Tuesday, July 29, 2008

Bib #333 DNF: Jay Challenge Race Report

DNF. Did not finish.

Don't feel bad for racer #333. She had the most awesome racing experience of her life.

Listen up people. You must attempt the Jay Challenge at least once.


Really.


Put it on your bucket list. Near the top. Its that good.

Sorry for the suspense leading up to this post, but I really had to come to grips with everything that has shaken down since Saturday at 8:00 am.

My day started out with high spirits. I actually slept well the night before, had my oatmeal and banana breaky, and headed to the start line in good time. Hubs and I met up with our Durham group, and we all wished each other well. I am on the far right hand side in the picture. We were ready.




Little did we know, only 5 of the 11 racers in this picture would cross the finish line in this picture.

Here is my story:

The days leading up to the race had been extremely rainy. This had brook levels extra high, and conditions extremely muddy. Come race day however, the weather Gods were smiling down on us racers, because there were sunny skies when we started out. A little humid, but nothing extreme weather-wise.

We reached the rope section rather quickly (in the first 20 minutes or so). There was a large line up for the ropes in which many runners, including myself welcomed as a nice little break before we got going in what we knew was to be a long day. Many took pictures and introduced themselves to fellow runners. Spirits were very high. We waited for about 10 -15 minutes to clear this part. Hubs took these pictures. They are blurry due to mud and the fact that he was carrying a waterproof disposable camera.

Jen and I running in the woods.



Ropes to help our first climb










After the ropes, we ran to Aid Station 1, the first of seven Aid Stations, reaching it in a little over an hour. I thought a little slow, but I wasn't worried because I factored in the rope section, and was thankful for a slow and steady start.

Shortly after AS #1, we were dumped into our first brook run. It was then that I realized just how special this race was going to be. My friend Jen who I was running with, mirrored my thoughts when she expressed out loud. "This is a life experience, I am glad I have someone to share it with". I felt exactly the same way. Many took pictures. Hubs took these:

(The pink ribbons are the course path)






The water felt amazing. It was very slippery in parts and you had to be careful. What we were quickly discovering was that there were many parts of this race that were not running, rather maneuvering, but it was awesome fun. The brook water felt awesome on my tired calves. The scenery was beautiful. We also went through two culverts during this section.






Awesome adventure.

Again. Bucket list people.

We reached AS #2 in 2 hours, 30 minutes. We were beginning to worry about time, as aid station 5 had a cut off of 51/2 hours, and a fellow runner had mentioned that an hour per AS is a good rule of thumb. In many parts we were going as fast as we could, given that they were more technical then running oriented. AS #2 was at the base of the mountain, Jay's Peak. I opted not to change shoes or socks. I was ready to conquer the mountain. Here are some summit bid pictures:

(the white chalet at the top is the Summit)



Hubs near the base of the mountain pointing at Jay's Peak


Final Summit Bid (almost at the top of Jay Mountain)



Jay's Peak is roughly 5000 feet above sea level. It is a mountain, not Everest sure, but it certainly felt like it. We went up the mountain on an access path, and it was straight up. Not up and then flat section, and up again, as it had reportedly been in previous year.

We went straight up.

Now it was impossible to run up the mountain, even the elite runners could speed walk at best, and just hiking had my heart pounding. The higher up I went, the more difficulty I had with keeping my heart rate stable. The peak was in front of me, and it was very intimidating up close. It seemed to be taunting me as a mere mortal.

The only thing that kept me going was that the view kept getting better and better. Eventually I had to stop and take breaks. I don't know if it was the altitude or the climb that was getting to me at this point, but I felt like I couldn't breathe. I told Jen to keep going. I have never been pushed to my limit physically like this before by just simple walking.

Life altering, awesome experience. What humans can accomplish with determination is amazing.

I continued my way up. I would take little breaks to try and get my heart rate under control. One woman told me to drink more, I tried, but I was having that swooshing in my tummy feeling. Eventually I threw up.

Oddly it seemed to help, and I made it up to AS #3 at the Summit. I am not sure of time, but it was well over 3 hours.

On the peak, it was beautiful, breathtaking, really indescribable at the top of the mountain. Sorry if this sounds like a cliche, but I felt like I was on top of the world. It was sooooo tough to get up there, but somehow I found the power in my legs to make it to the top. I think that is why the view was so sweet. My only regret is that I didn't get my picture taken. Thankfully Hubs took a few pictures. Enjoy.






