So Far So Good

The third week of February is now finished and I am staring straight down the barrel of another recovery week feeling like I don't even need it! No worries about ignoring the plan and running longer and harder than I should since I know the consequences of such a decision will be injury somewhere in the next two to three weeks. Instead, I am just happy knowing that I am on track with my training for the second straight month.

My plan to average 30km per week for the month of February is, in fact, ahead of schedule. This week I completed 39km after running the longest training run of the year on Saturday at 15km. That was a great run and felt easier than I'd anticipated, even though it included the longest and steepest hill I've ever had to run at around the 10k mark. I ran from Variety Village, where Owen has indoor baseball practice every Saturday evening, down to the Beaches and along the boardwalk all the way out to Ashbridges Bay Park, turning around at 7.5km. When I got to the descent down from Kingston Road to the shore I was really concerned about my chances of making it back up the hill without walking. I guess all the leg weights I've been doing are paying off because I made it up no problem, even if my pace slowed considerably. Not caring about pacing yet it was just gratifying to be able to run up a kilometre long hill without completely dying.

Today I cross-country skied for nearly 12km and then we all went out for a massive meal at an all you can eat place up in Barrie. I feel a bit guilty about all the food that I ingested, but sometimes you just have to.

In the coming week I only have to run 15.6km to get to my goal of 120km for the month, so I suspect I will blast past it by a few clicks. I'm limiting myself to just three runs, and won't run until Wednesday, giving me two full days off.

Also, I purchased a patellar tendon strap for my knee and am finding that the knee feels about the same when I run, but nowhere near as tight afterwards. I will continue to use it and monitor the situation for a couple of weeks before I fully decide whether it's worth continuing to use it long term.

February off to a Good Start

Week one of February has come to and end, at least from my exercise perspective as I hear there some sort of a football game on later tonight (BTW: Go Saints!). As far as my running went it was a very successful week, with and asterisk.

The success was completing a total of 32km for the week, my highest total since last summer. I am on track to average 30km per week this month, as planned. I've already posted about the first two runs of the week, but the other two went like this...

After an off day on Thursday, when I did leg weights and rode on the stationary bike for a half-hour, I hit the gym and the treadmill at lunchtime on Friday for what turned out to be 7km. I went a bit too hard in retrospect (resulting in the asterisk mentioned above) and paid for it with worse than normal pain in the right knee. I started off at a relatively easy 6.5mph and had notions of sticking to that pace for 6km, but feeling pretty good I decided to shake things up a little and ended up running a pyramid in this fashion:

• 5 minutes @ 6.5mph
• 5 minutes @ 6.8mph
• 5 minutes @ 7.1mph
• 10 minutes @ 7.5mph
• 5 minutes @ 7.1mph
• 5 minutes @ 6.8mph
• 2:14 minutes @ 6.5mph

The whole thing ended up taking me 37:14, which meant I ran at an average pace of 5:19/km. Although in and of itself this should not have posed a problem, I think the fact that the treadmill was set at a 2.0% incline means that I actually worked harder that the pace would have indicated. In any case, by the time I got home my knee was tight as a finely tuned banjo string and I was forced to pull out the ice pack for the first time in months.

By Saturday I was feeling better, though not 100%, and went out for another run through Rosedale. It was pretty cold out, but nice and sunny and pretty still. The only time I was really chilled was when I ran over a few bridges and had the wind blow right through me. I ended up doing a nice and comfortable 11km at a (for me, and for the moment) decent pace of 5:43/km.

Today we cross-country skied and it was great. It was cold when we started out (-12C), but sunny and no wind. The wax on our skis was working perfectly for the most part and we managed a really fun 13km before eating lunch and heading home.

The best part about the first week of February? I can't wait for the second.

Another Full Weekend

Whew! What a weekend.

Saturday: two Birthday parties to attend, one by each loin fruit. Then baseball practice for Owen. Before that I ran 9.1km to complete the week at a total of 27km. Slowly, but surely...

Sunday: Off early to cross country ski, where I managed 13km adult style, and another 2.1km with Owen after lunch (total of 15.1km of skiing, at is was fun!). We definitely were tuckered out when we got home. I spent the evening cleaning dishes, washing kids, folding laundry, and watching the Jets pull off a great upset over the Chargers. Here's hoping they can do it again next week.

