My longest run has been 42kms which included some street and some trails.  I’ve done a 35km tempo run, yes [...]]]> One of my latest ambitions is tackling a 50K trail race on about 10 weeks of training.  Most people’s first thought is, are you nuts?  The second is, how do you train for this?

My longest run has been 42kms which included some street and some trails.  I’ve done a 35km tempo run, yes tempo, and many 20-25K fartleks as well.  I’ve also done some track work but keeping the intensity in check.

The secret to training for an endurance event such as this is taxing the right energy systems to get the biggest bang for your (or my) buck.

Looking at the race and then working back, I guess what time I expect to finish in and then figure out what energy systems I’m going to rely on the most.  Since it is primarily a zone 1 effort (zone 1 meaning almost all fat burning), a lot of training has to be done at this level. 

You cannot expect to run your half marathon pace for a 50K.  Now for someone else their pace might be your half marathon pace!  But remember to only focus on you!

I would have liked to put in a lot more volume but on such short training time, I had to make some adaptations.  Here are some short cuts to keep relative volume down:

• A zone 3-4 run can be regarded as 3 to 4 times the amount of time as compared to a zone 1 run. So this means a track workout can tax the body equally to a long run in terms of energy (work done).  Substituting these in twice a week will help keep overall time down.
• I use cycling and swimming for added volume.  This also helps me keep wear and tear off my body.
• With only 10 weeks of pure ‘ultra’ training, I have to rely on previous months and years of solid foundation. 

With the goal in mind to finish upright and keep logging miles through the winter, this 50K should be a lot of fun. 

Thanksgiving is today, so that means the muscles cells should be jammed with added fuel for the journey ahead!  See the results here (www.vulturebaitrace.com).

 Magog Triathlon - Sketch music.  Not liking that there is no wetsuits!

It’s interesting when someone says “I want to run XX:XX time”.  Outside qualifying for Boston, it really doesn’t mean anything.  Yes it is a goal but it’s not like predicting a time will determine your outcome.  How will you know what your legs will feel like?  What happens if the weather changes?  Or [...]]]>

It’s interesting when someone says “I want to run XX:XX time”.  Outside qualifying for Boston, it really doesn’t mean anything.  Yes it is a goal but it’s not like predicting a time will determine your outcome.  How will you know what your legs will feel like?  What happens if the weather changes?  Or the competition isn’t there to push you?

When I was 17, I ran my first 5K.  At least as a race.  It was for track and field and our school needed runners to get points for the overall title.  So myself and three runners went out and ran.  I finished last in a time of 20:XX. 

Today I ran another 5K and I finished in 16:35.  This is now almost 10 years later.  The good news is I’m getting faster; I’m losing about 20s per year on average!

Amanda made a great point today, 5K runners are different than the ones you see at the longer distances.  You see a younger crowd (heck it seemed like half the people at the race were under 20!).  A 5K is short journey unlike a marathon.  Most people can literally rely on their pure speed to get through.  It seems to me that mental toughness combined with track speed produces a great 5K runner. 

I do have some recommendations if you want to lose time faster.  Practice for the discipline.  I have run a 5K race, let me think for a minute, five times in my life.  Each time I have knocked off at least 10s (outside my massive jump from my High School Days).  But I only do them on average once every two years.

So I may buck my trend this year and try another 5K.  For me it’s nice to see the times  keep going down.  But I also like to enjoy the short journey.   Sometimes it doesn’t hurt as much as the expedition of a long distance triathlon….  I try not to force predictions but practice the pure enjoyment of running in a shortish distance, fast.

Goal for 2011?  I think so!

The Long Course Canadian National Triathlon will take place in the Eastern Townships of Quebec.  I’m thinking mountain chalet with a few days of riding afterwards; Dad you in?

Most people probably don’t think of racing as an investment. It’s more about the goal than the actual reward. What about the people who do win races. Are they only entering a race based on the prize or some other factor?

A relization this year is, at the base pro/amateur level, running pays [...]]]>

Most people probably don’t think of racing as an investment. It’s more about the goal than the actual reward. What about the people who do win races. Are they only entering a race based on the prize or some other factor?

A relization this year is, at the base pro/amateur level, running pays better than any of the other sports. The only one that might be close is cycling. But it depends on the race.

Why running? Well I think it has to do with the fields it can generate. It’s not unlikely for 200+ people to show up for a 5K. At $25 for an entry fee, 10 going to the timing chip, thats $3000 left over. Take food costs from that and your still left with a nice sum!

