My wonderful wife Sarah gave me a Garmin Forerunner 310 XT as a wedding present, and I finally took it out of the package and tried it out this week. I have yet to access all of its features (it calculates pace, distance, calories burned, heart rate, and elevation gained/lost, among other things), but I can already tell that it's going to improve my workouts. How? Let me count the ways:
1) My average pace will increase - I'm a numbers guy, and as a numbers guy, I know how fast I should be able to run each kilometer, give or take a few seconds. If my easy pace becomes too easy, the Garmin will tell me immediately, which will force me to increase my efforts. Tonight's easy 5k was run much faster than usual because I was able to see when I was slowing down and adjust accordingly.
2) I will run further - I couldn't tell you how many times I dragged my feet during a 25 minute run and marked it down as a 5k. I guarantee that some of those runs were 4k at best, but I convinced myself ages ago that a five minute kilometer as about as slow as I could run, and have yet to shake that illusion. With the Garmin, a 5K run will actually be a 5k run, as the GPS will calculate the distance as I run.
3) I will run more often - I rarely write in my running diary, but I check my computer every day, and seeing an unused workout icon on my desktop will help spur me into action on lazy days. And, as a numbers junky, the pile of numbers that show up on my computer will lead to mileage goals that I'll inevitably try to hit. You might laugh, but it's true.
I'll stop before I become a spokesperson for the brand, but I have to admit the Garmin is a fun little gadget for people who like to keep track of their workouts. That being said, the only way I'll truly get better is if I am training diligently, so I will log off now and get another workout in before my behind becomes permanently attached to my computer chair.
Chuck is running Marathon By The Sea in support of the InterAction School of Performing Arts Capital Campaign. To find out how to donate, please click here.
Showing posts with label Saint John. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Saint John. Show all posts
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Monday, July 18, 2011
Heating Up The Road
I am not a warm weather fan, at least when it comes to running. Some of my worst runs have occured during the dog days of summer, including a confirmed case of heat stroke during the 2001 Marathon By The Sea. I managed to finish the race, but couldn't keep anything down for the rest of the day, and felt like garbage the rest of the week. Will I repeat this amazing feat ten years later? I certainly hope not.
Memories of 2001 lingered in my mind during my 16 mile run on Sunday. The sun was blazing in the sky, and I was running the same course that gave me so much trouble ten years ago. I started off conservatively in an attempt to save some energy for late in the run, slowing down at one point to take a gander at an improptu Simms Corner yard sale. Good thing I didn't spot any old Nintendo games (drop me a line if you have any you want to part with), otherwise I would have quit less than ten minutes into my workout.
With video games out of my mind, I tried to focus on the task at hand. Unfortuately, all I could think about was the heat. I was dripping with sweat, and my running shirt (why I didn't wear a singlet was beyond me) was soaked and chafing my skin. While I wasn't quite boiling, as one cyclist noted about six miles into the run, I wasn't exactly feelin top notch, either.
Luckily, a light breeze cooled me off a bit, and I hit the eight mile turnaround in pretty decent shape. I wasn`t running particularly fast - about a minute slower than my best long runs last year - but I knew that, barring disaster, I would finish in one piece.
That didn't mean that I would finish comfortably. My shorts started to chafe with about six miles to go, and started becoming an issue five kilometers from my house. It didn't matter how much adjusting I did - and I did a lot, sadly - I couldn't stop my shorts from rubbing my legs raw. Remind me to wear a better outfit for my next long run, okay?
I forged ahead despite the comfort, and landed back at my house before I hit any sort of physical or mental wall. Considering the run was about four miles longer than my best effort, I won't complain. At least not until my legs start aching, that is.
Memories of 2001 lingered in my mind during my 16 mile run on Sunday. The sun was blazing in the sky, and I was running the same course that gave me so much trouble ten years ago. I started off conservatively in an attempt to save some energy for late in the run, slowing down at one point to take a gander at an improptu Simms Corner yard sale. Good thing I didn't spot any old Nintendo games (drop me a line if you have any you want to part with), otherwise I would have quit less than ten minutes into my workout.
