#np_yyz - 2016/12/07

#np_yyz - Wednesday Morning 6:05AM - 2016/12/07 - #6

Still reallllllly daaaaaark at 6AM ...

It's been a while since I've been out to  November Project Toronto ... a combination of legit early Wednesday eye doctor appointments, and a couple of "ugh tired going back to sleep" moments apparently adds up to 6 weeks!  I'm grateful the leaders (Sam and Michelle) still remember me, as do a few others.

I'll still make an effort to get to bed early on Tuesdays, but it's time to accept that my regular np_yyz experience will be on ~4 hours sleep!  So no "fuck it I'm tired" unless something exceptional occurs.

Besides, first Wednesday of every month is PR Day!  Today's workout and results:

• Burpees 56 / 70 (up from 42)
• Push Ups 70 / 70 (up from 42, about half on knees)
• Mountain Climbers 70 / 70 (up from 42)
• Bicycles 70 / 70 (same as last time)
• Squat Jumps 70 / 70 (same as last time)
• Hill/Stair Sprints 2 / 10 (same as last time)
• rules are - do as much as you can, in whatever order/grouping you want, in 30 minutes

So, yeah, new PR.  yay.

-tak! thbbft!

Retcon

Retcon
Yes, I retconned the November 2016 10 Day Water Fast post ... been adding notes to it sporadically, but never hit "publish", so fuck it, now it's published and I'll probably continue to add to it.


Run You Clever Boy, And Remember
Sunday, December 4, 2016

It's been a while, fo sho.
I haven't strapped on the heart rate monitor and gone for a wrun since the half marathon.
Some of that was deliberate - to give myself a bit of a break.  I also thought I'd look into peroidization - figure out some other kind of exercise to work on improving my aerobic base.  Thought I'd try rowing ... still feels really awkward, although I know it's not a natural movement, and the only way I'm going to improve is to practice.
Looking back, I realize I was pretty focused on my training plan, so a bit of a break over the past 6 weeks or so was enjoyable (mainly power-watching a bunch of TV and movies ... I think I may have made a 0.0001% dent in the TV backlog I've accumulated).
But yeah, i'ts been 49(!) days since the half marathon, so it's time to get back to *something* ... so go back to what you know?
Felt pretty damn good to get back out to Queen's Park - even though it was around 3 degrees ... maybe I'll be a winter wrunner after all ... I think for the foreseeable future, it's gonna be rowing on Tuesdays, a wrun on Saturdays, and maybe some rowing on Sundays (if I can swing it ... if weekends are busy, then the wrun takes priority, even if that has to be moved to Sunday) ... also, swimming - I should swim more, too.

things I learned:

• bottom strategy of base layer + pants warm enough
• top strategy of base layer + top may not be sufficient ... need to add a windproof shell or something I think
• need better gloves ... maybe mittens
• also may need to do something about the little gap between my running socks and the bottoms of the base layer ...

The question is ... given that my trail running shoes are still pretty much new, can I justify the purchase of the Gore-Tex (and thus waterproof/snowproof) version of the same shoes for winter wrunning?  I said I would get a pair of Altras if I finished the half marathon, but when I went to try them on, I discovered that while it has a wide toe box, it's not a particularly wide shoe (too small for my orthotic + my foot) ... so I still owe myself a new pair of shoes.  But I'm kind of annoyed that I didn't notice the Gore-Tex version of the trail shoes I bought at the time ... although maybe they didn't have them at the time ... ah, who knows?  I'll probably end up getting them.

-tak! thbbft!

Notes from the November 2016 10 Day Water Fast (work in progress)

(as per title, this is still a work in progress, so there may be updates)

Yuuuuuup.  Did a 10 day water fast (242 hours).

I did my first extended fast - 7 days, 168 hours - back at the end of April 2016, and at that time thought I'd do this every six months or so, and holy crap it's been more than six months!   Better get a move on!
So, with mindful abandon, and less preparation than the Spring Fast,

Why?

