Into the ketogenic fire...

Now that I've spent the past few weeks easing into the Bulletproof diet, it is time to head into the ketogenic fire. As a diabetic I suspect I will have an easier time replacing glucose with fat as my primary fuel source. Why? My body doesn't do a very good job removing excess glucose from my blood stream anyway, so my belief is that I probably won't have issues with "brain fog" (essentially when the brain does not have enough glucose to function properly).  

Adapting to being in ketosis is the toughest part because of the fatigue that comes along side it--assuming you're not replacing the water and electrolytes that are inevitably lost when you cut carbohydrate consumption. 

During my last carb cut I went into "keto flu" without even realizing it. Only after a fairly rigorous search of the Bulletproof forums did I find that keto flu even existed. So this time around I'm going to be getting my potassium from raw blackstrap molasses, avocados and a potassium supplement.  All of which are excellent sources of potassium. Sodium is easy to replace with pink Himalayan salt. Calcium and magnesium will require supplements for now, though bone broth will help with the latter.

A note about bone broth: my god, I hate the taste of it. But it's got collagen protein and is apparently a favourite of the BP diet.

I've shared a YouTube video that deals with ketosis (see above).

If you're not familiar with Ketosis, WebMD explains it:

Ketosis is a normal metabolic process, something your body does to keep working. When it doesn't have enough carbohydrates from food for your cells to burn for energy, it burns fat instead. As part of this process, it makes ketones.

The EPIC junk food run: McDonald's and Easy Cheese

What good is any diet if it doesn't have a cheat day built in? It's hard to say, but since going Bulletproof I haven't felt a need to cheat on my diet... and yet, I decided to drive south into the United States of America for an EPIC junk food run! My main goal was to secure American McDonald's for my lovely partner who cannot eat at Canadian McDonald's because of allergy restrictions.

Montana.  After crossing from Saskatchewan into Montana I quickly realized that I no longer had phone service! Luckily the border guard gave me maps of Montana and North Dakota after a search of my car and examination of my credentials confirmed that in fact I really was going to kill a Saturday going on an international junk food run. The border guard strongly advised me to cross into North Dakota where I would have better junk food options.  So after filling the tank in Scobey, Montana, I literally pointed the car east and drove... and drove... and drove...

and I drove some more, and then passed through a few small towns before reaching ND.

What: McDonald's
Where: Williston, North Dakota

America. The land of all day McDonald's breakfast. It was bliss to have my first Big Breakfast in several years.  Though truth be told, aside from the biscuit and hash brown, I wasn't too impressed.  I accomplished my first task when I grabbed some American hamburgers for the entire family.

What: Easy Cheese
Where: Albertson's in Williston

Now this just falls into the category of totally unnecessary. I picked up a "can" of this cheese as well as some bacon Ritz crackers and enjoyed a meal of bad bad bad food.  For dessert I had two Reece's and one Snickers candy bars.  I washed them down with a can of Diet Pepsi!

After that, however, I could eat no more. My body, which had put up with too much, wanted actual electrolytes like potassium and calcium, not the mysterious ooze that is Easy Cheese.

So, I grabbed a few more cans for the kids--they loved it, as well as some halloween candy and Tupperware for the excess McDonald's food.


The trip home was long and foggy. I was met with near disbelief when I spoke to the border guard upon re-entering Canada. I'm a very transparent person, so I knew my car would be searched once again after telling them I was on a junk food run.  After the search one guard smiled and said "You must really love your wife."

Driving back to Saskatoon in the dense fog was the toughest part.  In Regina I had a Gu gel... and let me tell you, Gu is useful even when you're not running.

In retrospect, was it worth renting an SUV and driving 1200k for a junk food run?  Financially, it was the sort of trip that would make an accountant cry. But you only live once.

The Bulletproof Challenge: Day 14

Day 14 began with my body craving carbs, as apparently I had cut them a little too far.  I had a total of 33g of carbs on Day 13 and 39g on Day 12.  Even Day 11 was low, with only 209g consumed.  Despite this, and despite consuming slightly more calories now than before, my waist has shrunk noticeably. I once again fit comfortably into my size 33 khakis.
At any rate, when I woke up, I had my usual Bulletproof coffee with Upgraded Protein Bar as well as a bowl of sushi rice. Well, that really hit the spot. Some sweet potatoes at dinner ought to round things out nicely.
The real challenge on this diet isn't avoiding food so much as making sure you get enough of it.  Because this diet seems to regulate hunger hormones so well, it can be easy to deprive yourself of certain nutrients by being too rigid.  And therein lies my only real concern at the moment.
I am going to up my consumption of carbohydrates a bit... to 100g and see if that keeps my glycogen stores stocked on non-running days.
Otherwise, the transition to keto is tougher than I thought. Perhaps coincidentally, I caught a viral infection that has kept me from running. I strongly suspect that cutting my carbs too much caused this to happen, as I very rarely ever get sick.  In fairness to myself, recent weather issues have certainly contributed.  Additionally, although I had very nearly run this morning, I simply wasn't 100% sure I wanted to risk my tenuous grasp on feeling good.
Anyway, I have not run since Wednesday and that really sucks.  Of course my legs were definitely feeling the increase in workload, and the thought of taking a few days off has in fact occurred to me.