The awesome volunteers at the top of the mountain were very kind. They were concerned that I was dehydrated, and they gave me lots of water, salt pills, and oranges. I felt rejuvenated and ready to continue.

The run down the mountain was tough on the knees. I slowed to a slow shuffle, because I had read that alot of reports that you can really damage your IT band on the way down. I knew the race was far from over, so I slowed down. Here are some descending the mountain pictures:





At the base of the mountain was a bush marked section that was extremely muddy, made worse by the torrential rain that had occurred for a week straight prior to the race. The mud went past my knees in some parts. I almost lost my shoes many times (the race director warned us about this phenonmon he calls "shoe sucking" happening). It was hard to run. Some elite half runners passed me and I tried to follow cues from them on how to successfully maneuver through the mud in a more efficient manner. It seemed to help, and I even managed to catch up and pass a few of the full marathoners (not the half elites -Ha!) that had passed me on the Summit bid. Mud pic:




When I reached AS#4, 5 hours had almost passed. I knew I was likely to get cut at Aid station 5, the half way (19 miles) point as it was 8K down the road. It seems incredible that it was taking me this long, but the course conditions were brutal. Still, my spirits were high, I wanted to finish strong and as long as I was allowed to continue, I was ready and willing. I actually felt energized at this point.

When I arrived at AS#4, the volunteers asked me how I was, and I told them, much better thanks.

Then the they informed me that they were concerned about me and were pulling me from the course because I had been sick on the ascent to the Peak. I told them I was fine. Yes, I had been sick, but I was fine, and I knew I wouldn't make the cut-off, but could I please run in the half (basically AS #5)

I was told no.

That's it. This race is over for you, Bib #333.


What had started as a amazing experience suddenly felt like I had the rug pulled out from under me. My best experience suddenly turned to my worst. I fought back tears. I wasn't going to cry, but I was utterly disappointed. They took my blood pressure. It was normal. 120 over 70. I watched other full marathoners come into AS#4 and go onto AS#5. I felt helpless

Now hopefully you understand why its taken me a few days to come to grips with this. At first I'll be honest. I was pissed!!! Angry. I swore. Really, really badly. And I'm not exactly a potty mouth type. I felt if the RD was so worried about me at the Summit, why hadn't they pulled me then? They had also shortened cut off times despite worse conditions, and extra add on's to the course. I felt oddly betrayed.

Now strangely, I am grateful.

Its taken me a few days to realize this, but we live in such an instant gratification society that we automatically feel entitled to achieve everything we attempt. I expected to finish this race. I was certain I would. I was all ready to post a huge complaint/whine session about how I was wronged on my blog, and I'm glad I waited.

I was wrong. I can only work harder to achieve the goal of this amazing adventure race. Being new to trail running I attempted the hardest race put together for its distance in North America (according to RD) I will train harder next year, and I am determined that I will conquer this course. I will improve my fitness. I will finish this race. No excuses. Its all me. I will exceed whatever cut off there is.

That's what makes Jay special, to me at least.

293 runners started that the Jay Challenge marathon that day. 218 crossed the finish line. I wasn't among them. But I did share the experience of this race with the finishers. Among the 70 odd DNF'ers were 100 milers, Boston qualifiers, and overall amazing runners. Most were pulled at AS#5 and #6 due to not making cut off times. I felt lucky to have have ran with them and the finishers.

To all of those reading that completed or did not complete the Jay Challenge, congratulations on your accomplishment. I'll be back!

Thanks for reading!

Monday, July 28, 2008

Quick Update

I am heading back from Vermont later today, but I just wanted to give a quick update.
The Jay Challenge was truly the best and worst experience I have ever had as a runner.

Only 5 of 11 of our group wasn't pulled from the course. I want to tell you my story, but I am going to post pictures, otherwise you may never believe it was true. Stay tuned to find out which group I fell into.

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Celebrate Good Times






July 23rd, 2005

A few weeks ago I posted about Hubs and I runnerversary, but today is the real deal. Hint hint nudge nudge Hubs. ;)


I do have a funny, running-related story to share about my wedding day. The morning of my wedding I woke up early enough to go for a run. Hubs and I were married in the Muskoka area in Ontario, so the scenery is beautiful and it was a great chance to clear my mind before the big day. I was running along, when I saw a figure running down the road in the opposite direction. Yup, it was Hubs. Apparently he got up early for an early morning jog as well. We both blocked our peripheral vision with our hands (Hubs is superstitious about these things) but wished each other good morning and jogged in opposite directions.

