Make it count

It's not always easy to get out the door.

Especially if you know you're in for a load of slush, like last Saturday

Because I take Friday as my day off training, Thursdays are the last push of each 6-day weekly cycle. Thursday is also the only day I don't really get a lunch break at work (I'm out of the office in the afternoon doing the company's banking), and since I do strength training in the mornings Mon-Thurs that only leaves after work - and a bunch of errands - for me to get out for a run.

It's dark out by then - I never seem to get out before 8pm, and it's generally closer to 9pm or beyond - and these days it's usually cold and miserable out. I'm tired; carrying 6 days of workouts in my legs, and almost a full work week in my head. It gets tempting just to stuff it all and sit on the couch instead of going for a run.

Since I just run around my neighbourhood, the scenery isn't exactly inspiring, either.

A couple of weeks ago I was very close to just skiving off, as it felt almost worthless to just go for another aimless meander around the 'hood. In order to get my butt out there, I had to take a different tactic.

I had to make it count.

So, I looked at a map of the area online - I find this one really handy - and picked a block that would let me get in about a mile warm-up before I reached it. When I got to a particular corner, it was GO TIME.

The black dot shows where the hammer came down
(Ok, perhaps novelty foam mallet is more accurate)

Having measured out the length of the block, I ran down the long side, across the short end, then partway back up the other long side at an effort that felt difficult but sustainable. I slowed when I reached the bank of mailboxes that serves this part of the neighbourhood, and trotted at an easy pace back to the black dot. 

Then I took off again, pushing my stride a little longer, trying to be smooth but fast as I gulped down oxygen. Push over the little hill in the middle of the long side of the block - keep on the gas as I come down the other side - careful at the corners and don't let up til I'm past the mailboxes. Slow to an easy jog and head up to the start point.

Again. Each push gets a little more difficult as my heart rate rises, without quite enough recovery time between the intervals for it to come back down again.

Five repeats, then an easy kilometer jog to finish it off.

My pace increases weren't sustained or significant enough to show in the stats afterward, but you can see the lumps that show my increased heart rate and cadence.

When I was done, I felt GREAT - nothing like a tough workout to get the blood circulating and energize yourself! The paces were nothing special; definitely faster than my usual relaxed ambling, but at the end of my training week (and not having done a track workout in maybe 3 years or more) I didn't have enough oomph to set anything on fire with my speed. There was undoubtedly some training benefit to it: while my intervals only ended up being about 2mins each, that made a total of 10mins total that I spent training my body and mind to know they could move (relatively) fast even when tired.

The biggest benefit to it, though, was simply getting out for a run at all. It's easy to bag off another ho-hum, nothing special run - it's more difficult to say you're going to sit on the couch instead of doing an interval/track workout, or hill repeats, or whatever focused training you can come up with that you think you can handle. That's the stuff that improves your running economy, lactate threshold, VO2max - all the things that make you faster and more resilient, and it doesn't take much to produce an effect. So, skipping a workout like that? Not so easy to justify.

Even if it's not actually on a track.
(It's probably worth noting that this run on a proper - though not 400m - track did NOT include any intervals)

I'm not fussed at all that my chosen block was somewhere around 640m total, with my speedier intervals being around 360m with about a 280m. While quite different from a standard 400m oval track, the training stimulus of pushing at a higher effort is exactly the same, and the lack of a reference point for what my pace/time "should" be for that distance gave me the freedom to just see what my body was capable of that evening. Had I been on a quarter-mile oval, I might have become discouraged at not being able to hit X time for a lap; all you really need for a track-style workout is a distance that is repeatable, not necessarily standard. Start here, stop there. Repeat. This makes it accessible to anyone - if you don't have a block to run around, do an out-and-back where you drop a stone, or draw a line in the snow, or really do anything to mark it off. Start at one marker and push hard til you reach the other, then turn around and jog easy back to the beginning. Then do it again.

If you don't even feel up to that, pick a hill. Try to run steady up it, then jog easy back down. Repeat that as many times as you like.

If you're too shagged out to do something structured, set off with the intent of throwing in a bit of a push when start and stop points appear organically on your run. Warm up for 10-20mins, then pick a lamppost and run hard to the next one before returning to an easy job. Run hard along the length of someone's fence, or a row of townhouses, or between street signs. Try running one block hard, then one block easy. Give yourself as much recovery between intervals as you want, and try to keep your stride smooth when you're pushing.

