My Non-Forrest Moment and a Strange Click in My Hip!

   Yesterday afternoon, I played my first game of ball hockey in about two and a half years. Because it's been so long, there was a fair amount of trepidation on my part as to how I would perform and how my body might react.
   I was pleasantly surprised!
   In my last blog post, I described my concern that, at full speed in the midst of a game, my body might disintegrate. I've been doing lots of running over the last couple of years but none of it has been at full speed and I was worried that parts of me might actually fall off, a la Forrest Gump's leg braces, if I ever actually got up to full speed.
   Well, there were a handful of times yesterday that I at least almost obtained full speed and nothing really bad happened, it pretty well felt like any other time in my life when I've run hard. My other concern was that perhaps my hand/eye coordination might be off as well but even it didn't seem too bad.

Well...it was to HIM anyway!

   I'm on a team called the Outlaws and it seems to be a whole bunch of guys who've never played together before. And they're almost all young, so young in fact that a few of them could technically be my grandchildren (though perhaps not realistically).
   This is not a new situation for me, I'm the oldest player in the league and pretty well always have been. You can look like and be the oldest player in the league but the trick is to not play like you are. I kind of think I held my own today, not sure what the other guys were thinking.
   So I felt okay yesterday and I felt okay last night but I'm kinda feeling it this morning. One thing I did learn yesterday is that a lot of distance running is not necessarily going to prepare you for the stopping and starting, twisting and turning, and bumping into guys at high speed you experience playing ball hockey.
   On top of it all, my hip now clicks.
   I got home and showered after the game and then sat and watched T.V. for a bit. The first time I stood up and walked across the room after that, my left hip was clicking. It didn't hurt and but I could feel it and it was loud enough that Doralyn could hear it as well (and it kind of grossed her out!)
I immediately went to Google, typed in my symptoms, and it appears as though my IT band is snapping across my hip bone, to dumb it down a little bit. At least the description of this exactly matched what I've been feeling and hearing. I will let this go for a little bit (my usual way of dealing with physical ailments) but if it continues for too long I may seek medical advice, or at least check in with Zeinin, my chiropractor.
   This was obviously my first time playing with this team but I have pretty good feelings about it. The talent level seems to be there but what I appreciated even more than that was they seem like good guys. This is always more important to me than how much talent there might be. I've played on some extremely talented teams in my day that were awful to play on simply because of nasty personalities and over-inflated egos but, so far, this doesn't seem to be the case with this team. The next game is tomorrow and I hope things have loosened up by then---I can't imagine having to play again today! So we'll see how it goes and I'll let you know!
   

My Possible Forrest Gump Moment

   I'm a little worried that I might have a "Forrest Gump" kind of moment this Sunday afternoon.
   I've managed to land myself on a ball hockey team for the summer, after about two and a half years of non-playing (but gazing longingly from the sidelines). We have our first exhibition game this Sunday and here's what I'm worried about.
   I haven't run hard in that same two and a half years.
   I've done a hell of a lot of running but I haven't run hard, as in all-out-like-you-were-being-chased-by-a-mountain-lion hard. So I don't know what might happen on Sunday the first time I need to turn it up a notch (or ten).

Will this happen to me?

   Remember that scene from "Forrest Gump", when a young Forrest, with all his leg braces, starts to run as hard as he can from all those bullies? And, in the midst of doing that, the braces begin to shatter and break and fall off ?
   Well, that's kinda my fear for Sunday, that I'm going to be running as hard as I possibly can and things will simply start to fall off. Or seize up. Or tear. Or disintegrate.
   We shall see.

My Downtown 5K Race Recap

   As had been my plan, I went for a 5K training run this morning.
   I normally run a variety of routes in my neighbourhood but this time I decided to mix things up and head downtown. I also normally run by myself but this time I'd arranged to get together with a few other people. There were about 250 of them and we all wore paper thingies with numbers on them. 

Me, while I was still looking
forward to what was about to transpire!

   Yep I ran a race.
   This morning I ran in the second installment of the London Honda Road Race series---the Downtown 5K. Most of the races in this series have a 10K component but not this one. This meant a larger field than normal as a lot of the people who might otherwise have opted for the 10K did not have that option. Lots of race energy going on!
   It was a beautiful morning, the sun was shining, the snow was all gone and the temps ended up being in the low teens. Pretty well perfect for running.
   I started the morning off with a toasted PB and banana sandwich, a cup of coffee with honey and a fistful of ENERGYbits. I've used ENERGYbits about four times at this point and the jury is still out, unfortunately.
   