Anyway I am on my way to Vermont tomorrow, and yes the Depends are packed as well Nitmos!

Thanks for reading!

Monday, July 21, 2008

What to Say About Jay....

It's been a few days since I posted, but I haven't been doing a heck of a lot to blog about running-wise. I have been busy stuffing my face with carbohydrates and running less in an attempt to taper. I loved the zucchini pasta BTW, and at P.O.M's suggestion, I also made some sweet potato fries. Yummy!

The Jay Challenge is this Saturday so its time to talk about preparations. I plan on packing my race drop bags today. The race director sent out a detailed pre-race newsletter in which he suggests to have two drop bags packed that include the following items:

Drop Bag One
-socks
-shoes
-Gu's
-Shot Blocks

Drop Bag Two
-socks
-shoes
-change of clothes
-Shot Blocks

I'm also adding to both bags:
-Advil (lots)
-bandages
-Vaseline
-bug spray
-rain poncho
-sunscreen
-fresh Gatorade and water (just in case the stuff along the course tastes bad)
-To drop bag one- a light weight shell for the Summit!!
- a towel to wipe my sweaty feet

If anyone can think of something I'm missing, please let me know. I will be out on the course for a long time!

The race director also reported some new course changes:

1- once you reach aid station 1, you will be 95% OF THE TIME on a NEW brook until aid station #2. This will allow us to avoid crossing route 242 since You will go underneath the road in a 50 foot culvert that is 6 feet high. This section is fairly technical, you will be slow but it is so beautiful you should enjoy it

2- Because of the 1st change you will reach the base of Jay Peak on the state side instead of the main lodge, You will then climb Jay peak to the top via a completely insane( STEEP) new route. So if you look at the mountain from the village you will climb on the ridge line on the left to the top

3- For the first time in 7 years, you will actually reach the top of Jay peak on the ledge to the top. (Marci here: so excited about this!!!) In the past 6 years we were always short of the top by about 50 feet... this year you will be at the absolute top. Consequently you might want to have a lightweight shell in your drop off bag in case of bad weather at the summit. (Marci again: What is this Everest or something?..)

4- Beautiful new singletrack section on the Christmas tree farm.
The race director also made the following comments about training:

I have been asked many times over on how to train for such a race. The real answer is that you CANNOT. If you are a fit athlete and have completed several races and regularly play in the woods you will be all set. However if you think that this race is a cool race and you are attracted by the craziness of it, unfortunately you will not make it. This race is for animal only and is considered the hardest 33 miler in the world. As for the ½ , you better be trained for a full and then you will really enjoy the race.


Animal only?! Hey I take offense!! ;)

My Time Prediction:

As I mentioned previously, this course is the supposedly the toughest for its distance in North America. According to the RD you should double or triple your worst marathon time. Its also 33 miles, or 11K longer than a full marathon. That said, I really have no idea what to expect but I am going to predict between a finish between 8.5 hours and 10, but I am prepared to stay out longer if needed. My goal is truly just to finish.

Warning: chest pounding moment to follow:

I am ready, bring it on!!!

(Clears throat) I am not an animal...

This week, I have the following planned for "training"
Monday -bootcamp and yoga
Tuesday - 6K tempo (no Yasso's this week)
Wednesday -7K easy
Thursday -REST
Friday - REST
Saturday - Jay Challenge, 53K
Sunday - RECOVER and celebrate!!!

Have a great week and thanks for reading!!

Thursday, July 17, 2008

Lovin' The Carb Loading....

Well folks, the big event, the Jay Challenge is next Saturday!! Gulp. Sounded so cool when I signed up. According to the race director, this race is the hardest "marathon" (33 miles) put together for its distance in North America.

Help, I need.............

Training advice? Naw, its too late for that.

I need.........

Course information?................. I have that, but why lament over impending pain?

I need..........

I need............

I need what every girl craves during stress......

CARBOHYDRATES!!!

LOL. Really. I need carbohydrates, now!

Next to running blogs, cooking blogs are my most favourite daily read. I love to pore over the pages and dream of the day when I will find the time to trudge over to the grocery store and find all of the rare ingredients for fancy recipes and go home and cook up the perfect meal for Hubs and I.

