Sulphur Springs 50miler

Saturday morning dawned dark and dreary.  Although it was race day, Mother Nature was not going to be kind to us.  Severe T-storms were scheduled and I hoped that I would be able to at least get warmed up and some mileage behind me before the storm hit.  I managed to pick up my race kit in the dark and dry conditions. 

With my bib on, and trail bag packed full of all the goodies I would need to last me a possible 12 hour day, I readied myself near the starting line for pre-race announcements. 

The 50milers and 100milers started at 6am.  I had to run 4laps of a 20km course for a total of 80km/50miles.  We made it about an hour into the race (~10km) when the storm hit. The thunder and lightening storms lasted for the first 3 hours of the race, and it quickly led to huge quantities of mud and super slick conditions.  It was impossible to stay dry and clean, so I was covered in mud up to my knees. The lightening was a little unnerving but we were fairly deep in the woods and not exposed so I supposed that was a small comfort.  Soon the wet clothes were leading to chafing and blistering as I would sorely find out by the end of the race... 

                                 (thanks to Heather Borsellino for the screen shot picture)

I always seem to meet so many nice people on the trail, and chatting with them always helps me along the way. I ran the first lap with a guy named Bill who I meet through another trail race buddy, Ryan Rogers (IG: @RunRunRogers).  We chatted about running, the crappy weather, course records and how we were running way too fast to start, of course.  Despite that, he ran on past me for lap number two, but that’s fine, because everybody has to take this trail race at their own pace.  I’ve left others when I needed to push and vice versa.  Everybody has their own race to run.  I was still feeling good anyway, despite the rain and hills. 

On the second lap I chatted with a guy named Dan, although he definitely did most of the talking.  He had some great sounding kids and he talked about them mostly.  I suppose he drew most of his inspiration from them and I was happy to be distracted by him during the constant climbing we had to do on this course.  There was about 600m of elevation per 20km lap.  I was dying with the elevation, and reduced to hiking many sections of the course on the second lap. The course was constantly up and down with very few level parts, and I am definitely a fast and flat runner.  About 15km into the second lap Dan slowed up with an old injury and I found myself on my own again.   

The third lap started out really promising.  I was more than halfway done (always a celebratory milestone!) and the T-storms had stopped.  I tucked my rain jacked into my trail bag and soon after my compression sleeves had to go, as the heat and humidity set in.  A big weather swing.  Despite my happy go lucky attitude of the first two laps, and celebrating the midway milestone at 40km, I soon found myself sinking into a darker mood.  This third lap (kms 40-60) was the most difficult of all the laps.  Even more than the final lap.  I’m not sure why, maybe it was because my legs and feet were really starting to hurt and fatigue was setting in.  I knew I was more than halfway there, but still had so far to go, e.g. 40-80km.  But I really struggled mentally.  

Never before in a race did I want to cry, but I got emotional on this lap and struggled with why the hell I was doing this.  I never doubted my ability to do the course, and I never wanted to stop, but it was emotionally really challenging to finish the third loop.  This was something I have heard about in so many of the ultra marathon distance videos I’ve seen (e.g. Billy Yang’s - Why 100 Miles. I highly recommend you check it out on YouTube) but this was the first time I ever experienced it myself. I felt awful the third time I climbed the dreaded section called the 3 sisters (a super hilly section of the course with 3 short steep intense climbs in quick succession, about 14km into the 20km loop that we had to do 4 times).  My legs burned with lactic acid, my mind screamed and everything fucking sucked.  But the last 5 km were quite runnable (with the exception of the last hill up to the turn around/finishing line) so you got over those feelings quickly.  All in all, lap #3 was like experiencing depression on a run and it was new and awful.  But I like to think that at least now I’ve been through it and know that I can work through it.  Like a real life depression in many ways. 

My fourth lap I started feeling better. The crowds cheered me on loudly with hoots & hollers & cowbells when I announced it was my last lap, and knowing I didn’t have to run the course anymore after this lap made me feel tremendously better.   Although my legs and feet still hurt and I was still caked in mud, both dried and new fresh layers with each lap, my spirits picked up tremendously.  The dread I felt in the third lap left me and I was on my home stretch. I started fuelling with salty pretzels and coca cola at the aid stations for that final push (the hydration, caffeine and sugar helps tremendously).