Today I went to the gym to do my first leg strengthening session. It was light, short, and I got through it without too much trouble. The routine went like this:

• Crunches 2X50
• Captain's Chair 2X25
• Dead lifts 2X15 (20lbs dumbbells)
• Leg Extensions 2X15 (20lbs, 30lbs)
• Squats 2X15 (10lbs per side, on the Smith Machine because the squat rack was being used)
• Calf Raises 2X15 (75lbs)
• Adductor thingy (1X25)

I really hope that this will eventually lead to complete recovery of my ongoing patellar tendinitis. My right leg is definitely weaker than my left, and that explains the problem I suspect. In fact, I measured the circumference of my legs and my left is almost an inch bigger than my right! Today was the first step towards balancing that out. I'd love to be able to do one-legged squats someday...

This evening I rode the stationary bike for 30 minutes and called it a day. I'm not even sure why I still ride the stationary bike on days when I don't run, seeing as I bike 20-25 minutes each way to and from work, but it seems like the right thing to do somehow. I don't count commuting as part of my fitness regimen, though I suspect it does help a little bit.

Tomorrow I am probably going to hit the treadmill for my run unless the weather is really nice. If it is nice I will instead do some upper body weights. That's the plan, anyway...

A Weekend Packed With Accomplishments

Wow, what a weekend! Sometimes it’s actually a relief to be back at work, though equally rewarding to look back and be happy with all that was accomplished.

On Saturday the first thing I did was go for a run. I wanted to go somewhere between 8 and 10k, but ended up running a bit further because I misjudged the length of the route I had decided to take. As a result I ran further than I had since last summer, a total of 12km. My pace was decent as well, even though I am not yet concerned with it and don’t pay attention to it while running. It ended up being 5:39/km (9:06/mile), which is pretty good for me at the moment. The whole thing took 1:07:58 to complete and my right knee felt pretty good as well. I was worried that running that far, when my previous longest run since my surgery and layoff was 9km, would be bad, but in the end I feel fine. Must keep doing the exercises that seem to be helping…

The rest of the day was spent driving one kid to a birthday party, taking the other one grocery shopping, dismantling the Christmas Tree and putting all of that stuff away (a surprisingly time consuming task), preparing our skiing stuff for the next day, and taking Owen to his first indoor baseball practice of the year.

On Sunday we were off just a few minutes past 8am for our first cross-country skiing trip of the year. The weather was absolutely perfect for the kids’ first lessons, and for the parents’ own jaunt on the finely groomed trails. After two hours we all met up for lunch, where tonnes of food was consumed thanks to the packing of said massive amounts by the lovely Monica. After lunch I took Malcolm out on the trails while Monica went off with Owen. Malks was so good on the trails too! He got over his fear of downhills and showed off his new gliding abilities. He was so cute! I did a total of 10km of skiing, which was a decent amount for the first of the year. More imprtantly, the knee didn't bother me at all, which means I will be able to push a bit harder on subsequent trips and actually get a great workout!

After we got home I had to work on my bike to get it ready for the week, a task that is not always pleasant, but so necessary given how grimy everything gets during the winter with all the salt that gets put down on the roads. Not sure why I’m mentioning this here, but it does feel like yet another thing that got accomplished, and my bike ride to work this morning was very smooth as a result.

Whew! What a weekend… Next weekend looks to be much the same, except BOTH kids have separate birthday parties to attend. There just simply isn’t enough time to fit everything in.

Almost 15km on Skis

Today was the last day of the Jackrabbits program for the boys at Hardwood Hills and even though it was a bit chaotic and somewhat disorganized the boys had fun:



Each got a few little prizes, and Owen even won a water bottle belt thingy that his Dad is sure to borrow for tomorrow's 16km run! SCORE!!!