ENERGYbits---ten down, twenty to go.

It was a beautiful drive downtown to Victoria Park and I passed by scores of people out running, there was just this kind of vibe going on today. About a third of the way there, I realized I'd forgotten my Garmin. Unfortunately, I'd timed things out to the last minute more or less and had no time to go back and get it. This kind of screwed up my "strategy" for the race, which had been to 10 to 1 run/walk ratio. I know, seems kinda

My Injinji socks--great for running!

extreme for a 5K race but lately, in training, it's been doing the trick. The last thing I wanted to do was to be checking my phone for time or, God forbid, set a timer so I just decided that I would give myself walk breaks at something close to the 2K and 4K intervals.

The Boer War monument in Victoria
Park. Pretty impressive, actually.

   I got there in enough time to pick up my bib and still be able to stretch. While I was stretching, this young lady walked up to me and introduced herself as a Western (the local university) journalism student. She'd been there interviewing racers as part of a project and asked if I had the time to answer a few questions.. Didn't have a problem with this so she started asking me questions about how regularly I raced and what motivates me to run, those kinds of things. A very pleasant young lady.
   Then, unfortunately, the race started.

The crowd at the starting line.
I'm ALREADY behind...

   About half a kilometer in, I knew this was not going to be a fun race. I felt tired, fat and slow. I had no real plan for the race and it showed. I basically ran til I felt tired and then walked til I didn't. People were passing me left and right and suddenly I had the real fear that I might finish last. My emergency "strategy" had gone right out the window. I found myself thinking I must be an idiot for signing up for the series of races if this was what I was going to have to go through every time.
   Realistically of course, I was fully aware of why I was having difficulties. Because of the winter, the training opportunities were way down and when you couple that with all the over-indulging of the holiday season and it being my birthday this past month then it was kind of a recipe for disaster. I just need to train and eat like I should and everything'll be fine!
   Later on, they posted the chip times and I came in 243 out of 254 and dead last in my age group. The good news was I didn't need to stick around to see if I won anything!

Some of the post-race aftermath.

   Oh, there was one bright moment. With about forty yards to go, a young lady tried to "chick" me. Now, I have no idea whether she even knew or cared what "chicking" someone meant and for all I know she was just running  her race and trying to get a better time. I have, however, been passed by a young person in the last few yards of a race before and I vowed back then that I wouldn't let that happen again so as the young lady passed me I turned on the jets, beating her by a second. It was actually kind of funny because when the race announcer realized what was happening, he got all excited and declared, "That's right, it's not a run, it's a race!"
   Although, for me, like I said, it was just a run... 
     

Weekend Run In The Sun!

The hill repeat hill.

   This weekend, the temps seem to be returning to seasonable and it looks as though, at least temporarily, the deep-freeze might be over.
   Because of this , I was way more looking forward to getting out for a run today in the bright sunshine!
   I've been running the same little 5K route the last few weeks and thought I would switch things up a little and hit the nearest trail to me. I was a little apprehensive about the run-ability of this trail system, given the huge amount of snow we've had this winter, so I had no real goals in mind. I took my Garmin but turned it off about seven minutes into the run when I realized what I was up against.

Down the little hill and off into the woods!

   The trail system through Warbler Woods starts about  a kilometer away from my place so the first part of the run is on pavement. Just before the woods, there is a long hill you need to ascend, it's the same hill I use for hill repeats. The hill repeats I do once every other year...but that's another story. I ran hard half way up this before I ran out of steam and so walked to the top.
   The entrance to Warbler Woods is at the top of this hill. I had to rather gingerly make my way down off the sidewalk, other people had come before me and there were ruts to follow but still a little scary at the same time.
   After that it was off and into the woods! They were beautiful and very quiet and serene today, no other people on the trails and not much of a breeze, either.

Duck!

   At some point, the trail I usually follow takes me out of the woods and onto some undeveloped grassland. This was part of the trail which had not seen a lot of use and you had to be very careful to walk where other people had walked, otherwise you'd sink in up to your knees. This happened to me a couple of times---a little weird with one leg up in the air on "solid" ground while the other is buried in snow literally up and over your kneecap.
   Not too long after this field, you're back in a subdivision and running streets and sidewalks again. The little bit of a thaw here has meant that the center portion of the street was mainly bare and wet, so it was fine for running as long as you were cognizant of cars behind you.

Out of the woods and into the open.
Anything to the left or right of that
little trail you can see was knee-deep.

   I walked a lot on this run but I ran most of it. As I said, I had no real goals other than to be out in the sunshine getting exercise. Much of the running I did do was also at a faster pace then recently and it felt almost like running intervals.

