On The Trails Again And Some Actual RUNNING!

   This was supposed to have been the summer I really got into trail-running. I got a bit of a taste of it at the end of last summer and vowed that I would get into it full-time come this summer.
   I actually ran trails most of the winter long (it was a reasonably mild winter here in London) and felt that I was well on my way to enjoying an awesome Spring and Summer. 
   Unfortunately, these plans got a little de-railed back in May. Wanting to see what marvelous benefits my winter training had wrought, I attempted to go run the streets in my neighbourhood. My knee popped on me about four houses down and that was it for running. My doctor told me that walking would be okay, so that's what I did. Started easy and then got into it with a vengeance and ended up hiking about 110 kilometers worth of the Thames Valley Trail in the month of July.

Warbler

   I also spent a great deal of time  on my knees in the  backyard, laying stepping stones and border rock. What with all the hiking and kneeling, my right knee never truly had a good chance to recover.
   Lately, though, I've managed to take a break from all this and my knee ended up feeling much better. So much so, in fact, that I actually decided to try and go for a short trail run this past Thursday.
   My plan was to hike through nearby Warbler Woods and then on to Kains Woods, which are more or less adjacent to each other. Once in Kains, the plan was then to run for at least a kilometer and see how I felt.
   Well, I started to run and it did not feel good. Had a fair amount of pain in the knee and after about a hundred meters I shut it down. In my head, I began this list of all the medical stuff the knee was going to require and especially began entertaining concerns that I was now dealing with something chronic, as opposed to temporary.
   And then I remembered almost every other time I had ever gone running, especially after a layoff. My knees always hurt. And even though they always hurt, I persevere until gradually things loosen up, parts fall into place and I end up running just fine, thank you. It occurred to me then that this might be what was happening. I decided to give it another shot and, sure enough, after a little bit the knee came around and ended up being quite workable. I ended up running for the allotted kilometer and then returned to walking briskly. I had set my Garmin when I walked out the door and as soon as it hit 5K I turned around and headed back the same way I came.
   

The entrance to Kains Woods. Took my
trekking poles for the hilly, hiking parts.
While I was running, I pretended they
were spears.....*giggle*

The right knee seemed fine at the time but I knew that the telling part would come the next day. On Friday, however, the knee continued to feel good (well, as much as a 64-year-old knee can) and I had no issues with bending, kneeling or using stairs. Woo hoo! 
   So now the plan is simply to do this a little more often and up the running portion of it by small increments. I also still have the option of seeing a PT for the knee, as I do have a referral, if at some point it flares up again. Perhaps a little hard work mixed with
optimistic caution will get me trail-running next summer! We shall see!

Back at it again (again)

   After about a month's worth of not running, due to some extreme cramping issues and then about three week's worth of a nasty head and chest cold, I finally made it out again yesterday.
   As I am wont to do lately, I headed to nearby Kains Woods. My plan was to walk there, run 5K in the woods and then walk back. It was in the teens here in London and was simply a great day to get out for a walk/run and a lot of other people had the same idea. This is one of the best parts about running here---meeting other people, even if only very briefly. It's just not quite the same as running into people out on a   neighbourhood road or sidewalk where you meet people on their way to work, or the store, or school. In the forest, you're all there for essentially the same reason, to get away from it all, and it becomes a bit of a bonding sort of thing.
   One of the last times I had spent any great amount of time running through Kains, I had kind of overdone it a touch and had attempted some 10K runs I was not prepared for. Nasty, nasty cramps ensued afterwards. I gave it a couple of days of rest and then tried a shorter distance but found my left quad seizing up after only about a kilometer and a half. Then I got sick. This gave my old legs the recovery time they needed, although I did make it out for a couple of long walks.
   I also brought up the subject of cramping with my chiro, and she suggested starting on a regular dose of essential fatty acids and magnesium. This I've done. My family doctor, after recent bloodwork, suggested iron, which I've also done. 
   So yesterday I walked about 2 and half K til I got to Kains and then I started running. The wooded part of the trail is about 4 and a half K so my plan was to run to the end of it and then turn around and start running back, til my Garmin had me at 5K.
   About a hundred meters into the run, I developed a sharp pain in my right ankle, so sharp that I had to stop and hop a little. I imagined the bones and tendons in my ankle having the following conversation---Hey, what the hell is he doing?! Get out of my way, tendon, you're pissing me off! Up yours, bone, keep it up and you're gonna make me snap! What, is he RUNNING again? Oh crap! Okay...let's just see if we can get him through this ONE MORE TIME.....And at this point, things down there more or less got back to normal!