If I could change or revise my recent diet, I wouldn't have cut carbs back so much. The diet certainly doesn't call for such a drastic reduction, so I don't blame the diet.  I'm down to 184, though I suspect about .5 to 1lbs of this is lost glycogen. The smart scale readings show definite fat loss, with a modest uptick in muscle percentage (note: I have almost certainly lost some muscle as well).

I've said before, I'm already in shape. I do this diet primarily to avoid spikes in my blood sugar.

I'm trying "The Mentalist" offering from Bulletproof. So far so good.

A note about diabetes, LDL cholesterol and the Bulletproof Diet

I was perusing the Bulletproof forums the other day and came across two types of complaints about the diet. The first dealt with acid reflux and the other dealt with high cholesterol readings (specifically LDL, which is the "bad" type).  I'll deal with the latter first.

The official Bulletproof response to the cholesterol question is here.  BP says "The government of Sweden ... is recommending a diet high in saturated fat. "  What he is referring to, but does not cite, is the Swedish Council on Health Technology Assessment's report on Dietary Guidelines for Obesity (English translation). To be sure, you can indeed extrapolate from this report, but I would be careful since the report states rather clearly that "(w)e have not reviewed the scientific literature for the connection between food and health in the general population."

The affirming quote from the SBU, which I believe BP refers to is:

…a greater increase in HDL cholesterol (“the good cholesterol”) without having any adverse affects on LDL cholesterol (“the bad cholesterol”). This applies to both the moderate low-carbohydrate intake of less than 40 percent of the total energy intake, as well as to the stricter low-carbohydrate diet, where carbohydrate intake is less than 20 percent of the total energy intake. In addition, the stricter low-carbohydrate diet will lead to improved glucose levels for individuals with obesity and diabetes, and to marginally decreased levels of triglycerides.”   (Source)

Unmistakably this quote, which you will find cited by numerous blogs, is the basis for the BP claim. I am not here to debunk the claim. In fact, it may well be true. The fact remains that if the convention wisdom were right, it would never change, but it does (remembers, doctors used to endorse cigarettes).  However, evaluating the effects of low-carb diets on non-diabetics is beyond the scope of my inquiries and reports.
As a diabetic, I find that when my diet is comprised of significant amounts of carbs that controlling my blood glucose levels is more difficult.  Additionally, I find it tough to maintain a stable weight, lose weight and feel good on the conventional diet.  To say nothing of the inflammation problems that I deal with eating grains and food from grain sources.
My position on the Bulletproof diet remains that it definitely works for people like myself who are 1) diabetics 2) very active (i.e. run marathons) and 3) have difficulty eating a "normal" diet.  I am sure it also works for people with other challenges and/or lifestyles. But I would not recommend this diet to anyone who functions well on a conventional diet.

The specific complaint that arose on the Bulletproof forum was that some people were posting that their LDL (aka "bad") cholesterol blood numbers were rising after being on the diet.  There is nothing magical or mystical happening here. If you consume more cholesterol than you did before, you will have this result. The solution is rather simple: eat less cholesterol.  In fact, ironically, it's rather easy to stay under 300mg of dietary cholesterol per day while on the Bulletproof diet. I do it most days (though I sometimes will have eggs).
In the Bulletproof response, BP contends that LDL gets a bad rap because it is found in arterial plaque. The argument is that the presence of LDL in plaque does not prove causality, and indeed on the surface it does not. The problem is that LDL cholesterol is a necessary component of arterial plaque. You can infer, quite strongly, that if your LDL levels are low, then there's less LDL to be used for plaque. This is logic.  In other words, less LDL means less opportunity for plaque, whereas BP holds that more LDL does not mean more opportunity for plaque; and I hold that we simply do not yet know for certain if the presence of LDL is a catalyst for arterial plaque or not, even though it sure as heck plays a significant role. BP further argues that polyunsaturated fats are to blame for plaque. Even if true, this argument fails to take into account that LDL remains a necessary component for arterial plaque as well.  It's like saying that the necessary components of a fire are heat, fuel, and an oxidizing agent, but that increasing your fuel source component doesn't increase your risk of fire.

