Trying something new

Every off season I try to do something completely new to work, as Joe Friel might say, on my "limiters." Last year was the 50/50 swim challenge, which will be continued this year in T-5 days! One thing I've never done is a winter run focus. In fact, I can't recall a running race that I've done for it's own sake, not as training for an upcoming triathlon.

Yes, even the 2009 BMO Vancouver Marathon was raced all in preparation for Ironman Couer d'Alene - the Saturday before the race I rode near on 5 hours.

For the 2010 BMO Vancouver Marathon I'm going to actually see what I can do when I train and run more than 2-3 times a week. And all this started last Sunday when I took a new purchase out to the local track...

Okay, the photo is horrible, but man are these shoes pretty. Special thanks to Todd and Karen at Forerunners for helping me find these Adidas Titan Cross Country Spikes!

In preparation for some upcoming cross racing, and to pick up my running fitness in general after Ironman Canada, I needed some qualified, reliable information to help me train. [enter] Google.

A quick search for "Track Workouts" led me to this page by Running for Fitness. If you're a runner and you haven't seen it, I suggest that you do. Merely plug in your goal or actual time for a race of pretty much any distance, and you get not only reasonable pace times for your 5k, 10k, half and marathon races, but 15 track workouts custom timed to your goal pace.

Thus my first track session of the season consisted of 5 x 400m repeats, run @ 73 seconds (1:13) with 2:26 recovery (or thereabouts, it was early in the morning and I wasn't thinking too clearly). Nicole @nicaker.blogspot suggested that I take it easy on my first couple of sessions using spikes, as they strain the calf muscles moreso than running flats. Why I didn't listen, I don't really know (it's Thursday now, and I still am recovering).

Next up, the BC Cross Country Championships on October 31st.

(published by Doug, no matter what Blogger says!)