Go the Distance 10K Remiss-nance

   In my probably somewhat dehydrated state as I was doing yesterday's re-cap, I was extremely remiss and forgot to touch on a couple of things!
   I never did really mention what my time was. I think I left this out mainly because it was pretty insignificant to me, I was way more focused on simply finishing the race without embarrassing myself. Well, my time was 1:20. Not good, I know. At the same time it was pretty well bang-on with the other two times I've completed 10K, running on my own and in probably easier (read much cooler) conditions. Yesterday, it was in the high seventies with no cloud cover and I remember that by the third water station I was holding an e-load in one hand, which I drank, and a water in my other hand, which went over my head (should have removed my glasses first!)
   Another thing to touch on is that I am fat! Woo hoo! Nothing like a side pic taken by my Sweetie at the start line to visually remind me of this!


That's me at the back, neon shirt and white cap. The tip of my gut is thankfully hidden from view
but I think if you just extrapolate a bit you'll get the gist of things! Back to running more regularly!!





 
 

   I also didn't mention that this race was part of the London Honda Road Race series, a series of six races over the running season. Each race collects pledges for local charities and yesterday's race was dedicated to Hope's Garden. Hope's Garden is a support and resource centre for people with eating disorders. Here is a pic of their brochure and a link, just in case you're a "local" and might be interested in getting more info (or donating!)

                                 www.hopesgarden.org

   Okay, I think that about sums it up for my remiss-nance! Thanks to the many of you who offered support and words of wisdom as I whined and fretted in the lead-up to this 10K and then afterwards as well. Also, many thanks to my sweetie, Doralyn, who got me there and back safely yesterday (and who generally gets me there and back in most of the aspects of our relationship!)
   In the meantime, happy and healthy running to you all!




Go the Distance 10K Re-cap

   Yay, I am done the Go the Distance 10K! And if I don't want to, I never have to do it again! (but I suspect I will)

The "before" pic.

    If you've been reading along lately, you know that I've been having quite a bit of trepidation about this morning's race here in London. It was my first 10K and the training leading up to it had been almost non-existent. I also had the very realistic fear of coming in dead last.
   Well, although I started dead last (self-fulfilling prophecy?), I didn't finish dead last, so, in that regard, the race was successful.

The race started just adjacent to Budweiser
Gardens, home of this year's Memorial Cup.

  It was an absolutely gorgeous morning here in London and this buoyed my spirits as Doralyn and I headed downtown. The race followed an out-and-back course which took us from downtown London along city streets til eventually we got to the river and just followed it. This was one of the nice parts for me because this got me back on trails I'd done a fair bit of running on back in the endless winter.
  

Covent Garden Market, where the
racers gathered. Pretty cool place,
if you ever wanna visit!

I did start out dead last; I tend to line up near the back at the starting line and as the race began I took a look behind me and...no-one! My plan had been to run at my marathon (giggle) pace and let the chips fall where they may but it was a little discouraging to know that a couple of hundred people were watching my sad ass marching down King Street in last place, with the rest of the runners slowly pulling away so I cranked it up a notch, just to keep up.
   About half a kilometer along, I came up behind a woman who had already slowed down almost to a walk. I passed her with an encouraging word and immediately felt better--I had the feeling I no longer had my "last place" issues to deal with and, all of the sudden, just started to enjoy myself.
   Along the way, I passed a couple more people. Right off the bat, I had noticed this older woman running up ahead and flash-backed to my last race where I got beat out by this seventy-year-old lady speedwalker. This lady today might even have been the same lady, wasn't sure, but I was wary! We did this "you pass me, I pass you" thing for awhile and at one point, as it was her turn to pass me she said "You're not going to let yourself lose to a 77-year-old woman, are you?" I laughed out loud and told her that was exactly my strategy!


Yay!

   Walk breaks were plentiful and the last kilometer was slightly uphill and a bit of a killer but then...it was done! It felt so good to get this 10K out of the way and not have to worry about it anymore. As well, it means I can just get out and run for fun again without the feeling that I'm "training" for something in particular. The next race up is a 5K and that's gonna feel like coming home!


Uh oh....

   My plan was to go out for an 8K run today and test a batch of ENERGYbits I got for Father's Day. I wanted to do this in preparation for my 10K race on Sunday.
   It did not go well.
   I got to about 5K and then tanked right out. Couldn't force myself to run any further.
   I had been attempting to run with scheduled one minute walk breaks every 12 minutes and then gradually make the walk breaks a little more frequent. This worked til about the 40-minute mark and then nothing could get me going again.
   It occurs to me that if I can barely complete a 5K run section then it might be a little presumptuous to assume that I'm going to be able to complete a 10K run on Sunday.
   Unless maybe adrenaline kicks in!
   As I was running this aft, I kept waiting for the ENERGYbits to kick in. My expectation was that I would miraculously not feel tired at the usual times. This did not appear to be what happened today. But I will try again Sunday....
   At this point, I have absolutely no strategy for this race on Sunday. I have the feeling that if I plan on walking intervals then they're gonna have to be a lot more frequent than they were today. The other option is to run at my marathon (giggle) pace for the entire race and see what happens. My "marathon" pace (I have never run a marathon, mind you) is simply what a lot of people would more aptly describe as a very brisk walk. This would likely get me back to the finish line round about the same time the awards ceremony ends....
   Or maybe I should just go and have fun, chat with people, joke around, commiserate a little, enjoy the scenery take lots of pics, that kind of thing. That sound okay??
   Or should I call in the big guns, as evidenced by the only pic I took this aft.....