Anything can be an interval, even if you're just counting off cracks in the sidewalk.

This doesn't apply to just running, either: on a bike, you can sprint from stoplight to stoplight, or pick up the resistance or your cadence on a stationary bike or trainer. You can do 1 minute hard and 1 minute easy while cross country skiing, or alternate a hard 50m with an easy 50m while swimming. Even while walking or hiking you can push your pace for some arbitrary time or to a particular tree. Anything that gets you working harder than is comfortable for a short time will work, then ease off to recover and then try it again.

So, I challenge you: the next time you're tempted to bag off a run - or any other workout - turn it into a challenge instead. Go play with speed, and come out the other side a stronger person for it!

Who knows? You may just find your flow.

VO2maxing

WINTER CAME BACK!

There wasn't a single flake of snow on Friday evening, but this was the scene on Saturday morning.

I ran through full-on blizzard conditions down to the market on Saturday, which is not the easiest thing in the world.

Particularly when you're into a headwind the whole way, and snow keeps building up on your face.

You know how I'd hoped the prior weekend's 100mm of rain would come as snow instead? Apparently I just needed to wait a week.

To beat the band, I say!

It snowed from 7am onwards with no respite - we prudently parked the car for the day after we got home from the market, as we'd already seen a car in a ditch and a couple having trouble negotiating slippery uphills. Come evening it looked like it was tapering off, so I finally got my snowshoes out for the first time since November.

Just as the weather turned to rain!

The deep, fresh snow around the neighbourhood made the running even more difficult than I'd expected, and the rain made the snow heavier and heavier as I panted and gasped my way around.

I set to work tramping myself down a stretch of sidewalk, hoping it would get easier as I packed it down.

The heavy, sticky snow kept piling up on the decks of the snowshoes, making them even heavier.

I only managed to get in 2 out-and-back laps of my sidewalk stretch before the elementary school's tractor with a plow blade ruined my hard work by plowing that stretch! I had to go seeking other routes to make up the 5km that I consider bare minimum for a run.

I actually ended up running on the roads around the neighbourhood, which were fortunately even more devoid of traffic than usual.

By the time I'd slogged my way through the lung-burning workout - which took me a full 40mins of moving time, plus a few breaks to try to catch my breath so my heart wouldn't actually explode - I was soaked with both rain AND sweat and good only for a shower, a bit of dinner, and bed.

I awoke Sunday to the sun breaking through the clouds and a winter wonderland!

Same stretch of sidewalk - the wind filled in what the plow had taken away!

I headed out for the first run straight out of bed, knowing it the temperature (already -5c/23f) was only expected to drop all day. While some of my neighbours were out clearing their walks, the vast majority of my hood was still thickly covered with snow. I actually hit a higher maximum heart rate running in trail shoes through the deep, heavy snow than I had the night before wearing snowshoes!

The sun and blue sky were lovely, though.

After some brunch and taking care of some odds and ends, Tanker and I got out for our very first cross-country ski of the winter on beautiful, sun-bathed trails.

I'd been looking forward to this since Saturday morning's run showed me the trails would be skiable!

Nothing better than sunshine through the trees in winter.

After we'd done a quick out-and-back ramble, we returned to the car so Tank could sip hot apple cider from a thermos and I could change footwear.

This time I used the FAST snowshoes

While it was comparatively easier running in much lighter snowshoes on packed snow than in my heavy EVA 'shoes in the deep, fresh snow, the strain on my hamstrings and hip flexors from the previous day's exertions in the rain had taken their toll. I was a couple of minutes faster for the just-over-5k run through the sunset - with less time spent stopped to catch my breath - but I was thoroughly knackered afterward!

I had just enough light to get it done.

I spend most of my running life just ambling around at a fairly easy pace: sometimes a hill will get me gasping a bit, and occasionally it's just fun to push hard and run "fast", but I seldom do anything that could be called speedwork. Since snowshoe racing is really just a competition to see who can suffer the most - I'm pretty sure if you're not tasting pennies you're doing it wrong - I'm really happy to have got these challenging runs in to try to build whatever top-end I can achieve before the racing season starts on February 2nd.