Truthfully, the cooking rarely happens throughout the school year, but a whole lot of dreaming goes on, and then I settle for Shake and Bake for dinner.



Hey, its kinda tasty....

I was perusing my very favourite cooking blog the other day, Smitten Kitchen, when I came across this very perfect carb loading dish, zucchini strand spaghetti. In fact it was so perfect it made me gasp with delight. This dish I will make!! Tonight!! I even made my own fancy basil oil last night, and it turned out awesome. This is what the dish should look like (Deb's from Smitten Kitchen's, not mine).




Mine will likely look less perfect. I even bought a mandoline for the occasion to julienne the zucchini. Hubs and I watched videos on You Tube last night trying to figure out how to use it without cutting off my fingers.


Oh sorry..... Did you come here to read about running?

Alright then, the training plan for today is a short 6K recovery run and a 20K bike. I have seemed to have snapped out of my lethargic stage. I may cut back mileage this weekend though in favour of tapering and more carb loading.

Happy training and thanks for reading!

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Yasso 800 Tuesdays: Week Five

Well folks, my lethargic habits continued into Monday. I didn't get my 14K run in, but I did manage to go to Bootcamp, but I felt tired and sluggish at Bootcamp. I will make up the mileage later this week. Still being kinda tired I was a unsure of how my Yasso intervals would go tonight. I made sure I had a high carbohydrate dinner and lots of sleep. Here is the result:

Interval one: 3 minutes, 37 seconds
Interval two: 3 minutes, 36 seconds
Interval three: 3 minutes, 44 seconds
Interval four: 3 minutes, 48 seconds
Interval five: 3 minutes, 30 seconds
Interval six: 3 minutes, 33 seconds
Interval seven: 3 minutes, 31 seconds
Interval eight: 3 minutes, 39 seconds


*All intervals are 800 meters, with 400 meters and equal rest between.*

Not too shabby. I think my speed work is finally paying off. As I was jogging to the track from my house, I also noticed that my overall running pace is quickening as well. Makes me giddy inside.. :)

I think that the Yasso's are really indicative of running a marathon. Similar to late in a marathon, during my third and fourth intervals, I felt tired and like quitting. But after my fifth interval I felt fine again, and only started slowing toward the end of the seventh interval.

That said, I am not sure that these Yasso's will translate into a 3:40 marathon, in fact I am rather dubious of this at this point. I will be happy with a marathon under 4 hours. Heck even a PR will make me happy. We will see. I am shopping around for a shorter distance race to see where I am at, but I think I will wait until the Jay Challenge is out of the way.

Anyway, tomorrow is bootcamp in the morning, 10K trail run at night. Hope everyone is having a good week of running. Thanks for reading!

Monday, July 14, 2008

Dogging It

Between my ultra last week, being on vacation, and just a general need to take a bit of a break, I didn't run a whole lot last week. I feel a little sluggish now and raring to go. Why do you feel so anxious when you don't run? Anyway, the cure for this is to develope a training plan for the week, and stick to it.

Monday -am bootcamp, pm -14km run
Tuesday - Yasso's 8 x 800 m
Wednesday -am bootcamp, pm 10km
Thursday -am -5 to 8 km pm -20km bike
Friday -am -Bootcamp
Saturday -REST (maybe sneak an easy bike in)
Sunday - 30km

Then its all downhill/taper for the Jay Challenge on July 26th!!
Hope everyone has a great week and thanks for reading!

Thursday, July 10, 2008

Duathlethon Time Challenge

Everyday presents a new challenge. Today Hubs and I wandered into the shop where we purchased my road bike last summer, Trysport, in Hubs hometown of Parry Sound, Ontario. Because Hubs always loves a hometown plug, I would be in the doghouse if I also didn't mention that Parry Sound is also the birthplace of hockey legend (OK Hubs: err I mean the greatest hockey player that ever lived) Bobby Orr. Exhibit 1:



Parry Sound is also in the heart of cottage country in Southern Ontario, an area commonly referred to as the Muskokas. It is really breathtakingly beautiful, and several celebrities such as Martin Short, Tom Selleck, Tom Hanks, Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell all own "cottages" here. Exhibit 2:


OK, enough with the preamble, back to the bike store. On Wednesday Hubs and I went for a leisurely 19K bike ride. It was a nice switch from running, and the scenery was stupendous. It felt good to be actually riding my bike. Confession time people: I have barely road my bike since I dumped a large chunk of cash on it last summer. In fact Wednesday was my first ride of the season . Today (Thursday) Hubs and I went in to the store to say hello to the owner, Dave, who sold me the bike last year and to find out about running events in the area. Not knowing the lack of my riding, Dave invited us to come out for a time trail later that evening with his local triathlon team, the Nachos or Nachoaverage triathlon team. Not wanting to confess our lack of riding, Hubs and I agree to participate.

