Hatley Castle 8k

February 20, 2011

People who want to get a good 8k time tend to skip this race as it is very hilly and half on trail rather than road. There are not a lot of PB's set here, but if you don't worry about times it can be a fun course. I hadn't run this course last year so my main goal was to better my 2009 time of 27:56. Since the course is so difficult something in the low 27 min range seemed reasonable since this was about 1 min slower than my Pioneer 8k time.

The day was beautiful and sunny if a bit on the cold side. The sun rarely shines in Victoria in the winter so complaining about the cold wasn't an option. I rarely have temperature issues when racing these short distances anyway as my body produces plenty of heat when I'm cranking it out.

Prior to my warm up, I heard from other racers that the finishing section of the course had been changed to be the same as that of the Royal Roads Gutbuster course. Instead of the final couple hundred metres of downhill on pavement, it now turns onto the grass for a bit and then has a short uphill finish. Presumably, they shorted the second out and back section on the course to accommodate this change, but it was still bound to be slower due to the presence of grass, mud and more corners. Why they changed it remains a mystery since there seemed to be no obvious reason. This course certainty does not need to be any more difficult than it already is.

I did a respectable 15 min warm up (by my standards) with Larry Nylen and prepared myself for the race. Since I knew this was not going to be a PB course, I didn't work myself up too much about it. I would simply do my best and see what happens. In terms of competition, many my training partners where including Sean Chester, Shawn Nelson, and Nick Walker. On the woman's side Care Wakely was the clear favorite, but Claire Morgan would likely also run well.

Sean took off hard from the start and I did not even attempt to match him and as a consequence soon found myself running on my own with Shawn and Nick not too far back. The first kilometer marker came too soon and was clearly off by the bit as I passed it in 3:02. The first km is fast, but should not have been that quick and the since the second split came in at 3:41 things didn't seem quite right. I didn't take more notice of the times, however, and set up sights on keeping Sean in sight. On the climbs from 1-3km, I actually managed to pulled him back slightly and was probably only 10-15 seconds behind him at the top of the large hill just before the 3k marker. I hadn't expected to be that close to him at this point so was fairly pleased.

I was feeling pretty good and was able push well during the race. The course is tough though and while it felt like I was putting out a 3:15 effort, I was running closer to 3:30 pace. The hills, turn-arounds, corners, and surface really eat into the pace. At the second turn-around I saw that I had a pretty good gap on Shawn and Nick and unless something unusual happened, I would be able to hold onto second place.

Shawn gradually pulled away from me on the final few kilometers, using his long legs and strong downhill running ability to gain ground. The final grind up the aptly named "Little Bugger" hill always hurts, but I ran it fairly well. There was some mud on the new path to the finish so I had to tread carefully - a fall with 200 metres to go would be embarrassing. I finished in a time of 27:27 just 29s behind Sean. Considering he beat me by 1:09 at Pioneer 8k and 1:06 at Cobble Hill 10k I was pretty pleased with my comparative time. This was my best placing in a Island Race Series so that was also a nice bonus. Shawn was just under a minute back and Nick not far behind him. Care comfortably won with a margin of over 1:30 over fellow training partner Claire. Larry ended up running a solid race and Andrew Pape-Salmon and Kevin Searle also finished well winning their respective age categories. Bazan Bay5k is next and unlike this race, it always results in fast times.

Results.

My splits. 3:02, 3:41, 3:34, 3:17 (4k split: 13:33), 3:30, 3:34, 3:15, 3:34

Cedar 12k

February 6, 2011

As usual, the season is already flying past with Cedar being the 3rd of 8 races. Being an unusual distance, it is still the one and only 12k I have competed in, this was my 5th running of it having only missed last year since my first time doing it in 2006. Despite a couple of good sized hills, I have generally ran well here posting progressively faster times each year. This year, I was hoping for a good time, but was still suffering from lack of proper sleep as I go though patches where my sleep is less than ideal from time to time. I hoped it would not be a big factor. The last time I race Cedar was back in 2009 when I ran 41:31. This year, I was hoping to somewhere in the 40:xx range.