These runs, plus the balls-out running I'll be doing in the races themselves, will lay the foundation for whatever reserves of speed I'll carry into the spring and try to maintain through the summer...when really the only time I'll come close to the same heart rates will be when there's someone watching while I'm on a big hill, and can't really bring myself to drop to a walk..

Building fitness through social anxiety is not a recognized training method, but maybe it should be..

It looks like the snow may all be rained away by tomorrow morning, so I'm glad I was able to take advantage while it lasted! Now I just have to hope there's a decent base for the races themselves.

Winterruption

I've lived in Ontario most of my life. I'm familiar with the January Thaw.

It's not necessarily a given, but it's common enough to deserve the capitalization.

What I'm much less familiar with is January flooding.

We'd been warned about the coming rain. I knew it was going to suck, as there's precious little that's worse to run through than cold rain. I held out faint hope it all might turn to snow instead, as a big coating on the trails would mean I could finally get my snowshoes out for the first time this year - the only other "recent" time being all the way back in November.

No such luck.
I totally gave the guy coming the other way a high five, though.

Setting off for the market on Saturday morning in a downpour at 11c/52f, I was prepared to get soaked. I was less prepared for the ground to have thawed and become completely saturated with rain, turning the usually hard-packed trail into an energy-sucking mire of mud.

At least the Blair section hadn't been consumed by the river...yet.

I struggled a bit with the soft ground, not having had much chance to build any snow running fitness yet this season. The rain continued to fall as I trotted down the paved multi-use trail along Blair Road, and puddled at the head of the trail as it dove away from the road and into the woods.

The water was distinctly chillier than expected, and splashing through it took just as much effort as the mud.

The humid air wasn't exactly easy to breathe, either, so I resigned myself to a ride on the struggle bus and stopped here and there just to get some air and take it all in.

There were definitely some neat things I got to see along the way, too, like mist rising from the remaining ice in the marshlands beside the trail.

There's also seldom any water visible from this spot - usually just during spring thaw.

Devil's Creek Falls was - of course - running great guns under the fresh influx of rain.

Even overflowing its banks slightly at the top.

The main falls were thunderous!

Further downriver, the rain began to ease a bit - looking back upstream I could see the mist piling up on the remaining shelf of ice on the west bank.

What looks like mushy, grey ice is actually all mist.

It was even more dramatic on the lower part of the trail - down in this section, the Grand River deepens and its current eases significantly, allowing ice to accumulate much more rapidly and survive much longer than the swifter flow upstream.

I could actually watch the mist drift off the ice on the far bank, floating lazily downriver on the wind.

Reaching Riverbluffs Park, I thought I might be in for a treat, so went to investigate - sure enough, the tiny, seasonal waterfall was flowing! I've only managed to catch this a handful of times in the decade I've been running this trail.

Usually only seen during a major spring thaw

Trotting along the paved pathway beside the river as I neared the end of the trail, I saw chunks of ice floating on the meagre current toward the dam...and then realised that some of those white and grey objects weren't ice!

I rather rue only having my cellphone as a camera, as it's difficult to make out the 2 adult and 4 juvenile swans from this photo.

As I crossed the Grand on Park Hill, I was stopped in my tracks as I watched huge chunks of ice driven by the swollen river break into pieces as they washed over the dam.

It was rather more impressive in person than my cellphone photo time-lapse

The rain began to pound down in earnest again as I hit the Mill Race and the riverwalk.

With more mist rising off the Grand along the opposing floodwall.

By the time I'd reached the market I was thoroughly sodden and had very squelchy shoes.

Thanks to my vest, though, I did have a dry spot or two!

The rain continued to fall all day, and into the night - I got out for a second run on the roads by streetlight, after the temperature had dropped to 1c. In total our region received over 100mm of rain; almost 4 inches!

Not. Pleasant.

I knew it was supposed to get even colder overnight, and hoped that things wouldn't ice up too much. I was still hoping for a return to snowshoe running conditions!

Once again: no dice.

Just enough snow to make things look pretty

I got out for first run right away, a full 17 degrees celsius (almost 31f) colder than it had been just 24hrs prior...and one step outside our front door was enough to tell me my worst fears about ice had been totally warranted.