A girl I was going back and forth with all day (Lisa maybe? I forget her name to be sure) caught up with me and we chatted about the third lap dread loop.  It made me feel a little better knowing she also experienced the same mental struggles I did on lap #3.  We were both feeling much better at this point in the lap and we headed off down the course at our respective paces. 

  

Soon after, I had a great chat with Jeff Rowthorn (from Happy Trails Racing) about what 100K courses he might recommend for someone who prefers fast and flat (I swore I wouldn’t be doing Sulphur Springs again) and he planted the seed for Brazos Bend 100 in Texas and some other races in the southern US.  Maybe a destination race for a milestone running event, who knows?   

Talking to people really helps pass the distance. Now with only 10km left I felt so much better.  I climbed the dreaded 3 sisters the last time with a guy named Matt but ran in the last 5 km (75-80km) on my own, giving high fives to random runners I passed on the way back on the home stretch.   

I was so happy to be finished. So incredibly happy.  This event was the toughest race I have ever ran.  Even tougher mentally and physically than Ironman.  It had to be a combination of weather extremes, total elevation, total distance and the mental challenge of it all. During Ironman I never experienced the same dread and doubt that I did during lap 3 at this event, even though I did Ironman in 13:53:42 and this 50mile trail race in 10:28:51. 

Over the 80km/50miles I ran a total elevation of 1,753m (according to Strava).  That has to be my record for running elevation in one day. My legs are thoroughly trashed today and will be tomorrow, and probably the next.  

Overall I managed a top ten finish in my first 50mile trail ultra-marathon which I am quite pleased with, considering I couldn’t train on hills as much as I would have liked to considering the hip/glute tendinopathy I have been dealing with over the last few months.  I’ll take it as a victory despite the days literal and figurative highs and lows. 

I am also happy to report that the nutritional plan I had laid out worked well for me.  I definitely overpacked on the snacks, as the aid stations provided GU gels, so I didn’t need to bring as many as I packed.  I also did not eat the shot blocks, as I did not crave the sweetness as much as I thought I would like I did during the Ironman bike course.  The biggest thing I took advantage of at the aid station were the salty snacks like chips and pretzels (these are harder to pack so I trusted the aid stations for this).  I was really well fed but managed to have zero GI issues. I hydrated with Tailwind for the first 3 laps, then drank coke for the last lap.  I peed a few times (I really tried to stay hydrated especially when the heat set in) but experienced no emergency pooping issues. Just once pre-race. Perfect.  I also go vegetarian 48 hours before big races, and that helps me tremendously.  So I would definitely go with this plan again, only a little lighter on the bag.

So everybody has asked me if I still want to run 100k after this experience, the darkness and all.  And my answer is still yes, but terrain will definitely hold a huge impact in the decision I make where I will do it.  I most definitely want a flatter and less muddy geography for it.  So stay tuned for that decision later! 

Top Ten Tips to Run Faster

Do you want to run faster? Here are my top ten tips to build speed and crush your next 5k race.  

This is the time of year many of my clients have their first spring race behind them now, and want to improve their run times for their summer/fall races.  Everyone wants to get faster for their next 5km race. Here are many of the things we work on to improve their speed and you can add into your training with some planning.

1. Check your form.  Running with proper form promotes flow and reduces impact on the body. Remember to keep your high knees, kick your hamstrings back, your foot should land underneath your hip, trying to avoid heel striking.  Your arms should pump opposite to your legs and your body should be slightly leaning forward. 

2. Strengthen your core, not just your legs.  Planks, superpose, Russian twists, bicycle crunches, squats and deadlifts all target key core muscles used in running.  Without an engaged core, your form will fall apart fast. 

3. Try plyometrics.  Build speed and power with explosive moves like box jumps, jump squats, running A skips, bench crossovers, plyo split squats.  These drills will build stamina and strength in your glutes and hips, the key muscles groups used in running.  