With video games out of my mind, I tried to focus on the task at hand. Unfortuately, all I could think about was the heat. I was dripping with sweat, and my running shirt (why I didn't wear a singlet was beyond me) was soaked and chafing my skin. While I wasn't quite boiling, as one cyclist noted about six miles into the run, I wasn't exactly feelin top notch, either.
Luckily, a light breeze cooled me off a bit, and I hit the eight mile turnaround in pretty decent shape. I wasn`t running particularly fast - about a minute slower than my best long runs last year - but I knew that, barring disaster, I would finish in one piece.
That didn't mean that I would finish comfortably. My shorts started to chafe with about six miles to go, and started becoming an issue five kilometers from my house. It didn't matter how much adjusting I did - and I did a lot, sadly - I couldn't stop my shorts from rubbing my legs raw. Remind me to wear a better outfit for my next long run, okay?
I forged ahead despite the comfort, and landed back at my house before I hit any sort of physical or mental wall. Considering the run was about four miles longer than my best effort, I won't complain. At least not until my legs start aching, that is.
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Late Night Loops, Rallying The Troops
Today was one of those days where I should have stayed in bed. I woke up late to the phone ringing, only to find bad, expensive news on the other end. I weighed myself for the first time in ages, and was pleased to note that I am fifteen pounds heavier than I was when I completed my last marathon. I also realized I am a full month behind in my training, which means I have to increase my workload drastically in the next three week or face skipping my taper. Yikes.
If you're like me, your mental state can positively or negatively impact your training. When I am feeling aggressive, competitive, or focused, I can usually count on having a decent run. When I am depressed - and today bordered on depression - I have a hard time dragging myself out of the house, let alone running at my full potential. So, instead of getting my run out of the way early as planned, I sat in the house, picked away at my daily to-do list (it was more of a didn't do list today), and felt sorry for myself.
By the time I was up for a run it was nearly 11:00PM. I almost put it off until the morning, but I didn't think it would actually happen, so I laced up my sneakers and headed out into the dark.
As this was a speedwork day, I decided that I should try out the loop in front of my house. After a short warmup session, I hit the timer and started peeling off 400 meter loops. I haven't run too many fast 400s this year, so I didn't know what to expect. I went out hard for the first loop - it was easy to do, as it started out downhill - and finished about eight second faster than I planned. For a guy fifteen pounds heavier than he'd like to be, that's not bad.
I was pretty sure I wasn't going to be able to maintain that pace, but it wasn't going to stop me from trying. I held my pace for the second repeat, and was a little less than a second slower for the third. The wheels started to fall off for the next couple of repeats, but I reined the times back in by focusing on my form. I ran seven loops total, and the difference between my slowest loop and fastest loop was only three seconds. Very good effort, if I must say so myself.
Tomorrow is a rest day, but I will be back with a vengeance this weekend. With only four weeks before the big day, I will need to increase my mileage and lose some weight in a hurry. Wish me luck!
Fundraising update: I will be announcing some new sponsors/donations shortly, and a group of nordic walkers are signing up for the half marathon to help raise funds for the InterAction School of Performing Arts. Here's a note from the group:
Marilyn Inch, from Interaction’s Board of Directors, met with her old Nordic Walking group tonight. They meet every Tuesday and Thursday at 6:30 at Daytripping in the Lily Lake Pavilion and go on group walks to help keep them motivated. With Marathon by the Sea fast approaching, they are thick into their training program to meet their Half Marathon goals. Many of them have participated in numerous Half Marathons since beginning Nordic Walking. They took up the sport thinking they could never complete such a challenge but have since proven to themselves that they CAN do it with the proper 12 week training program and the continuous motivation of Daytripping owner, Yennah Hurley.
Now that Marilyn has told the group about Action for Interaction, the group is jumping on board to help raise funds for the performing arts school by getting pledges from their families, neighbours and co-workers. One woman said that asking for sponsors would cement her commitment to actually completing her first Half Marathon where she was sitting on the fence up to this point.