After a morning where I watched the boys and pretty much followed them around while they had fun I got to hit the trails in the afternoon on my own. Since my poles started disintegrating last weekend I was forced to use my wife's today. They were a bit short, but at least the massive amount of wax I caked onto the bottom of my skis made for some awesome grip! The downhills were not very fast, but I was flying uphill for a change. I ended up doing 14.8km (hiergo the almost 15km in the title) in 1:30:54 for an average pace of 6:07/km. This is a pretty good clip for me when on skis, and I must admit that I was pretty happy with my cardio improvement since the last time I went about this fast when cross country skiing my heart rate was a lot higher than the 145bpm average that I managed today. As the season for skiing comes to a close (and I hope we can get out a couple more times, but our weekends are quickly filling up with other activities) I look back on some great fun with a fantastic cross training bonus from all the skiing we were able to do.

Garmin don't lie.

We got out of there a bit late as well and got stuck in the snow storm that was predicted for the city. The trip took us an extra hour and a half, and now we're all beat. It will be interesting to run that 16k tomorrow through all the white stuff!

X-Country With Just One

This morning my alarm went off at 6:30am and I must admit that the motivation to go cross country skiing was lacking. However, I didn't feel right just letting Owen's last lesson go without a try so I woke the little guy up and without too much struggle the two of us were on our way, minus M&M since the other little one was still much too sick to go.

The weather was just perfect for skiing - sunny, -6C, and not windy at all. Once Owen was set up with his gear and off with his class I hit the trails, this time choosing the 15km "Lillehammer" option. My wax was working OK on the sunny spots, but was almost useless in the shade - I guess the temperature difference was enough to affect my skis that way. I still had fun, though one of my poles kind of broke about a quarter of the way into the run up by the handle and I had to jimmy rig a knot to keep the strap on the pole the rest of the way.

I managed the 15km in a relatively decent (all things considered) 1:42:18 and my average heart rate was 135bpm, qualifying the whole thing as a good cross training workout. The last 4 or 5 kilometres were super hilly and made for a good workout, though I thought I'd be late to pick Owen up from his lesson and got a little frustrated for a bit given the whole wax and pole situation. In the end I made it back at a minute past noon and crisis was averted.

Garmin don't lie.


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Tomorrow I have a 14km run on tap, which will be the longest ever for me. If things work out according to plan I should be setting a new record every Sunday until the end of March as I prepare for the Around the Bay 30k. Also, last week was my highest mileage week ever as well at a measly 27km, but I figure we all have to start somewhere. That too should be improved upon every week for the next little while.

A Warm Day of Sluggish Skiing

Cross country skiing is a wonderful cross training exercise, though it's been a few weeks since I really pushed myself when doing this activity. Today we headed up for some skiing and I was able to once again hit the trails with my wife while my Mom took Malcolm for his lesson. The weather was just a bit above freezing, which felt balmy in comparison to the other Saturdays when we've been faced with temperatures in the negative teens. As a result the snow was super slick and our attempts at finding the right wax were not exactly successful. Even a fellow skier's offer of the use of his wax in the middle of our run did not produce the desired result. I think the spirint of Saint Slippy, the patron saint of crappy grip, was with us the entire time. So, I didn't exactly push myself or anything.

The lack of grip didn't get us down or anything, but it did make for slow going (except on the downhills, where we felt out of control on more than one occasion). In the end I only managed 10km in a sluggish, but fun, 1 hour 14 minutes.

I had the option of going out again in the afternoon, but decided against it since I didn't want to over stress the knee, which has been feeling better and better despite the two runs I had this week. I will do some more stretching, icing, and hip flexor strenthening stuff tonight since I think those are really helping me. In fact, I think I will try and run from my house to my Dad's tomorrow for dinner, which I think is about 12k though I have to verify that with Google Pedometer.

But now, it's time to make dinner for the little guy (the other little guy is enjoying winter camp away from home with his Mom), do the whole bathtime and bedtime routine, and (of course) play with him a bit!

Weekend Recap - Skiing, Falling, Running

Saturday: A freezing and not exactly fun day of cross country skiing. It was -19C, sunny, and (by all accounts) should have been fun to go skiing, but it simply didn't work out that way. One of the reasons for this is that the wax on my skiis was not working, despite the fact that I specifically chose one for this temperature and spent the evening before cleaning and preparing our skiis. The uphills were hell, and even the flats were tough going since there was no grip with which to push forward. I set out on the Sochi 12km trail, but cut off the last loop and managed a pathetic 10.7k in a terribly slow 1 hour 22 minutes. I also fell a couple of times on my left hip on account of the rock hard, frozen snow (no way to dig the edges of my skiis into this ribbed concrete like substance when transferring from one set of tracks to another at trail merging points) and my general lack of equilibrium. It hurt quite a bit at the time, especially the second time I fell on it, and definitely hurts today.

