Official Strava/Runkeeper Thread

[cartman]

Originally Posted by Alan T

A question for the more serious bike folks here.. How often should I be doing chain cleaning/lubing? Is it once every x number of days, or once every x number of miles or what? I'm thinking that i haven't been doing it often enough, but not sure since I have only been riding about 30-50ish miles a week.

There really isn't a set way to do it. What kind of chain lube are you using? It is more of a wet or dry lube? The wet lubes tend to get gummed up quicker, but last longer and the dry lubes stay pretty clean, but don't last quite as long. You'll learn to figure it out by eyeballing the chain. If after a ride in the rain, the chain looks really dirty, that is a sign. If the chain looks ok, see how flexible it is between the links. Stiffness would show that it need to be lubed.

Here is a really good overview of the care and feeding of the whole chain and sprocket ecosystem: Chain Maintenance

[Alan T]

I have been using a wet lube, I don't tend to ride in the rain much. I'll run in the rain all the time, but am a wimp about weather on my bike. So the only real gumming up that I get is from the typical road dirt and grime.

[FrogMan]

Originally Posted by hoopsguy

FrogMan, good to get the "bonk" out of the way ahead of the race this time
In all seriousness, hope you are well rested and recovered in time to put together the half marathon you expect to achieve.

hehe, yer funny, although probably right

seriously, that middle of the night episode freaked my wife quite a bit. She said she thought I was in respiratory distress at first. I remember the black veil over my eyes, sweating profusely and sitting on the floor. Can't say there's ever a good time to be sick but I didn't need this about a week and a half from my half, if only on the mental side of things. I'm pretty sure I will physically be back to 100% and well rested by the 24th but this has me freaking out about the race itself.

All my stretches at HM pace have been aimed to be at 4:20/km (6:58/mile) but I usually average 4:16/km (6:52/mile) without really forcing it. Before my first HM back in May, my goal pace was 4:30/km (7:14/mile) which was a bit slower than current goal, but I ran 4:19/km over 19 km back in May, before crashing.

With the training this Summer, the time I hit in that 5K six weeks ago (19:26) and finally the pace I sustained over the 9.74 km that my last 10K lasted, I really thought I could hit 4:20 or 4:16. I know these calculators (Jack Daniels & McMillan) are not foolproof but they do point to a possible HM pace between 4:14 and 4:19 per km but now I'm getting kinda scared. Mental blocks, really... Paralysis by analysis as they say.

Looking at the course profile, I know we will start with a descent climb but it then goes back down and stays kinda flat. Still got a week of driving myself crazy going over numbers but would have felt so much better without a reminder and a reliving of the bonk...

Then I start running numbers in Excel (you knew it was coming, right? ) and I see how little difference it makes between a 4:30 and a 4:20 pace. I mean 4:30/km is 1:34:57 and 4:20/km is 1:31:26. Yeah, ok, it's 3 minutes and a half, but take that OVER 90 MINUTES! And then my mind start juggling between the dichotomy so to speak: to "simply" finish or to really give it your all and risk not finishing? Especially assessing what that risk is...

It's probably not even a dichotomy, both are possible together, right? I could start at 4:30 for say, 10 km, and try to negative split it to 4:20 for the last 11.1 km. That would still give me 1:33:06 or a 4:25/km pace 7:06/mile)... I'm sure tons of people would be more than happy with a time like that, yet I struggle, thinking I probably could do better... But I also wanna make sure I cross that dang finish line, sigh.

That's probably just my mind going crazy because of the taper, heh

relax brain, relax...

FM

[FrogMan]

dola, and how wonderful, my wife suffered through the same gastro type thing last night. Just talked to her and she didn't have diarhea, only threw up from about 8 to 11pm then was able to sorta sleep it off...

FM

[hoopsguy]

I really can't imagine that your approach will be that different for the run, once you are actually running, than it has been for the 5k/10k races that you've run recently. You know what kind of times you should be able to hit, you have an idea of what kind of early pace you'll want to set, and you'll likely push yourself hard down the stretch to close in a manner that honors your preparation and the first 90% of your run.

If you were going to be spooked by the last half marathon you've had plenty of races between now and then for it to really rattle around your head. Instead, you've attacked your running and trained to put up a strong performance this time around.

Not that you needed a pep talk ... just get healthy and this will all take care of itself. And remind me of this next month when I obsess a little too much about PR's heading into my next race

[FrogMan]

thanks Chris

I guess I need tojust not freak out. Maybe that pep talk was really what I needed

Yesterday's tempo run was not easy. Not uber hard but hitthin that HM pace didn't feel as easy as it felt just a week ago it seems. Today's stretches at HM pace felt better.

Interestingly enough, I did today a run very similar to a run I did the Sunday before my first half marathon, that is 2 km warmup, 2 km @HM pace, 2 km easy, 2 km @hm pace, 2km+ cooldown.