A number Harriers headed up together since Cedar is about an hour and a half north of Victoria near Nanamio. Besides being saving fossil fuels and being more economical, it is also great for comradery. The weather on the drive up was rainy and it seems likely that it would be a soggy run. Fortunately, by the time we reach the race venue things dried up and would stay that way for a few hours, long enough so that everyone stayed dry.

After a brief warm-up with Sonja, I stripped down to shorts and singlet and tried to stay warm while making my way to the start line. The warm-up had felt average so I was optimistic that the race would be at least average. The main contenders for top placements were Jim Finlayson, Sean Chester, Craig Odermatt, Shawn Nelson, Nick Walker, and out of town elite Rejean Chiasson. Once we were off, I settled into a comfortable pace and soon found myself in 4th place behind Jim and Sean who pulled off the line very hard and Craig who as usual was just out of reach. I was surprised to find myself ahead of Shawn and Rejean whom I had been told had impressive race times.

The first 2 kilometers were a little fast at 3:15 each, but I felt in control so continued on. Soon I found that Rejean had gone out easy as he caught up and passed me around the 2k marker. I briefly passed him back on an uphill section after 3k, but on the next flat section he sped up and was soon well ahead. I was running my own race and knew that trying to match him would have made me pay dearly later in the race. I continued to feel strong and posted strong splits though 5k. The 6th km includes a long gradual grade up that cut into my pace, but I was still able to hit the halfway point at a sub 40min pace. It was quicker than expected, but I knew that it would be tough to maintain on the return since there were more hills on the way back.

Craig was only 10 or 15s ahead at the 6k mark, but as we made our way back he inched ahead. Craig is strong on the hills and I was not able to make any ground up on him on the climbs. For most of the race, I was expecting Shawn to catch up and pass me as it has been some time since I have beaten him at any race. Only once I passed the 10k marker did I actually think I might stay ahead. I paid a little for my initial brisk pace on the final 5k with splits that were a little slower than I would have liked. I didn't feel terrible, but was certainly starting to fatigue.

Keeping the form up around 10.5k. Photo credit: Andrew Pape-Salmon

I struggled though the last few hundred meters on the wet grass field and ran an OK final km crossing the finish in 40:24, overall a pretty strong time for me and my second best points for an IRS race only behind Bazan 2010. As a bonus, I was even managed to get an under elite age group benchmark time for this race although due to the rarely run distance this is much easier than normal. I was 5th overall, 27s behind Craig. Jim crushed the field and the course record with a 37:11 clocking and Rejean finished well for 2nd overall with Sean taking 3rd. Care Wakely took the win for the women in 45:17 just edging out Melissa Ross. Results.

My splits: 3:15, 3:15, 3:17, 3:22, 3:15, 3:28, (6k split: 19:51) 3:21, 3:21, 3:30, 3:29, 3:27, 3:24

Cobble Hill 10k

January 23, 2011

This race, the second of the 2011 Island Race Series, was a bit of a last minute decision for me. I had already picked out the five races from the series that would get me enough points to qualify for series standings (Pioneer, Cedar, Hatley Castle, Bazan, and Sooke River) so didn't really need to do this one. As usual, however, I couldn't resist the urge to race. Besides, since I would have gone up to cheer on Sonja and other friends anyway, racing made sense.

My training leading up to the race had been going well although my sleep in the couple of days leading up to the race was not ideal, I was hopeful that I could still race fairly well. I wasn't expecting to top my 2010 Times Colonist time on this more challenging course, but based on my Pioneer performance was hoping to pick up a modest course PB of 10 or 15 seconds (last year I ran 33:31).

My warm-up was kind of flat, but I have learned to not give much heed to how I feeling before the race as it seems to have little bearing on how I actually feel on the course. Conditions were a bit cool so I rushed back to the school that was used for race central with a few minutes to spare to drop off my long sleeve. By the time I made it back to the start line a few hundred metres down the road at 10:55, I nearly missed the start since they started a couple minutes early. Perhaps I should not cut it so close next time...

