Not quite elite runner distance yet! But, 241.6 kilometres over the month of May, 2022 is certainly beyond anything I’ve ever done. The running total was nearly 50 KM more than in April. Not too shabby for a 53 year old guy who not two years ago believed that he would never run again.
The majority of those 241.6 KM were done on trails. The month of May is about as optimum as it gets for trail running in Ontario. The weather’s still fairly cool but the ice is finally gone from the trails. The bugs haven’t shown up yet and, for the most part, the humans haven’t either.
Now that June has started, the bugs are starting to swarm and people are crowding the trailways. The worst of the bugs, we can usually outrun (stopping at all allows them to catch up, though). The humans, or as I like to call them ‘Dog Walking Zombies’, become more and more of an obstacle as summer approaches.
What’s Ahead For June?
I don’t see any signs of stopping. My ultimate goal with any run is to finish injury-free. My focus on this goal, proper recovery and strength training pretty much ensures I am limitless in the distance I put in. My only limiting factor is time. I do have to earn money at some time and spend time with family. At the end of June, the kids are out of school for the summer, which makes taking three and four hour runs a bit more challenging.
Luckily, the sun also rises well before 6am in the summer months so the early morning run becomes much more important.
A few of my runs in May were with a running pack on my back. This is revolutionary as you’re carrying a full blown aid station on your shoulders. Not only can you refuel at anytime on your run, it makes a huge psychological difference, as well. When you’re hot, thirsty and your muscles are aching somewhere deep in the forest, it can cause a bit of panic when you’re running without food and water. When you carry it with you, it’s no longer a concern.
The only problem is, I developed a sore where the bottom of the pack meets my lower back. This was after a second run using the pack and a total of around 50km. It has since healed and I now have to work on making adjustments so that this doesn’t happen again.
I would like to hit 300 kilometres in June. The weatherman is saying that we will have a cooler than normal month, so the temperatures will be on my side. As I mentioned, it all comes down to available time.
It’s Not All Running
Normally, I play hockey twice per week in the winter months and take the summer off. This year, I’ve joined a group at the University of Guelph on Sunday nights for the summer. Hockey’s interesting. I find that I work my ass off but my heart rate barely gets over 100. However, it certainly is a full body workout. I like to jump right into my running clothes after getting off the ice and put in a nice 10-15km run through Guelph, Ontario. This makes for a great workout to start the week.
It’s also hiking season. My second oldest son and I try to get on the trails every second weekend. Despite the fact that he refuses to run with me, he walks much faster than I do. So, our 20 to 50 KM hikes can be pretty exhausting. It’s funny that I find running easier than walking – maybe that’s just the natural way humans were meant to travel.
Then, there’s the water sports. I like to get on either the kayak or canoe as much as possible during the summer months. Not at all a lower body workout but it certainly works the upper muscles.
Not to be forgotten is regular strength training. I have pulled back on my lengthy workouts now that the mileage has gone up. But, I make it a point to put in a bout of strength training as much as possible. I’ve fallen into a no-rest upper body routine that mixes high and low rep exercises. I’m pretty satisfied with 30-40 minutes of this. For lower body, it’s the same, a fast, no rest, no bullshit mix of high and low rep exercises that leave me shaking after that 30-40 minutes timespan.
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