Summertime...and the Living is...

Last time I wrote in this blog I talked about my daughter's 10k race and how she managed to gut through the whole race. That was a cold and rainy father's day and I think most of Winnipeg feared that that weather was a harbinger of things to come for the rest of our such short summer after such a cold brutal winter.

But shortly after, the sun did manage to come out and summer came into full swing and it's been pretty decent and warm since but I had a bit of trouble getting focused to run and train for my upcoming marathon in Minneapolis. I had some personal issues that needed to be taken care of and on July 3rd, I was able to sort a good chunk of it out. I then drafted out a training plan and showed it to coach Dan and Erick from CPR and they in turn adjusted to more realistic outlay.

So from July 1 up until present day I've been running...running with consistency and elevating my mileage longer and longer and also spending more time on my feet. I'm very glad and lucky to have taken the Marathon and half-marathon training clinic offered by City Park Runners over the winter as that built this huge base of fitness where I can build upon to get stronger and faster.

Starting from June, I logged in 126km (78mi) and July was 146km (90mi). As of August 13, 2014 I've logged in 90KM (55mi) and this is the month in my training where I really start hammering out the LSDs and getting in 90 - 100 km (55- 62mi)weeks. After June, I managed to get a little bit stronger and healthier and have been running without any noticeable pain in my legs or body. My recovery time between runs is getting quicker, but I still play it smart in taking the time to rest and recover for the next run or workout.

A more granular view of everything so far

As I've reasoned after a May race, I took some time off to rest and sort out my personal life. Then June was spent just getting back into running and healing from a lot of the aches and pains I was suffering from running. I was doing a lot more core work and leg strengthening exercises. My most notable aches were my achilles and the hamstring on my left leg. I spent a lot of time foam rolling and read and learned a lot from this book "Anatomy for Runners" which gave me a lot of insight in how my body functions when I'm in the state of running.

I still kept going to the CPR Thursday(tempo) and Saturday(LSD) runs and then I received a message from Dr. Phil asking me to join them running Tuesday evenings. So I added the Tuesday get-together's as another part of my training and kept going every Tuesday for another 10km which was another Tempo paced run. I can't stress enough how running with a group that is faster than me, has helped me tremendously.

My training week would be Monday an 8km run in my neighborhood and I'd call that Prep run. Then Tuesday would be gym workout at work then in the evening with Dr. Phil and Lori, Doug and Roberto and sometimes Paul and we'd run from The Crescent to the Legislative building and back which would be roughly over 9km and we'd do it tempo style. I'd then do Yoga on Wednesday and the regular Thursday CPR tempo, rest Friday and do the LSD on Saturday with a recovery slow 5-8km run on Sunday. July was mostly focused on running tempos and just getting in the mileage to prepare my body for the big miles that will come in August.

August is the crucial month in my training. I signed up for a CPR speed clinic which replaces the Tuesday tempos with Dr. Phil and the gang (since they signed up for the speed clinic too). I entered a 14km Trail race in the 2nd weekend of August to test my fitness. I wanted to see where I was in my training, and I'm happy to say despite the severe heat (thank goodness I brought my water bottle with me) I managed a 7 minute PR from the same race last year, so I'm improving. I know what I could have done better, but with the improvement it gives me a measuring stick of where I'm at and what I need to do to. The next day I banged out 24km as I wanted to get that feeling of running on tired legs.  And from what I'm seeing I believe I'm improving and should do well. I know I still have a long ways to go to be where I want to be, but running is a process I can't rush as I'll just hurt myself which will sideline me and set me back.

The other thing I can't stress enough is writing all of this down in a training diary. Even though I upload my runs onto Garmin Connect and I sync across multiple fitness sites. In the Garmin Connect site I write down how the run went, what I ate or my mood so I can look back and review my training cycle. But writing it all down in a training diary is so invaluable. I have it with me always and I'm always looking back and reviewing my week. The checkboxes of Mood/Energy/Nutrition/Water and Sleep are great for seeing patterns. The training diary I got is laid out nice and neat and I'm able to put in quick notes and just fill in the blanks and I'll add post-it notes to the days I do gym workouts.

So for the rest of August will be long mileage and speed work. September I'll enter another practice race to see where my fitness is at from over the HOT summer months and then taper just in time for the Twin Cities Marathon slated for October 5, 2014.

Sometimes it's the little things or ones that matter the most.

My 11 year old daughter likes her old man, so I should count myself lucky, and she keeps wanting to run with me. I've signed her up for the MB Marathon Super Run (2.6 mile) that is sponsored through her school, we've done one together and she did last year alone while I ran the 1/2. The last race we did was "Run Through History" hosted by City Park Runners last fall. It was a 5km run and even though her old man had to pull off to the side of the road and pee into the Red River (classy) she jetted towards the finish line to take first place in her division. And so she's been bugging me ever since to run a 1/2 marathon...

