Half Marathon in One Month: Race

The week before my race I was feeling confident.  With a new personal record and what I thought was adequate training, I planned to finish the race in well under 2 hours.  I was recovering from my long practice run and with all my other activities I ended up not running at all during the week.  I went out drinking Friday night and Saturday I recovered from the alcohol, did some yoga X (P90X yoga), and went to be early.

Race Morning:

0800h Get up and eat breakfast (one banana, one nutri grain bar, one cup of coffee - my performance booster)

0845h Get my gear together and do one last bathroom break.  Clothes consisted of toe socks, MEC synthetic underwear, cycling pants, MEC Impulse Zip-T, nike skull cap, glove liners, and sunglasses

0915h Leave for the race

1000h Race begins

1019h 4km mark (by now I've started to feel a stitch in my side)

1025h 5km mark (clear cramping happening in my abdomen)

1055h 10km mark (slowed down - feeling ok)

1115h 13km mark (feeling tired)

~1135h last water station (feeling extremely tired - took some gatorade)

1140h 18km mark, had to start walking, left calf beginning to spasm

I walked the last 3km.  I tried to run periodically but my left calf cramped every time I tried to run and my right quad was starting to cramp as well.  I ran the last 100m across the finish line but I was mainly using my arms as my left calf was completely cramped and immobile.  

Finish: 2:07:10

I've learned a two valuable lessons.

1) Hydrate and take those electrolytes

2) Racing is completely different than training.  It's hard to control the pace.

I've already signed up for my next half marathon.  I don't want to fail again.

Programming Around the World: Part One

I've been curious about how people who read/write in different languages program in languages developed by the English speaking world.  I've struggled through using a French keyboard before and it was not pleasant.  So I began to ask myself, how do people around the world program? Do the Japanese program in Japanese?  Are there Japanese compilers?  Do the French use accented characters in their code?

We begin at looking at the keyboard layouts.  If C++ was designed in English, how does someone without an English keyboard program in an English language?  Well the answer is, all keyboards are English.

As you can see, the French keyboard layout contains all the letters in the English alphabet (although the layout is not QWERTY like we're used to).  Despite having to accommodate additional special characters, the ability to program in English exists.  But what about something more obscure like Japanese?

Surprisingly (or not), the Japanese keyboard can be fully QWERTY.  If you do more research into keyboard layouts (wikipedia is a great source), you will find out that most (if not all) keyboards have the ability to switch to some form of the English alphabet.  This means that all programmers have the ability to program in English specified languages.  However, the question remains, do non-English speaking programmers still program in English programming languages?

Half Marathon in One Month: 21km (Week Three)

P90X is a time eater.  I only ran twice this week - Wednesday and today.  P90X also destroys my body.  Wednesday's run was terrible.  With only my arms and abs "worked out", I thought I'd do a fast 5km on the treadmill.  So I threw on my newly purchased toe socks and my Five Finger shoes and turned on an episode of Friends.  I ran for a whopping 1.75miles before I had to stop.  The treadmill was set at 7.5mph and 2.0 incline.  My abs cramped and I didn't even make it 15mins.  Needless to say, I failed.

Today was a different story - with more triumph and less failure.  I ran my 10.5km route twice for a total of 21km.  My 10.5km split was 55:30 (a new personal best) and my finishing time was 1:54:20 (also a new personal best).  So I broke the 2 hour mark for a half marathon and I have all the confidence to do the same for the race next weekend.  The other bonus was that I had no blisters today.  I can attribute this to wearing toe socks instead of my normal socks.  I think this allowed my toes to better spread out in my running shoes and not rub awkwardly on the sides.  It might also be because my toes can rub around inside my normal socks (causing blisters), where that is not the case with toe socks.  Toe socks recommended!

Half Marathon in One Month: 15km (Week Two)

This week I did not focus on running.  I started P90X with a group at work and that really cut into my running schedule.  I only ran once this week before my long run.  I did 3.2miles on a treadmill using my barefoot shoes (7.3mph, 2.0 incline).

My long run suffered.  I had a great first 5.25km where the wind was at my back with a 27min time.  Around 30mins I started getting stitches in my abs and the head wind was very cold.  My 10.5km time ended up being 56:40 (slower than last week).  My last 5km slowed considerably.  I ended up with a 1:25:24 (~5:30min/km).  Next week I will have to pick up the pace.

Also, I'm starting to think the sensitive nipples may not be caused by chafing, but by extended periods of nipplitus.

Half Marathon in One Month: Second 10km

The week following my practice half marathon has been a recovery week.  I only did a short run on tuesday, and a 5km yesterday.  My legs recovered nicely and today I decided to run another 10(.5)km.  The roads and sidewalks were fairly clear today and I finished in 56:20.  This is around 9mins faster than my original time.