Improving iinsulin sensitivity
https://intensivedietarymanagement.com/fasting-physiology-part-ii/

Stimulating autophagy
https://intensivedietarymanagement.com/fasting-and-autophagy-fasting-25/
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3106288/

Immune system support - can eliminate old white blood cells and replace them with more effective new ones
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1934590914001519
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1550413115002247


"Rules" for this fast
- water, black coffee, tea only ... coffee being important, IMO, for caffeine's ability to mobilize fat ... that being said, no caffeine after 3pm, so as not to keep me wired all day
- (mostly) no supplements, no greens powder
- only supplements I took were electrolytes, to ensure I didn't get depleted

• mornings (after waking up and taking stats)
• ~2 Tbsp ACV, ~2 Tbsp salt solution, with water
• ~400mg magnesium bisglycinate, ~1 tsp Vitamin C powder, 198mg (2 caps emptied) potassium,, a little salt solution in a glass of water
• evenings (before bed)
• ~2 Tbsp salt solution, with water
• ~2 tsp unflavoured magnesium citrate, ~1 tsp Vitamin C powder, 198mg (2 caps emptied) potassium, in some warm water

Last meal finished Wed 2016/11/09 1pm ... working on the assumption it takes ~3 hours for the stomach to empty, the fast starts at 4pm!

Stats:
blood glucose, blood ketones, blood pressure, pulse, weight

2016/11/11 8.30am
4.2, 1.1, 115/77, 82, n/a

2016/11/12 11:15am
3.8, 3.6, 101/66, 97, 76.3kg

2016/11/13 1pm
3.8, 4.8, 108/67, 98, n/a

2016/11/14 8:05am
4.0, 3.7, 114/68, 86, 75.4

2016/11/15 8:50am
4.0, 3.3, 118/74, 83, n/a

2016/11/16 8:10am
3.7, 5.3, 115/71, 83, 73.5

2016/11/17
3.6, 4.7, 106/72, 84, n/a
Kind of missing food as a general *thing* ...

2016/11/18 9am
3.6, 3.9, 103/70, 79, 72.6

2016/11/19 9:30am
4.1, 5.1, 111/75, 82, 71.9

2016/11/19 4pm ... 240 hours /  10 days  done, end of fast!

2016/11/19 6:15pm ... 242 hours, fast broken!

2016/11/20 1am
4.3, 3.2, n/a, n/a, n/a

2016/11/20 12:30pm
5.7, 1.7, 110/71, 85, 73.1

2016/11/21 9:30am
4.6, 2.6, 106/62, 81, 75.1

2016/11/21 10:50pm - 40 min after eating shitty breaded wings (stupid me forgot to ask if they were breaded, so it was either eat 'em or toss 'em)
5.2, 0.4, n/a, n/a, n/a

2016/11/22 9:10am
5.5, 0.8, n/a, n/a, n/a

2016/11/23 8:50am
5.4, 0.4, , n/a, n/a, 76.9

2016/11/24 9:20am
5.7, 0.3, n/a, n/a, n/a

2016/11/25 9:00am
5.4, 0.3, n/a, n/a, n/a

2016/11/26 4pm
6.3, 0.2, , n/a, n/a, 78.4

After this?  A full week of eating ... no IF.  (I typically fast for 24 hours twice a week, before my strength training sessions on Monday and Thursday evenings.)
What did I learn from this fast?   Honestly, I dunno ... my blood ketone levels shot up sooner this time than the week-longer I did in April.
What'll I do in 2017?  Not sure ... maybe tweak it to a 7 day fast every 3 months?  

4DX In A Nutshell ...

... too much butt stuff!

Eine Kleine More Detail

+++ elevated platform for feet.  This was my biggest complaint with D-Box.  With the platform, the viewer gets a very good sense of immersion for scenes with graceful chair movement
+ wind effects provide some nice complementary immersion as well

--- sharp, jarring seat movement during action/fight scenes makes viewer lose focus on the screen ; turns the viewer into another level of shaky-cam!
--- air jets at the back of the viewer's head do nothing for the experience ... may be effective in a creature feature where the creature is literally breathing down someone's neck ... #properuseofliterally
- seat rather hard, uncomfortable after an hour or so, assume it's necessary to cover up the machinery required for the butt stuff
- rain effects lame - simply arbitrary spritzes of water ... not that I'd *want* to be drenched during a rain scene, but that would be more immersive than "hey, rain!  we'll spritz you with water at random times!"
--- snow effects lamer ... just some additional snow-like confetti that was dropped in front of the screen ... perhaps the intent was to have the confetti blown across the audience ... but whoop-de-freaking-doo ...



-tak! thbbft!

AAOOOOOOOO! Scary Stuff, Kids!

