The 'I' Word

"Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." I'm here to turn myself in, officer. 

Early warning system

My body was trying to tell me something from the very start, but I was Beethoven to it. Before my first race in 2009, I had a sore right IT band. 10 minutes into that half marathon, I started to feel it coming on again. As quickly as it came, it disappeared again, perhaps from adrenaline. 

I put some of that down to being new to running, and it seemed to go away with a change of shoe type, so I thought. 

Incidentals

I've had a couple of accidental injuries too. Sitting with my knees bent too much on a weight machine (one with a seat) meant I had a squeaky shin for 2 weeks. 

I damaged tendons on the outside of my right foot when I slipped on ice getting off a bus. 

Slow steamed ham

Throughout however, my right hamstring has been providing constant background noise. Every full marathon I have done - 4 since 2010 plus a 50k - has involved me having to stretch a knotted hamstring. It happened at the end of the Quebec City half marathon in 2011. My current half marathon PB was achieved while hobbling the last 100 metres at the Calgary Half in 2013. 

Lightbulb moment 

Last felt in October last year, it really came back this week. I realized that if I did my usual response of 2 weeks of rest, chiropractor and carry on, I would end up in the same place again: 

I decided to head to a sports injury clinic and once my hamstring's fixed, get to the bottom of what I'm doing wrong and make changes to prevent more Groundhog Days. 

Crab alignment

"What's your overall aim in coming to us, apart from your immediate need?" my new physio asked. "Not to have to stop. A week without running is like a week without sunshine." Yes, I actually said that. 

Several simple tests, including just standing still led to an initial diagnosis: my right leg doesn't internally rotate much, and my left doesn't externally rotate. Without watching me run - as I couldn't at that point - it's probable that I track to the right. 

To run in a straight line, my pelvis and core is slightly twisted. It lifts up my right hip, pulling hardest of all on my right hamstring. All this time I have assumed that my right leg is shorter than the left, but anatomically it might not be. 

The training load gets too much, then I need to back off due to the excessive stress on my right hamstring. When I theorized that this is also why it has cramped violently during all of my marathons, the physio said it was quite likely. 

Acupunctured 

After the assessment, time to work on my long suffering right ham.

I was unprepared for the idea of acupuncture, but ok'd it: time for new methods. The pulse felt inside the muscle is a bizarre sensation. 

"Think you can handle one more needle?" "Er..yes." "This one will feel a little stronger." I made a noise that was part pain, part laughter and part police siren while thumping the treatment table. Cue nearby laughter. 

It felt sore and bruised afterwards, but by evening the cramping was gone. 

Next time, physio will watch me on the treadmill and perhaps give me more exercises to realign my hips and stop me tracking to the right.

Best case scenario?

If my alignment problem can be fixed or lessened, there will be less pressure on my right hamstring, and I should be able to go for longer without taking time off. Ideally, it won't affect me on individual very long runs of 2+ hours. 

That would be a dream come true because it would then unlock faster marathon times. 

"Let's get you fixed first," the physio said. 

10 weeks of reconstruction

Back to Square 1

October 18th last year saw me drop out of the half marathon at MEC race 7. I stopped after 14 km to avoid the catastrophe of completely knotted hamstrings. 

A break from running is the worst kind of break, but I took the next 2 weeks off. I used the time to plot my comeback for a fun 2016. 

Gentle start

November's plan was to do short distances at low speed. My first run back was a quiet and easy 5k. 

Just a week later was the Banff Winterstart, 8km in the dark. While I could see the attraction of it, the dark and therefore unsighted slippery patches had me on edge. Feeling uneasy, slow and rather weak, I was relieved to finish more than anything. 

The rest of November was uneventful, just as I had wanted. 

Base Camp

December and January was the next phase: building a base. Very small doses of faster speeds went into fairly low but gradually growing mileage. 

Persistence, even on Christmas Day and patience in watching speed, strength and a little endurance gradually return. 