God is in town...?

This might get ugly...

   Okay, so this weekend I am running the Go the Distance 10K here in London. This is part of the London Honda Road Race series and will be my first race at that distance. I've only actually ever run 10K twice before. My times were horrible and I'm realistically looking at the possibility of coming in last on Sunday.
   I have no doubt that I'll be able to run the distance (likely with the odd walking break) but in the last 10K race in this series the last place finisher had the same time as I've run it in my two opportunities.
   Knowing this, I had planned on training intensively for the last two months.
   This did not happen.
   I'm not exactly sure why it didn't, apart from being sick for part of that and having some back issues. There were, though, plenty of opportunities to get out there and follow the Higdon training plan I'd found. About as much as I did was a couple of the longer runs.
   The temp on Sunday is supposed to be close to 80 degrees, whereas the other 10Ks I've run were in freezing, winter weather. So I  might have a bit of an issue with hydration, just hoping there's lots of water stops!

Race day lifesavers?

   On top of everything else, I've stopped being gluten-free over the last month and a half or so and I'm not sure how I'm handling this. The original idea was that it might keep me away from a lot of extra carbs (which it did) and I have possibly over-indulged in the "good stuff" since. I know for a fact that I've gained pretty close to five extra pounds since switching back and just generally not felt as good.
   One of the things I am looking forward to, however, is being able to try out my new supply of ENERGYbits! Doralyn surprised me with ENERGYbits for Father's Day last week and I've been dying to try them out ever since. Basically, ENERGYbits are tiny little tabs of concentrated spirulina algae and are designed as an energy booster, to be used prior to working out or sports. I made need them Sunday! I will use them for a shorter run on Friday, just to make sure they sit well, and then we'll see how it goes on race day!
   Wish me luck!

Die, You Retic!

   Okay, that was really bad. The title of this post, I mean.
   Because I have absolutely NO running lately to blog about and yet still have this weird desire to call myself a Canuck Running Blogger, I offer up this short little effort about a subject I don't think I've actually seen addressed anywhere in regards to running.
   I take a diuretic on a regular basis (okay, does the post title make sense now?) as a component of another medication I take regularly which helps keep my blood pressure in check. Chances are I'll be taking this med long-term and it's already been several years with no real detrimental side effects I've been able to ascertain.
   It does, however, affect my running.
   Because I am a man and men are (occasionally) stupid, it has happened that I've forgotten to take this particular med from time to time. It's also happened that I've run out of it and time has elapsed before I've acquired more.
   Two years ago, shortly after I'd begun participating in the Running Room Learn-to-Run classes, I was running along a sidestreet in downtown London with the other members of the class and found I could barely breathe. We'd travelled all of half a block and I had the very real fear that I wasn't going to be able to complete the run. I couldn't remember ever feeling quite this way!
   I recall one of the co-leaders of the group realizing I was having difficulties and pulling up along side of me to offer support and advice. Nothing much she had to offer, though, did any good. I finally was able to complete the run but just barely.
   I am fairly self-analytical when it comes to most things sports- and health-related and found myself scratching my head about it all the way back in the car.
   When I got home, it dawned on me.
   About four days earlier, I had run out of meds. I'd called and re-ordered them but then life happened and I never managed to get back in and pick up my prescription. Essentially, the lack of diuretic in my system had filled me up with fluid to the point where my lungs were acting at much less than capacity.
   I might not have made that connection, however, had it not been for my experience with my Dad several months earlier.
   I had received a call from his pharmacy saying that my Dad was there to pick up his meds and that he was having a very difficult time catching his breath. I immediately went to investigate and discovered that he basically was unable to take any more than about ten halting steps before needing to rest and let his breathing catch up. I managed to get him to the nearest emergency department and they immediately began testing and bloodwork. To make a long story somewhat shorter, they discovered he was suffering from congestive heart failure and that his system was no longer able to properly handle the fluids in it. They pumped him full of heavy-duty diuretics and he immediately felt better and could breathe much more easily. Ever since then, I've been much more aware of the fluid levels in my system.
   Once I got "caught up" with my diuretic, life returned to normal, I've not had the same probs anymore (which is not to say that haven't been out of breath while running) and I pay much more attention to taking my meds appropriately.
   Having said that, I did just miss two days of the diuretic again (I'm a man...) and although I didn't experience any breathing difficulties (when you don't actually run, breathing's pretty easy) what I did notice is that I gained a couple of unexplained pounds. I do a pretty good job of explaining away weight losses and gains given how much food and/or exercise I've had so when a couple of pounds appear mysteriously I can usually blame forgetting my meds.
   To be clear here, I am in no way a medical person and I do not endorse diuretics as part of a weight-loss strategy! So far from it! I did want to offer just a little bit of my own insight into a possibly running-related health issue I've never heard anyone else bring up anywhere, so that if perhaps you were already on some kind of health regimen involving a diuretic and a similar situation as what I described above occurred, you might be able to put the pieces together a little more quickly! (whew, breathing hard after a long run-on sentence now!)
   So in the meantime, happy and healthy running to you all and I've gotta go pee now....