Earworm Of The Day
But if self-control is what you want
I'll have to break all of my fingers off
- More Than Ever, Lydia Loveless


Micro Rant Of The Day
You know my thoughts on artificial sweeteners.  Hmmm ... maybe not ... I'll have to check if I've ranted about those ...

Long story short : in general, fuck 'em.  Don't go seeking them out, but if there's a small amount of a reasonable one, no big deal.

The complexity lies n that there are lots of artificial sweeteners.   Aye, the rub.  Check the ingredients.

If maltitol is listed, then drop whatever you're holding on the floor and walk away tall.  Walk away ... tall.  Maltitol is cheap-ass garbage.  More than likely it'll upset your stomach.  Its blood glucose impact is about half that of sugar.  Any product that uses it isn't worth spending your money on.

... just kind of felt like going off on maltitol.


Recipe Of The Day

It's what I'm using these days when I get sashimi takeout, instead of the wasabi.

start with some ground ginger ... I use ~2 tsp
add enough organic tamari to make a thick-ish slurry
add a splash of MCT oil
add a large pinch of shaved bonito and mix it all up
you're using the bonito as a binding agent, so continue adding bonito until you get a consistency you like.  Mine ends up being kind of like a paste ...
Smear a blob of that on a piece of sashimi, and go to town!


-tak!  thbbft!

Realistic Magicalism

Race Afterthought
... I wish I got bib #24601, and registered as Jean


Now What Do I Do?

The facts of the matter:

• I knew I could do a half marathon in 3:25 (based on previous runs) - good enough to earn the medal
• Knowing that, I set a "goal time" in my head for less than 3:00, just because it's a nice round time.
• as race day approached, it started to stress me out
•  in order to take my self-imposed pressure off myself, I said that whatever time I hit is the time I hit ... and that's my goal to beat for the full marathon!
• I ran the half marathon in 2:59:56!  Beat my goal time!
• which now means my "new" goal is to beat 2:59:56 for a full marathon!

Oh yeah, I've decided a full marathon is next.  I was bouncing around between trying to get really fast at 5Ks, trying to get faster at a half marathon or do a full marathon.  And at this point, I fall into the endurance camp more so than the speed camp ... I'm an idjit that doesn't know when to quit, not a fast idjit.

Here's where reality kicks in.
AFAIK, 3:00 is *fast* for a marathon, given that 3:25 is the 2018 Boston Marathon Qualifying Time for men aged 45-49.

So, here are the STWM 2017 goals, in order of priority:

1. GET THAT FUCKING 2017 STWM MARATHON MEDAL
   (which means under 6:00, meaning I'm gonna have to boot it, as I barely beat 3:00 for the half, and I dunno if I could have kept up the same pace for another 3 hours)
2. GET THAT FUCKING MEDAL IN UNDER 5:0
3. GET THAT FUCKING MEDAL IN UNDER 4:3
4. GET THAT FUCKING MEDAL IN BOSTON QUALIFYING TIME (because, why the fuck not?  A solid aspirational benchmark, and a good excuse for a trip to Boston)

I'm thinking about a 16-24 week training plan, given I'll have at most 4 days/week to train (Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays already spoken for) ...
I also think I'll take a a periodization approach, so I'll probably do the following:

• Nov - Jan : adding some more focus in strength training (compound movement, maybe some plyometric stuff), and more aerobic base building (mainly rowing and swimming I think)
• Feb : getting back on a track, maybe try a month-long speed training plan
• Mar - Apr : more aerobic base building (back to rowing and swimming)
• May - Oct : implement the 16-20 week marathon plan

-tak! thbbft!

Apparently, I need an Explainer Video to Increase My Conversions

Hey Spammy VideoJeeves,

I did not know that more than 70% of my website visitors bounce because they are more interested in the visual content like images or videos, rather than plain text!
And while you think it means if I replace non-interactive content with engaging Animated Videos, I can increase my conversions by at least 50%.
I think it means that you think that 70% of my website visitors are puerile morons mollified by shiny distractions instead of content.

But, just in case you're right, here's an Animated Video for everyone's amusement.  My Conversions better Increase, VideoJeeves, or else!

-tak! thbbft!

STWM 2016 - My Training Diary (this is long, but there are some pictures, so ... yeah)

Mon Oct 17
One of the reasons the blog has been a little quiet over the past month or so is because I've been journaling here, and didn't want to publish anything until after the race.  Now, here it is, and hopefully I'll return to a more regular irregular writing schedule.   -tak!  thbbft!