I have four weeks until my race and I have planned it out as following:

- week one: 10km

- week two: 15km

- week three: 20km

- week four: recovery/race

Sexist (and Ageist) Bike Trainer

I'm looking at some bike trainers and I came across this one with an interesting description.  Not only does the bike trainer aim low ("light-duty"), but throws some pretty big insults to "women and aged people".  They imply that women and aged people are at the same level as any beginner.  If I were you, I would be angry - now go make me a sandwich stick it to the man!


Check it out:

"M-series is the light-duty magnetic tire drive trainer line mainly for daily exercise. M60-D is the special model in the new M-series with milder resistance power for the beginners, women or aged people."
http://www.unitedcycle.com/vpd/Minoura/M60D-Bike-Trainer/2043217/products.do

Code Snippet: keepalive="true"

Today I saw an XML element with a keepalive attribute.

<element keepalive="true".../>

I wonder what our attributes would be set to if we were all XML elements.

Half Marathon in One Month: 21.5km - The Aftermath

Here are my immediate post run physical burdens:
- blisters on the toes of both feet
- one stubbed toe
- very stiff knees
- sore quads and calfs
- sensitive nipples

I took a bath after my run.  Whilst in my bath, I enjoyed a meat and cheese sandwich and a large glass of chocolate milk (a recommendation from a fellow athlete).  

Today, walking is somewhat difficult and downstairs is more than a chore.  My trapezoids are sore (probably from the backpack I carried) and the lower right part of my back is also sore.  However, an easy swim this morning was not a problem.  I think I'll be running again in the next few days.

I don't know how I'm going to solve my nipple chafing problem... but I will look into it.

Half Marathon in One Month: 21.5km

I felt so good after my 10.5km run last week that I thought I would try the full distance this weekend. Here are stats:

Distance: 21.5km (according to www.runningmap.com).
Weather: -10 (-19 with windchill), light snowfall, headwind for more than half the run
Clothes: woolie boolie socks, glove liners, nike skull cap toque, tactical scarf, sunglasses (for wind protection), water resistant cycling pants, thermal hoodie, synthetic long sleeve shirt over top, and synthetic boxer briefs

One Dancing Dan, 8 traffic lights, one ravine, one hill, and 2:19:30 later, I reached my friend's house.  Not bad for a first attempt.  Now that I know I can do the distance, I will make sure that I go for a better time come race day.

Half Marathon in One Month: Treadmill Running

Obviously you cannot run outside every day during the winter months (even if you could, most people probably don't want to). A common solution to this would be to run on a treadmill... But treadmills are boring, hot, and surprisingly harder to run on than outside. I'm not sure why treadmills are harder to run on, but I know that for a lot of people running on a treadmill means running slower. However, with a few minor adjustments, you can make it beneficial and realistic.

Start by adjusting your incline. It's generally agreed that setting an incline at 1.0 is equivalent to running outdoors. I like to set it at 2.0 so that my calves get an extra workout. If you find that you sweat too much, try using a fan to simulate wind. For boredom, I do the usual thing of watching sports or - if I'm lucky - watching someone play video games.

People often run slower on a treadmill than outside. Let me show you the conversion of miles/hr (mph) on the treadmill :

Miles/hr	Kilometers/hr	Minutes/Km
5	8	7:30
5.5	8.8	6:49
6	9.6	6:15
6.5	10.4	5:46
7	11.2	5:21
7.5	12	5:00
8	12.8	4:41
8.5	13.6	4:25
9	14.4	4:10
9.5	15.2	3:57
10	16	3:45

As you can see, running at a 6.5mph on the treadmill isn't actually that fast (though it feels like it). The key to running fast on a treadmill is to run naturally and look ahead - not at the instrument panel in front of you. I find that when I look off to the side my body hits a natural pace, and when I look back I'm almost running into the controls. So treadmills actually make running harder because you are constantly adjusting to the treadmill, rather than being natural.

Set the treadmill to a decent speed and try ignoring the treadmill in front of you. Look far ahead and if you find yourself running up on the treadmill, just adjust the speed so it's faster. Remember to try and forget you are on a treadmill and you will find your natural stride. Soon you will be running 7 or 8 mph. Good luck.

Here is a great reference

Grammar: The Ellipsis

There is no place for the ellipsis in corporate emails. I recently received an email from an executive congratulating the team for a job well done. The message was punctuated with ellipsis'. Here is a sample, "Thanks again for your efforts..."

