Sunday, May 31, 2009

Fried and frazzled....

After Ottawa I had to go back to work on Wednesday, so I figured enjoy a few days off and then get back at it. Possibly wishful thinking, but when I went back I realized how much work had piled up while I was away. Originally I thought that our pregnancy would be a weekend and then I'd have tons of time to get some things done, go into school and such, but alas spending a week in a hospital didn't help the situation. In the end I simply needed some time off (bad timing may I add). I ran 32 mins this morning, but pretty mellow. The Achilles felt good, so hopefully can get back into the full swing of things later in the week (I am going to try and get in one short run and some X training when I get over the pile of papers and tests to mark).

After our race in Ottawa a handful of us went out for some refreshments. It was this hodge podge of young guys and old guys, but everyone was a running a geek. Part of the conversation got into a the concept of change of pace training and race preparations workouts. During my SFU days we did a weekend workout during the track season where you did 5 x 1000m off 3mins rest but you alternated hard 200s under or around 800m pace with 200m float. Back then it was a tough strength workout. The biggest thing I found was that you got very good speed development and great kicking abilties, without being totally beaten up the next day.

I think that since these sessions cannot be measured very well by science they often get overlooked in many modern day training ideas, but in the real world they can be the have a major impact. I am not saying ignore the shorter harder intervals, but rather that either doing more of these will help one's tactical abilties and also lead to less injuries and breakdown.

As I moved up to the 5-10km I kept on doing the session, but now it was more speed. We also shortened the interval break to 2mins, slowed down the hard 200s to mile or just under mile pace and sped up the floats to the 35-40 sec range.

I have also tended to ignore pure short intervals of higher intensity in favour of these types of sessions, or kept it simple and done a monofartlek (sometimes added with a few more 30 sec intervals), but slowed down the med paced jogs to simulate more 1500-3km pace work. Egs I used to do a monfartlek in about 6km, jog 2mins and then run hard, very easy 30 sec for 3mins take 3mins and then do 3mins of 15sec hard -30 sec.

When I first read my Harry Wilson (ovett's coach) training book aka the 'training bible' he had whole sections on an athlete's strengths and workouts that one could do. I don't have the time today, but next time out I'll post all of Wilson's change of pace workouts (from 800-10000m).

Monday, May 25, 2009

Too much pain for a time so slow

(be aware this is going to be a rambling mess...)

Well my Ottawa trip just got worse and worse. 5-6 weeks ago I was thinking things were coming around for the marathon, then 3 weeks ago I was thinking that with everything going on the 10km was a much better option. By Saturday night at around 6:35 (the race started at 6:30) I was thinking this is going to hurt. I ended up at 31:48 and 2nd masters, but my expectations were much higher. Maybe wishful thinking, but alas no one ever accused me of being a cynic, at least not when it comes to running.


Thing about it is that I ran as hard as I could and that was still disappointing. But in the end I don't think I really cared too much. I was pretty spent and I ran on emotions more so than the average person. I realized after the fact I was running on fumes, but this is the main event put on by my sponsor Mizuno so I figured I should at least give it the ol 'college try'. It's kinda strange as people look at my age and think my time is pretty good, but my expectations haven't really dropped over the last few years.

But I was able to see some people who I haven't seen in a while, so at least there is some positive to come along. Funny thing as I haven't raced on the track much or even XC over the last 2 yrs so all of a sudden there are all these guys who I don't even know kicking my butt.

The good thing to come out of this weekend is that I am aware of how my emotions are impacting me physically. My achilles is 'tweaked' and I cannot go through being out 2+ months again and then coming back. I'd like to have a good fall and enjoy my running this summer, so I am going to x train for the rest of this week, get back to work (I am on a 2 week parental leave) and then re-evaluate where things are before I refocus.

If the achilles responds nicely we roll....if not then I have made the promise to myself that I will get rid of this achilles problem. I was able to see a massage therapist on Friday in Ottawa and he didn't think there was much damage, but I also know how quickly an achilles can do downhill.

On Sunday I was able to work my way down to the finish line and hoped to see Steve O make the Berlin team. I am not sure what happened entirely except that he dropped out around 23-24km. Unfortunately, it happens and I am sure he (and Dick) are crushed. I totally feel for the guy as he has worked so hard and looked so fit, but alas it's why we actually have to go out and run the race. To paraphrase Herb Elliott 'you have to be arrogant enough to think you can do it, but still humble enough to actually go out and do it'.

Some times we we get nothing from the outcomes, but we can sure learn a lot from the process. Yeah I know cheap words, but if there is one thing I've come to realize is that in the long run you learn far more from the process as a person than you would ever learn from some brilliant outcome....but that great outcome sure makes things feel a helluva lot better.....

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

What really matters...

How to disrupt training.....there really is only one way....’life gets in the way’....

It’s been a while since I’ve posted due to one little, yet also very huge reason. That being the birth of my first child. Now in some instances this would be a huge deal no matter what, but in this situation it was magnified umpteen times. Over the years I’ve had the opportunity to meet many people, but very few actually know who I am. I can be quiet, obnoxious (a nice way of saying I can be an *%%^&%&^(), talkative, opinionated, supportive, etc... it’s one of those things where people see me on the outside, but very few really get at my core. I am conscious of what I give out (although at times it may not seem that way) and I know ...to paraphrase Sean Penn it can be difficult to like me at times, but this post gives you some insight into what makes me tick..... and why those who put up with me do so...