P.S.  I will be backsplaining/retconning/updating this periodically as other thoughts pop into my head.

--- snip snip snip ---

Friday Sept 2

Walking home after FanExpo and seeing a live taping of "Jay And Silent Bob Get Old", I saw a poster for the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon (hereafter referred to as STWM).  It got me thinking.

Sunday Sept 4

Looked into STWM ... Full marathon, half marathon and 5k, Walkers allowed, Boston qualifier, one of the fastest courses in Toronto, one of the most generous time allowances ... Hmm.

Mon Sept 5

Maybe I'll do the 5k

Tues Sept 6

Queen's Park wrun

I think I could do the 5k in my sleep ... granted, I've no proof, but c'mon ... I do 5-10k twice most weeks!  If I'm doing this, I'm doing the half marathon

Wed Sept 7

np_yyz!

The more I think about it, the more I want a fucking medallion in 2016!

Thursday Sept 8

Mentioned it to my trainer, she also thinks I can do the half.  That seals it.  I'm doing the half.

Friday Sept 9

Submitted 2 questions to STWM that weren't explicitly in the FAQ ... can I wear a backpack, and since I plan to run-walk, should I register as a runner or a walker?

Sat Sept 10

Sun's out!  Time to run!

Did about an hour of run-walk 60s / 60s ... More tiring by the end of the hour, but not too brutal.

Heart rate way above MAF limit though (expected) ... Between 145-160 most of the run (explains the tiredness) ... Also tweaked to 60 / 180 intervals because HR was getting kinda high ...

Going to be my last "hard day" until race day, I think.  Still was just under 9 min/km doing 60/60 ... Thinking race day pace of 30/60 ... Need a better interval timer

Of course, there's the RBC Race For The Kids next weekend ... 5k medallion?

Sunday Sept 11

Fuck, the RBC race is sold out.

Fuck it, I just registered for the STWM half marathon!

I have a 22km wrun planned out … going to train at MAF rate only … I’ll see 1) how far I get in 3 hours, and 2) how long it takes me to do the walk

I’ve planned my route to go around Mount Pleasant Cemetery … happy birthday, Mookie!

Change of plans … I’ve never deliberately wrun that far before, and the route I planned out leaves me around High Park station … a long way from home if shit goes bad for some reason.  Instead, I’m gonna do 21.1 around Queen’s Park … nice and close to home base.

Did it.  Fuck yeah.  Almost as easy as I thought it was going to be.  21.1 km, at MAF HR of 135 (more or less), in 3:25.  Good enough for a medal!  :)  I think I can do this.

Physically, pretty good.  A little sore by the end.  Think I’ll eat something tonight and have a reduced fast.  Given Sundays are going to be my “long days”, I think I’ll plan to eat at the end of that and simply fast between then and Monday strength training

Mentally, flagged for a bit around the 10km-12km mark, but I think that was as much due to what ended up being a terrible podcast episode for running to (and didn’t want to switch it out).

Physically, again, around the 16km mark, my time per km went up by about 40 seconds to 10:20-10:30, keeping my HR below 135, and my times stayed there for the remainder of the wrun,

Memo to myself : prepare for the last 5 km to be a little tough.

After eating and shower, a little sore all over (mainly back and knees) … nothing outright painful (like the trampoline incident).

Now, the question is … if I push myself (thinking run 30 / walk 60-90), can I beat 3:00?

Memo to myself : PACE YOURSELF AT THE START … go for the first 5km or so at MAF RATE!

Oh right … details!

• Morning - usual fasted ACV/salt/greens+cinnamon+marine phytoplankton mix (so, no maca)
• Lion’s Mane coffee + Chaga + Reishi capsule

• Pre-wrun - usual cocktail of 5g BCAAs, 2 caps creatine, 400mg 2 caps caffeine, 3g ALCAR
• Did the run fasted (duh)
• Took a couple of sips of water throughout, all after ~12km at least, so I think it was more mental (i.e. “hmm I should take a drink”) than physical
• Post-wrun (around 6pm) - usual protein shake (20g whey concentrate + 20g whey isolate + 12g glutamine), 2 caps creatine … also added a packet of Athletic Greens to the shake, assuming this’d be the start of my usual Sunday fast
• Walking home, I felt hungry, and thought it’d be stupid to ignore the feeling given, y’know, I just walked 22km … had 4 scrambled eggs (cooked in butter), a bag of broccoli slaw (cooked in butter + a bit of chicken broth) w/ 2 scoops collagen mixed in, a side of kraut/kimchi
• A lot of marathon guides suggest dudes cover their nipples with band-aids to avoid chafing … that never happened to me … I wonder if my HRM is creating enough space to avoid that?  Do I need to worry about this?  Is it gonna get worse?  It hasn’t to date … so I’m gonna assume I’m fine.