I enjoyed watching a young kid sprint crazy-ally ahead only to and fall well back before hitting 500m. There was also another guy who took off with the leaders who didn't die fast despite the fact that he really didn't look like an elite runner as he was sporting a cotton tee and long shorts. I was quite shocked that he was able to hold on for about two kilometres with the lead group even though his running form looked inefficient and strained from the start. I think this guy was Thomas Marrs and despite his quick start he managed to hang on well and run a very respectable 35:07 for 6th place overall.

As usual I tried to run at my own pace and not worry too much about keeping up with anyone in particular. Logan was ahead along with Sean Chester, Shawn Nelson, and Craig Odermatt leaving me in 5th position after the initial sorting out. The first km went by fast in 3:06, but felt comfortable, then we headed down hill a bit on an out and back section. After the 2nd kilometer, I was surprised to find myself closing in on Sean, Shawn, and Craig (Logan had fallen back slightly) and we were soon running together. This is the first time I have ever been in the lead pack during an Island Race Series race so it felt strange. I was thinking "Am I going to fast?", but we were not really going that fast and I felt well in control. Just before the 3k marker, Sean accelerated ahead and I later learned that this race was more of a training/tactics race for him and he could have certainly gone faster off the line.

I half expected to see Shawn go with him as he is definitely capable of putting down a fast time, but instead within a few hundred metres he actually fell back behind Craig and myself. I knew then, that something was wrong and later found out that he pulled out due to a tight chest. Kind of a bummer for him for sure. I ran side by side with Craig up the slight grade from 3km to the turn-around at 5.5km. I was feeling pretty good, but around 4.5km, Craig started to slowly pull away and I felt that I didn't have the ability to stay with him without compromising the later kilometres of the race. Craig is very consistent and always finishes his races strong so I was not too surprised to not be able to hang on (although someday soon I am hoping to be able to do that).

I hit the halfway point at 16:40, on pace for a 33:20 race, right where I wanted to be. Unfortunately, while there is some downhill on the way back to the finish, there are also some rolling hills that cut into your time along with inevitable fatigue that starts to set in. I managed to maintain a respectable pace though the next few kilometres but did lose a couple of seconds compared to my first half. Craig was now more than 30s ahead of me and Sean was close to a minute ahead and with no one close behind, it was really just a race against the clock for me. Paul was at the last corner encouraging myself and others along and telling me to relax the shoulders. I picked it up a bit and was able to close the final km in a decent 3:16, finishing in 33:30, just 1s faster than last year. I had hoped to be a bit faster, but still did run a PB on this course, even if it is the smallest one possible. I the plus side I did place 3rd overall which is my best placing to date in an Island Race Series. Where are the elite runners this year? Overall it was kind of a B race for me - not bad, but not spectacular either.

Congrats to Sean for winning his first ever Island Race Series. He is running exceptionally well this year so I think he will shatter some PB's. Sonja continued her amazing improvements running under 41 minutes for the first time. A 10k time with a 3 in front of it is just around the corner I think.

Results

Splits (some of the markers were off since the first seems too short, the second too long, the fourth too short and the fifth too long)
3:06, 3:23, 3:20, 3:17, 3:34, (5k split: 16:40) 3:23, 3:21, 3:27, 3:22, 3:16

Prarie Inn Pioneer 8K

January 9, 2011

As I mentioned in my last post, I am focusing on mountain running for 2011 in the hopes of making it onto the Canadian team who will compete in the World Mountain Running Championships in Albania in September. Because of this, my road racing this year becomes less important and I will not be quite a concerned about my times this year. However, I still plan to do at least 5 of the Island Race Series races and I always race at a pretty high intensity. If I end up doing well, it will be a great bonus.