Take a look at the comparison between the two. Average pace was lower today but that could be simply from me going harder during the easy parts. What I find VERY interesting is how lower my heart rate was today. Average heart rate down to 128 from 138 and max heart rate down from 159 to 148. Dang...

Of course, when I told that to my wife, she went all "wow, but you got to hydrate yourself, remember...", yeah, she'll have me in check until the finish line

FM

[Alan T]

FM, you're going to do great in your HM. Don't think about the negatives from the past but instead think of all of the solid runs that you have been doing week after week. You've got this.

[FrogMan]

Originally Posted by Alan T

FM, you're going to do great in your HM. Don't think about the negatives from the past but instead think of all of the solid runs that you have been doing week after week. You've got this.

Thanks Alan, you are right. I need not to freak out so much... This week can't be done soon enough...

Meanwhile, I got myself some nice new shoes, going back to ASICS Nimbus 15 this time, for the winter running... I bought some Nimbus 13 last Fall and they gave me almost 575 miles before I moved on with the Ghost 6 in the Spring. Thing is, last Fall I was barely helped by the local sports store salesman and basically lucked out in picking the Nimbus. When I finally went to a runners store, they guys told me they were quite ok for me but that by looking at how they fit on me, I had picked one size too small. My Ghost (6 and now 7) are size 10.5 while the Nimbus 13 were size 9.5. I now feel the huge difference whenever I put them back on so today I bought my Nimbus 15 in size 10.5, from the same local sports store on their end of season clearance sale. The current model of those shoes is Nimbus 16. Didn't even need a salesman this time. Picked a box from the table, sat down, tried them, walked/jogged with them, they felt the same as the 13 although a bit looser. put them back in the box and THEN was asked if I need assictance.

I liked how the sole was when running on packed snow last year and wasn' sure the Ghost would handle the same so I'll keep the Ghost for the inside and will alternate with the Nimbus for the some inside and all outside running once the snow arrives, hopefully not before many more months

FM

[Kodos]

At the very end of my 10 mile run yesterday, my Achilles tendon suddenly started to hurt. Hoping it is just a temporary setback, but looks like I am out of commission for the moment. It is sore, especially when I take the stairs.

[HerRealName]

Originally Posted by Kodos

At the very end of my 10 mile run yesterday, my Achilles tendon suddenly started to hurt. Hoping it is just a temporary setback, but looks like I am out of commission for the moment. It is sore, especially when I take the stairs.

I've been doing eccentric heel stretches the last few weeks and I've noticed a big difference. It wasn't a quick fix but my sore leg is feeling much better.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ge3XDjjKofk

[Kodos]

Thanks. Will give that a try when it's feeling a little better. I think maybe it's just a minor thing.

[AlexB]

Originally Posted by Kodos

At the very end of my 10 mile run yesterday, my Achilles tendon suddenly started to hurt. Hoping it is just a temporary setback, but looks like I am out of commission for the moment. It is sore, especially when I take the stairs.

Get it checked - snapped mine a couple of years back and you don't want to be doing that!

[FrogMan]

Well, half marathon number 2 is happening tomorrow morning. Start time is 8:30 and my FB friends should see something from an app called Glympse show up on my wall, if everything goes according to plan. That app should share my GPS position to the friends of my friends for 3 hours after I send it out. No promise though cause if it refuses to work I won't play too much with it. Results show up on SportStats.ca - Home almost live as I cross split marks and the finish line. My bib number is 4038.

It's gonna be a hot one for us up north tomorrow, much hotter than most days I've run on this summer so I've kinda lowered my goals. My wife summarized it best earlier this evening. There will be days to push hard, tomorrow is one to enjoy the race and cross that dang finish line.

I hadn't raced with music since my last half marathon but I just loaded my playlist and will be running with headphones tomorrow. Will lower the volume and only start the music once we're well on our way, to enjoy the frenzy of the start...

Comfortable pace I'll be trying to keep is 4:30/km which should give me a finish time of around 1:35. I'll see when I hit the 10K mark how I'm doing... I've set my Garmin to show me my average pace from the start of the race so I'll know if I'm running behind or if I'm ahead...

FM

[Fidatelo]

Good luck FM!

[FrogMan]

crossposting from FB... The run isn't even on Strava yet as it's one of those crazy days. We're having an open door for registrations at our dojo, from noon to 5 and I'm just finishing lunch... Anyway, very pleased with how it went, all things considered... Read on!
=================================
Well, that was a pretty hot day for a half marathon today but for once, our weather channel had forecasted it

Following the instructions of my "hydration & carb consumption" coach, my wife, I walked every water station to drink a little and every time, I dropped some inside my hat before putting my hat back one. I consumed two gels and used the sponges they were giving and also ran under their showers like a little boy, that was a lot of fun I had revised my goals yesterday evening, following the words of said coach that there would be a day to push hard but that today the main goal was to cross that dang finish line on my feet. Well, I DID IT!!! Official time of 1:36:08. I had goals of a time as fast as 1:30 at some point this Summer but with the heat today, I don't think this would have been possible with the level I'm at as a runner. I came in 191st out of 4287 finishers, or in the top 4.5%. VERY proud of myself!