Also, I've now cobbled together 2 or 3 4-5 week half marathon training plans ; trying to keep the intent of the plans intact, while tweaking to fit my schedule (keeping my twice-weekly strength training sessions - what would be referred to as "cross-training" in training plans).

Mon Sept 12

Knees a little achy heading into work (well, going up/down stairs) ; a little achy all over, actually … nothing like DOMS, but definitely feel like I did something yesterday :)  (shit, I just wran a fucking half marathon yesterday!)

Feeling a bit better around 3:30pm

Strength training

My trainer thinks I’m (a little) nuts for doing the half fasted … but that’s how I roll … and she knows it :)

Tues Sept 13

Wrun pre (BCAA, creatine, caffeine, alcar)

10 km MAF - done!  9:58/km pace .. .not thrilled about that, but this is training, not the raee.

Wrun post (whey mix+glutamine ; creatine) + AthleticGreens (wasn’t sure if I’d have dinner or not)

Got home around 10:30, had to eat and had stuff to do

Didn’t get to bed until 12:30 or so ...may have to rethink this … #np_yyz on 5 hours’ sleaep isn’t sustainable

Wed Sept 14

Woke up late … missed the 5:45 Bay 6 bus ; caught the 6:10 bus, made it there with a couple of minutes to spare!  Good to know

ACV+salt ; greens+cinnamon+maca+phyto

#np_yyz pre (EAA, creatine, caffeine)

np_yyz Pyramid workout today …

• 1 lap around Casa Loma (not that long, but ... down stairs!  upward incline!)
• 55 jumping lunges (1 left and 1 right = 1 rep)
• 45 crunch things
• 35 push-ups (did first 5 on toes, then the rest on knees to keep better form)
• 25 star jumps (like squat jumps, but you touch the ground when you squat and throw your arms out like a star when you jump)
• 15 burpees #stillterribleatburpees
• ... and then all of that in reverse order!
• Got back up to 31 jumping lunges before time ran out

Post - whey/glutamine ; creatine

Lunch - greens+butter+peptides ; 2 avocados ; 1 cucumber ; 1 tomato ; ~500g lamb

Trivia! wooo!

Thurs Sept 15

Strength training … took some measurements before workout ... compared to last measurements.  down 1 pound - couldn’t care less (as weight fluctuates) … lost 4.2 pounds of body fat … granted it’s a Tanita unit, which uses electrical impedance and so is apparently pretty inaccurate … but I’ll take that as down is down, even if I don’t trust the specifics.

One step forward, two steps sideways?  Signed up for the free one week trial at the YMCA, because the Central location on Grosvenor has an indoor track, it’s supposed to rain a fuckton on Saturday, and that’s long run day!  Overall a good experience, except my gear let me down.  Plan was 5 km at race pace - so 30s run / 60s walk … fucking timer stopped timing after a few reps … dunno if it’s just a piece of shit app, or if it’s some restriction on the free version … I’ll say this - if it is a restriction, it’s not made clear, and fuck the developer - I’m not buying their fucking shit out of spite.  Then, I discover (although I suppose I should have realized this) that the Wahoo app doesn’t track distance via GPS well inside a building … so fucked if I know how far I’ve actually gone by the time it registers 1 km … according to the time it took ~20m … so I’ve probably gone ~2km … at which point I started marking laps, and decided I’ve already done 5 laps … so 37 more for the night!  (the track is 8 laps/km for the outside/walking lane, and 9 laps/km for the inside/running lane).  And since the timer was fucked, I did run one lap / walk one lap … started getting a little achy near the end, so did a few sets of run one / walk two.  Still, overall successful, and mentally ready for Saturday’s long run.

Fri Sept 16

If I’m gonna have dinner with the boys, I’ll either need to put some time in on the treadmill after dinner (which seems like both a crap-ass idea on a full stomach, and may tip my hand).  So perhaps Fridays are Rest Days from now on.

Sat Sept 17

I used to be happy just wrunning around like an idjit ...