4. Change your surface.  Runners can switch it up between road, treadmill, track, and trail surfaces.  Each of these surfaces challenge the body differently keeping you well rounded as a runner, and also prevents boredom.  

5. Rest.  Get 8 hours sleep or grab a nap, you can’t perform at your best if your batteries are drained. 

6. Recovery.  Your muscles get sore, knotted and tired from all that hard work. Simple recovery techniques like foam rolling, massage therapy, epsom salt baths, refuelling with protein shakes, all help muscles recover between workouts.  This will reduce cramping, stiffness and fatigue. 

7. Work on your Flexibility and Mobility. I simply can not stress this enough.  If your hips and glutes are tight you won’t have the full ROM to get your best stride. Increasing ROM = free speed. If you are tight you fight your own body for full ROM in your running stride.  Improved flexibility will also reduce your injury risk and you won’t run fast if injured, trust me. Stretch and massage therapy, as well as yoga will help. 

8. Run intervals.  Next time you hit the track add in some sprinting intervals.  They should be much faster than race pace, and only maintained for a short time.  Think 100-200m sprints. If you want to run faster you have to leave your comfort zone even if its just for a little bit. Track interval workouts are great for this, or even add in some strides in your longer runs if you don’t have track access. 

9. Run slower.  Recovery run days should be run slower than all your other runs. Respect the recovery run speed so you don’t burn out. Recovery runs should be 60-90sec slower/km than your race pace. Your rest days are important for overall recovery will still keeping your body moving and loose. 

10, Cross train. If it is not a prescribed run day and you still want to workout, try rowing, swimming or biking. It will train your cardiovascular endurance still, without the high impact of running, thus reducing stress on your body.  New runners often overdo their running before their bodies adapt and that can often lead to injuries.  3-4 runs a week is enough for your first year of running. 

A more thorough analysis of my injury

A few weeks ago I finally admitted that my right hip pain was not healing up with acupuncture and massage therapy like I hoped it would, and decided that I finally had to seek medical advice.  I blogged about this on May 4, so I won’t go into all the details again.  I ended up with a diagnosis of tendinopathy (lateral hip/gluteal tendinitis) and the sports medicine doctor recommended rest and physiotherapy.   

Now that the Toronto marathon is over and done with for another year (May 5), it was time to finally get to the root source of my injury. 

Being a personal trainer, its a difficult process to admit you need physiotherapy, especially when you feel a little ashamed that you couldn’t spot your own weaknesses in your running form.  But it is hard to be objective about ones own performance, so I swallowed my pride and made the sensible decision to listen to the physiotherapist. 

I’m glad I did because the bigger picture is now coming into light as to why this tendinitis injury occurred, and what I can do to prevent it from recurring, and dare I dream, quoting Daft Punk, to become a stronger, better, faster runner in the future. 

Here is the big picture which Gordon (my physiotherapist) and I have pieced together over our last 2 sessions.  I was born with 2 different back conditions: hyperlordosis, which is a pronounced curve of the spine in the lower back (basically I have a very pronounced arch in my lower back), and also a minor case of scoliosis (when the spine curves to one side). I was already aware of this, but not to extent they were now affecting my athletic performance. 

These back conditions have lead to an anterior pelvic tilt, with my right side higher than the left. Over time (I think mostly from 2012-2019 when I’ve been training more competitively) the stress of running on my body has caused my muscle groups on the right and left sides of my body to work differently.  Basically my right glute medius and glute minimus were not firing properly which led to tendinitis in the hip area, which finally acutely flared up this marathon training season.  

The weak right hip/glute can also be evidenced in my running form where I display a distinct right sided pronation in my runners pose - my R knee turns inward from the weaker hip muscle, while my left side form is much better (watch for it in my video below).  

    

Now that the problem has been identified, Gordon worked some manual therapy techniques to release my locked SI joint on the right side, and has given me a series of exercises to help address the bigger issues.  Firstly, to address the anterior pelvic tilt, I perform a very simple tug of war motion with my right leg to keep the hip unlocked. This will most likely be a long term strategy but one that is very time efficient and easy to do. No problem. 