Hubs and I arrive, and try to appear cool and calm. Hubs was sporting his $150 -10-year-old mountain bike. I was fully decked out, but I had to pretend I knew what the equipment was for! I became nervous when Dave mounted a real race time clock on top of his truck as the official timer. They meant business. The team began warming up, and Hubs and I meekly followed suit.

It turned out to be a lot of fun! The 13.1 km bike was first. Each biker would start at a one minute apart interval. Hubs started first and then me since we were the newbies. I finished in a respectable 27 minutes, 10 seconds. Not bad for my second ride of the season. I felt like I had coughed out my left lung though. I never did catch Hubs, Can tire bike and all, he finished fast, despite his handicap.

We waited until all participants were back for the 3k trial run. 3K, piece of cake, I thought. I took off and realized how hollow my legs were from the bike. I felt like I was trudging along. I finished in a respectable time of 14 minutes, 30 seconds. Not bad when you factor in that I nearly killed myself of the bike. I have new found respect for these triathletes.

Afterwards we were invited to join the group for beer, but Hubs' sister was treating us to dinner to celebrate our anniversary, so we had to decline. What a great group of athletes! Lesson: Its always fun to try new things, don't be afraid of failing. Have a great day, and thanks for reading!

Wednesday, July 9, 2008

Creemore Vertical Challenge: Race Report

I have been very deliquent in posting my race report, and I apologize, but Hubs and I are on vacation this week, and wireless is not always easy to find in cottage country. Thanks to all of you who congratulated me on my first ultra. I was very touched! It was truly an amazing experience.

The Creemore Vertical Challenge was an off-road event that had a 25K or 50K distance option. The race took place just south of the tiny town of Creemore, located near the south western tip of the Geogarian Bay in Ontario, Canada. Many American readers will have likely heard of the Niagra Escarpment that starts New York State, through Ontario, Michigan, Wisconsin and Illinois. Well this escarpment, my friends, was a part of the Creemore

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Challenge. And heavy on the incline.

The challenge takes place in the Creemore, Ontario, a quaint, and pretty farm town in Southern Ontario, probably best known for its brewery, Creemore Springs.



Yes, there was ice-cold Creemore beer at the finish line.

The race is small, with only about 115 runners, and fairly evenly split between 25K and 50K participants. Hubs and I decided to make a mini holiday out of it, and drove up the day before the race and stayed in Collingwood. Its only about 2 hours from our house, but I really don't like getting up and driving any long distance the morning of a race. So we decided to stay at the Westin in Collingwood. It is a beautiful hotel, the only problem being that there was a live band playing in the Blue Mountain village across from our hotel until 2 am. Oh well. I never sleep well before a race anyway, and I wasn't planning on "racing" this anyway, my goal was just to complete as preparation and to gain confidence for the upcoming Jay Challenge.

The morning of the race, Hubs and I arrived and picked up my race kit. One thing that I thought was special was that the race started and finished at the race directors house, so clearly the race director was passionate about the event. Since it was a small event the race didn't start until everyone had a chance to use the porta-potty and line up at the start line. How many races can boast that? There was also a real shotgun to start the race, which literally had me almost running back to the lue to check my pants when it went off! LOL. I guess I'm never that close to the start in most races. Here are a few before race pictures.




As promised, the course was very hilly. It was a 25K hourglass loop. Although the race was as advertised, 50% road, 50% trail, the roads were all very bumpy, gravel, not well-travelled roads. They were also very exposed to the Sun, so I found it to be a relief when I was running in the trails as opposed to the roads, which surprised me. Here are a few on the course photos:






I started off nice and slow. I followed cues from other ultra runners, which meant walking up all hills. There was really little choice in this, as the inclines were steep. There were sections where the soil was highly eroded and full of loose clay and rock. In some sections there were ropes available to assist runners in making it up the inclines, so it really was an off-road event. It made maneuvering very challenging at times. I absolutely loved it! I found I was rarely bored with running as I was always looking for a technique to tackel a given hill or geological obstruction.

