieur d’un short léger.

Les shorts double  Voracious ont des panneaux latéraux en filet qui permettent au corps de rester frais pendant l'activité. La poche en arrière avec glissière est assez grande pour une clef ou un paquet de gel.

J'ai utilisé ces shorts pendant plusieurs différentes séances d’entraînement; des sessions d’intervalles, des sessions de collines et quelques courses de distances moyennes. Je n'ai eu aucun malaise pendant les sessions d'entraînement de colline, mais j’ai eu des irritations pendant les sessions d'intervalles et les distances moyennes. Je crois qu'une partie du problème d’irritation est due au fait que les shorts sont un peu grands. En comparaison avec mes autres shorts et collants de grandeur large de North Face, le short de compression est un peu plus ample et permet le mouvement et le frottage. C’est ce mouvement et frottage qui cause l’irritation.

J'ai également porté ces shorts pour des  classes de spin, de bootcamp et de Tabata et je n’ai eu aucun malaise et pas d’irritation du tout!  Alors je ne porterais pas ces shorts pour toutes mes séances d'entraînement de courses, mais je les emploierais certainement pour mes autres activités physiques. 

TNF Single Track Hayasa Review

I was pretty excited to receive my TNF Single Track Hayasas in the mail. I had been coveting these shoes at my local outdoor store and in the pages of my favorite running magazines for a couple of months. Now they were sitting in my living room just begging to go play.

I like the appearance of the Hayasas, the bright blue or red color makes them stand out even when covered in mud! These shoes are ultralight, weighing in at 8.3 ounces, more than 3 ounces lighter than the previous Single Track model. North Face has also managed to drop the heel to forefoot profile to 10 millimeters, again bettering last year’s Single Track model by 2 millimeters. This low profile allows you to have a good sense of the trail beneath your foot, thus providing a “close to trail ride”.  

 I have used these shoes for most of my runs for 5 weeks and I have had no problems, no pinching or blister problems. I have punished them through intervals, hill workouts, and long runs as well as differing conditions; snow, rain and sun. The fit is snug and my foot feels secure and balanced. The laces have some grab to them, so even when not double knotted, they manage to stay tied.

However, I do have some concerns with the shoe. I have covered roughly 200 kilometers, 30 percent on road and 70 percent on trail and the 3 front nubs on the forefoot of both shoes have worn down considerably. This is not a concern with my other TNF shoes (Single Tracks and Double Tracks) and I have more kilometers on those shoes. With these grips worn down, traction on the trail can be compromised, especially in snowy or muddy conditions. Also, the toe cap on my right shoe has begun to peel off the upper. There does not seem to be any performance hindrance; however it is worrisome that these shoes would break down so quickly.

I am still sold on the lightness and comfort of these shoes; however there are a few kinks left to iron out.

Race Report – 5 Peaks Southern Alberta – Calgary Olympic Park

May 19^th, 2012

Evan Weselake and his crew of volunteers (5 Peaks, Southern Alberta) know how to organize a great event. The weather in Calgary did not look like it was going to cooperate, but Saturday morning saw some cloud with hints of sun, making for almost perfect running conditions.

There was a festival atmosphere at Calgary Olympic Park, site of the first 5 Peaks Southern Alberta event of 2012. There was music, a great master of ceremonies and lots of free swag.

A couple dozen kids participated in the Children’s Challenge to kick the morning off and if smiles were any indication of success, then the fun run was hugely successful! After the Children’s Challenge the approximately 200 sport course participants left the starting gate, followed by the roughly 150 enduro runners.

The start sent everyone on a good climb on a service road, then some single track with rolling hills followed by a kilometer of downhill, a steep climb of over a kilometer and then more rolling hills with a downhill on the service road into the finish line. The enduro racers did the course twice.

The fleet of foot finished the sport course in the low to mid 20 minute range, while the faster enduro finishers broke the finish tape around the 40 minute mark (check out allthe results here).

This course was definitely a good test of fitness, especially for the couple of runners that travelled from the flatland of Saskatchewan. I have to mention that my mom, Cécile Sawatzky finished second in her age category (60 – 69) in the sport course, making her a new fan of trail running.

Looking forward to the next 5 Peaks Southern Alberta in Canmore June 16^th.

À la prochaine.

Random thoughts - nutrition, fitness, compression socks and more!

Pardon, un autre document en anglais, mais depuis que je reste à la maison avec mes deux plus petits, je n'ai pas l'opportunité d'utiliser ma langue française et je trouve que ça devient de plus en plus difficile de formuler mes pensées dans ma deuxième langue.

Random thoughts while running 15km on the trail:

1. My fitness must be better than when I started this year's training schedule. I felt strong and in control the whole way through a tough 15km trail run; many hills, few flats and running on grass. I had planned to keep a 7min/km pace and expected it to be a tough go, however I had to rein myself in as my body was trying to push the pace to 6 - 6:30min/km pace. Granted by km 13 and 14 7min/km felt fast enough, but still pretty pleased with where my fitness is at right now. I guess the training saying is true, "trust in your training and the rest will follow" (or is that from a Destiny Child's song?)
2. Let it be known that I am a Clydesdale because of a good mix of genetics and gourmandise! Genetics I cannot do a whole bunch about (sorry kids!), but my eating is something I should easily be able to manage. Mid-April I decided that it was time to do a nutrition overhaul, pop and chips is not a good bedtime snack (go figure!) and portion sizes should not fill a pig's trough... I have cut out junk food and have done my best to eat proper portion sizes. I've cut back to  two cans of pop a week (I am only human after all!), and no junk food except for popcorn during Friday family movie night. I have seen minimal weight loss, but I am feeling fitter and inches have come off.
3. I have been on the fence about compression socks for awhile now. My wife is a nurse and uses compression socks during her 12 hour shifts and in the last year or so I have noticed more and more (real) runners using them during and after running. But I was not convinced, until today! Yesterday my wife convinced me to buy a pair and  give them a go. So I bought some Sugoi compression sleeves (I love my Smartwools too much to not wear them running), and used them for the first time today. My legs felt and feel fantastic. The fatigue I should be feeling in my legs is not there. Now, with only one running experiment, I cannot say for sure it was the compression sleeves alone that made my legs feel great (maybe it is my new fitness level?), but I am becoming a believer in just one use!
4. If this is how I feel doing 15km on a hilly course, what will I feel like doing another 35 km on a similar course for the LSU? I guess I should return to my last sentence from point 1, trust the training. I still have 4 months of training and numerous races to prepare myself for the big one in September!
5. I may have found a new mental trick to aid in gaining mental toughness during training, listen to country music while doing your long run! Don't get me wrong, I love all forms of music and Country is included in that list, but at some point I couldn't handle it anymore.

À la prochaine,
SK Clydesdale