This attitude took a little pressure off the race which was nice. I made a last minute decision to race in a brand new pair of Nike Free Run + shoes I had just purchased. For the last few years, I have been racing in Asics racing flats and they have served me well. However, my current pair is worn out and I think was a contributing factor in my plantar fasciitis which I didn't want to aggravate it any more. Since I didn't want to race in a heaver shoe, I choose to try the Nike's out since they were nearly as light as my racing flats. Since it was only 8km I figured the worst I could suffer was a few blisters. The shoes are exceptionally flexible so you can feel every contour of the road, but still had reasonable cushioning and they fit like a glove. They turned out to be very comfortable and have me no blisters or hot spots. I'll have to run in them a few more times to assess them fully, but so far I'm quite impressed.

I was surprised to be handed a bib with the number 5 on it. Elite bibs are often ranked by the race organizers based on expected finishing position so 5th sounded way too high. Last year I ran a 26:35 to place 19th and year before, I ran just under 27 min and was 25th. This is often a very competitive race and I expected the same this year. However, even with the last minute appearance of two elites (Jim Finlayson and Trevor O'Brien), the field had less depth than normal. Since the elite field was thin, I was able to stand right on the start line. Too bad it didn't help me much though as it seems like I was already 2 strides behind right after the gun. I think many runners jump gun just slightly while I diligently wait and nearly get run over. In a race such as this, it doesn't matter much, but I was shocked at how quickly I fell behind.

The course was exactly the same as every time I have run here and so started with a scorching fast downhill first kilometre. I kept closer to the leaders than usual though as I posted a 3:04 split. By this time the initial sorting out was done and I found myself in about 10th position and feeling strong. If I continued to feel good, I was pretty sure I could pull in a couple of those runner ahead. I moved along well passing the 2nd marker on a steady 3:17 pace. The course then turns right up a hill through Brentwood Bay. I noticed that a few runners in front of me had slowed quite a lot while climbing the hill and as I was feeling strong, I took the opportunity to power up the grade and pass 3 runners. I normally have to be a bit careful not to overstress myself on the climbs in fear that I will not be able to recover once I hit the top, but this time around I recovered very well.

...and we're off! Photo Credit: Kirsten (last name unknown)

I crossed the halfway point at 4k in 12:58 which was a few seconds faster than last year, but now the hard part starts. For some reason, I have usually struggled somewhat in the last 3 kilometres of this race. This time around, my energy felt great, but around 5k, I started to develop a side stitch. It wasn't horrible, but I did have to back off a bit in the hopes that it would subside (it did after about 1.5k). My slowest km was 3:27 when the stitch was at it's worst.

Just as the problem was subsiding, Paddy McCluskey and Colin Dignum caught up to me. Paddy is a bit of a local legend with amazing personal bests in his younger days and now is a powerful Master's runner. I have raced against him a few times and I'm pretty sure he always made it to the finish before me. Paddy looked strong, but Colin was breathing so hard and so raggedly that he sounded as though each step he took might be his last - he was absolutely killing himself! Hearing him and then assessing how hard I was working in comparison gave me the motivation to pick it up a bit. I wasn't struggling nearly as bad as Colin was so there was no way I was going to get him beat me! The last kilometre is pretty much all up hill and I powered my way up it passing Paddy back partway up, but not gaining a lot of time on him. The final few hundred metres of gradual uphill really hurts, but I gutted it out and pushed passed one young National Triathlon member to grab 6th spot in 26:19. I was pleased with my performance, getting a 12s PB and with the exception of the stitch feeling great doing it.

Unsurprisingly, Jim grabbed the win, but Sean Chester ran a PB to place a strong 2nd only 25s behind. The top 5 were rounded out by Trevor, Shawn Nelson, and Craig Odermatt. Natasha Wodak took the woman's title in a strong 27:57. Many other Harriers and friends had great races including Andrew Pape-Salmon, Garth Campbell, Claire Morgan, and Sonja (who smashed her 2010 time by almost 2 min).

Results.

My splits: 3:04 (-13s from avg pace), 3:17 (0s), 3:21 (+4s), 3:17 (0s) [halfway split 12:58], 3:19 (+2s), 3:27 (+10s), 3:21 (+4s), 3:14 (-3s)

2010 Review and Plans for 2011

I realize that we are are already 2 weeks into 2011 so I am a bit behind the eight ball on this post, but I thought it was still worth getting a few things down about my running in the last year and mention a few things about 2011. To keep it simple I'll post in point form.