Now that I’m an idjit with a purpose, this shit became a lot less fun.

But it’s just me, messing with mine own head.  Don’t overthink.  Stick to the plan. Keep calm and Kermit on!

16 km - at MAF

Sun Sept 18

6.4 km very slow - just a walk, not even at MAF

Mon Sept 19

Shit show work day, so I’ve pushed my strength training to Tuesday … unplanned rest day!

My first Canadian Inquisition as a regular Bloor Street Irregular went well!  I got 5 2-pointers, so I think I pulled my weight … we won 73-60

Tues Sept 20

Strength training

8 km MAF behind me

Wed Sept 21

Early eye doctor appointment, so no np_yyz for me today :(

Of course, strength training, 8 km MAF and np_yyz all within a 13 hour window would be a little taxing.

3030 … we won!

Thurs Sept 22

Strength training

Plan : 7 km at race pace - 30/60

Did : approx 7km, indoors @ Y - forgot to track all of the laps … race pace of 60/60 for 70% of the run, 60/180 for the remainder … ran out of time - had to get to The Magnificent Seven

Feeding:

• Post-strength : ATP Protein + glutamine + Athletic Greens
• Post wrun : CanProtein + glutamine
• Dinner at movie : tub of guac + collagen peptides ; Hundo Mint

Fri Sept 23

Rest Day?

Sat Sept 24

18 km - at MAF - 2:47 for 18 km, for 9:12 per km … which puts me at 197 min for 21.2 km, or 3:17.  Again, that’s going at MAF pace, at Queen’s Park, cool weather.  So, if STWM is mainly flat roads, and I’m able to push hard during the second half (and maintain 60/60), 3:10 should be within striking distance … maybe even 3:00.

Definitely hitting a heart rate wall around 14km.  Having to go significantly slower to keep HR around 135, adding a good 30+ seconds to each km.

Sun Sept 25

REST DAY!?  Pick-up softball day :)  Funzo, haven’t played in years … not enough people for a proper game, so batting practice for everyone … I still can’t throw for shit (can’t accurately throw from 3B to 1B), still can’t hit for shit (gotta work on opening up the hips), but decent hustle and decent fielding.

Mon Sept 26

Strength training

CanInq - lost (71-67), but personally did ok - 5 2’s (tied for most for the team on the night!)

Feeding:

• Post-strength : ATP Protein + glutamine + Athletic Greens + cinnamon
• Bedford Academy : tub of guac + collagen peptides ; kale salad w/ 2 salmon, side dressing no currants

Tues Sept 27

8 km MAF - no big whoop

Ordered one pouch of pureWOD Greens Powder to try, mainly because it has some MCT powder … figure I’ll play with pureWOD Greens as a “meal supplement” (Monday post-workout and Thursday post-workout) for marathon prep … we’ll see how it goes https://www.purewod.com/products/purewod-greens-micronutrient-powder

Wed Sept 28

Another early eye doctor appointment, so no np_yyz for me today :(

3030 - won again!  Aahoo!

Feel a cold coming on … I could actually feel myself feeling shittier as the day progressed - mainly a scratchy throat

Thurs Sept 29

Definitely riding the edge of a cold … scratchy throat, a bit phlegmy, the odd sneeze.

Gonna fight back hard with teas, lots of vitamin C, and some Evil Elixir (juice of 1 lemon, 1 tbsp ACV, 1 tbsp salt sole, 1 tsp powdered ginger, 1 tsp powdered garlic, 1 tsp cayenne - mix together and CHUG!)

Strength training

5 km at race pace

• Track at the Y is 9 laps/km on the inside (running) track ; 8 laps/km on the outside track
• KM 1 - running lane, all 9 laps at a sustainable pace - 7:45
• KM 2 - 5 : ( walk 1 lap, run 2 laps ) x 3 for 9 laps - 8:30 (plus or minus a few seconds)
• Heart race was through the roof … 155-175, so yeah, I think my aerobic base is still shit, but I could probably have done another 5km at walk 1 run 2 ...

I think this solidifies my plan to wrun the first 15km or so at strict MAF pace, and then step it up from there.

Fri Sept 30

Rest Day!

Also, LUKE CAGE drops today!

Also, holy fuck, it’s basically in 2 WEEKS!