Next I have to strengthen and stabilize the weakened right hip/gluteal muscles.  I’ve created a short 2min video illustrating the two most important drills I have to do to help with this issue (there are actually 5 exercises in total).  I am going to film myself doing these two exercises each week to track my progress.  As you can see, I’m fairly shaky going into the process, but I will work hard to improve.  

Here is the link to the video:  https://vimeo.com/335754459

(Filmed May 12, 2019)

So why I am putting this online?  

* Basically, I want to lead by example and show my clients and followers that we are all human, and sometimes we get injured. It happens. There is no shame in that.  And the best thing we can do is seek professional advice as to how to solve the problem safely, efficiently and permanently.   

* Secondly, many people are born with back conditions. These 2 examples are mine.  But I want people to know that these sorts of genetic conditions do not necessarily prevent you from playing the sports you want to, as long as you pay attention to the red flags and address them early.  These things do not have to hold you back. In fact, being in tune with your body can help make you a better athlete. 

* Finally, I think it will be interesting to follow my own progress and to have a more objective record of the process that I can reflect on.  This will be a learning experience for me as well. I’ve already learned so much about my body, and I am going to use this knowledge to become a better athlete. 

Here’s to four more weeks of insightful physiotherapy and a stronger, straighter, speedier, Kelly. 

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Update May 19, 2019. 

I have been doing my physio exercises all week (x3) as prescribed by my physiotherapist. 
As promised, I created an updated video to track my progress.  What do you think of my balance and stability between the right and left sides now?  Also watch for the tracking of the knee when I move, as it signals strength (or lack thereof) of my hip.

Here is the link to video: https://vimeo.com/337089049    
(Filmed May 19/2019)

I will post next weeks video below here when the time comes.  It has been interesting to track my progress, and I'm looking forward to next weeks progression.  Feel free to post any of your thoughts and comments below.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Toronto Marathon 2019

Sunday, May 5, 2019 

I ran the Toronto marathon this weekend.  I was more nervous about this marathon than I was any other I’ve done before, as this was the first time I was going into a major event with an injury, the hip tendinopathy I wrote about in my most recent blog.  Nevertheless, I like to finish what I start.  And besides, I had some anti-inflammatories in my system, as well as some on point physio that unlocked my SI joint.  So I have some improvement to the injury already.  It can’t be too painful, after all I’m a total badass right? That’s what I keep hearing anyways.     

Backing up a moment, the day before the actual marathon all the runners (and friends) head down to the race expo to pick up our bib and race kits. But we also got to meet some incredible people while we were there. A running idol of mine, Kathrine Switzer, the first woman to officially finish the Boston Marathon, was speaking and I had a chance to discuss her 261 Fearless running movement at the expo.  But let’s put a pin in that because that’s going to be the entire topic of my next blog. So stay tuned for that. 

I had a hard time sleeping that night due to the excitement of it all, but I was up 5am, ate breakfast, headed down to the shuttle bus and made my way up to the start line at Mel Lastman Square.  

The first half of the run went really well.  The downhill section of Yonge street is a nice place to lay down a smooth steady fast pace, until it levels out at the halfway mark and becomes more flat.  I managed to hold onto my race pace hitting the first half of the course timing mats at 4:54/km, 5:01/km, 4:54/km respectively.  

But my hip tendinitis started its aching at about the 30K mark and I knew I was about the board the pain train. My injury was far from healed and only just delayed in its appearance by 15 additional km this time, unlike its appearance at the Chilly half-marathon back in March. My pace dropped as the throbbing worsened 5:21/km, 5:38/km, 6:03/km. Not what I had hoped for.  But who was I kidding? One physio appt wasn't enough. I know I have 4 more weeks of treatment ahead of me, I understand and accept that now. 

Overall I finished with an average pace of 5:24/km in 3:48:09.  Placing 12/80 in my age group (top 15%), 96/530 in my gender (top 18%) and 476/1553 of the overall finishers (top 30%), both men and women.  The gender gap in this event was 1022 men to 530 women, essentially a 2:1 ratio. So gender parity in marathon still has a long way to go.  Come on ladies!  Believe me when I tell you, you can do it! 