Positives for 2010

• Set modest personal bests at all distances that I raced in 2010 (3000m, 5K, 8K, 10K, 15K, Half)
  
• Hit the 33 min mark for 10K at the Times Colonist
• Picked up wins in 3 trail races (Orcas Island 25K, Hallows Eve half, Stewart Mountain 10 Miler) and 2 relays as part of a team (Oak Bay Half, Thetis Lake 20K)
• Raced well at the majority of other races
• Trained pretty consistently
• Started coaching other runners
• Picked up my weekly mileage by a modest amount
  
• Learned to like the track more than I thought I would

Negatives for 2010

• Didn't get my road times down as much as I wanted (I would have liked to get into the meaty part of a 32 min 10K)
• Had a few bad races near the end of summer probably due to insufficient training
  
• Ended up with a mild to moderate case of plantar fasciitis which I am still battling. It has not greatly affected my running, but is a big nuisance.

All in all the positives certainly outweigh the negatives and 2010 was a pretty great year.

Goals for 2011

• Qualify for the 2011 World Mountain Running Championships in Albania. This requires that I run exceptionally well at the Canadian Mountain Running Championships in Canmore Alberta so I have a chance to be selected for the Canadian Team.
• To achieve my primary goal, I will need to do as much hill work as my legs will take and race as many hilly trail races as I can fit in. Some of the trail races that I already have plans to do are the Dirty Duo 25K, 4 or 5 Gutbusters (the schedule has not been posted yet), and Kusam Klimb.
• If I could also set a few more personal bests in road races (I'm planning on doing 5 or 6 island race series races) that would be icing on the cake
• Throw in an adventure race or two to keep things interesting. I'm also keen to try a 24-36 hour adventure race and/or a 24 rogane if I can fit them in.
• Start coaching a few more runners and help them achieve their goals
• Stay (mostly) injury free

Stewart Mountain 10 Miler

December 11, 2010

Stewart mountain has always been my favorite of the 3 PIH Thetis events. The large climb right in the middle is tough, but it always seems to somehow energize me for the last half of the race. The course is a part loop and part out and back route and is composed of mostly double track with some single track thrown in. Stewart is generally the least well attend and the least competitive of the 3 races, but usually still attracts a few fast runners. In 2008, Jason Loutitt blasted through the course in just over 1:02, quite an impressive feat.

The snow from two weeks ago had long ago melted, but it had been replaced by a good drenching of rain just a day or two before the race. Things would be wet and muddy, but otherwise conditions were pretty decent with cool temps and only a mild drizzle (it would dump buckets later in the day).

While the race only boasts about 150 finishers, there were still a lot of Harriers in attendance which is always great to see. I had expected that Shawn Nelson would race as it would likely be another relatively easy win for him. He opted to do a workout in the morning instead, however, and must have decided that adding another 16k of hard running might be too much even for him. The main surprise happened before the race even started, when Bruce Deacon signed up at the last moment. Bruce is a bit of a local legend and an amazing runner. He was Canada's best marathoner for many years and went to the Olympics twice. To put his accomplishments into perspective compared to most local runners, his PB at 10,000 metres is 28:46, his marathon 2:13:18. If he was only in half decent shape, he would destroy the field. However, due to injury, Bruce had not raced in over 2 years, so it was unknown how he would do.

Generally, this race starts out much slower than Gunner, but this year was a bit different. Richard Knowlton took off right from the line and established an early lead. Richard is a solid runner, but unless he had suddenly gotten a lot faster, he was going beyond himself and I fully expected that he would be pulled back into the pack (and he was within 5 minutes). I didn't worry myself too much about this sort of positioning - this was a long enough race that jockeying at this point was not important - better to get a good relaxed rhythm going. I started out in perhaps 8th place, but fairly soon moved up to 3rd behind Bruce and Trever Ruck (the guy I just edged out at Gunner). I squeezed by Bruce on some single track and then proceeded to trade first place with Trevor a few times. He didn't want to concede the lead and tended to pull away from me a bit on the descents. Rather than continuing to battle so early in the race, I opted to settle in a bit. There was still plenty of racing to go and a nice tough climb to come. We made our way though a large swamp and creek both of which left me with numb legs for a bit, but luckily they were back to normal in a few minutes.