MEC race 1 in mid-January, a 5k, was a nice early early test. I performed quite well despite the cold and lack of grip. 

Even though my new watch goes a little funny at the start of downtown runs - I didn't actually run through the Provincial Court by way of a karaoke bar - I have gradually been piecing myself back together.

Yoga has been part of injury prevention, and a de-stressing counterbalance to life in general. Heart rate 40-90 bpm. 

Sharpening 

Now the tough work, the specific training plan, begins. 

145km ran in January, my highest monthly total since September. It's all uphill from here. 

The year truly begins - MEC Race #1 5k

Welcome to 2016

It's only January, but without this race I'd be waiting until March to start the season. That would make for a long, unhinging winter. 

Time then for a little 5k, MEC race 1. It was the kind of cold in which you can feel your skin freeze within 30 seconds of removing your gloves. 

Out to the start, with all jiggling about dressed like multicoloured astronauts. 

Group warmup, more necessary than usual as it was -15, and -21 with windchill. As someone who didn't grow up with Canadian winters, I need more head insulation than most. 

The Question 

Aim for this race was mostly to answer the question- what sort of shape was I in? I'd been in base training since the start of December, slowly rebuilding after injury in October. 

I'm at my heaviest at this time of year also, so what time could I expect on such a day? 22 minutes perhaps. 

Traction Control 

I was a little swamped at the start...

...which went round in a semicircle before  straightening out. 

A loop along the river turning around at 14th street, I was mildly disappointed that the course would go the slightly slower anti-clockwise direction. 

Making my way past some slowing fast starters, the foot bridge over the river blunted my progress. The surface was so slippery that extra effort ended up being lost at toe-off. The harder I tried, the closer I got to kicking my own bottom.

Overtake On The Left

Once off the bridge, I put effort into picking off more runners. 

Up onto 14th Street bridge, my breath was getting a little ahead of me, so I backed off slightly before joining the pathway south of the river. 

I was overtaken by the leading lady as I got onto the path. That's your pacemaker I decided. The gap widened at the 10th street bridge underpass, which I took very cautiously. I caught up again, gradually finding stronger pace.

Finishing Frisson 

With 800 or so metres left, I decided to continue slowly accelerating and see what speed I'd top out at. As I re-passed the leading lady, I heard quickened breathing and increased cadence behind me. It seemed to fade as I continued to find unexpected end of race speed. 

My camera stopped just as I rounded the last corner. Noooo. What it missed was my slowly tackling the semicircle finish. 20:59 was my chip time, 5th overall and AG 3rd although there's no prize for that. 

The answer to the question?

A fairly strong performance at this stage given the un-traction, cold and volume of clothing I had to wear. There's plenty of work to do, so stay alert for any possible injury. In other words, it's all on the right track. 

Next race is in 2 months, so keep on running. The next phase is called "sharpening", starting Feb 1. 

Getting Going

Old v new, before and after. 

How does one get from one to the other? 

Let me share what I have learned from personal experience. While I am not a kinesiologist or a dietitian, I know what has worked for me. 

I have since read extensively to better know the theory behind my results. Getting healthy involves a combination of physical activity and proper food intake together. I shall deal with each separately for clarity. 

The Truth About Exercise 

The above graph is known in the business world as the J Curve, or Death Valley Curve. Bare with me here. A new business or product suffers to start with, eventually picking up if it doesn't first fail in the trough of the valley.

Now, imagine the $ sign represents energy level. To start off with, fatigue sets in and recovery is poor without fitness (which is partly about how quickly you can recover). In other words, you will initially feel worse than before you began. 

As with a business, many (or dare I say it, most) give up at or even before reaching the bottom. This explains how gyms go from over-busy back to half full before the end of January every year. 