Now look up, look WAY up...and you'll see a couple of bald eagles!

   I did stop a handful of times to take pics and drink. At one point, I had just finished taking a pic and a young lady who was walking the other way with her two dogs, asked me if I knew that the eagles were back. I looked at her kind of blankly and indicated that I had no idea what she was talking about. Apparently there is a pair of bald eagles who nest across the river from Kains and if you're a regular in the area then you're probably aware of them. Me, I've just started exploring the woods and had no idea about them. They hadn't been seen lately but now they were back and she very sweetly volunteered to backtrack a little and show me where I could best view them. Unfortunately, the zoom lens on my phone was not able to catch the best pic (then again, it's a Samsung, so I guess I should just be happy that it didn't blow up!) Pretty cool though.
   The rest of my run was uneventful. Passed about 20 people out walking in the opposite direction and then, when we all turned around and headed back, I passed them again. Once I hit 5K, I stopped running and then walked the rest of the way. By the time I made it out of the woods, my legs were feeling it. Yesterday evening, however, cramps were really not an issue so I don't know whether it was the new vitamins or me just being a little more mindful. What I really need to realize is that running through a forest takes more of a toll than on the streets. I'll need to remember this. In the meantime, here's a bit of a photo dump from yesterday!

Sometimes hard to see the trail this time of year!

The ever-present Thames River

I've walked past this dozens of times and must have thought it was
a large rock or something. Closer inspection tells me it was some
sort of a man-made thing at one time.

On the other side of the river, you can catch a glimpse of the
London Hunt and Country Club (careful how you say that!)

Brand new boardwalk! They treat us well, in Kains Woods!

Long out of the woods now---this tunnel takes me under a busy road.
I generally try not to go "into the light" but this is one of the exceptions

   

Longest Run Ever? And Hydration Issues!

   Okay, so yesterday I made sure the Garmin was properly charged and headed off yet again to Komoka Provincial Park. On my last run there I'd had a specific mileage goal but the Garmin crapped out on me mid-run, so I was not quite sure what my mileage was that day.

Every fifty feet or so, you could
take a pic like this!

   It's September now and, right on cue, the weather has turned a little cooler and a lot of the crushing humidity has disappeared. It was still a warm 24C when I set out but it was a much nicer run than any of them lately.
   Had to pay a little extra to park as I was planning on being out for about three hours this time around and you have to pay for either 2 hours or 4 hours, so, $7.50 later, I was on my way! (exorbitant, I know...)
   I was determined to explore a couple of new trails when I came across them and so I did. The main trail at Komoka is the White one and you can see most of the things you might want to by sticking on it. There is also the Blue trail and I set off on it when I found it. After being on it only a short time, I then came across the Orange trail branching off of it and decided that I would see where it took me. It was a fairly short little trail and all it did was take me back to a part of the Blue trail I'd already been on so I filed this away for future reference.
   

The old parking lot. Kinda sad but
some great memories!

The Blue trail ended up taking me back to the old parking lot we used to use before they implemented the new pay system. I don't really miss it as it was a mess of potholes. Yesterday, it just looked a little sad. I then headed back until the Blue hooked up again with the White and I just stayed on that for the rest of the afternoon. My goal was to exceed 5K on this run and I did that fairly early. My next goal was to make it to The Steps. The Steps consist of a winding set of wooden landings which take you down to the Thames River, enabling you to run more or less along the river for a ways. There are 60 steps in all (I counted) and they make for kind of a refreshing change in your run or hike. Depending on  where you are in your run or hike, they can also be a little daunting. I've been up and down them several times and had promised myself that one of these days I would run up them, thinking this would be way off in the future. Yesterday, though, I decided to run up them, likely because I knew I was near the end of the running portion of my afternoon and would be able to recover afterwards.