Every Father's day in Winnipeg marks the annual Manitoba Marathon. Mackenzie called me up at school 3 weeks before and asked me if I can sign her up for the 10km race, she joined the cross country team at her school so she got in some mileage. I logged into the site and signed both of us up. We did a couple of practice runs and she joined me during one of my speed sessions. She commented to me after the practice with Coach Dan, Yves and Tracy how fast I could run (I can't believe it myself...), but more marveled at how fast the girl was. I told her it takes practice and consistency and to start small first before taking on long distances. I told her it took me almost 2 years to get comfortable to run 10km (6mi) and I don't want her to suddenly hate running because of the toll it can take on your body if you're not prepared.

So we find ourselves at the 10km start line of the Manitoba Marathon. It was a cloudy and cool day, which I told her makes it perfect for distance running. I told her going into the race, that there is no pressure, that I didn't want her to rush off the start line and to slowly build up. Mackenzie is in awe of the starting coral, how the mass of humanity is all crushed into a tiny space and how many people recognized me and were met with warm welcome. I told her this will start to happen as she gets older, how personality can truly go a long way.

And the 'gun' goes off and we're running.

The course took us through University Crescent over the Bishop Grandin on Pembina Hwy into Crescent Drive Park. And for the most part the run was pretty good, Mackenzie kept a pretty good pace and I could tell there were a lot of moments that she didn't want to quit because of me. She knew that 10km was a normal run for me and even though I stressed to her that there was absolutely no pressure, she really dug deep to keep herself moving forward. It was those moments where I just force her to slow down and walk for a couple of minutes, then I'd get her to pick a landmark on when she wants to start up again and I'd get her to start off slow and regain her pace. When we got to the 5km mark I told her that she matched her Run Through History time of 35mins which seemed to pick up her spirits.

As we were looping back over onto Pembina Hwy, I could tell she was delirious and exhausted. When we picked up the race kits the previous day, I got her to buy some GU gels and energy gummies for her run. I encouraged her to take water at the water stops and told her to pop 2-3 gummies. At the 5km mark I told her to take the GU with water. I would ask her how she was feeling at the water stops and she told me she couldn't believe how much she was sweating and how awfully hot she felt. She told me she wanted to take one of the sponges the aid stations were offering. I gave her that "What the Hell?" look as I found it to be very cool out, but she's young and probably just a metabolism machine so she grabbed a sponge and was dousing herself and I kept along side her smiling that shit eating grin that I got my little girl beside me.

At the 7km mark, she was dying...this is where she was having doubts. We were just looping back onto the Pembina overpass and she was telling me she couldn't believe how much her feet hurt. She was wearing the new New Balance Minimus shoes I bought her at CPR which are basically flat barefoot type shoes. I told her after this race we can pick up a new pair of shoes with cushioning if she wanted. She told me that she actually likes running in the minimals and she's used to them but she's just tired and wasn't used to this distance. I told her that all the pain she's feeling will disappear when she sees the finish line. Now it was her turn to give me that WTF? look.

At 8km we were back onto University Drive and she told me she was feeling very hungry. We got up at 5am that morning, I made her Maple and Brown sugar oatmeal and some juice for breakfast. Plus I got her to eat the gummies and take the GU, she probably burned a ton of calories just willing herself this far and I kept talking and encouraging her to keep moving forward, she was in pain and as much as I hated seeing her like this, I told her that we would walk for a minute but no matter how much pain you're feeling, bottle it up inside and put it away. And when you cross that finish line, everything that you've done today will be so worth it. Plus we'd go for a huge pancake breakfast!

As you get to the 26mile chute that will take you to the old University track field and finish line, Mackenzie was just dying. She was telling me how much she hated this and that she wanted to quit. I told her it was just around the corner when we get into the chute and then the finish line. She kept telling me that she was hurting, especially her feet and she couldn't believe how much she was sweating, she was almost in tears. This was the only time I got all "Strict Asian Father" on her. I told her there was NO WAY she was quitting. I told her to stop for one moment and turn around and look back...I told her that she ran 10kms...6 miles in the rain with me, you ran for over an hour and covered a lot of ground. There is only a little more left...whatever pain you're feeling Mackenzie, leave it all on the ground that you covered today....just put one foot in front of the other and go forward.

She did just that...as we turned onto the track, I told her the finish line is right THERE! She just bolted....damn, she ran like a demon possessed and I ran right behind her telling her to go go go go...1:14:54 later she made it, with me right behind her.

Next up for us is Color Me Rad. Happy Father's day indeed.