Sat Oct 1

20 km - at MAF

Sun Oct 2

5 km very slow - just a walk, not even at MAF

Not gonna do softball today …

Mon Oct 3

Strength training

CanInq - had a really fucking good night … 8 2’s (granted, I got lucky wrt questions)

Tues Oct 4

Rest day.

Got home around 7pm, was feeling really fucking tired.  Really really needed a nap, anaged to eat a bag of bacon jerky before I did so.  Woke up around 1am, wandered right off to bed.

Wed Oct 5

Still really fucking tired, needed sleep, so missed np_yyz, missed PR day :(

Trivia

Thurs Oct 6

Strength training

Dinner in Mississauga, so pushing running to Friday

Fri Oct 7

No Rest Day for me ... replacement running day

5 km at race pace! Running @ YMCA ; 9 laps = 1 km (on the inside lane)
Did first 2 km all running
Next 2 km - walk 1 lap, run 2 laps, and repeat
Last lap - all running - gotta finish strong

Sat Oct 8

8 km - at MAF … tapering ... piece of steak! (no cake here! :) )

Sun Oct 9

5 km very slow - just a walk, not even at MAF

It’s next Sunday!

Mon Oct 10

Strength training

Thanksgiving - so no CanInq

Tues Oct 11

7 km MAF ... between 8:45 and 9:30 per km ; my cadence was over 130 steps per minute (getting better!)

Wed Oct 12

Np_yyz … race-friendly today, as a bunc of np’ers are also running on Sunday

• 1 lap around Casa Loma (uphill section!)
• 10 burpees
• 10 v-ups
• plank (up to 1 min)
• 20 Russian twists (l + r = 1)
• 10 push ups
• And repeat

Trivia!

Thurs Oct 13

Getting a little anxious … thoughts are racing (ha ha ha I’m sooo fucking funny) through my head about  what I’m going to do on race day … if I want sub 3 hours, I think I’m gonna have to run all the way, and I dunno if I can do that … do I try?  If I kill myself in the first half, can I finish?  And then there’s all the anecdotes on the interwebs about real runners who have started off too fast and burned out … no, wait … cancel cancel cancel.  Stick with the plan.  Stick with the plan.  Granted, the plan is totally half-assed based on smooshing together a bunch of plans I found on the interwebz and tweaking for my preferences … but STICK WITH THE PLAN.  Fuck *focusing* on the time goal.

Final Plan:

• WRun the first half at MAF pace
• Then start going 1 song run, 1 song walk
• Then start going 2 songs run, 1 song walk
• LAST KM - run you clever boy, and remember!

Goals:

1. GET THAT FUCKING MEDAL!
2. GET THAT FUCKING MEDAL in under 3:15
3. GET THAT FUCKING MEDAL in under 3:10
4. GET THAT FUCKING MEDAL in under 3:00

Strength training

Inspiration!  Figured out a way to not stress about the time on Sunday.

Keeping the Goals in mind … the time I wrun on Sunday is the time i wrun … and *that* becomes the time to beat for the full marathon next year!

Fri Oct 14

Race Packet pickup!  … all the swag!  (meh …)

And here’s the course!

Rest Day

Sat Oct 15

30 min @ YMCA … feeling great!  Cadence between 132-137 steps/min … did ~4km in ~35 min apparently.

Prep:

• Make a bottle of salt water - done
• Break up half a bar of chocolate, put it in a ziploc bag - nah, I be good
• Fill the blender bottle with some kind of mineral water - nah, not carrying a backpack agter all
• Pin number to shirt - done
• Lay out shirt, shorts, socks, shoes - done
• Stash kleenex in shorts pockets! - done
• Prep flipbelt - done
• Charge headphones and cell phone! - charging
• Lay out HRMs - done

Right now I’m 50% chill, 50% excited, and 50% freaked the fuck out!  If I’m not careful, I’m gonna tear space-time a new one!

Mantra : Run Far, You Clever Boy, And Lift Heavy Shit!

Sun Oct 16

Race Day!  wooo!

Memo to myself : The last 5 km may be a little tough, but YOU’VE GONE THIS DISTANCE BEFORE

Memo to myself : PACE YOURSELF AT THE START … go for the first 5km or so at MAF RATE!

Went to bed around 1am, 

Plan is to get up for 6:45am, be out the door at 7:45am, gets me to the area around 8:00am

I got like *no* fucking sleep last night.  Excitement and nerves got the better of me ... I think I had one sleep cycle ...

Woke up on time, everything good, 

2 podcasts queued up, ~65 min and ~89 min, then hit the playlist!