Cool tree just off the Blue trail. Has
obviously been a meeting area. as it
is covered with carved messages.

   Well, I didn't exactly bound up the steps but I did manage to get up them, running. I briefly thought I would need to just walk the last flight but knowing this would take away from the accomplishment I forced myself to finish the thing off. Thank Buddha there was a bench at the top or I likely would have fallen in a heap! I'm kind of glad that there were no other people around at the time or likely the paramedics would have been called....
   The last time out, I'd gotten a little hungry so this time I brought along a sandwich to eat, my plan being to eat it at the top of The Steps. At the top of The Steps, however, I felt more like puking than eating so left the sandwich tucked away.
   At this point, the Garmin told me I was just shy of 8K so when I got back down the steps I started running again until I hit 8K and then I just hiked the rest of the way back, as had been my plan. 

One of those messages

   The park was busy, it being the weekend and all and I saw even more people than usual. They come in all shapes and sizes--- young couples, families with kids (some with babies in slings), people with dogs, older men with full backpacks, and the occasional runner. There is a rule in the park about dogs being on leashes and, unfortunately, this gets ignored a little too often. It is a little disconcerting to be running around a corner in the forest, only to come face-to-face with a couple of unleashed, large dogs who are strangers to you. Their owners are never far away but this doesn't alleviate the mini-tension which sets in. I always stop dead in my tracks when I see dogs, even the ones on leashes, until they pass. I was running in my neighbourhood once when I passed a couple with their dogs on leashes and thinking I was safe, did not give them enough leeway. In his excitement, one of the dogs suddenly leapt up on me, tearing a hole in my shirt and breaking skin. So I am extra wary of dogs! Most people with dogs in the park, though, have them on leashes and go out of their way to restrain them as runners or other hikers pass. One of the couples (with an unleashed dog) actually had a GoPro attached to its collar. They say it makes for a pretty interesting video and I must say I'd be interested to see the trails from a dog's perspective!

A creek beneath a bridge. I was VERY
thirsty at this point and the water was
SO clear and cold-looking....

   Okay, at this point, a little about my hydration fails. Until recently, in my 5K runs around the neighbourhood, I've been able to get away with a using a Fuel Belt 7 oz. arm band bottle. Unfortunately, this doesn't cut it for being out in the trails for three hours. I hate carrying anything when I run, so what I've been doing lately is bringing extra water in the car and then returning to the parking lot to refill the arm bottle. This is almost never convenient. I also find that I start to get hungry when I'm out so now there's a need to carry extra stuff with me. At this point, it seems almost inevitable that a hydration vest is in order, just which one? And can I afford it? Hmm...

A memorial bench, for a couple of
obviously well-thought-of hikers!

   Possibly coupled with my hydration fails, I actually started to cramp up yesterday, during the walking portion. At one point, I was walking up a steep, root-infested hill and realized that my right foot was not always going exactly where I was aiming it. Upon investigation, it seemed as though the muscles in that leg were not contracting properly. I was also getting the odd little twinge and I knew that I was borderline full-on cramping so I adjusted myself accordingly and became more mindful. At that point I was nearing 10k altogether and 8K of that had been running through a hilly forest. This is way more than I've done lately and not far off as much as I have ever done. And, if you factor in the terrain, it was possibly my longest run of all time so maybe a little cramping was in order! 

Once again, The Steps. They always
seem to make a good pic. I had just
run up them and had to sit for a while
before even being able to take the pic...

   Later that evening, after much re-hydration, a full-on cramp in my left inner thigh did take hold and I was in a fair bit of agony for about 5 minutes, til it settled. Lots of expletives, you should have been there! Unfortunately, there is a fair amount of contradicting info on the internet as to what actually causes cramps and what some preventative courses might be. My best guess is that yesterday it was a perfect storm of hydration issues and plain overdoing it. Will try and be a little wiser next time!

