Sun Run Update

OK, so right off the bat: no front line pic. I'm about 7 rows back and you can see me in the aerial start shot but not the ground level one. And to tell it's me, you'll kinda have to have a circle around me. And and arrow to the circle. And squint. And put your face really close to the monitor. And have a good imagination. Whatever. It's still cool...




I'm in this one too. I'm the guy on the right in the long white nighty, er, T-shirt and blue gloves clapping at the wheelchair race. No wonder they asked to see my bib about 50 times as I was warming up.




Race results were decidedly non elite: 44:25. I had no juice and was struggling right from the get go. That afternoon and night I was super bummed about the result and couldn't believe I was suffering so bad after I race I ran so slowly. Then Monday night and a fever so bad I sweated through the mattress and left a puddle on the floor. Next night, slept with three towels: one under me, on on top of me and one at bedside so I could towel off what the other two didn't absorb.
Turns out I have strep throat and likely have for a while. Now the race makes a little more sense.

Ummmm....yeah.

Each year, the company I work for sponsors a corporate team in the 'SunRun', a 56,000 person 10K run through downtown Vancouver. I believe it is the second largest road race in North America. Long time readers might remember that last year Gunner and I ran to the start line. Along the way, Gunn was so afraid of what he thought was a porcupine, which turned out to be a basketball, that he crossed the street to get away. In fairness, i thought it might be a porcupine too. What can I say? It was early...
Good times.
I signed up again this year and the race goes on Sunday. Because there are so many people, they have wave starts and unless you get a decent spot near the front you cannot run. And, like many things, lots of people over estimate their ability and you end up with a number of people in your wave that should not be there. This year, I am 'that guy'
The race organizers ask for a recent race time in order to assign waves. I gave them my 3:15 time from Vegas marathon. They gave me my bib. It's blue and the number was surprisingly low.


Below is the back of the race big which assigns your starting corral according to the color of the bib. For context, the red numbers run from 55,000-80,000.


Never been in the first corral before. Pretty sure I'll be the only guy in there not wearing race flats. This race is sponsored by a large local newspaper and a big, colour picture of the front row at the start always ends up in the paper. My new race goal: get in that picture!

Newness

I've been doing most of my running at night now that I am getting Violet ready for daycare in the mornings. About one mile from my house is a public golf course. Two 18 hole courses at one venue. The security guy there sees me but doesn't seem to mind that I run there after dark. 9 holes plus the distance to and from is about 5 miles. Quiet, peaceful, smooth, rolling terrain all to myself. It's awesome. Last night I wished I had my camera. I'll bring it along next time. I'm also thinking of buying some cross country spikes so I can run on the fairways instead of the cart paths!
Speaking of spikes:
I've been watching a lot of track and field videos on Flotrack. I don't know how it happened but I became a running fan. I know names, schools, I can tell you what DMR stands for! Weird. NHL playoffs are starting and I couldn't tell you who made the cut. But, I do know that Austin Abbott from UW is confirmed in the 1500 at Mt SAC. I kinda want to kick my own ass...
So, like I've done my whole life, I see something and think "I can do that. Maybe I should train to try and run the Women's Olympic 'B' standard for the 5K." Seriously, I literally watch elite athletes and then think, Hmmm, why not?
I remember watching a BMX video when I was a kid and then buying a Haro Master so I could become a freestyle BMX rider. Now I work in a Credit Union. hahaha.
So anyways, I watch these videos of these elite runners and I notice something: fast runners spend a lot of time running up on their toes. And those 1500 guys, their heels never touch the track. And I've heard the same thing about Haile. Below is a picture of some cross country spikes. Notice where the 'spikes' are.

So, with this in mind, and because watching elite video automatically qualifies me to train like them, the next time I go running I make an effort to get forward on my foot strike. It feels awkward, like I'm way up on my toes but the road is meeting me right on the balls of my feet. It's quick and quiet and faster.
It's also prevented me from walking right for the last two days. My calves are trashed! When Daniels talks about base training being time for skeletal and muscular adaptations, I'm guessing this is what he means.