As proof that it was harder this years, the average finish time stands at 2:08 this year while it was 2:04 last year...

[Alan T]

You did great FM! With a temperature of 84F and dew point around 60F, on the pace calculators that is going to effect your pace by roughly 5%. So a 1:30:00 half in ideal weather would be modified by around 4-5 minutes with this heat. Add to it that you haven't really been running in heat like this means you are not acclimated to it, taking it cautiously was absolutely the right idea there.

Even taking it cautiously, you pretty much nailed your goal time once it is heat+dew point adjusted, so I think all of your hard work paid off for this race. Unfortunately we all are at the mercy of the weather, so here is to hoping your next race is in more ideal temperature

[HerRealName]

Good job Steve. That's a great time in tough conditions.

Also, nice long run today, Alan.

I'm looking forward to autumn and winter running. It has to cool off eventually.

[Alan T]

Originally Posted by HerRealName

Also, nice long run today, Alan.

Thanks! The humidity has really been kicking my butt. My last marathon, I trained during the winter, so this is my first summer running more than 10-15 miles for long runs and it really has been brutal for me.

I decided today to back off the speed a hair more to ensure I finished the run, as my last few weeks of long runs has been pretty tough and a few I cut short a mile or two.

[Fidatelo]

Great job FM! That's an awesome time especially in that heat/humidity. I think the humidity is often more impactful than the heat. I ran this morning and it was only in the low 70's (F) but it was raining and super humid, and I found it quite hard to breathe. I slowed up on my run as well and can't imagine what it would feel like to run 13 miles at race pace in that, never mind with it even hotter.

Anyways, congrats again FM!

[hoopsguy]

Thrilled to see FM finish this off and put some bad memories to bed. The fact that your 1/2 marathon time (in tough conditions) is right around my 10 mile time is a little galling, however

[Kodos]

Great job, Frogman. You can put that one demon to rest now.

[lighthousekeeper]

Originally Posted by AlexB

Get it checked - snapped mine a couple of years back and you don't want to be doing that!

did you notice any warning signs before that happened, or was it completely out of the blue?

[HerRealName]

I'm a dumbass and miscounted the weeks on my training plan. I thought I had my first full week this week but I should be on the second full week. The mileage that I ran last week was very close to the plan mileage so I'm not too worried about it. I missed one interval session but all of my other runs were quite a bit faster than prescribed.

I had my first easy run ever today. It was awkward running at that pace but when it's 91*/72 nothing is truly easy. This leads me to a question though... I have a tempo run scheduled for Thursday. Should I adjust the tempo pace for heat/humidity or just try to hit the recommended pace? I'd like to go in the morning but I only get Tuesday mornings to run, my wife has claimed the other weekdays.

[AlexB]

Originally Posted by lighthousekeeper

did you notice any warning signs before that happened, or was it completely out of the blue?

There were warning signs for about three years, but I didn't realise: every time I went for a run, I thought I tweaked my calf muscle, with the result I didn't run - happened four or five times in a row, a couple of times i had to stop after half a mile a limp back. Went to the physio with the worst one, who did think it was the achilles, but a strain, so the strengthening exercises just temporarily solved the problem.

I snapped mine right at the top of the tendon apparently, and when it happened I thought (hoped) I had torn my calf, but the scans showed I had been either straining or putting little tears into the Achilles. I snapped it playing football for the first time in about five years which was the first time I had done any running with twisting.

Knowing what I know now I should have had a scan, which would have shown the little tears: i almost certainly would have had to have an operation with a similar recuperation process, but I wouldn't have lost three years of running.

[Alan T]

Originally Posted by HerRealName

I had my first easy run ever today. It was awkward running at that pace but when it's 91*/72 nothing is truly easy. This leads me to a question though... I have a tempo run scheduled for Thursday. Should I adjust the tempo pace for heat/humidity or just try to hit the recommended pace? I'd like to go in the morning but I only get Tuesday mornings to run, my wife has claimed the other weekdays.

Adjust it for heat + dew point.

Purpose of the tempo pace is to work your heart rate up to a certain zone over a period of time. The heat and high dew point causes your heart rate to be higher than normal, which means you would overshoot your zone. So on hot days, slowing your pace will allow you to still hit the same zone that you are aiming for.

[FrogMan]

thanks guys, still pretty stoked about the race result, especially given how tough the conditions were and how little I had run in similar conditions. The race director said to the paper that these conditions were among the toughest they've seen in the 17 years the race has been held...

AlexB's achilles' tear has got me worried though. What I thought was mostly a calf strain makes me think it might be achilles related. Felt VERY good for the first 5-7 km during the race, seriously the best I'd felt in maybe 2-3 weeks, not a twinge. But then it kind got back, but not to the point of forcing me to compensate on my gait but after the race it got real tight and today's not so good at times but ok at others. Iced it a couple times after work and will put some more ice on it in a minute. I will take it super easy this week, no running today nor tomorrow morning and maybe back with an easy run on Wednesday...