Bit Of A Minor Breakthrough

   Back when I first started running, I ran and I ran and I ran. I ran regardless of the weather and I ran if it was my day to run, even if I didn't feel quite like it. I was a newbie runner in my late fifties and eventually I found myself running 5K in the mid thirty minute range.
  Then a whole bunch of life happened.
   I came down with PF, cured that but then it was a whole string of medical issues and all manner of distractions and then, before you know it, it's a couple of years later and I'm running 5K in the low forties---my last timed race back in the summer had me clocked at 41:27.
   Back in August, though, things began to change.
   I decided to stop eating meat, for one thing. This was more a matter of conscience than anything and I'd been thinking about doing it for a long time. I also decided to re-dedicate myself to running consistently.
   When I combined these two things, two more things started to happen---I lost weight and I got faster! Who knew that eating healthier and getting regular exercise might lead to some kind of weight loss and increased performance? Weird, eh??
   I generally run the same 5K route in my neighbourhood and starting in late August the time it took me to do this started decreasing by 15 to 30 seconds a session. I basically had to work my ass off for those seemingly minimal gains and I always had the feeling that the next time out would be a disaster. Except for the occasional blip (getting attacked by a dog, stopping my Garmin at a stoplight and then forgetting to restart it), there were no disasters!

From this....

   The one run I did which resulted in the smallest improvement was, oddly, the one run where I didn't stop for a walk break. The walk breaks had been happening less and less and I decided that I would attempt a whole 5K running. I managed to do this and took a look down at the Garmin and discovered I'd only dropped five seconds by not walking. It then occurred to me that the occasional very short walk break then enabled me to run faster afterwards whereas, without one, I needed to slow down and pace myself. I vowed at that point to take a walk break whenever I absolutely needed to.

...to this!

   Yesterday was a bit of a breakthrough. I actually ran a full minute faster than the previous time and this brought me down to the mid-thirties again. Kinda back where I started! Not only that, there's been the odd time lately when, if I'd run early in the day, I actually felt like running again, later on. This was the clearest sign to me that I was back to where I really wanted to be.
   From here, it's kind of uncharted territory. My biggest goal for the longest time has been to break the 30 minute mark in a 5K. Though maybe not impossible, this has certainly seemed improbable. Until now, anyway...

  

Me and my damn Virtual Partner

   In my last post (which seems like ages ago) I made mention of negative splits, as I had just found out what they actually were and what the concept was behind them.
   I then decided that I would attempt to utilize them and set out last week on a 5k run. I have a Garmin and thought that I would use it to help me co-ordinate these splits.
   Well, having a Garmin and knowing how to properly use a Garmin are two radically different things. I ran the first k at a relatively slow (even for me) pace and then attempted to reset the Garmin. I thought I'd done this but at the end of my second k, I discovered I'd only just paused the Garmin and had no real idea where the hell I was for a time anymore. This pretty well totally discombobulated me and the rest of the run was more or less a washout.
   The next time I got out, I got the idea of using the Virtual Partner feature on the Garmin to assist me with this. My brilliant plan was to set a target pace for 5k, let my VP get slightly ahead of me, catch up to him by about halfway and then blow past him in the home stretch.

Sort of the opposite of what MY Garmin looked like!

   So we set off together, my VP and I, and he very slowly pulled away. This was the plan so this was not a problem. From looking at the screen, it looked like he was only about ten yards ahead of me at the most, almost like I could reach out and tap him on the shoulder if I wanted.
   By about the halfway point, he was pretty close to the edge of the screen so this where I picked up the pace a touch.
   And so, apparently, did he.
   That was pretty well the last I saw of my VP, the bastard obviously had his own nefarious little plan and went about putting it into play. Seeing as how he was now off the edge of the screen, never to be seen again, I have no idea whether he cheated, took a shortcut, hopped on a bike or maybe even had a friend pick him up in a car. All I really know is that, the next time, I'm not letting him out of my sight!