So spikes happened.

I figured that the conditions meant I should probably get the trail run I so richly desired in before dark; it's much easier to see treacherous ice or bits of nasty, frozen mud in daylight, so I had brunch, made this year's pair of screw shoes, and tried to figure out the best place to try my luck.

These actually would have been ideal for the first run, but I'd been screwing around instead of screwing in!

I decided on the Linear Trail - it was close to home, so the least amount of driving I'd have to risk with potentially slippery roads. It was also mostly fairly well up above standard river levels; I'd never actually seen it flooded or washed out.

Tanker came along to go for a walk, I threw on my "tire chain" spikes, and we pulled up to the trailhead.

Well, there's a first time for everything.

Yep, that's flooded all right.

I mean, I'm not a total weenie...but this was not happening.

The Speed River had apparently jumped its banks significantly - the trailhead in question was more than a metre above normal water level, and at least 100m away from the actual shoreline. We decided we'd drive downriver a bit further to another access point, by Preston High School and a water treatment facility.

No go there, either.

I have a rule: if there are ducks swimming on it, it no longer qualifies as a trail.

So, I noped out and ended up running on the road instead. The only part of that I didn't hate was that I got to try out the new screw shoes, which performed perfectly.

I managed to get a bit of urban trail in after work on Wednesday, but I've really been itching to get out for a proper romp among the roots and rocks, and I'm still hanging for some snowshoe running - I've got races coming starting in a fortnight, and almost zero training in!

Fortunately the river levels have receded through the week, and it looks like we're in for a big dump of snow tomorrow, so hopefully that will set me up nicely for some proper winter fun and frolicking!

I've had enough of this winterruption..

Stride Inside 6-hour Indoor Track Race - Saturday, January 4th, 2020

Sometimes you push hard - sometimes you just kind of laze your way around.

This was definitely not the former.
(Photo by the awesome Sue Sitki)

With the 100 runs in 100 days challenge in full swing resulting in rather a lot of short runs lately, a bunch of overtime at the office, plus some concerns after my DNF at meh last month, I knew this "race" was going to be more of a social event than any sort of performance-oriented outing.

I just wanted to be able to get through it without lasting damage, and hopefully have a couple of laughs along the way.

All the usual pre-race stuff happened, but slightly later than usual as the start time had been moved from 9am to 9:30 - an extra few winks were definitely welcome before my big bowl of oatmeal and applying swaths of kinesio tape to try to hold my poor, beleaguered body together.

The tight turns of the 215m track are murder on the ankles, so both feet looked like this.

I did a really half-arsed (no pun intended) tape job on my left hamstrings and glutes as well, as they've been grouchy for...well...a few months now. I decided against trying to tape the thing that has been sore under the inside of my left knee, because if I don't tape it then it's not really an injury...right? It's also way more likely that the sore spot part way up the inside of my femur is some soft tissue junk than a stress reaction in the biggest bone in my whole skeleton, so we'll just go with that. Yeah.

Pre-race selfie by Tanker with Charlotte's phone.

We arrived with plenty of time for me to chat with a ton of people, pick up my race kit with AWESOME swag, and flail my limbs around awkwardly.

Really nice new mug with all the Happy Trails Racing event logos and a lovely, soft tank top.

Apparently I did NOT, however, have enough time for one more last-minute washroom stop and some just-in-case body lube application after the pre-race meeting, though.

I missed the start by about a minute. Then I had to let the fellow from Enfield Timing know that my bib showed 2 extra laps, as the timing mats had fired twice as I ambled over to the actual start/finish corner from the entrance of the track.

Whoops.

Because he definitely had nothing better to do than make corrections for my idiocy.
(Photo by Sue Sitki)

A few minutes later, the timing system went down - technology isn't perfect - and everyone lost a couple of laps. It would have been a wash anyway.

Not that I really cared about keeping an accurate count.
(Photo by Sue Sitki)

The plan was simple: take walk breaks early and often to try to keep stuff from going fruit-shaped on me. So - totally keeping with that plan - I ran the first half an hour (which ended up being 19 laps), then meandered off the track to take a swig of EFS Liquid Shot from the soft flask I'd ditched in the cubbies in the foyer. Unlike prior years, the room we usually use for race headquarters and the aid station was occupied, so kit pickup was in a corner of the track itself and the aid station was set up in the foyer beside the reception/admin desk. That meant Tanker would have the cubbies in front of him all day, so I felt totally comfortable leaving all my stuff in them.