Sunday: Despite the hip I decided that this bruise was not going to derail my plans for a run. It was -10C and sunny, and as I found out rather windy, as I headed out for my planned 8k. I wasn't sure how the hip, or the knee for that matter, would react and I was ready to bail if these started to hurt too much. In the end the run went ok, and I was relatively pain free. At about the 3.5k mark I ran past a park where the boys were supposed to be sledding with Mon, but they had already bailed by then. As I started up Broadview Ave. I found out why - it was WINDY as hell! The wind blew right through me and I was chilled despite the fact that the hill also spiked my heart rate up into the 150s.

Overall, it was a fun run though. I managed the 8k in 47:45, for an average pace of 5:58/km and heart rate of 144bpm. This was right on target for what I want to be doing at the moment, and that made me feel good - I didn't speed up on account of the cold simply to get the run overwith and to warm up!

Garmin don't lie.


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Catching up on a great weekend of skiing and running

Not much time to write a lengthy post, so I will just be brief and update what I did as far as exercise goes...

Saturday morning was freezing when we piled in the car at 7:45am, a nose hair stiffening -17.4C (I think that's right around zero on the "alternative" scale...). We were layered up and ready for some x-country skiing.

My Mom came with us and she took Malks for his class, giving Monica and I a chance to hit the trails together for the first time this season. We chose the Sochi trail, which I did last week. It was a fun and decently tiring 12 kilometres.

After lunch Owen wanted to try the 8k Nagano trail with me, so off we went, this time with my Mom joining us. Unfortunately, the little guy was pretty tuckered out after his two-hour class and didn't make it very far before saying he was ready to head back. We managed a slow 2.7 kilometres together.

After dropping Owen off at the lodge, I was able to hit the trails on my own and I chose the Nagano trail since I figured 8 kilometres was enough after skiing 15k up to that point. This was a tough go for me as I totally ran out of gas at about the 3k mark, absolutely no strength left in my arms and I was totally sucking air. I did manage to finish the 8.5 kilometres in about 51 minutes, and the total for the day amounted to 23.3K, a couple more than the Half Marathon!

Needless to say, when we got home I was totally wiped. Luckily we missed the snow that was starting to fall as we drove home...

Which brings us to this morning. We woke up to about 15cm of snow on the ground, and decided to get out there to shovel it as a family, then head out to a local restaurant for breakfast. If shoveling snow can be fun, this was and we managed in good time and spirits.

After dropping the boys off at their grandfather's place for the afternoon, Monica and I hit the snow-covered sidewalks for our run. The going was slow and sloppy, but we managed the planned 7 kilometres in a slow'n'steady 49:16, translating to a slushy pace of 7:01/km.

And that completes my weekend of working out. Now I have a LOT of laundry to do!!! (and some football to watch...)

Garmin don't lie.


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A Great Day of X-Country Skiing

Cross country skiing is very quickly becoming one of my favorite activities. We spent another terrific day with the boys enjoying the great outdoors and the Canadian winter, and on top of that I got a great workout. Who could ask for more?

The day started early as we prepared for the longish drive up to Hardwood Hills. We arrived at 9:30am with plenty of time to settle in, get the boys equipped with rental skis, and get Owen to his 10am class. Monica then went off on her own and I took Malcolm to his lesson, which is parent assisted. We had a great time playing games like basketball and soccer with skis on, singing songs, drinking hot chocolate, and then practicing going up and down little hills. At first Malks was a bit scared and I had to straddle him and keep him up while we went down hills. After a couple of tries he let me ski beside him, holding just one hand while we glided down. At the very end he did the smallest of hills all by himself and I was so proud of him! He was very pleased with himself and couldn't wait to tell Monica his "secret", making me promise that I wouldn't tell her first. Owen also had a great time, and his skiing is getting so good, as I would find out later on. I haven't been bringing the camera, but really have to change that since they are so cute on their skis!