FM

[HerRealName]

Thanks ATB. I was leaning that direction but kept seeing conflicting advice. I should have checked the temp this morning before starting out, 79*/70 DP at 4:30 made for a sweaty run.

[HerRealName]

FM, the eccentric heel stretches might be worth a try. I've been doing the two stretches on the video I linked above and I've seen steady improvement.

[lighthousekeeper]

amazing race fm

[FrogMan]

thanks lighthousekeeper

Originally Posted by HerRealName

FM, the eccentric heel stretches might be worth a try. I've been doing the two stretches on the video I linked above and I've seen steady improvement.

yeah, used to do some after most easy runs then ran out of time before going to work and skipped them. Will go back to doing some. It still feels a bit better today which is encouraging...


FM

[FrogMan]

tons of pictures and a lengthy race report coming at some point this evening...

Maybe even some videos

FM

[Alan T]

I don't have much personal experience with the Achilles issues, but based on what friends have told me it is something that I have been pretty scared of getting and one of the reasons I eventually stopped trying to transition to zero drop shoes. (nothing against zero drop shoes, I just never could get past mild Achilles discomfort and didn't want to push it.)

I know others have suggested that if you have achilles discomfort, to avoid hills and speed work but more importantly take it easy and even seek medical opinion.

I run through all kinds of nagging pains and annoyances, but Achilles is one of the areas that you don't want to mess with as it could sideline you for a very long time as Alex mentioned.

[FrogMan]

Race Report
SSQ Course des Étoiles
August 22, 2014

Heh, my half marathon weekend started on Friday with a fun run called "La Course des Étoiles" or loosely translated, "The Star race". It really was a untimed fun run with a start time of 8pm. Instead of giving you a shirt, they were giving runners a hat with LED lights in front and the usual reflective band at the back so when we ran, you could see all those lights and when looking ahead, all the reflective that would flash back at you. It was neat although I probably would not pay for that kind of event. It was included in the price of my season ticket so that was cool. They had set a 2K kind of loop that you could do as many time as you'd like for the 75 minutes that they kept the course open and they gave you a little snack after.

pre run selfie where you can see the LED light in the front of the hat


they still gave every participant a medal which I thought looked nice



Now on to the thick of it...

Race Report
SSQ Lévis-Québec Half Marathon
August 24, 2014

This race was very much one about introspection, about fighting my own demons. Following my May's DNF, I had asked for a change of event from the full to the half marathon but kept training hard all summer until a gastro derailed things a bit with only 10 days to go before race day. I passed out from dehydration during that one night of diarrhea and it took me about 5 days to feel better physically after dropping 5 lbs. It got me nervous. It got my wife even more nervous...

Then after a pretty hot day on Saturday, every weather outlet was forecasting even hotter on Sunday, I got freaked even more. Sitting on the couch after having set my playlist on my iPhone, my wife probably said to me the most sensible thing she could have said: that race was not to push back your limits but to at least cross the finish line.

I think I did a good job of keeping myself hydrated the day before the race and had a good plate of spaghetti for lunch on Saturday and a light dinner. Didn't sleep really well and woke up at about 5:30 for an 8:30 start time. I wanted to eat breakfast at 6 and I did but had a hard time getting much down as I felt a bit nervous and restless.

Both the Lévis-Québec marathon and half marathon start on the south shore of the St Lawrence river and end in the Old Quebec. The half marathon is really the second half of the marathon with both races sharing the last 13.1 miles and the same finish line.


This definitely was the biggest of the races I have taken part of so far. Some 4800 runners at the start. They had us set in five corrals for the start simply based on your self proclaimed expected time of finish. I had told them 1:35 when I signed up for the race and that put me in the red corral, the first one. I liked the corrals thing and didn't feel the need to push to the front of the start line as I knew I was among runners of about my speed. I could see the 1:30 pacing rabbit up front but also knew I wouldn't keep up with him. Following that talk with my wife, I'd really set my main goal on crossing the finish line. I felt that about any time I would do while still standing up would be a HM PR. As for inital pace, I decided to shoot for 4:30/km (7:14/mile) and I set my watch to give me average pace from start of activity instead of my usual "current" pace setting.

I got kind of caught off guard by the corrals thing though. We got to the starting area about 50 minutes before the start but once I'd gone through the wait line of the port-a-potty, we were almost down to 25 minutes before the start. I heard the public announcer tell runners to start reporting to their corrals and so I did, not knowing that once in there, there would be about no room to warmup while running. I ended up running in place for maybe 10 minutes, doing some high knees.

