Week 25 REcap
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Week 23 Recap
Week 21 RecapThis week has been a continuation of last's weeks ongoing, too-busy to do anything kind of week. I saw it coming and I saw it as excuses towards not managing my time wisely to make do with my typical running mileage per week. As a result, I banked all my long runs and long distances at the beginning of the week in accordance to the week's weather patterns. I knew that I can shift my rest days towards the end of the week with multiple days of rain ahead. Glad I did that. Speaking of weather and seasonal changes, I will gradually be shifting my running times either super early morning (before the temperature and humidity skyrockets) or during sunset periods (when it is not in sweltering heat and peak UV) I recall trying to tough it out last summer when trying to do 15+ km only to retreat in defeat by hiding out at a gas station. WEEKLY FEATURE HIGHLIGHT Last Sunday, I was fortunate enough the catch the opportunity of enrolling a running workshop by Lululemon Toronto in partnership with The Runner's Academy. Today, I went down to the Lululemon Toronto store at Queen St West and boy did I learn a lot. Now the second half of the equation is to apply the key takeaways from today's session: - Run in a "marching"-like motion, similar to a piston with the foot landing pushing the ground away (as physically demonstrated by using a rubber resistance band) - The march is essentially analogically parallel to the A-skip exercise - Leg crossovers (which is left and right legs criss-crossing with each other from one step to the next) is actually bad for you, gap within the legs should be slightly spread out - Think of your body and your legs as the hardware, and the mental and the brain functions as the software. Sometimes it is the hardware that requires tuning up or vice versa. With these acquired knowledge in mind, I intend to hold myself accountable by adding them to my stretches when training at the gym - such as the march like motion as well as being more mindful of leg gaps and not crossing over. This upcoming week is a taper week, leading up to the Barrie Half Marathon for this upcoming Sunday! Cheers, M.W. Week 16 RecapThis past week has been especially eventful, particularly the Team Running Free team meeting during the midweek and discovering a trail path perfect for trail running training just couple minutes drive away from home. Ever since applying for member late last year, I knew for a fact that I was signing up to join a group of inspiring, like-minded personnels from various age ranges and lifestyles. And boy am I ever glad to be accepted to immerse myself with this running community. You see, it is the group support from everyone and sharing their expertise that further fuels my desires to keep pushing my personal running ambitions to the next level. This is further sedimented by observing the crazy amounts of dedication and training all logged onto the closed Strava Team Running Free group. If I can implement the same amount of commitment as they do while also juggling normal daily grinds, who knows just exactly how much better I can self-improve upon! For those looking to join the team, I do encourage checking out Team Running Free's page for more details. I made a my first ever visit to the Seaton Hiking Trails in Pickering this past weekend. I was repeatedly told that this area was very suitable for trail running training and ultra-marathon training. The deal breaker came from the Strava activity feed of some of the local runners that I follow. There is decent distance, with up to 12.9 km one way, and drastic elevation changes that gave my thighs a good muscle burning. Mind you, the last time I did trail running was back in July of last year when I tackled the North Face Endurance Challenge Half-Marathon up in Blue Mountains, Collingwood. This Seaton trail is much welcomed but is also a stern reminder of always to respect the hills - no matter how easy it may sound or by figuratively determining the difficulty solely by metrics. I know my legs will agree with me on that the very next day after. That's just one part of the equation until you have to also consider the weather conditions and the grounds. I thought I was well equipped by bringing my pair of Salomons and a water belt with a gel pack... that is until I stepped into some extra muddy paths and realized that I did not bring any change of cloths after the run 😭 Nonetheless, I very much enjoyed the run especially since I was running in tranquil area with no competition and strictly running for the sake of enjoyment. Perhaps, this will gear me up for the upcoming MEC Events Trail Race ONE up in Heart Lake this upcoming Sunday as well as future trail races like the 50K that I mentioned from before.
I also look forward to find more trail running locations within the Greater Toronto Area and share my experiences with you as I find them. A recent online article from MEC introduced "Where to Go Trail Running Near Toronto" and I plan to do exactly just that in the weeks or summer months to come. Do you have any suggestions of any other running routes? I would love to hear from you! Cheers, M.W. Week 15 Recap
What's NextPreparations for my first ultramarathon is now under way! I plan to further add running trails close to the Markham-Durham area as well as within the Toronto area into my existing road running train log. Second to that, I have signed up for the smaller scaled trail races as samplers of what to expect and to sustain my paces while enduring for more than 6 hours? This is why thank god for the MEC Toronto Trail Race Series. I ended up signing up for RACE ONE that is happening later at month end (Sunday, April 30th, 2017) up in Heart Lake Conservation Area in Brampton. I also signed up for a second race - RACE FOUR later this year in October 1, which is essentially a reminiscing "victory lap" of my high school cross-country races. All in all, three months of time available for some quality elevation training and going to the gym for some serious lower body workouts.
Rest week ahead for me this week after completing another three week cycle of racking up some mileage! Cheers, M.W. |
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