After lunch it was my turn to go off on my own and I decided to try the 12km "Sochi" trail this time. All the trails are named after the host cities of recent Winter Olympics. Last week I did the "Nagano" trail (8k), the week before that it was "Torino" (5k). Again, I brought along the Garmin for the ride and it was definitely a good workout since my heart rate was almost immediately in the 150s, finishing with an average HR of 159bpm. The total was 12.21km, which I completed in 1:11:37 for an average pace of 5:51/km. Not bad for a newbie! Most important of all it was a total blast.

Garmin don't lie.

Here's the satellite image of the winding trail:


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Afterwards I met up with the gang and Owen was really excited to go with me on the "Nagano" trail, so Monica went off with Malks and I hit the trails again. It was slow going here and there, but Owen has really learned a lot in two lessons. His technique has gotten so good that he even got more than one compliment from adult skiers who passed us on the trail. In the end Owen was quite bushed so we cut off the last loop of the trail and ended up doing 7.3k in about 1hr 50min. Amazing for a 7 year old!

I'm too tired after all that activity to think about what I will do next now that I've accomplished the 100 push up challenge, but I have to find a way to keep doing push ups. It's amazing how many muscles are required to do proper push ups, especially when one gets up into high numbers and sets. I must get back on the chin ups since that is also a great compound exercise, and my abs have been neglected for too long. On top of that I have to start doing some leg strengthening as well, though the skiing is definitely a step in the right direction as far as getting all of the muscles working. It really is an amazing sport and I would totally recommend all runners to try it out if you haven't already.

X-Country Pics

Just thought I'd post a couple of pictures of the boys from our cross country skiing outing while I have a moment as our hot water tank is being replaced and I am forced to "work from home" for the morning...

The boys getting used to their skis:



Owen already kicking his Dad's ass:

Skiing with the Boys

First, I did some more push ups last night. It was the Week 5 Day 3 section of the plan, and I did OK, all things considered. I must admit that doing the push ups, even though I haven't accomplished the 100 consecutive thing just yet, has been gratifying and has kept me sane while I wait for the foot to let me run again. I will also have to get back on the chin ups workouts too since those were going well before getting sick derailed me for a while. Anyway, the sets went 20-20-24-24-20-20-22 and then I maxed out at 72 for a total of 222 push ups. It was hard, but it was also late into the evening and I was getting things ready for our planned cross-country skiing trip...

That happened today. We left at 7:45am with my Mom joining us in the caravan. Owen and Malcolm are both signed up for lessons that go every Saturday morning for eight weeks, and today was the first day. Hardwood Hills is a bit of a drive away (1.5 hours in total), but it is totally worth it. The trails are awesome!

We had a great time! Owen loved his 2-hour lesson and at the end had the rosiest cheeks I've ever seen. I assisted Malcolm in his lesson and he had a lot of fun, even if he didn't actually learn a heck of a lot. While the boys and I were occupied with lessons, Monica and my Mom went off on their own and put in a solid hour and a half of skiing.

After lunch it was my turn and I was really looking forward to a good (impact free) workout. I picked an 8km trail and was off. The Garmin showed that I am an awfully slow skier, but the heart rate jumped right up to the 150s so I knew I was giving my heart a decent workout for the first time since November. The 8k took me almost 50 minutes to complete and I was totally overheated by the end of this one.

Since Monica and Owen were still not back from their run, and my Mom was hanging out with Malks, I decided to get rid of one layer and hit the trails again hoping to catch up with M&O. This time I picked the shortest trail (5k) and was trying to go faster. The Garmin once again indicated that I am slow as molasses, but the heart rate proved that it indeed was a workout. I completed the 5k route in about 32 minutes and was drenched with sweat. Within about two minutes of finishing, while standing outside with the rest of the family (who had congregated outside by now) I was totally frozen and decided to head in and call it a day. All told it was a great experience and I look forward to the next 7 Saturdays! It was also great to pull the Garmin out of storage and make sure it was still working OK...