The race starts in a nice residential area with a mainly flat first 2 km with lots of trees and shades. At 8:30, the temperatures were barely starting to show what we'd have to deal with later on. Many runners even had a hoodie on before the start. I felt very good during those first couple km, averaging 7:05/mile to start it before a first climb that Strava has at 3% for 700m that I knew was coming in order to get us from down low near the rive to up high on the Quebec Bridge, the older of the two bridges crossing the river. I slowed down just slightly and the heart rate wanted to spike up a bit but I still felt in control.

Up next was what seemed like a long uphill climb to really get us to the bridge table although Strava only has it lasting 400m, but it's rated at 13%. Steady pace there. We got out of the shades right before that climb and I hit the 5K mark at 22:06 for an average pace of 4:25/km, right on target or even a bit faster.

The first water station was at the top. I did about the same thing for every water station on the course and that is pick a glass (of water, never drank gatorade during the race) at the first available volunteer and drink it while walking and then pick up another glass at one of the last volunteer, drink one tiny gulp and drop the rest on my head and in my hat. I had decided to wear my usual bright yellow Nike Run shirt but instead of my usual Reebok hat, I also went with my yellow Nike hat which is a bit spongier. Turned out to be another good decision to go with that hat as every time I dumped water in it, it retained it and kept my head cool. I also had my hydration belt with its two 300ml water bottles that I had frozen the night before. They thawed during the run and were still kinda cool until very late in the race. I wanted to have my hydration belt just for when I'd take a gel in between two water station.

Next up was the bridge. You'll see the bridge in the background in pics later on. It's the older of the two bridges and when on it, you are covered from the sun. It actually felt pretty good there and the view was amazing. They'd closed off the bridge so we had the full lane to ourselves. I enjoyed the bridge section quite a bit, still keeping a decent 4:25/km pace.

Next up was the downhill from the bridge to the big road, Champlain boulevard that would bring us along the river to the finish line. I'd been told beforehand about the big downhill from the bridge table to the boulevard. Actually been warned about not being tempted to sprint it down for fear of killing the legs for the remaining 10 km. I did accelerate a bit, doing a km split in 4:10 but I never really pushed hard and it shows in my HR readings as it dropped back down to 150 from the 154-155 it had been since the beginning of the race.

We hit the 10K mark right as crossed under the bridge. 44:04 for 10K, pace of 4:24/km. I actually ran the second 5K in 21:57 so slightly faster than the first one.

I was fine for maybe another km but that's where the heat and the total lack of wind started to hit me. I remember seeing the average pace on my watch going gradually up from 4:25 to 4:26, then up again. I knew I was going slower than earlier but I wasn't concentrating on that. I started running it more with my HR in mind. I felt good yet didn't want to completely run out of juice before the finish line.

I'd taken with me some energy gels, in fact more like concentrated Gatorade but they market them as Gel. They're made by a local company called ProCircuit and I ordered them online (www.procircuit.ca). It's the X4. They have basically the same carb level of a gel but being liquid, they are much easier to wash down with just a couple gulps of water. You can buy them in 900ml bottles and they give you a small 30ml bottle that you can refill and reuse. It comes much cheaper than buying GU gels every week. I'd taken a dose of their caffeinated version maybe 40 minutes before the start of the race as a replacement to my usual morning coffee and took one bottle at the 7.5 km mark.

The Champlain boulevard long stretch was rough and I passed many runners who'd started walking. I did walk, on every water station as I said before, but never in between stations. To add to the heat, that boulevard isn't exactly completely flat. There are some rolling hills. Sure the elevation gain is mostly neutral with the downhill after the uphill but these uphills are rough on your mental... Still it was a great sight there. Between the boulevard and the river is a nice bke path and many people were there to cheer us on with bands ever couple kilometers. I had not run with headphones since my last half marathon and might never run with music again but I don't know why, I felt like I need my music on that day. I put it at a pretty low volume and could still hear the cheers. It was awesome. I highfived kids during the race.

I didn't really realized I had slowed down this much but looking at my watch data, I see a few kilometers in teh 4:45-4:52 pace range. Could I have pushed harder there? Maybe, but I kept the heart rate in the 156-158 BPM range so it,s not as if I was walking or anything. And I was passing other runners, but also getting passed. In fact, I got passed by a lady pushing a stroller! yeah, a stroller! :o No shame though, not one bit

I hit the 15K mark in 1:07:12, much slower than I did back in May (1:03:56) but I was still enjoying life and having fun despite the much warmer temperature. The 3rd 5K was done in 23:08 or one minute slower thand the other two.

I ended up taking my second little bottle of "gel" around the 14th km, splitting the race in three thirds. Funny enough, I came to a water station maybe 2 km later where they were giving GU gels and I took one but stashed it in the elastic string of my hydration belt. Proof that a lot relies on the mental side of thing, when I picked the gel, I didn't feel like I would need it but then I convinced myself that I had to have it with mayb 2.5 km to go. Reached down to my belt, it was gone. It had dropped. Oh no!!! What would I do now that I wanted it, now that I NEEDED IT?!? I calmed down and convinced myself back that I could do this, that all was good. I've grown over the course of the summer, as a runner...