Our due date was two Mondays ago, but very little concern was expressed as all previous Dr visits were positive. On Thursday (the 7th) Julie was pretty sure this was the day, but her contractions subsided. Oh well, at the very least we go till Monday I thought (when the Dr would incur birth).
On Fri at work I get a call that Julie is having 3-4 min contractions....eeeekkk.....

I get someone to cover my class and head home around 1:30. Julie says that she is still getting contractions, but at her appt that morning the baby’s face is no longer head down, but instead face down, but that the Dr expressed no concerns as on Mon it was head down. But Julie’s paranoia (in this case we now refer to it as good instincts) says that something is wrong...she hasn’t felt much movement since late in the morning. We call our Dr and he sends us for an ordinary stress test on the baby.

This turns out to not be so ordinary as every contraction his HR goes from a normal 150 to half that for 30 secs. His appears to be hyper-extended with an ultra sound, and all of a sudden Dr after Dr comes in... Our initial ordinary stress test turns into people getting bumped out of their surgeries and us getting moved to the front of the Queue. As we would find out his umbilical cord has been wrapped around his neck 3 times and has pulled him into his hyper-extended position. Julie ends up with a C section, but we hear no scream to indicate a healthy child. All we hear is silence and see a limp little body being worked on by a team of medical staff. He eventually breathes, but he looks listless. Julie is beside herself, but I somehow remain intact emotionally.
He gets sent to the baby intensive care and although he is breathing fine his arms and legs have no tension. His oxygen levels are lowish and his sugar levels are off the charts low. It seems as though he’s been fighting for hours and is now simply exhausted.

I stay with him, while Julie goes to recovery. I have nothing to say, except will he be okay. This and my wife’s reaction are the only things that matter. I stay with him till they say I can see Julie. We are both devastated and the only things entering our minds are worst case scenarios, but I try to keep her positive and remind her what the Dr told me that what mattered most was how he reacted in the first 24 hours.

We barely sleep that night and are up to see our first born Carter Gordon Bomba early in the morning, but we can only touch him. There is no holding him and he is irritated when he is touched. Our attitudes can be only be described as ‘hanging on for dear life’, but I am able to hide how I feel on the inside and remind my wife to stay positive. It’s surreal and we both can’t believe where we are.

As the day goes on he improves and we become more positive. By the next day he is active and we can even hold him (although with tubes all over). Since he is now more alert and stable I go home to get some clothes and get in a run.
The run is more therapy than anything else, and the privacy or the run overrides the stoic attitude I’ve had the last few days. The first 30mins of the run is everything I can do to fall into a blubbering mess. I get though the run, but barely.

It is here that I realize how much this whole affair has impacted me. I do it with no one around and on my own terms, but I also know that right now I can show no weakness to my wife or my child. At this moment in time I am required to be the one who remains calm and the experiences of running help me to control those outward emotions that so want to come out. It is now that I remember that despite all my shortcomings there is one thing I’ve learned and that is when ‘push comes to shove’ I am one of those people who revel in those opportunities.

It is the perspective of the moment that allows me to realize what is important and what is secondary. Much like a race where one either takes a chance or decides to see what can happen. I’ve always known the answer, but now it is more action than words.....

Thursday, May 7, 2009

When it goes really bad really early

What went down on Sunday at the BMO 1/2 marathon was absolutely stunning. If ever there was a disappointing race I've run this was it. Looking back I can see what happened, but it still doesn't explain everything.

Every thing that could go wrong did, and in the end I could do nothing but laugh. I realized that I was trying to force too many things at once(emotionally, physically and mentally) and it coincided with an absolute gem of how things can go bad.

It all began with the fear of Julie's pregnancy and feeling the stress to get in any training I could. After my great session last Sunday I was feeling 'bulletproof'. I had been on a roll training wise and had no bad days. Every run felt great (even the day after Sunday), but I had also been following a nice consistent series of workouts, recovery, etc... Last Monday I made a decision to get in training when and where I could, but that meant pushing the envelope. I knew last Wed that I had pushed too much as I really felt my workouts from Tues. The run was okay pace wise but it was not the normal off day run I had been feeling over the last month plus of training. It was a grind

In 20/20 hindsight I should have bit the bullet and stayed in my normal routine, but alas my wife is very paranoid right now and that is having a big impact on my own mental state. I sometimes forget I am the 'yin to her yang' and that I need to balance her out, but in this case her fears overtook my own mellower behavior.

In the end I should have backed off after Wed, but I hoped/figured things would get better. They probably would have, but once again I was my own worst enemy. We had our HS city championships and as luck would have it it was the hottest day of the year. I ended up being stuck in the sun for most of the day and was absolutely destroyed by the time for my PM run. The idea was to put in an hour or so run with some short farltek mixed in the middle. The problem was that I couldn't run fast. My HR was low (120s), but honestly I couldn't get it any higher. I ended up doing a few hills, ran a bit and then did some more hills, but I never felt right.

The next day I felt great for my AM run and even my PM run, but the damage was done and I showed up to the starting line thinking I was okay, but once we got going....yikes.....I knew it was going to get ugly. Everything felt tight, beaten up and slow. I had nothing to give except for the concept of finishing. In then end that was all I had to give in every sense of the word.

Mon: 65mins
Tues: quick 38min warm up - monofartlek - quick 25 min warm down
Wed: 90mins
Thurs: 67mins
Fri: AM 35mins PM 60min with farltek in the middle
sat: AM 45min PM 30mins
Sun 1/2 marathon 1:13:?? (I jogged the last 4-5 km with Mark Cryderman when I caught him)