For more information about Nordic Walking in Saint John, check out Daytripping’s website http://www.daytrippingnb.com/home.html.
If anyone else wants to raise funds on behalf of the InterAction School of Performing Arts, please drop me a line and I'll let you know how you can get involved!
If you're like me, your mental state can positively or negatively impact your training. When I am feeling aggressive, competitive, or focused, I can usually count on having a decent run. When I am depressed - and today bordered on depression - I have a hard time dragging myself out of the house, let alone running at my full potential. So, instead of getting my run out of the way early as planned, I sat in the house, picked away at my daily to-do list (it was more of a didn't do list today), and felt sorry for myself.
By the time I was up for a run it was nearly 11:00PM. I almost put it off until the morning, but I didn't think it would actually happen, so I laced up my sneakers and headed out into the dark.
As this was a speedwork day, I decided that I should try out the loop in front of my house. After a short warmup session, I hit the timer and started peeling off 400 meter loops. I haven't run too many fast 400s this year, so I didn't know what to expect. I went out hard for the first loop - it was easy to do, as it started out downhill - and finished about eight second faster than I planned. For a guy fifteen pounds heavier than he'd like to be, that's not bad.
I was pretty sure I wasn't going to be able to maintain that pace, but it wasn't going to stop me from trying. I held my pace for the second repeat, and was a little less than a second slower for the third. The wheels started to fall off for the next couple of repeats, but I reined the times back in by focusing on my form. I ran seven loops total, and the difference between my slowest loop and fastest loop was only three seconds. Very good effort, if I must say so myself.
Tomorrow is a rest day, but I will be back with a vengeance this weekend. With only four weeks before the big day, I will need to increase my mileage and lose some weight in a hurry. Wish me luck!
Fundraising update: I will be announcing some new sponsors/donations shortly, and a group of nordic walkers are signing up for the half marathon to help raise funds for the InterAction School of Performing Arts. Here's a note from the group:
Marilyn Inch, from Interaction’s Board of Directors, met with her old Nordic Walking group tonight. They meet every Tuesday and Thursday at 6:30 at Daytripping in the Lily Lake Pavilion and go on group walks to help keep them motivated. With Marathon by the Sea fast approaching, they are thick into their training program to meet their Half Marathon goals. Many of them have participated in numerous Half Marathons since beginning Nordic Walking. They took up the sport thinking they could never complete such a challenge but have since proven to themselves that they CAN do it with the proper 12 week training program and the continuous motivation of Daytripping owner, Yennah Hurley.
Now that Marilyn has told the group about Action for Interaction, the group is jumping on board to help raise funds for the performing arts school by getting pledges from their families, neighbours and co-workers. One woman said that asking for sponsors would cement her commitment to actually completing her first Half Marathon where she was sitting on the fence up to this point.
For more information about Nordic Walking in Saint John, check out Daytripping’s website http://www.daytrippingnb.com/home.html.
If anyone else wants to raise funds on behalf of the InterAction School of Performing Arts, please drop me a line and I'll let you know how you can get involved!
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Speed Surprise
Before I begin, I'll be perfectly honest: I am not starting from scratch with my training. You see, I recently tied the knot (to CBC`s lovely and talented reporter Sarah Trainor), and worked out for a solid three weeks so I would look good in my tux. My training plan, if you would call it that, consisted of painful two hour runs that barely progressed beyond a slow crawl. I saw some improvements in my physical appearance in the days leading up to the wedding, but I would have looked even better had I done anything besides eat from December to April. Oh well.
While the long runs didn`t firm up my abs, they did provide me a base from which to start my marathon training. At least that`s what I hoped when I laced up my shoes and headed down the street for a quick speed session. I hadn`t planned an extensive workout - about three kilometers worth of speed work, and six kilometers total running - but I worried that the extensive winter layoff, coupled with the extra twenty pounds around my waist, would result in a really painful evening.
I started the speed portion of my workout with an 800 meter loop. I expected I would finish in three minutes, so I was very surprised when I crossed the finish line in 2:50. Thinking I probably ran too fast, I started my 400 meter run conservatively, but still managed to finish in a minute and a half. So far so good.