As we got closer to the finish area, I knew the race photographers were used to taking good race pictures with the Chateau Frontenac in the background. To tell you how much of a better time I had in this half than in last May's half, I started looking around trying to spot where the Chateau was and then tried to figure out where the photographers might be. I finally saw him almost crouching by the ground and tried to give him a thumbs up but it didn't turn out too good (picture below). Oh well

We had about 2 miles to do at that point and we started entering the old city. The crowd along the course got thicker and with about one mile to go I took off my headphones so I could hear the cheering from the crowd. I think I could hear the finish line announcer and that crowd from at least 1 K out.

But before the real finish line I had to mentally cross my own finish line: 20.45 km. That's the distance that my watch read the last time I raced a half marathon. Even though I've done the distance in training, last Sunday was the first time I tried it again as part of a race. I made sure to run while watching the last tenths of km tick down and I felt quite a rush when it marked 20.45. I'd done it and I still felt good. I fact I felt great. The last 100 meters or so had a bright green carpet. A bit like the red one for movie premieres, but green. I swear I felt as if my feet we not touching the ground at all. I wasn't really sprinting but still did my last km in 4:22 after doing my previous two in 4:47 and 4:49. For comparison sake, I closed out the fourth 5K in 23:39 so still a bit slower but again, I was on my feet and ready to cross the finish line.

My HR averaged 164 and maxed out at 166 BPM in that last km and I don't think it's something I would have felt good with over a long period of time...

As we got closer and I could see the finish line, I tried to find my wife, sons and mother-in-law that were supposed to be in the crowd but there were just too many people. This is my 5th timed race with this circuit and after not finishing the first one, I've had good finished in all other 3 prior to this one and all times, my name was announced on the speakers by the race public announcer. I clearly remember the first time it happened, at the trail race back in mid May, it took me by surprised. Now, I didn't know if he'd get to call my name since, well it's a much bigger race than the other one and there were a couple runners just in front of me but there it was, loud and clear: "Steve Gougeon de Pintendre!". Like a little boy, I started screaming and I saw faces in the crowd that I was passing by turn to me and applaud louder. It was great, I still get goosebumps thinking about it. There I was, finishing 191st overall but in my mind, I had just cut the ribbon, 1st overall. It was that good...

That's when, just after I crossed the finish line, that I saw my wife, sons and mother-in-law. They'd actually only heard my name but other than my youngest son, none of them had actually seen me cross the line. They'd been stuck in traffic and had to run to make it to the fence by the side of the finishing area. heh... I wanted to get bummed but I didn't care, I was standing up and had fought my demons.

I think I ran as intelligent a race as I could have, given the circumstances. I NEVER run in the heat of the day, always very early in the morning. Could I have run faster or harder? Maybe, but I can live with how it went...

Garmin Connect

Official Time: 1:36:08 for a pace of 4:33/km or 7:20/mile.
Placements:
Overall: 191st out of 4326 finishers or top 4.4%
Men: 169th out of 2279 or top 7.4%
Category, M40-49: 38th out of 579 or top 6.6%

Pretty amazed at those placements to be honest. To end up in the top 5% overall, and even in the top 7% for my category is pretty special to me. Guess I managed the heat at least as well as anybody else.

I've had some pain in my calf but I now think it's more achilles related. The calf/achilles stiffened up after the race but the first 5 km of the race were the best first five 5K of any run I've had in maybe the last 3 weeks so it was coming along nicely. I rested yesterday and will probably rest today and start back up easy tomorrow if it feels better. As I said, it stiffened up right after the race and was rough during the day Sunday and yesterday but it's already much better today.

The official race photographers tagged 24 pictures of me. Most of them are pretty good and given how happy this race made me, I just had to buy the whole package...

Now time to flood the thread with pictures.

Coming off the bridge, about 7 km into it





I love this sequence of three pics, on the Champlain boulevard, otherwise known as "The Oven"


At about the 15K mark, was in the process of passing that guy


Tiny bit later, same guy, I'll eventually finish about 15 seconds ahead of him


That's my attempt at a "thumbs up" in front of the Chateau Frontenac, lol


Various finishing strip pictures, don't I look happy?


We saw quite a few people who ended on wheelchair like that




Photo finish!


Post finish line pics


Mandatory "hey I hydrated myself during the race" pic for my wife


That's when I finally spotted my family by the side of the finishing area


Finisher medal, it lights up!


Take a look at the video
Medal - YouTube

If you're still reading, well thanks. To everyone, thanks for the kind words and for the inspiration you bring. Thanks for the help and training tips too...