I kept Trevor within striking distance although by the time we reach the start of the big climb, he may have had 30 or 40 metres on me. I knew this was the time to assert myself and see what I could do - if I could establish a decent gap on the climb and get out of sight, I figured I had good odds at holding the competition off. I opened it up and soon passed Trevor on the first part of the climb. I continued to dig in, determined to run the entire ascent as I have done in past years. It turns up to a vicious grade in spots, so running at any speed is a challenge. There is a brief break before the final push to the summit. I was feeling pretty good on the climb and while I was working hard, it didn't feel quite and excruciating as it sometimes does. Perhaps I was not pushing myself quite as hard since I was leading at this point although I'd rather think it was because my hill climbing has improved.Unfortunately , it is probably the former.

By the time I reached the summit, I had perhaps gained 1 min on Trevor, now it was time to try and keep it. As I have mentioned many times on this blog, non-technical descending is not my strength, but I was determined to give it my all. I felt quite good and pushed hard on the flats and downhills. I didn't hear or see any signs of Trevor until crossing McKenzie Creek where I looked back and saw that he had closed the gap to within 30s or so. Not yet within striking distance though, so I wasn't yet worried. By the time we reached the 3 hills on Lower Thetis Lake, I still maintained close to 30s, but that didn't stop Trevor from keeping me moving. As I summitted each hill, he was at the bottom. There was no letting up, but I managed to come into the finish line just under 1:04:56, 27s ahead of Trevor.

It was a very good race for me (perhaps a A- or an A), my first win at Stewart and nearly 2 min faster than my last clocking in 2008. I have to thank Shawn Nelson for not showing up and allowing me to take the win and Trever for pushing me the whole time to give me a solid time. Adam O'Meara closed out the top 3 and Bruce cruised in for 5th. Sarah Baker won the woman's division, beating out race favourite Melanie McQuaid. Sonja ran to a 6th place finish in against a tough group of woman who all came in within 45s of one another.

There was a victim in the race: my right big toe nail. I have frequently hammered my toes on downhills, but I took it to another level this race. It is over a week later, and the toe is still sore. I think the combination of wet shoes and my hard pace on the downhills took their toll - that nail is gone for sure.

For a ultra-marathoner, this is nothing, but is a nice shade of blue after only 16km

Thanks again to the Harriers for hosting another great event and to the volunteers who make it go so well. The Island Race series is just around the corner now. Who needs an off season?

Gerry Etcheverry also produced another nice video of this race.

Perseverance Running is Born!

Over the last couple of years, I've been thinking about starting to do some running coaching. The idea of helping other runners improve and achieve their goals was appealing. I figured it was something that I would pick up in a couple of years, but this summer I was approached by a runner who asked me if I could coach her. I saw it as a fantastic opportunity to see how I would perform as a coach and how I would enjoy it and accepted the offer. Over that last few months I have found it quite enjoyable to work with this runner and I look forward to seeing her progress.

I would like to attract a few more runners so that I can get a nice little training group together. To further these ends, I have launched a new website outlining what I offer: Perseverance Running. I've added a link over on the right side as well.

There are a number of very good running coaching in Victoria some with impressive credintials. However, I believe I offer a few things that many others do not:

• A specialization in trail and mountain running
• Programs customized for each athlete
  
• Competitive rates
• Delivery of a workout plan via a dedicated website that allows athletes to track their workouts and analyze their progress with reporting tools
• Tips and techniques specific to trail running and running on technical terrain

For a full listing of what I have to offer check out the Coaching section of Perseverance Running.

Happy Running!