Round and round we go.

Returning to the track, I walked a lap...because I'm supposed to take walk breaks, right? Then I ran another half an hour (which also turned out to be 19 laps), saw the finish of the 1-hour race, and wandered back off the track for more fuel. This time along with a shot of EFS I had a half-slice of bacon, plus a chunk of banana, just kind of hanging around the aid station and chatting while I did so. It wasn't encouraging that I was already feeling a bit tired and hungry, but at least there were loads of fun people around with whom I could pass a friendly word.

This is why I really love to race - it's like a big, sweaty party with an all-you-can-eat buffet!
Thanks to (clockwise from top left) Charlotte, Robin, Clay, Rhonda, Steve and Tanker for putting up with me.

Walking another lap to let the food settle, I'd love to say I got smarter and started taking walk breaks more frequently. What actually happened is I got more fatigued and started just trying to run for 15mins (about 8 laps), then walk a lap, then run to the next 15min mark (which took about 7 more laps). That got me to 90mins, which was my cue to take in more fuel, which took the form of a homemade salted maple crisp rice square. I also finally took an S!cap for some electrolytes, because Tanker was kindly offering someone else some salt tabs, which reminded me that I hadn't had any myself yet. I downed a cup of Skratch as well, just to try to catch back up a bit, then needed the washroom...where I discovered a bit of chafing, so re-applied some lube as well. I eventually got back on the track to walk a lap...which turned into 3, as the 3-hour event had started at 11am, and Dree was easing her way into it by walking for a bit. Since we'd also switched direction at the 90min mark, I was more than happy to wander and chat while I eased myself (and my hips and ankles) into the clockwise laps.

I tried not to bore her too much, but well...it's me.
(Photo by Sue Sitki)

Since I'd walked a bunch by the time Andrea started running (and sped away - she's a smart one!), I pushed myself to run a little longer, putting in 6 laps but then having to stop to re-fill my water bottle at the trackside fountain. Another 6 laps of running after that brought me to the 2-hour mark, so it was off to the aid station and UltraCooler™ for another cup of Skratch and a small granola bar. For whatever reason I was feeling quite hungry, so I hoped the real food - something I could actually chew - would help alleviate that. As we'd been requested to keep anything but plain water off the track, I munched away in the foyer, gabbing some more with Tanker as I did so.

Then it was back to business.
Or something like that..
(Photo by Sue Sitki)

By this time a hot spot had cropped up on the inside of my left big toe, which was bloody annoying as I'd specifically applied some Trail Toes to the area before putting on my socks in the morning. Harrumph. I thought about taking a few minutes to sort it out, but I was honestly too lazy to take off my shoe and sock. My record of completely failing to deal with foot issues still stands at 100%.

Random fun stuff: someone brought a peach tutu and various people - like Ken (left) and Byron (right) wore it for a half hour or so each.
(Photos by Sue Sitki)

7 laps to 2h15m, then walk a lap. 8 laps to 2h30m then back off the track for another swig of EFS Liquid Shot, another cup of Skratch, and another S!cap to fight the increasing sausage-y quality of my fingers. I'd failed to take my rings off before the race, and it sure wasn't happening now - at least I was pretty unlikely to fall and cause enough swelling in my left hand that they'd need to be cut off, which has always been a fear since I broke my wrist in a race back in 2012. I was feeling a bit lightheaded again, too, which wasn't awesome - I tried to focus on drinking more, as dehydration seems to have been the culprit for this in the past and the air at the track is always super dry. I was now filling my bottle every 35mins tops, whereas it usually lasts me closer to an hour in cool conditions. The track is generally around 17c/63f, which is certainly warmer than I've been running in lately, but not really warm enough to warrant how drenched in sweat I was, nor how much water I was going through while still seemingly dehydrated. Weird.

Totally not to scale, but gives you some idea of the layout.