With my finishing time of 3:48:09 I missed my Boston Qualifying cut off time of 3:40:00. However, I was fast enough to secure a guaranteed entry into the Chicago Marathon (another Abbott World Major Marathon that I haven't done yet) that has a cut off of 3:50:00.  So there is a silver lining after all. Huzzah!  This is the best possible salvage marathon I think I could have hoped for.  Chicago 2020 here I come! 

On to immediate post-race matters:

Some serious kudos going out to the post-race massage team who really helped stretch out my hips and glutes post-marathon. They really needed it. 

Also huge kudos goes to both my clients Juliane and Alice who completed the half-marathon race that same day.  It was Juliane’s fourth half-marathon so far, and Alice’s very first half-marathon.  See I told you, you could do it Alice!  I’m so proud of you both for putting in the hard work not just in training but also on race day.  You are strong women. 

High fives all round.  

Injuries always suck but you learn.

I’ve done 4 marathons to date. Five if you include the 42.2km run at the end of Ironman Mont Tremblant.  But the marathon that I’m about to do tomorrow morning (#6) is the one I’m the most unsure about.  Even more so than the very first one I did; back then, I knew I followed the training plan, felt good, healthy and even cocky with ignorance. But this time I’m more knowledgable and going into an event injured.  This is a new experience for me and is awful and super frustrating.  

Let me explain, I felt a twinge deep in my right hip while doing some hill training back in January early in my training. It went away soon after and I never really thought much about it, until I ran the Chilly half-marathon in March when it came back with a vengeance.  After 15km into the 21km event I had to drop off my pace because my right hip/lateral glute were hurting too much.  I finished with an average pace of 4:55/km, but I was aiming for 4:45/km. I was disappointed in my performance over those last 6km where I had to slow to a 5:05/km. 

That week I went to see both my massage therapist and acupuncturist for treatment.  

Acupuncture seemed to help with the hip flexor pain, but as my marathon training progressed into longer runs (25-35km) the pain in my lateral hip/glute region persisted.  It was time to see a sports medicine doctor. Sigh.  

The sports medicine doctor, also a marathon runner, was sympathetic and saw me ASAP.  After a careful assessment and an ultrasound image to confirm, I was diagnosed with tendinopathy (e.g. tendinitis) of the lateral gluteal muscles, where the gluteus medius and minimus muscles meet the hip joint.  

Her prognosis - rest, anti-inflammatories, and physio.  She said I could do the marathon if I really insisted but it would probably be uncomfortable.  Well, pain is an old friend of mine. 

I started physiotherapy on Wednesday morning, the day after my appointment with the sports medicine doctor.  Gord, my physio, is also a triathlete, so I’ve been feeling right at home at the Athlete’s Care Sports Medicine Centre, a clinic where all the medical staff are also athletes!  So far he has unlocked my SI joint, which has me walking straighter already (apparently I was not walking straight when I met him) and helped me with several stretches for my tight hips which I will be doing up to race day.  Hopefully he will have me fixed up in 4-6 weeks.  Which is good because I have a 50mile trail race scheduled for May 25! (I’m still coming Sulphur Springs!)

My physiotherapist asked me if I was still doing the marathon tomorrow, and I said of course I am.  My justification: since it is not a muscle tear or stress fracture, I won’t really do any more damage than is already done. So I’m giving it a go.  After all the training I’ve put in I’d have a harder time not showing up than running through the aches and pains.  (Besides, who ever heard of a pain free marathon?  We all have a ticket for the pain train at some point on the run, I just got onboard a little earlier than expected).

He said I should lower my expectations for race day.  Maybe so.  

My race day plan is to stick to my pacing strategy up to half (21k), then make a decision. If I am on pace then I’m going to push for my BQ (I need to break 3:40:00 for my AG, F40-44).  That being said, if the tendinitis flares up too much by half I will pull back and run at a salvage pace just to finish the course, and save myself for my 50miler coming up at the end of May. 

I like the former plan more than the latter plan but right now this may be out of my control.  I’ll be toeing the start line 7:30am tomorrow morning with the best of intentions.  Let’s see what happens...

Injuries always suck, but they do help you learn more about your body, your thought processes and how you handle different types of stress.  How will I handle this?