Cycling, swimming and trialthon all require a lot more support. Both tris and swimming require life guards or boats. Triathlon and cycling because of their length, need road closures and even police officers. Yes, they do charge more but more is coming out of the pot. Unless you have a Mdot in the race name or are located in Europe, the fields generally attracted are not huge.

Unless your a top runner, your not getting rich and even “rich” is a fantasy statement. But choosing your races wisely, you might be able to break even. Even as in all your entry fees/some gas paid for.

The key is finding what events are A) paying and B) you can win! Money typically attacts the local champions from respective towns. Although if the race is newer, the word may not be out that their is a cash price at the end.

Realistically you can’t win them all. But you can try to win some. A first place here, a second there and a bad day could all add up to a positive cash flow by the end of the day. Choosing wisely, ie. not racing for the sake of racing, can save you some bucks.

How to get Paid

There are a couple ways that I see making this work. First example: race a lot. Hit up every race that has some potential prize. If your good enough to compete, chances are you will snag something. How much you can really grab depends on who shows up or your motivation to win.  This is not to be confused with racing for the sake or racing.  You should be in shape to race; not racing to get fit.

Another option is selective racing. This is how most people do it. Build races into a plan that allows adequate rest for each one.  As the analogy “your putting all you eggs in one basket” states; you better be great on those occasions!

Choosing an Approach

I think as a younger athlete or a newb, racing more can be more beneficial than selective choosing.  Besides the chance to win, you learn more from going head to head with potentially better people.  It will also make you a stronger person.

It does takes time to build the stamina to race more.  Here are some strategies to being more effective: If your training is becoming more “race like”, for example, you’re doing 4 x 1.6K, why not do a 5K?  Or if your doing 4 x 15mins TTs on the bike and then a run after, why not do a sprint or even olympic triathlon?

Choosing races near the end of rest a week is also a good (and obvious) strategy.  Making the week preceding lighter on intensity/volume also helps.  Racing more will require more rest, period.  It will increase mental fatigue as well as physical, just make sure to rest the body.

Nowadays

There is this stigma that winning is everything nowadays.  Magazines are chock full of articles on the topic of being number 1: “mental training to win”, “how to run the fastest”,”winning is everything”.    You may guess that through the theme of this post is that I support the strategy that winning is infact everything.  Not so.

If you want to get paid for racing, then winning is important.  However, unless your a genetically gifted person or live in a small town, chances are your going to lose!  But that’s not a bad thing!  You can learn from the winners  andwhat it took to win.  Ask around at the finish line how long your competitors have been doing the sport.  Also what kind of training (ie. volume/speed) their doing.  Chances are your going to keep seeing these people.  Best to know thy enemy.  If your the best, then expect to have the cross hairs on your back.

ROI

Think of racing and training as a long term investment.  The first few years may come out in the negative but as you get better, you can start paying off your debts.  Choosing races that benefit you is the key for getting better results.  As you grow as an individual, try branching out to try different races or disciplines.

I sat down to watch the race when the guys were 90 miles through the bike (girls at 80).  Here’s a recap of what happened in the 3.5 hours that followed.

Ate supper while I watched Chris Lieto and Julie Diebens, looking like twins with their exact same bikes and gear, pedal away [...]]]>

I sat down to watch the race when the guys were 90 miles through the bike (girls at 80).  Here’s a recap of what happened in the 3.5 hours that followed.

Ate supper while I watched Chris Lieto and Julie Diebens, looking like twins with their exact same bikes and gear, pedal away from the competition.  

After I finished my meal I started doing design work for my masters.  The guys had just started the run, Lieto out in front and a huge chase pack that followed.  Lieto ran a 1:12 half this year so it was going to be interesting to see how he managed out front.

 texted Chris Gairns to see if he was watching the show.  He forgot it was on, so he tuned in, and wanted updates.I decided to leave the action and go to the dog park. 

At the dog park I asked Chris for updates (convenient I know!).  Nothing much had changed except the time gaps were falling for Lietos quest to win.

After the dog park I went to Superstore to pick up the last remaining things for Thanksgiving supper.  I then returned home, with Ironman Live still on.

The catch had happened, Macca and Raelert had now passed Lieto and both were battling for the lead.  Macca was out and front but slowly, Raelert caught Macca.  In the woman’s race, Julie Diebens was passed by Mirinda Carfrae; the move looked like it would stay.

I then taked to my dad on the phone.  Chatted about his half marathon the next day (great job).  We talked for 30mins which put the race in the closing 5K.