For those of you who don't know what an ellipsis is, let me enlighten you. According to Wikipedia, an ellipsis is a mark or series of marks that usually indicate an intentional omission of a word or a phrase from the original text. An ellipsis can also be used to indicate a pause in speech, an unfinished thought, or, at the end of a sentence, a trailing off into silence (aposiopesis) (apostrophe and elipsis mixed). The ellipsis calls for a slight pause in speech. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ellipsis)

So I guess his intention was to trail off into silence. If it were me, I would want to end an email like that with thunderous applause. I wish there was some sort of grammatical punctuation that signified thunderous applause. Perhaps, I can invent one. Let me introduce you to the exclamatis... ¡¡¡

Half Marathon in One Month: Barefoot Running

I've been happening upon numerous barefoot running articles on the internet lately.  They all boast the benefits of running barefoot - less joint impact, less effort, more natural.  The idea is that we evolved running barefoot, but shoes have changed the way we run today.  The main difference is that we land on our heels when we run with shoes on.  The shock travels up our leg and is absorbed by the knees and hips. 

With barefoot running, we don't have the shoe padding on our heels and we are forced to land on the balls of our feet.  The impact is absorbed by the foot's arch and by the calve muscles. 

When you first start running barefoot, make sure that you do not go for too long. The calve muscles required to run barefoot will be almost non-existent when you first start so you have to take it easy. I ran for 10mins my first time and the day after I had a lot of trouble walking because I was so sore. Also, extended runs can cause blisters if the shoes don't fit as perfectly as you would hope. I haven't found a solution for this yet, but I will most likely pick up some toe socks for my barefoot shoes. I'll let you know how that goes.



http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2009/07/barefoot/

What to Wear: Running outside in -8°C weather

When I went for my 10km run, it had just finished snowing at the temperature was -8°C. If you are wondering what to wear to run outside in the wintertime, here is some advice.

Don't over dress. You should feel a little cold when you first start your run. If you are warm when you start your run, midway through you will be overheating... and probably over-sweating. If you are uncomfortable with starting your run a bit cold, then wear layers. Just remember, you will probably have to peel the layers off during your run and unless you have someone following you to pick them up, you will have to carry them with you.

Here is what I wore:
- Thermal Hoodie (no base layer)
- Synthetic Underwear (from MEC)
- Cyclone water resistant cycling pants
- woolie boolie socks
- skull cap toque
- glove liners (no outer layer)
- tactical scarf - (like the bottom half of a balaclava)

As you can see, I did not wear very much. Despite having no windbreaking layers, I was not cold during the run. I used the scarf only when I was running into the wind, otherwise I would pull it down.

Half Marathon in One Month: Be Careful Of Running in the Snow

Yesterday was my first run of the year.  I ran 5.5km outside in the snow in a painful 33mins. The snow was hard to run on and the path was very narrow.  Any false step would cause my foot to drop into the snow and risk rolling my ankle.  Also beware of the ice under the snow.  It's best to run on sidewalks.  If you can, run with a group or in areas where people will see you if you fall.

Today, I ran my first ever 10(.5)km.  The pace was extremely slow but the point was to finish.  Cue Austin Power's sound bite, "Yeah baby".

Eating right is important when training for a half marathon.  I haven't done any research into the area so I don't know what I'm doing.  Anyways, here is what I ate today:

Breakfast - didn't eat it because I slept in.
Lunch - chow mein
Post run - booster juice and water
Supper - bbq ribs, green beans and carrots, rice, pork, taro, sushi, roast beef, and punch to drink
Desert - cake, pineapple, chocolate
Evening snack - punch, pretzels, seaweed

I ate so much tonight because it was a family birthday party... and I can't say no to food when it's sitting in front of me.  Here's to hoping I start eating better.

Half Marathon in One Month: Signed Up for the Race

This will be the story of my journey to run a half marathon with a little more than one month to train and having never run over 8km. I signed up for this race a day ago (Jan. 21, 2010) and the race takes place on February 28th, 2010. Having only a month to get ready, my goal is to simply finish the run.

I'm A Procrastinator, but I Love to do Things

Are you lazy? Do you ever want to do something amazing? Do you never have the motivation? If any of those things relate to you, then this is the place for you.

All the incredible things I've done have been last minute impulsive decisions. Sometimes the best way to get off your ass it to commit to something crazy and have no choice but to start working towards it. It all started for me two years ago when I signed up for a miniature triathlon. I hadn't swum since elementary school and I had only one month to prepare. I ended up doing horribly, but I did finish! Isn't that amazing? I did a triathlon! How many of you can say you've done one of those? (probably a lot of you)

Ever since then, I've been making impulsive decisions to get off my ass and do something crazy. Last summer I agreed to do a mountain bike trip from Canada to Mexico with only a few months to prepare, and, in the Fall, I signed up for a cross country race series. In 5 weeks, I ended up moving from the bottom of my age group, to bottom 6th (out of 30).

My point (however badly made) is that if you have an opportunity to do something, you should do it. No matter how unprepared you feel. You're only going to break your mental barriers and grow stronger, and I'm going to show you that through my adventures.