The foot feels OK after the skiing, at least better than I thought it would, but I'm sure that I'll feel all sorts of aches and pains in places that I haven't felt before. It's all good though since I think it will only be the good kind of pain.

Garmin don't lie #1 and #2.

Back on the Push Ups

Just a quick post so that I can continue to keep track of my continued efforts towards achieving 100 consecutive push ups. I have lost quite a bit of strength over the Holidays, partly due to the stomach virus and partly due to the copious amounts of food, junk or otherwise, that I've been ingesting.

I started back on the plan a couple of days ago, though I felt really uninspired and couldn't even be bothered to turn on the computer and verify what the Week 5 Day 1 workout was supposed to be. I did 35-45-40-30 for a total of 150 and couldn't even attempt a max out set.

Tonight I did the Week 5 Day 2 workout and managed 19-19-22-22-18-18-22 and then maxed out at 62 for a total of 202 push ups. It was really tough, and I think going back to Week 5 of the plan is the right move. Better late than never, right?

Also, yesterday we spent the entire day cross country skiing with the boys and then did awesome! We were planning on a short introduction, maybe an hour or two, just to ease them into it prior to their lessons starting this Saturday. They both loved it so much that we ended spending 6 hours on the trails! I will bring my Garmin next time and hopefully get to go out on my own once to get a real workout in. The foot still aches; what else is new...

8km Run, and a "new" car

This morning it took me a while to get out of bed, mostly because I was not rushed to get running and partly because it was -9 when I woke up. I guess that's somewhere in the teens Fahrenheit, and I certainly had never run in that kind of temperature. I figured it wouldn't be that bad, though, since I've skied and biked in much worse. Anyway, I finally got outside at about 8am and started in on my planned 8k. The foot doesn't hurt at all while I am running, but certainly has been achy in between, and this keeps me from pushing too hard since I know it would mean more pain. I basically just ran on feel, and discovered that I layered too much since the last few kilometres I was overheating a little. The inside of my old jacket was wet around the ends of the sleeves, and for a guy that doesn't sweat at the best of times this came as a real surprise. It will take me a bit of experimenting to find what works as far as attire in winter goes...

The run itself was fine. I completed the 8k in 42:45 for an average pace of 5:20/km. My fastest split was 5:12 (the last kilometre) and the slowest was 5:30, so I kept the pace pretty even. Given that it was really cold and my legs felt very tight at first I am a bit surprised that I managed the first K in 5:29, but I guess it was just my body trying to warm up.

The foot is hurting a bit now, but I attribute that more to the fact that we pretty much spent the entire day in the car than anything else. After my run, and breakfast, we cleaned out the old car and drove up to Bolton to pick up the 2001 Honda Civic. Paying for it took a bit of time since we had to call our bank and get authorization to make a debit payment above the daily limit, and that process was a bit of a pain. By the time it was all completed an hour at least had passed.

A bit of an aside: The new car seems to be running great! The dealership put a new set of all-season Michelin tires on it and they improved the already good ride that we experienced on our test drive. When we picked up the car we were presented with a copy of the safety inspection certificate, and emission test, a newly cleaned car ready and waiting, and the salesman went out and transferred our plates without even us noticing! My opinion of Pickard Lane Leasing couldn't be better at this point - a real pleasant surprise every step of the way.

Then we drove to Barrie, about an hour away, and had lunch with the Boys at an OK Chinese buffet restaurant. On our way there we stopped in Alliston, coincidentally where all Canadian Civics are assembled, and bought some floor mats at the Canadian Tire since the car didn't come with any.

Lunch completed, we drove to Hardwood Hills, a cross country skiing venue, and enrolled the boys in a season of lessons! Monica and I got a stack of passes for ourselves and we'll be going every Saturday morning for the entire winter as long as things work out. Should make for some great cross-training, not to mention a lot of fun!

This evening I did another chin up routine and now I must off to ice the foot. The chin ups went 9-7-6 wide grip overhand, and 7-7-6-5 narrow grip underhand for a total of 47. The first set of reps underhand was a low number, but I got distracted by my 4 year-old and couldn't maintain concentration. It's amazing how that can affect your ability to do this exercise!

Garmin don't lie.


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