One other neat thing that happened and that enhanced the experience for that race is that I kinda mentored a coworker of mine. Guy is my closest friend at work, a nice guy with whom I like to chat and stuff. He is 54 and started running two Summers ago. He actually kinda inspired me to give running a shot back in May last year. We support each other but I think my times in races kind of told him he had to become fast before he could sign up for a race. Anyway, earlier in the year, he asked me if I could help him set up some kind of training plan like I had, something that could possibly bring him to be able to run a half marathon. We left for three weeks of vacation on July 22nd and he was telling me that he loved the training plan. He was getting up to 17 km on his long runs, a distance he said he never thought he could do. He kept running during our weeks of vacation and first thing he told me when we got back was that he had signed up for the half marathon. His first race ever, a half marathon. Not only that, he wanted to do it in less than 2 hours. For father's day he had received a Forerunner 10 and was now able to pace himself and I kept preaching to him to slow down his long runs and he listened to me. While last year he complained he was hurting from everywhere, this year, he's mostly injury free.

He did the half marathon in the same conditions I did and not only did he finish, he did it in 1:56 or so, beating his goal time of 2 hours. During the whole race, I had him in the back of my mind as I was going through "The Oven" of Champlain Boulevard. We've been talking about the race on and off since Sunday. He loved his experience so much and I'm so glad he did...

FM

[FrogMan]

I will also have videos of some spots in the race later on, like 10K from both side plus just before finish and right at the finish. They are still queued for processing...

[Alan T]

A LED medal.. that is the coolest thing! I'm needing to get one of those next year!

[FrogMan]

Originally Posted by Alan T

A LED medal.. that is the coolest thing! I'm needing to get one of those next year!

Come and make it a family trip to Quebec City They've been giving LED medals since 2007. Gold for the full, silver for the half, bronze for the 10K but also gold for the 5K kids race...

Médailles lumineuses | Marathon SSQ Lévis-Québec

FM

[FrogMan]

went back to running yesterday with an easy 5K and another again this morning. The achilles was mostly pain free when walking before I started running yesterday and it was ok as I started running but it started itching then hurt a bit more the more I ran. Then this morning, while I was mostly ok walking barefoot, I could feel it being tight the moment I started running.

I'm pretty sure it's mostly only inflammation that comes from that one big week back in july as I didn't have that pain before that week. I also have very little pain when walking so I'm thinking that some time off from running might just be what's needed. I will take one full week off from running and will start working on strengthening my calves. Tomorrow is my rest day anyway, so no running this weekend nor next week and we'll see how it goes.

I had a combo 10K/2K planned for September 21st but had yet to sign up for it. Online registrations close on September 16 so I will wait at least a week to see how it's going. That's the event where I planned to run the 10K then run the 2K with my two sons. I would be majorly bummed if I couldn't take part in that event...

FM

[Alan T]

FM, do you have access to a pool? If so, the least impactful way to keep your cardio shape would be to do water running with a pool belt. So you won't lose any fitness but not put extra strain on your foot while it heals.

[HerRealName]

Sounds like a good idea FM.

To piggyback on Alan's comment, my son is running cross country this year and they do pool workouts once a week. He thought they would be fun but he's changed his mind completely on that. They do a lot of running in place in the pool in the deep end - using only their running motion to tread water.

[FrogMan]

Originally Posted by Alan T

FM, do you have access to a pool? If so, the least impactful way to keep your cardio shape would be to do water running with a pool belt. So you won't lose any fitness but not put extra strain on your foot while it heals.

We do have a nice inground pool in our backyard, with about 8' of water in the little deep end and there are a couple local swimming pools around here but not in the immediate neighborhood. It's finding the time to train in the pool that's rough. As you know, I usually run at 5:30 in the morning because, well, that's the only time I can fit some running. This has worked really well for my running so far. Alarm at 5, get up, shake the cobwebs a bit, get my lunch ready for the day (basically take what I put together in the fridge the night before into my lunch box) and out the door at about 5:25 or so to start running at 5:30. I need to leave for work at 7, so gotta be back home at the latest for 6:20 for a quick shower and some breakfast. If I were tp tale 8-10 minutes to drive to the pool and then another 8-10 minutes to drive back, it'd leave me with about 30 minutes of training in the morning. Evenings are real tough for me with the dojo and all the kids' activities.

And with how the temperatures have dropped in the last week - it was 10C this morning - I don't see myself hitting the pool at 5:30 in the morning. Water was at 75F this morning, WITH the water heater working hard to simply keep it at that level. Once both kids are in school, and that means today, I will probably not keep the water too warm since nobody will be using it during the day anyway. I certainly don't see myself jumping into 70F water at 5:30

In all honesty, I wasn't too worried about loss of fitness. Sure there will be some, but heh, I'll work on it when I get there. My big event of the season was last Sunday and the races I got left on my schedule this year aren't really "A" races, more like monthly fillers. The first one as I said is almost a family event and the second one will be my first ever repeat of a race. Sure would like to do a good time in them, but wouldn't break my heart if I didn't.

I was thinking that I might do some biking. I have an ok bike. It's more mountain bike than street bike but I don't care as I would not be going for speed or using it to race anyone, simply to get the cardio working a bit. Biking should be ok when resting an achilles, right?