I finished my first loop in 3 hours, 15 minutes. I actually ran an extra 2K on the first loop when I was instructed but a volunteer to turn right, so I did as did about 15 other runners ahead of me. There were runners passing me on the way back so I thought it was just an out and back loop. Finally one group of runners told me I was going the wrong way. What?!!? Now I certainly was not in the race to compete in any way, but it did kinda of bother me that several runners passed before letting me know I was going the wrong way. Do I really look like a threat?! LOL. I just chalked it up to "mental training" for Jay. Hubs said several of the leading runners were very upset as there were several runners who took short cuts (unintentionally I think). The course was not heavily marshalled, but the entry fee was low, so I didn't mind. Incidently, I did notice a few runners that I passed in the first loop finish before me, but maybe they passed me and I missed them, but you kinda of got to know everyone's face in the race, so I don't think so. There were shortcuts that were possible on the course (don't think I didn't think about it late in the race!!) Does anyone know, is this common in these types of events? Maybe some people short cutted the second loop to make up for the extra distance on the first loop?

I continued to run slow and steady, as though I was running a training run. During the second loop, the Sun was really beating down, so I slowed and took breaks at the aid stations. The hardest part was between kms 30 and 40. In fact just finishing was a challenge, I definately struggled in points and contemplated not finishing. My objective for this race was two fold: 1) To finish my first ultra and 2) to have my longest run ever to prepare myself for Jay (which will likely take 10 hours).

I accomplished both. There were times that I wanted to quit because of the Sun, and there were times that I felt like going faster, but I really held back. I actually ran the last 8 kms very strong, and I finished the run in 7 hours, 17 minutes. I was very pleased. I didn't even have quad soreness the next day, which has never happened to me before.




The medal for the race was handmade out of local clay, and it is one of the nicest medals I have collected to date. After the race, there was a fresh water creek to cool down in and wash the mud/salt/sweat away. Notice how I didn't even take my Garmin or fuel belt off before taking the plunge? :) Nothing has ever felt better!!


I really enjoyed this race and I can't wait for the upcoming Jay Challenge on July 26th.
As for this week in training, its kinda of helter skelter. I won't post definite plans as I'm on holidays, but I will do some mileage. A return to Yasso's next week! Have a great day and thanks for reading!!



Sunday, July 6, 2008

I did it!!

I ran the 50K Vertical Challenge yesterday. I actually ran 52.4km after I took a wrong turn. I will post a full race report later. It was a challenging course, but I was happy with the result. More to come. I'll leave with a picture of me at the finish line - proof that I finishing upright and smiling! Have a great day and thanks for reading!



Wednesday, July 2, 2008

A Change In Plans

I decided to forgo Yasso's 800 speedwork this week as I am running the 50Km Creemore Challenge this Saturday. I ran a slow 10K instead. I will return to my Yasso's next week, but for now, I want to make sure my legs are somewhat fresh for this weekend.

This is only the second year that the Creemore challenge has been running, so it was difficult to find out information about the event, but this is what I have found out so far.

A 25 K hourglass loop with 50% trail, 50% country road and almost no cliffs. The course is hilly (60% uphill and 30% downhill), climbing the Niagara Escarpment twice per loop.

The almost no cliff part is somewhat comforting, but yikes, this race will definitely be a challenge. The winning female finished in just under 5 hours last years, so given the fact this is my first ultra (50K), my first trail race, and the fact that I am not racing it, I will likely take well over 6 hours. My plan is to have a nice long run (6 hours +) on my feet to help prepare me for the Jay Challenge. I am prepared to walk when necessary, and finish injury free. Anyway, it will be a tough week, but it should be very rewarding. I will definately post a race report.
Thanks for reading!

Tuesday, July 1, 2008

Happy Canada Day

Happy Canada Day to all the Canadian readers/bloggers out there!



Just a quick summary of what I have planned in training this week. This week is an "off week" for bootcamp (four weeks on, one week off), so its a good chance to peak out mileage for the Jay Challenge

Monday - rest
Tuesday -Yasso 800 - 8 x 800 intervals
Wednesday -12km
Thursday - am 6km tempo, pm Yoga
Friday - rest
Saturday -50km Creemore Vertical Challenge (LSD- I don't plan on racing this - but it will be my first ultra ever- more details later)
Sunday - REST
Total km - 80km

It will be a miracle if I accomplish this week. Have a great day and thanks for reading!