Thursday, September 23, 2010

Answers

Well, I suppose an answer is better than none.

It turns out after falling pretty ill once again this week (same shit, literally and figuratively speaking, as two weeks before) and going to the doctor to get some actual tests... I have an intestinal parasite! Yeah, that was my reaction too. Apparently the clinics initial recommendation of drink some Gatorade and rest was a little presumptuous.

Been wiped out. Starting to feel better. Limited to no energy. Chest pains. Cant eat.

Three types of antibiotics that I cannot pronounce... Ciprofloxin, nexium, buscopan... seem to be doing the trick though.

How long have I had this for? Unknown.

Where did I contract it? Unknown. Contaminated water, meat, etc are the usual culprits.

Current approach? Get healthy. Ease back into running. Find my rhythm. Don't run 50miles in three days like last time.

Recently checked out my running log for the year. Eclipsed the 2000 mile mark in early September. Not bad given that I was literally starting from scratch in January. I suppose the goal will be 2500 + for the year... seems like a nice number... but its not important at the end of it all.

Good news... my girlfriend and I won tickets to a show these guys are playing at the Venue next month via a radio call in. First times a charm. Heard my voice on the radio. Poetic.



And... will be seeing these guys next Tuesday.

Monday, September 13, 2010

Week in Review: Sept 6-12

There are two circumstances that inevitably prevent runners from actually running. The first is injury and the second is illness. Unfortunately, I was plagued with the latter of the two for the start of this week. It hit me hard, a stomach virus that was, and really was unrelenting (if you know what i mean) for 72 hours straight. I was absolutely physically spent during this period and severely restricted from engaging in any form of meaningful running. On the other hand, it freed up an enormous amount of time and allowed me to get going on the lengthy process of law school application. However, by mid-week I was finally starting to feel better and actually managed to fit in a solid few days to end things.

My running week in review:

06/09/2010: 0 miles. Went for a good two hour hike in the rain but besides that, I took it pretty chill. It wasn't until the evening where my stomach started to go south.

07/09/2010: 1.5 miles (15min). Tried and failed. Bad idea to even attempt anything in retrospect.

08/09/2010: 1.5 miles (12min). Better, relatively speaking. But still absolutely wiped. Turned around almost immediately.

09/09/2010: 0 miles. Common sense prevailed and I took the day completely off. What is the point?? I was feeling better and needed to give it one more day. Plus, I had Friday off work so I was thinking I better save what energy I would be able to muster up anyways.

10/09/2010: AM: 6mile (58min) + 4 miles cooldown hike/run (1:20). Things were feeling much better this morning. Somewhere above 60% but nothing like I had hoped. I just kinda rolled with it and monitored my state to make sure I did not let things deteriorate by getting caught up in things. I felt better as the run progressed and it turned out to be a pretty enjoyable morning on the local trails. PM: 6.5 miles (53min) As the day went on, I felt my energy continuing to rise. With that, I headed out in the evening for an easy effort around Loutette. I felt a lot better then the morning and continued to by the end.

11/09/2010: 9 miles (1:22) I headed out with Meredith and we decided to basically just roam the streets and meander through some the connecting trails. I added on a bit at the end, but overall it was just a casual morning run. Out to the farmers market in the afternoon to grab some ingredients for supper.

12/09/2010: AM: 11 miles (1:28) Tempoed the effort a bit this morning. It was pissing rain the entire time and felt a lot like a typical Vancouver November day. Not enjoyable. The run was solid though and I was able to knock out a couple of good miles. PM: 7.5 miles (1:05) Out in the afternoon with Meredith for an easy run. The rain had finally stopped from its morning torrential status and was merely just misting. How could I resist?!? My body felt surprisingly good. Encouraging run despite the fact my right knee was making a bit of noise by the end.

Weekly Mileage: 47 miles (7hours)

Ideas currently in my head that are running related: pavement bashing aka. training for a road marathon for this winter (San Diego end of January is an option because of some connections I have); speed work, hills, perhaps a track (doubt it though),want to still run before the snow hits... HoweSound Crest trail; night running; XC training with NSA (sounds fun); working on my weaknesses.