This was the most exciting time.  Macca attacked Raelert but clawed his way back.  He did it again.  And again.  The last time, was in the final mile (or 2K).  After this move, Macca had put Raelert over the edge; he was now the Ironman World Champion of 2010! 

I actually didn’t stick around for the woman’s race.  Carefrae destroyed the Chrissie Wellington-less field. 

I don’t know if Kona will ever make it to prime time – it seems like 8 hours of solid TV watching should be saved for the people on the Biggest Loser.  But I guess like a balanced meal, Ironman can be incorportated into your day!

http://www.chiptimeresults.com/resultsreader.php?y=2010&r=springbankH.htm

After taking [...]]]> I had been looking forward to this race for a long time: Bridgetown Long Course (Swim: 2K, Bike: 94K and Run 20K).  At Christmas time I asked my parents if they minded me coming back to the farm; both to paint their house (no problem with that) and to do the race.

After taking 10 days off from structured training and a week long vacation in Nice, France, I was back to the “grind”.  My preparation for Bridgetown was less than ideal.  After returning to Ottawa for 3 days I was on a plane to Halifax to stay with my folks and fulfill my commitment to paint their domicile.

In the little training I did, I was happy to not feel too sluggish.  There is a local TT on Tuesday nights here,  a 10K which showed me that my “form” was okay to compete.

Fast forward to the race.  It started off early, 4am early, as we made the 75 min drive.  On the way Dad drove like crazy and killed a porcupine on the way but we go there in an hour!

Race start was supposed to be at 6:30 am but with a heavy fog on the river, it got pushed back to 7am.  This was to be a foreshadow as I was prepared nutritionally for the original start but the extra 30mins was to play havoc later…

Swim was… interesting.  The Bridgetown River is tidal, meaning its current can go either way.  On Sunday we had to swim into it; HARD.  It was quite comical to throw sticks in and watch them float down at warp speed.  When the horn finally went we were off to fight our way up stream like a bunch of salmon at breeding time.

My swim went ok.  I missed a lead pack and had to swim the majority by myself.  The fog was still prevalent so it made sighting even more important.  I just followed the group that was 25m ahead and hoped they knew where they were going!

At one point during the swim, we made our way under a bridge.  I took a couple strokes then sighted only to be surprised at how little ground that I had made!

Coming back down the river really wasn’t that exciting.  I wanted it to be like riding a wave but to be honest, it didn’t feel any faster than going up.

There was one last section of the swim which was everyone’s least favorite.  You had to swim down past the exit point then swim back up to the water exit.  This is where you really felt the current.  It felt like swimming in molasses.

Exiting the swim I muttered a few choice words as I saw my time.  Luckily for me, everyone felt it!  I was in 4th but exited T1 in 3rd.  The race was on!

My bike had been strong before the break so I was curious to see how much fitness I had lost.  Traveling home I didn’t bring any of my time trial equipment (helmet or wheels) so it was just a stock P2SL for me.  I did however, bring my powertap.  Since this race was really meant for training, I wanted to see what my numbers were like.  Here is a snippet:

Average Power = 227 W (quite low for me)

Average HR = 170

Work = 2071 kJ

Cadence = 85 RPM

The graph of the data was very telling: I went out a bit too hard!  My average through the first half was almost 40km/h.  This fell down in the second half due to a couple of things.  The first, I needed some more racing (it’s been over a month since my last one).  More importantly, I lost my water and gels with 20K to go.  This left me in a real bad state…  I was hitting the wall slowly and my power was suffering.

My first lap I had made my way to second.  On the way back from my second lap I was within passing distance of first when I dropped my bottle and gel.

After coming into T2, my deficit was doable but I was worried about my empty stomach.  I took extra time before the start of the run to have something to eat.  This seemed to help as my legs found an adequate rhythm.

Run Numbers

1:08/1:20: (turned the Garmin on late) AHR 168

You could feel the heat pouring down now as it was almost midday.  There was little shade and my body felt it.  I tried something new in this race and brought water along.  It seemed to help as I moved into first place within the first 4K.  After taking the lead I just put it on autopilot making sure to drink and eat on the way.

I knew I couldn’t slack as the other athletes would be strong on the run.  Luckily, I had what it took and took 1st.  The race took a lot more out of me then I planned on but it was worth it!

Great job to the other BTC athletes!  It was great to win in my home province.

Next up for me is a house to be painted.  As for racing, it will depend on what happens in my future.

Happy Trainin

Cliff

So, whose going to win the Tour?

Take the stages?

Crash?

Overrated?

Let’s talk!