Speaking of being soaked in sweat - this actually turned into a motivating factor at times to get me running again. If I'd walk too long, I'd start to get chilly, so I'd have to work harder to warm up again. I had brought a sweater, which was stowed in my bag in one of the cubbies...but I was still doing mostly ok. Heck, I didn't feel the lightheadedness if I actually ran; it was only when I'd stop or walk. So, keep moving, right?

At least I'd already lasted longer than I did at meh, and nothing had locked up or shut down yet.
(Photo by Sue Sitki)

Run another 7 laps, then walk. Run another 7 laps, then off the track at 3hrs for more EFS Liquid Shot and another cup of Skratch. I actually ended up missing out on a lap being counted here as there was another change of direction (back to counter-clockwise) at the 3-hour mark, and I missed going through the cones as I was farting around by the aid station. was just able to maintain the routine of running 6 or 7 laps to get to the next 15min mark, walk one, then get running again. I had passed the half marathon distance, but it looked unlikely that I'd make a full marathon, let alone beyond that to make it a real "ultra". I was doing my best to stay on top of my running form - picking my feet up instead of shuffling, leaning forward from the ankles with my trunk ahead of my legs, stabilizing my hips with my abdominal muscles, and landing with a soft, bent knee. It was, however, increasingly difficult to hold it all together. I was getting tired.

All the colour had drained right out of me.
(Photo by Sue Sitki)

By 3.5hrs - and my next nutrition stop, polishing off the last of my EFS Liquid Shot and downing another S!cap and cup of Skratch - my left glutes and hamstrings were really giving me grief; they didn't seem to like going counter-clockwise again. Ron Irwin had noticed my stride was getting a little stupid (though he was kind enough to put it as "You're limping a bit"), but I wasn't sure what I could do about it; I'd been trying to massage the area - yeah, rubbing my butt in public again - with little success. Fortunately Geoff Gamble noticed I was a little hurting, and kindly offered to help, so I got down on one of the benches in the viewing area by the doors to the track, and he - ever so lovingly - shoved his elbow into the horrible knot of twisted, abused muscle in my posterior. It was both horribly painful and incredibly helpful; it created a bit of space in my hip joint so things could move a little easier, and I headed back out onto the track

Thanks a bunch Geoff - you're awesome!
If it ever works out, I will 100% come visit you at Niagara Health & Rehab Centre
(Photo by Sue Sitki)

I walked another lap just to give everything a bit of a chance to settle, then got back after it - run 5 laps, walk 1 to 3h45m. Run another 7 laps to 4hrs, then head off the track once more for some nutrition. I was feeling really worn out by this point - had I mentioned that most of my runs lately have been 40mins or less? - and I was feeling hungry again, so I took my time eating a turkey and mustard wrap, and then did something I've never done in a race before. There was a big coffee urn at the aid station, and they had a carton of vanilla almond creamer; the stuff that's utterly delicious, but I never buy because it's so full of sugar. I figured it - along with a dose of caffeine - might just give me the lift I needed to keep moving, so I had a leisurely cuppa (well, half cup really) before heading back to the track. Whether or not it would help, it was delightful.

Now into the final third, I got myself into a decent groove again. Run 6 laps, then walk 2 - repeat twice, then off the track again at 4h30m for more Skratch, another S!cap, another chunk of banana and a crisp rice square, plus a small dill pickle. Yeah, running long is weird: I only like dill pickles once in a blue moon, but pickles and pickle juice have been demonstrated to stop muscle cramping and the saltiness of pickle brine helps with electrolyte balance. Lord knows I needed every bit of help I could get - my glutes had settled down after Geoff worked on them, but my left pes anserine truly hated running counter-clockwise. It hurt the most when my left foot would turn outward to make the corners on the track; I had to consciously focus on keeping my foot aligned straight ahead to keep the pain from blooming under the inside of my left knee with each step.

At least the hot spot on my left foot somehow went away.

I had spent almost 10mins off the track munching away while the 3-hour event ended, but when I returned everyone was still going counter-clockwise - where was that change of direction? A lot more people were walking now, and I joined them to try to give my knee a further break. At last, around 4h38m, the final change of direction back to clockwise...but it wasn't quite as much help as I'd hoped, as my right ankle decided it had liked counter-clockwise better. Just can't win.

I ran 6 more laps, then walked one, and then did the same again...only the timing mat didn't beep, my name didn't come up on the display, and it really, really looks like I'm missing at least 2 laps (on top of the one I'd missed earlier due to the change of direction at 3hrs).