Headed back to civilization.

   I have no idea what the future holds for these parts, weather-wise. Today, though, it almost felt like we were finally turning the corner. March starts tomorrow and then it's only three weeks to Spring! Hard to believe, after the winter we've had. The again, there's likely a blizzard on the way...
    

"224"

   Just got back in from a 5K run about an hour ago. The snow was falling as I ran and I was really wishing I'd brought my cap along, instead of a toque, as it would have kept the snow off my face and glasses. I realized my error in judgement in this regard about nine or ten houses away from my place but, at that point, the thought of stopping and returning for my cap was more than I thought I could handle. I'm one of those guys who, on a long car trip, would rather just drive til he got there, rest stops be damned. So on I ran!

The sidewalk in front of my house.
It's under there somewhere!

   It had lightly snowed overnight as well and there was about an inch and a half of the fresh stuff today. This didn't bother me too much as I would much rather run on fresh snow than ice. The only problematic part of the run was along the major roadways, as the snowplows had come along and done their thing which, in turn, had caused debris to topple over the edge of the snowbanks and down onto the sidewalk. Which meant I had to run around (or through) it.
   At this point of the winter, I am really looking forward to seeing pavement and bare trails again. In the snow, it seems as though every time your foot plants and plows forward it also slips sideways maybe half an inch. Multiply that half an inch by a few thousand footfalls and we're running way farther than we need to!
   

The semi-tunnel leading up to our front steps

Okay, remember my first line up at the top of this post where I talk about just having gotten back from a 5K run? Well, that was yesterday people and, yes, this post has taken a little longer than I originally planned, obviously. The bonus, though, is that I can tell you I feel fine after yesterday's run and am even maybe planning on another one today. And it's rare when I run two days in a row anymore, so wish me luck!
   Oh, and about the title---"224". I used that as a gentle reminder of how much I weighed yesterday. I try to be as little "weight-centered" as possible and concentrate more on how I actually feel but I've decided that I simply don't want to weigh more than 224. So I will do my damnedest not to get above that. If I do something that gets me way down below that, then that's all fine and dandy. If I stay there, then that's kinda fine and dandy too, no probs. But I won't go above it. Nope.

Post-run, foggy-glasses pic.

   The nice thing about this weekend was that it was way warmer than last weekend. Eastern Canada was in the midst of a brutal deep freeze a week ago which made running outside more of a survival exercise than a training one, with windchill temps close to -40C. This weekend, the temps are a lot more seasonal at around -7C and it actually seems freakin' balmy out. Break out the windbreakers!
   Finally, one more post-run pic from yesterday. As we all know, layers are the way to go this time of year and in this pic I've got four of them on. A tech layer on the bottom, a cotton layer and then two more "tech" layers. By "tech" layer, I mean "hockey jersey"---a long-sleeved jersey underneath another jersey with cut-off sleeves. All of this in homage to my ball hockey days which, hopefully, will resume this summer!
   

Totally photobombed by Squeaker,
one of our four cats (think she
was waiting for a hug....)

Okay, time for another run!

Coming Last In My Sex Group

  Okay, I suppose I could have said "finishing last in my gender group" but if there's one thing I've learned is that a lot more people read posts if there's something racy in the title, so there you go!
   Yesterday, they posted the chip times for the Really Chilly Road Race from this past weekend here in London. I ran the 5K distance and my time was just a few seconds over 40 minutes. As bad as this time is, it was actually better than any recent training times so I was marginally pleased with it, particularly given the harsh conditions the day of the race (which you can read about here, if you'd like). 
   I found my chip time way down the list (where I knew it would be) and there were 7 or 8 people who came in after me. I remember checking over my shoulder a few times as the race was winding down, to see who might be catching up and I was aware that there were a number of people behind me. My only real fear when I'm running any of these races is the possibility of coming in last, so it was comforting to know that this was not an issue.
    I  did discover, however, after perusing the list of chip times, that even though I wasn't the last person to cross the finish line, I was the last male to to do so. This kind of took me aback, being the last guy.
   I tend to leave my ego at the door when it comes to running. I know full well that I started doing it very late in life, that I'm likely always going to be near the bottom of the finishers in any given race and generally I'm only going to be competing against myself. This is all fine and dandy but a race is a race and why bother running in one if there exists no competitive fire in your breastbone?! (or wherever it's supposed to be...)
   

My strategy from now on.