8:50 am - oh great, it's starting to rain ... #dontgiveafuck

9:05am - time to go!

In-race thoughts, observations, memories, in chronological order ...

• running a little more at the start to keep up with the masses ... dropped down to a walk around Queen's Park
• There are km markers along the route which is useful (duh) ... I'll use my hrm lap counter to measure timing per km.
• at 5km, there are these pad things (they look like wide versions of the ramp-style covers you see covering electrical cables and wires on the floors at outdoor events and stuff), and a course worker is reminding people to step on them ... then I realize it must be to make sure the timing system registers the chip in my bib for split timing ... and a chill goes down my spine!  Did I step on the pad at the start?  It *can't* be physical contact with the pad thing, can it - it must be just to make sure you're in range.  What if I fucked up at the start?  Will I get my medal?  Oh fuckity fuck fuck, if I don't get my medal ... fuck it.  There's no way this shit could be that fickle.  Stick to the plan.  Stick to the plan.
• I'm wruning surprisingly fast - around 8:30 - 8:40/km - fast enough to make me question if something's wrong with my tech ...
• Every time I see a sea of Gatorade cups or empty goo packets littering the course, I feel like screaming "Sugar burners!  You're nothing but a bunch of sugar burners!" in my best English Bob.
• Technology problem!  Second podcast isn't playing, so kicking in the playlist ahead of schedule!  *now* who's crazy for building a 420 song, 27 hour playlist?!?!? #wontbebored #shuffleftw
• I saw Marathon Jebus, complete with shaggy hair, robe, *and* carrying a cross!
• What are those little kids doing running around on the edge of the course?! OH! They're running up to give high-fives! I'm down with that!
• 19km ... when I get to 20km, time to run!
• 20km - started running ... ugh fuck, that's hard, but slight incline going north on Bay from the Lakeshore through the tunnel, so kept it up ... hearing what seems like a faint, dull roar ...
• dropped back to a walk around Wellington; noise getting louder - holy shit, that's people making noise!
• crowds are getting heavier lining the course ...
• I see a 500m marker, and other markers further along, I guess they're marking every 100m until the end.
• 500m is only 4 laps of the YMCA track ... fuck it, I'm running!
• Why the fuck did 200m -> 100m seem so short, but 100m -> finish seem so fucking *FAR*?!?!?
• I crossed the finish line to Robyn's "U Should Know Better"! (completely not cherry-picked ... granted, I skipped songs I didn't feel like listening to at the time, but I wasn't looking for that specific song, which has been a personal anthem of mine for years)
• And they're handing out medals! Even if I fucked up the chip timing thing, I STILL GET MY MEDAL! FUCK YEAH!

before 12:10pm - FINISH LINE CROSSED!  Dunno my actual time, I'll have to go home and check, but I'm pretty sure I beat 3:10!  wooo!

Usual post wrun stretching ... could have spend more time stretching, but I'm kind of excited at the moment.

Took a couple of shameless selfies.

Grabbed some water, and had my usual post-workout protein/glutamine/greens drink.

I redeem my post-race food voucher ... and this is what everyone gets:

#whatthefuckisthismess #irunonfat #idsayitsalljokesbutmetabolicderangementisnojoke

And I guess that's that ...

1:40pm … Official time (chip time) : 2:59:55.1 … YES! YES! YES! FUCK YEAH!

Gun time 3:21:45 (time from when the gun goes off until I hit the finish line … but since the gun went off at 8:45am, and my corral didn’t start until 9:05 .. yeah)

I had a theory that because the track at the YMCA was a 125m loop, that I may be losing some time due to lots of cornering, and that I’d be faster on longer stretches of straight surfaces, but didn’t want to set any expectations on that (as I had no real proof).

I also called an audible on the course (which turned out to be really good, I think) - I wran/jogged/whatever/just didn’t walk up any upward inclines - my thinking was that if I walked up them, it’d slow down my pace, and if I wran up them, worst case it should be around my normal walking pace.

2:00pm … and how do I feel now?  I feel ok.  Kinda sorta hungry but not really, kinda sorta gotta poop but not really.

2:10pm … ok, that’s over … now what?  ;P

9:30pm - time for bed

Mon Oct 17

Post Race Day!
How am I feeling?  A little stiff and achy ... but only a little ... I've felt worse before, so this is no big deal.   I'll go as hard as I can in the gym today.