The break even point on the graph is where fitness has improved enough to recover to pre-exercise levels of energy. Continued exercise beyond this point brings greater fitness and increasing energy reserves (to put it another way, feeling better than ever). Realistically, 3 workouts per week will bring you to this stage in 6-8 weeks. 

Eventually you will plateau, though by this time motivating oneself will no longer be hard. Just you wait and see. 

Food Glorious Food

I started working out in January 2007. Still eating the same foods in the same quantities, my weight barely changed. In September, my doctor warned me that my cholesterol was through the roof - double what it should be. 

She handed me a fact sheet on how to eat healthily in general, with the aim of lowering my cholesterol in particular. 

Here's the real revelation: it told me nothing I didn't already know. All those things that deep down you know you should and shouldn't eat. You could list them all right now, couldn't you? 

Our problem is that we still have the bodies of cave people. We would go a while without eating, so it was best to seek out the most energy rich foods. They taste better as an added incentive and survival mechanism. Combine that with the modern world, it leads to obesity and poor health. 

Key points to remember 

I'm not going to offer a specific plan (meal or exercise), however the following have helped me get to the after photo.

Finding time: it's a little macho to say "no excuses!", and go on a rant about the things people say, but not here. 

Blocking off the time and persistence, and viewing working out as an essential part of your day should be made to override what is essentially the subconscious trying to find justification not to try. 

Gym smart: include resistance work - weights - in your exercise regime. It's not just for bodybuilders, an extra measure of strength makes the rest of your activities safer and more effective. Alternate between the arms and legs, 3 sets of 10 for each with 30 seconds break between sets is a good structure that helped get me started. 

Gym safe: A few things to avoid hurting yourself are also advisable. On the rowing machine, keep your back straight and hands low to protect the lower back. When using a treadmill, do not hold onto the sides except to perhaps steady yourself in the first minute. It gives a false sense of your progress. Above all, do not hold onto the front. There's a guy at my gym who's done that for so long he has a curved back. 

Eat no evil: the best way to cut out the really bad stuff such as ice cream, cookies and chocolate is to leave it on the supermarket shelf. Daily muffin? Replace it, it's one of the worst things for you. The same goes for lattes at Starbucks, it's a big serving of cream with a bit of coffee underneath. 

Portion and proportion control: eating less is an obvious one. What is mostly wrong is probably the proportion of meat and sugar to everything else. Try replacing meat with fish, and even one or two meals a week meat free (gasp!). The same volume of food with a lower percentage of fat and sugar can lead to better health. 

No detox: this comes across as being rather counterproductive, as if the 2 weeks without eating 'bad foods' undoes the negative effects of the other 50 weeks of the year. More beneficial is a proper year-round healthy diet with the occasional treat. Ditch the fads. 

When can you start?

The work is yours, and yours alone to do. It is however you who gets to reap the benefits. Having said that, those around you benefit from a healthier, improved you. All you need is persistence and to be honest with yourself to end up on the right side of the J-curve. 

Cross training with mountain dogs

He's a runner. 

High up into the Rockies near Canmore, Alberta for a new experience. Dog sledding, sometimes called "mushing". 

Large dogs usually make A-Chang nervous, but this mixture of various husky breeds was like a gathering of fast-running cuddly toys. 

The trail was at nearly double the altitude of Calgary, itself 1,000 or so metres. 

All keen to meet the huskies, Snowy Owl Sled Dog Tours had a clever system in place: the shy dogs wore red bandanas. It meant you could easily identify the friendly ones, some of whom were very friendly. 

First time for both of us, I was a co-driver, with the GoPro taking care of capturing it all. 

Some were really keen to get going.

A-Chang as passenger in the sled had this view. 

The initial acceleration is quite strong. Some of the huskies were literally jumping up and down to get running while stopped.  

For the chauffeurs among us, there was one golden rule: don't let go. 

Always be ready to stop though, because if one dog gets the call of nature, it will just get dragged along on its bottom with all the others. The guides were also looking out for slower sleds, swapping dogs to even things up. 