The third leg of the run - a one kilometer loop - was tough. I started out strong, but struggled with my form around the halfway point. The small inclines in the course burned my calves, and I mentally battled the urge to slow down for the last 400 meters. Therefore, I was very pleased to run the loop in less than four minutes. Brimming with confidence, I polished off my last leg - 600 meters - in two minutes flat.
Overall, my times are slower than they were last year, but they aren`t that much slower. Give it a few weeks and I might be able to match or better my best times from 2010. I`m not sure how it will translate in a full marathon, but I imagine it will save me from slowly shuffling for twenty six miles in August. At least I hope it will.
Donation Update: I haven`t checked to see if I have received any donations yet, but I plan on thanking everyone that donates on this website. If you would like your name (or that name of your company) forever immortalized in blog form, please send me your donations (and don`t forget to write Action for InterAction in the message box so I know to thank you)!
While the long runs didn`t firm up my abs, they did provide me a base from which to start my marathon training. At least that`s what I hoped when I laced up my shoes and headed down the street for a quick speed session. I hadn`t planned an extensive workout - about three kilometers worth of speed work, and six kilometers total running - but I worried that the extensive winter layoff, coupled with the extra twenty pounds around my waist, would result in a really painful evening.
I started the speed portion of my workout with an 800 meter loop. I expected I would finish in three minutes, so I was very surprised when I crossed the finish line in 2:50. Thinking I probably ran too fast, I started my 400 meter run conservatively, but still managed to finish in a minute and a half. So far so good.
The third leg of the run - a one kilometer loop - was tough. I started out strong, but struggled with my form around the halfway point. The small inclines in the course burned my calves, and I mentally battled the urge to slow down for the last 400 meters. Therefore, I was very pleased to run the loop in less than four minutes. Brimming with confidence, I polished off my last leg - 600 meters - in two minutes flat.
Overall, my times are slower than they were last year, but they aren`t that much slower. Give it a few weeks and I might be able to match or better my best times from 2010. I`m not sure how it will translate in a full marathon, but I imagine it will save me from slowly shuffling for twenty six miles in August. At least I hope it will.
Donation Update: I haven`t checked to see if I have received any donations yet, but I plan on thanking everyone that donates on this website. If you would like your name (or that name of your company) forever immortalized in blog form, please send me your donations (and don`t forget to write Action for InterAction in the message box so I know to thank you)!
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Here We Go Again
It's time to start training for another marathon, which means it's time to start writing a blog. It seems that every time I write about my athletic endeavours, I manage to stay on task with my training. However, when I stop writing, I stop working out, and everything falls apart. I haven't blogged about running in over six months, and have put twenty extra pound on my frame during that time. Doesn't take long to get out of shape, does it?
Well, it's time to get back into shape, and in a hurry. Marathon By The Sea takes place August 14, and I have decided to sign up for the full marathon. With seven weeks to spare, I haven't given myself much time to train, but I am hoping that my relative fitness, combined with some hard workouts, will get me to the starting line in relatively good shape. As long as I can get across the finish line in one piece, I'll be satisfied.
Why am I doing this, you ask? Well, I recently starting working with InterAction Children's Theatre (IACT), a local non-profit organization that formed in 2001 that offers theatre classes and activities for Saint John children of all-ages. IACT is evolving into a School of Performing Arts this fall, and is raising money in order to relocate to a larger facility. If completing a marathon on seven weeks training can help me raise a few dollars for the cause, then I'll dust off those shoes and toe the starting line, in shape or not.
If you would like to donate, please visit their Canada Helps Donation Page and make a one-time or monthly donation (Please put Action for InterAction in the message box). Anyone who donates through the site will recieve a tax deductible receipt via email, which always comes handy when you're trying to balance those books come year end. Please click here to find out more information about our fundraising efforts, including out Patrons Program.
Right now, however, my main priority is to get back in shape. I've been doing a little bit of running in anticipation of a fall marathon, but will definitely have to turn it up a few notches if I am going to be in shape for August. Wish me luck!
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