Green is my stupid "3min" first lap due to missing the start.
Bright blue are full walking laps or aid station stops.
Pale blue are partial walking laps or filling my bottle.
Orange laps are the ones I walked with Andrea at 90mins
The bright pink shows a 6:52 lap that I suspect is at least 2 running laps + 1 walking lap.
Red is my hot lap - we'll get to that.

I did stop over by the water fountain at 4h50m to fill my bottle and down an Endurance Tap gel, as I was feeling a little low on calories. Then I popped back into the foyer and grabbed my phone so I could take some photos out on the track, walking a couple of laps while I did so.

And running one, because how else were you going to get my signature dorky running selfie?

Into the last hour now, it was definitely clear that I wouldn't make the halfhearted goal I'd had of 200 laps (especially with some missing..), but I was still able to keep running 4 or 5 laps at a time between walking breaks, and my pace was oddly consistent: right around 1m30s per lap. I dodged off the track one final time at 5h15m for a last cup of Skratch, an S!cap, and a sea salt chocolate Gu Roctane gel with caffeine that I hoped would give me enough for the final push to the finish. All told I seem to have taken in about 1,200cal, which puts me bang on my usual target of 200 calories per hour.

Not to mention one last smooch from my sweetheart.

Somehow, my ankle decided it was time to cooperate, and I managed to keep multiple laps at a time toward the end, though it was diminishing to 4 with a walk break, then 3 before walking. I finished a walking lap right about at 5h50m (after a really nasty-feeling ping out of the plantar fascia in the sole of my left foot that fortunately settled back down right away) and figured I could probably just run 3, walk 1, then run one or two more to finish off the day, but then Izzy came up and asked to run a lap with me. I was planning to walk the next one, but when we passed the timing mats he kept running as he was looking for someone. So I kept running too. He stopped a few metres later, but I figured there was now only something like 6mins left - any jerk could run for 6mins, right? So I plowed on.

The track looked awfully empty in the final hour.

Knowing I'd been averaging right around 1m30s per lap, I figured I'd be done after 6 final running laps, as I wouldn't have 90sec left on the clock and only full laps count. Heading down the home stretch, though, I saw Charlotte just ahead of me start to pick up some speed. I said to heck with it and threw my hand bottle - which I'd carried for the whole race so far - over by the fountain (making sure I wouldn't hit or obstruct anyone!), and WENT FOR IT. There was a grand total of 78 seconds to go.

Surprisingly enough after so many hours of pounding, sprinting actually felt pretty good - my heart and lungs might have been trying to punch their way out of my chest, but my legs loved the change of muscle recruitment. I did my best to reel Charlotte in, but she's a total badass and I knew I had zero chance; I just tried not to let her get too far away, as she was my only hope to pull me across the line before time expired.

Somehow, it worked! I actually clocked my fastest lap of the day (by 9 seconds), posting a 1:09 hot lap to finish off the day and crossing the line at 5h55m52s.

Then kind people gave me a medal, and I got another cup of that magnificent coffee.

Official distance: 194 laps / 41.71km @ 8:38/km

32/43 O/A - 11/18 W

(Official results are here)

(Garmin workout data - highly inaccurate due to indoors - here)

At 30 fewer laps than 2018 (the last time I was properly healthy) and 14 fewer than 2019, this was my worst showing yet at Stride Inside. However, I was very pleased with being quite consistent in my running lap times throughout the day (even if they were close to 7mins per kilometer pace), and being able to finish strong despite a few setbacks both before the race and along the way. With more than 40km it might not be an ultra, but it sure feels like a pretty solid redemption after the frustrating DNF at meh last month.

Even though that hotspot apparently did NOT really go away.

I might have managed a few more - certainly would have made over 200 - had I not raced quite so lazy, but at the same time I only meant to use this as a long training run and chance to see some of my favourite people. I'm grateful to have made it through the whole thing without any apparent injuries, and was more than happy to celebrate that as mission: accomplished.

Cheers!

I was even able to return to running the next day on a lovely, snowy trail, and have run every day since. I'm grateful for that as well, and for the wonderful events that Jeff and Heather at Happy Trails Racing put on for us.