On the uphill sections, the dogs would look back expecting a little help from the humans - all part of the team. I joined the guide in running up some of the inclines, but I found the air thin, even though I live in the "kilometre high city". The heavy boots didn't help either, but I was never cold. 

Break time, hanging out with Abbie-May. The guides and the 3rd generation owner know every dog's name and personality. More than just work, it's a way of life for them. They were continually looking out for all the dogs' health and happiness. 

There was one near tip over, though the guide quickly undid my bad drunken steering.

One last section in the open, and it was over quite quickly. 

Dog tired. It was a little warm for them, the guides said. 

We must've said thanks and bye to nearly every dog.

According to Strava, the whole trip lasted 59 minutes. Moving time was 44 minutes for a total distance of 9.1 km. The highest speed we reached was 23.8 kmh. 

Off to warm by the fire...

... and contemplate a first encounter running with huskies in the mountains. The best cross training I ever did. 

2015 Awards

Every year I've been a runner has had high and not so high moments. 2015 maybe even more so. Even the clouds came with a silver lining, often of my own making rather than random luck. 

Here then is a rundown of category winners for my running year of 2015. Each category had only one nominee. 

Hardest Grind 

St Patrick's 5k. As luck would have it, this year's race was dry (it's often icy), offering good conditions to test oneself. Rebuilding after burning out the previous autumn, I aimed to get a sub-20 which at the time was a tall order. I had a hard battle on my hands for the last 1.5k, in the end finishing with 10 seconds in hand. 

Biggest Achievement 

Calgary Marathon 50k Ultra. An unusually warm day for my first ever race beyond the 42.2 kilometre marathon distance. I got into significant cramping trouble at 29km, enough to have a couple of medics check on me. I managed however to guide myself smartly home for the remaining distance (half marathon equivalent). So much so that I actually felt better at the finish. This, along with the action of completing my longest ever distance was my greatest accomplishment of the year.

My thanks to Neil Zeller for the photo of me at the finish, a very apt expression. 

Most Surprisingly Rewarding

Banff 10k. 3 weeks post-ultra, I was a pace bunny for a group of my wife's friends. Most them achieved PBs because I was there to slow them down for the first half of the race, a true demonstration of the negative split. 

Best Performance 

Stampede Road Race 5k. Before nearly every race I run, I have no idea how well it will go. Not this time. In the 5 weeks between the 50k and Stampede, I saw mounting evidence that a PB was achievable despite the undulating course. Despite forgetting to start my watch when the horn sounded, I lowered my PB by 3 seconds to 19:15. The icing on the cake was winning my age group. 

My thanks to Neil Zeller for the photo. 

Most Meaningful 

Torbay 10k. England bound for my Dad's 70th. Staying in his boyhood home of Torquay, it just so happened that his birthday fell on a sunday, the day of a race along the seafront. And so my Dad, brother and I ran. On a holiday beset by rain, it was bright and sunny on race day. 

Best New Experience  

5 Peaks Fish Creek. My first trail race, a great novelty. It was also a fine way to get in a long training run as I chose not to go all out, except the finish on more familiar tarmac when I came piling past 2 others. 

Most Yucktastic Weather

Harvest Half Marathon. Driving cold rain and wind for my 7th Harvest in a row. Despite not running through any deep puddles, my shoes started squelching at the half way point. I'll be back next year of course. 

Biggest letdown 

MEC Race 7 half marathon. I wasn't sure about it before starting, and at 14k my hamstrings cried enough. Fortunately, I knew when to stop, and was plotting my comeback before the day was out. 

Greatest Planning 

2016 is going to be a year of fun, while training seriously. Preparation began on November 1, after a 2 week running break. 

I suffered from late-season burnout, just like the year before. My weakest link seems to be hip/ glute strength - addressing that should unlock more performance. 

Regardless of all obstacles, keep training.