What makes me finishing last in the guys group even more problematic is that it didn't actually need to happen. For the last kilometer or so of the race I'd been running neck and neck with two other guys who were running together. I'd pass them and they'd pass me and so it went. As we all came into the home stretch, they were minimally ahead and the thought occurred to me that I had enough energy left to pass them. But I was too polite about it. I've always had a hard time with the thought of "showing up" other runners just before the finish line. If the speed I'm running at takes me past them naturally then that's one thing. If, however, I would need to intentionally speed up with the sole purpose of passing them, well, that's another thing. It just seems disrespectful to me.
   On Sunday, though, if I'd passed either one (or both) of those other male runners then I wouldn't have been last in my gender group. I'm now wondering whether this might have been the reason I'd need to have put on a little burst right at the end. I also wonder whether or not I might be thinking about that the next time....
   

The Really (no, I mean REALLY) Chilly Road Race Recap

   Before I get to the actual recap, I should probably let you know what's been going on the last couple of months, as I have not been very present here in the blogosphere!
   My last post was at the end of December (welcome to 2015, Brian) and in it I described some issues I'd been having with pain in my right foot after long runs. Well, I've done so little running since then that the pain has disappeared and in the the couple of 5Ks I managed last week, I was pain-free afterwards. I did mention the foot pain to my doctor, who thought it might have been a compression issue in that foot and that I should maybe go back and forth with my shoes on long runs to see if any one shoe is better than the other. I may try this.
   One of the main reasons I got out a couple of times last week was that I knew I had a race coming up this weekend and I wanted to fool myself into thinking I might have actually trained for it. The race is the aptly-named the Really Chilly Road Race. It is the first in the series of London Honda Road Races this year. I took a bit of a leap and signed up for the whole series, and saved a little money at the same time.
   This morning, I was greeted by this weather update:

   This confirmed what the weatherperson had been telling us for the last few days----that it was gonna be cold! In conjunction with this morning's race there was also supposed to have been a bunch of musical entertainment and things for the kids to do but, rightfully so, those things were cancelled, due to the temps.
   

Before heading off.

Thankfully, the snowsqualls we'd been warned about did not materialize and it was actually beautifully bright and sunny this morning. Mentally uplifting, if nothing else.
   I got there about half an hour before race time as I'd waited until then to pick up my bib. Generally, I head downtown to Runner's Choice to pick up the race packet the day before but yesterday wasn't a whole lot nicer than today so I'd decided to skip the extra trip.

The pre-race warmth!

   The race begins from the Western Fair Raceway, a harness racing track, and wends it way through the surrounding neighbourhoods for 5K. There is a 10K as well and they just do the same course twice. The race actually begins and ends on the track and I wanted to get a pic from the track before the race actually began. Big mistake. I got the pic but then could not zip up the pocket I put my phone back into. Well, when the windchill is -40, it doesn't take long for bare skin to get into trouble and when the pain hit I just stuffed the phone into my pocket and didn't bother with zipping it up.

Somewhat ill-fated pre-race pic!

   I quickly got both pairs of gloves back on just in time for the race to start. Before we even got past the grandstand, I was in major discomfort. We began by running right into the little bit of breeze there was. About the only part of my body that wasn't protected was around my eyes and no amount of angling my body provided any relief. The thought in my head at the time was that if the whole race was like this then I was probably gonna be dropping out real soon. I also knew, however, that after we got off the track, we would then head in a different direction and hopefully the windchill would not be the same issue.
   In fact, this is what happened. We turned out onto Dundas Street, headed east, and the wind became a non-issue. In fact, I found myself running on pavement for the first time in a long time and it actually started being enjoyable. The city police had cordoned off a running path and were also commandeering traffic at major intersections, making for non-stop running. I went out of my way to thank every volunteer and police officer out on the course, at least we were able to keep warm by running!
   I'm thinking that the little bit of running I did leading up to this race actually did help. I probably could have run the whole thing, which is not something I would have been able to say about my recent training runs. In fact, I only took a couple of brief, 30 second walking breaks and ended up feeling pretty strong at the finish. And damn glad I was at the finish!

SO happy to be back inside!

   I stuck around for the awards ceremony afterwards. There are so few runners in my AG in this series that it almost guarantees someone a third, second or first-place finish and today I took away second place! Out of two runners! Yay me! This resulted in a ten dollar Runner's Choice gift certificate. The bling was actually nicer than last year's race, as well. Everyone got a finisher's medal and a Really Chilly toque. Can't actually remember the last time I got a race medal in London!
   This afternoon, I feel good. No foot pain and the legs feel fine, I almost feel like going out for another run but I might just wait for a balmy -10 or something.....

The spoils!