Meredith and I will be going to see these guys at the end of the month. Looking forward to it. Enjoy.

Monday, September 6, 2010

Week in Review: August 30- Sept 5

30/08/2010: Zero. Rode to and from work (30km) because it was a beautiful day. Now if only every day of the year was like it in Vancouver our carbon footprint would be greatly diminished.

31/08/2010: 8miles (1:04): Good run to start off the week. Started out fairly average and then found a bit of a stride as I progressed (avg pace 8:09). Still some residual soreness in the quads from the weekends volume.

01/09/2010: 9miles (1:22). Enjoyable social evening run with Brooke, Peter, and Darren up at Lynn Headwaters. Basically just trotted around joked about, and spent a lot more time talking than I am use to. Good stuff. Rode to and from work again.

02/10/2010: 11.5miles (1:28). Wanted to put some turnover on the legs while still avoiding as much road as possible. So I decided to loop down from my apartment in the usual fashion to Intrariver Park. From there, I went up to the Jaycee House and followed the RJ trail all the way up to Gazebo.Its a nice smooth gravel trail with almost an imperceptible uphill but you are nonetheless feeling it by the top. Stomach issues plagued me for the first half but I eventually got it under control after a few untimely pit stops. Average pace for the run was 7:58 which I was pretty pleased with given the 1000 feet of vertical gain as well. Yet no water and no food meant I was a little wasted by the end and on the verge of a slight bonk. Much to my surprise I enjoyed the 4 miles of downhill on the road back to my apartment.

03/10/2010: 7miles (58min). Easy run around Loutette park. Awesome night, shirtless the entire time. Rode to and from work again.

04/10/2010: AM. 14 miles (2:05) + 3miles cooldown. I was out of my apartment early this morning running with the rising sun. It was cold to start but I could see that it was going to be a clear day. There is something about running in the pre-dawn setting that cannot be beat. I was under a time limitation this morning so basically just tried to fit in as much as I could before 9am. A good climb up Powerline with an even more thrilling drop that lasted close to 4 miles on the route I took. PM: 7miles. Up and Down Lynn Peak with Meredith. Just some more vertical to add to the day. Little bonky by the end and just wanted to get home and have some eats. Which we did.

05/10/2010: 28 miles (5:05). Wasnt really sure on the route for today. Basically, I knew I wanted to be out for a while and was pretty set on running as long as I could comfortably before I felt like turning it in. A truly, let-the-body-dictate-things, kinda run. With that, I jammed about 500 calories worth of gels in my pockets and grabbed my 16oz handheld and was out the door. I initiated the run with a figure-eight loop up to Norvan falls. It was definitely eerie running. A fairly heavy mist was in the air and with the dense forest I found myself 'on edge' reacting to any sort of sounds from the bush. I was the only person out there for a good hour until I ended up running into some people as I was heading back. From headwaters I then worked my way over to Hyannis and eventually ascended up the Seymour Grind to the Mushroom junction. From there, I dropped down along the Baden Powell trail but then decided to climb again back up Old Buck to the Mt Seymour Picnic Area, a spot I had not been up to in some time. There is a beautiful stretch of singletrack up above the road leading to Mt Seymour that I just love (notwithstanding its mediocre length). I ended up dropping back down via the Old Buck trail eventually turning off at Horses Loop. I followed this trail to the Bridel Path and basically just worked my way back to headwaters from there. I decided on throwing in a climb up Circuit-8 at the end for good measures. 5718 feet of elevation gain on the day according to my GARMIN. Overall, a great day in the mountains and along some of the extensive trail networks the North Shore has to offer. No matter how many times I traverse these routes I seem to never fall tired towards them. I soak in Seymour River later in the afternoon to cap off the day.

Weekly Mileage: 87.5
Time: 14.5 hours
Bike Work: 90km