FM

[Alan T]

Originally Posted by FrogMan

I was thinking that I might do some biking. I have an ok bike. It's more mountain bike than street bike but I don't care as I would not be going for speed or using it to race anyone, simply to get the cardio working a bit. Biking should be ok when resting an achilles, right?

FM

It really depends. For some people biking can actually cause additional achilles pain, depending on your biking form. You can give it a try, but I would say if you feel anything while biking, you should probably just avoid it and rest it rather than push it.

[FrogMan]

yeah, I probably have atrocious biking form so it might be better if I just rest

I might feel restless in 3-5 days but for now I'm okay with taking it easy for a few days

FM

[Alan T]

Originally Posted by FrogMan

yeah, I probably have atrocious biking form so it might be better if I just rest

I might feel restless in 3-5 days but for now I'm okay with taking it easy for a few days

FM

Just remember that with a bad achilles, it does not mean that you can't do anything.. it just means you have to be careful to not overdo it while it heals. Actually doing some exercise does help stimulate the blood flow and thus recovery...

So, you can do some light running, but keep it easy pace and flat. No hills and no speed work. And don't run too many miles, just build it back up very gradually.

You can do some biking, but its better on a stationary trainer with no resistance, and once again don't do too much at once.

You can do swimming, but don't push off of walls and such...

Disclaimer, I am obviously not a doctor, but in most of my books this is pretty common recommendation for people suffering with achilles issues. Don't push it to feel discomfort. Keep it easy.

[FrogMan]

yeah, I know. Just want to give me all the chances of recovering well and not carry this with me for a long time... A week off can only help, then I will start building it back up...

FM

[FrogMan]

and I will be moving a bit as I still teach karate, going up to 7 hours a week with the start of the Fall schedule next week... Being barefoot always helps me loosen up for some reason.

FM

[AlexB]

Hope it is just rest FM. FWIW I find even now if I do absolutely nothing my Achilles gets a little stiff: I stopped doing the stretches and heel raises about two years after the injury, so after 18 months of doing them 3-5 times a week, and within a month or so I had a bit of soreness amd a problem with my opposite knee after running. So back to the stretches I went, and no more problems since I did.

So doing somethng to stretch it without having the impact of necessarily being too explosive would probably* be good for you (* this is based on my own personal experience and is a long way from qualified medical advice)

[Icy]

Just in the month I was going to beat the 100km mark, past Sunday I partially broke my right foot little finger kicking a rock while taking a a bath in a river with kids.

I have tried to run every day since then, but just wearing the running shoes hurts so much so I had to give up and I have done two days of indoor biking instead. Such an stupid small part of your body and how much can it limit you.

Will try again beating the 100k in September.

On the good news, this summer I lost 6 pounds and I'm at 20 more to reach my goal of weighting the same at my 40 that i did on my 20's.

[Alan T]

Originally Posted by FrogMan

yeah, I know. Just want to give me all the chances of recovering well and not carry this with me for a long time... A week off can only help, then I will start building it back up...

FM

Better safe than sorry with the Achilles i suppose. Hopefully it recovers quickly for you!

Originally Posted by Icy

Just in the month I was going to beat the 100km mark, past Sunday I partially broke my right foot little finger kicking a rock while taking a a bath in a river with kids.

I have tried to run every day since then, but just wearing the running shoes hurts so much so I had to give up and I have done two days of indoor biking instead. Such an stupid small part of your body and how much can it limit you.

Will try again beating the 100k in September.

On the good news, this summer I lost 6 pounds and I'm at 20 more to reach my goal of weighting the same at my 40 that i did on my 20's.

Ouch Icy, sorry to hear about your foot. That stinks

[FrogMan]

so far so good, started doing calf raises yesterday and boy do I feel them today. Also been reading from strengthrunning.com and realize I should do more work for my glutes so I took the free time from running yesterday to do his lunges routine. Boy oh boy, are my glutes weak or what? Or it simply had been a long while since I'd done any, but I sure do feel them today

I'll come out of this a better runner

FM

[FrogMan]

Originally Posted by Icy

Just in the month I was going to beat the 100km mark, past Sunday I partially broke my right foot little finger kicking a rock while taking a a bath in a river with kids.

I have tried to run every day since then, but just wearing the running shoes hurts so much so I had to give up and I have done two days of indoor biking instead. Such an stupid small part of your body and how much can it limit you.

Will try again beating the 100k in September.

On the good news, this summer I lost 6 pounds and I'm at 20 more to reach my goal of weighting the same at my 40 that i did on my 20's.

major bummer with the foot, hope it gets better soon but at the same time, kudos for the lost weight. You can do this!

In a couple of weeks, it wil mark the second anniversary of me deciding to gain back control on my weight. Back on September 13th, 2012, I weighed 203 lbs. I decided to control my portions, limit my calories a bit and I was on my journey to lose 42-43 lbs. I now weigh in at around 160-161 lbs or so. I'm 43 and that's the about the weight I used to be at when I met my wife, when I was 22...

FM