Think of how a fire works.  You need heat, fuel and an oxidizing agent (i.e. oxygen).  With atherosclerosis you need cholesterol, fatty substances, cellular waste products, calcium and fibrin (as per AHA).  Take away enough heat/fuel or oxygen and you don't have a fire. Take away enough LDL cholesterol/fatty substances etc and you don't have atherosclerosis. Period. There is no logical basis for disputation on this matter.  So I say, why take the risk?  It's easy to keep your intake of cholesterol under control on the Bulletproof diet.

The other complaint I saw come up a few times was about acid reflux. Yikes. As of now I don't know enough to respond to that one, but I have noticed it myself. Until the diet I had never experienced acid reflux.

As someone who is very active I am forced to carefully monitor and measure my carbohydrate intake to ensure that my glycogen stores are in good shape, and that I don't ingest more carbs than are absolutely necessary to run as needed.

My last note would be about the Glutathione Force supplement. I have ordered a quantity of the Bulletproof supplement, along with a bottle of the NOW FOODS version.

Again, I love the Bulletproof diet and truly appreciate the results I am seeing. But I differ with BP on the matter of cholesterol.

Here are some other interesting quotes from the Swedish study:

Those who drink a lot of coffee also have lower mortality from any cause.

In the short term advice on moderate and strict low carbohydrate diet slightly more effective, but in the longer term there is no difference.

The Bulletproof Challenge: Day Nine

This morning I weighed in at 185.6 and I feel great. My body fat is decreasing while my muscle mass is increasing slightly.  The initial problem I had crashing during runs has been fixed with 1) the addition of more carbs at lunch and 2) GU and an electrolyte beverage pre-run (with 1/4 tsp of Himalayan salt).

Pictured here is the Beef Chili recipe from the Bulletproof Cookbook--though it looks more like hash. The taste was phenomenal and I vacuumed up 1,000 calories of it at lunch(!).  My slight variation on the recipe includes grass fed ground beef, butternut squash, grated sweet potatoes and bacon--everything is organic. I have leftovers!













My blood sugar remains in check, so I'm satisfied with how the diet is going.

Odds and Ends

In light of two recent runs where fatigue was an issue--particularly on a 7k last week--there's a BP podcast addressing fatigue.

*

Mini Bulletproof Diet Update: When I stepped on the scales this morning it was fairly obvious that my body has stored every carb I've eaten this weekend.  This is actually good... since I need the glycogen as I move towards mythical ketosis.  My weight, for those of you who care, is 187.6lbs

The next step is... drumroll... carb reduction. Since I'm churning out posts again, I'm sure I'll have something to say in the next few days.

The Bulletproof Challenge: Update 2

Week one is now finished. Overall I can say this, the Bulletproof diet is working out. But here are my thoughts. I'm going to cover three areas: running, overall well-being and weight loss.

There is no doubt about it, I had two bad runs in a row starting with Wednesday's 7k run that under the best of conditions would have been tough. With a reduced carb diet (and my own eschewing of any pre-run fuel) my run was pretty poor.  The following Saturday was better, but I really seemed to hit the wall at about the 14th or 15th kilometre--we ran just over 18k in total.
To be sure, I believe that my woes are directly related to a combination of a lack of carbs in my diet as well as a deficiency in fueling-up properly. My heart rate was elevated at points where it shouldn't have been elevated, and I (perhaps wisely) elected to take walk breaks.

On my Saturday run I took a bottle of filtered water (with an electrolyte beverage enhancer and 1/4 teaspoon of pink Himalayan salt added in) as well as a GU packet and waffle.  These additional fuel sources were not enough to overcome the fatigue.  Another thing to point out is that we paused for a total of 4 minutes during our run which made our run pretty close to a half marathon.

According to Garmin, my estimated VO2 Max decreased from 51 to 49 over this period (!).  My hope, and belief, is that I should recover this loss as my body acclimated to burning fat--a process that could take a while.

On a happier note, my sense of overall well-being has been greatly enhanced since beginning the diet. It may be the case that removing bad bacteria from my gut as well as toxins from my diet has caused this change.

At my height this month I weighed 193.  At my last weigh in, yesterday, I weighed 188.  I've experienced fat loss and muscle gain.  My belief is that the majority of my weight loss so far has been water weight (as a result of cutting carbs) as well as ... sadly... at least some glycogen.

Getting beyond last week, I've begun this week on a much different note.  Today I ran 6k, including a number of 400m repeats (of which one was at 1:35). I alternated fast and slow repeats. In between repeated I alternated between a set of 20 lunges, 20 side lunges or 50 squats.  I rested, when necessary, to allow my heart rate to come down.  Interesting, my heart rate was about where it ought to have been.

Throughout my workout I felt stronger and faster.  At the end, I had done 3k of cycling, 6k of running, 201 squats, 70 lunges, 40 side lunges, 10 minutes of ab exercises (numerous types of crunches), 20 reps of back extensions... and an ice bath.  No post workout soreness or concerns.

Snow before Thanksgiving

Well, if you live in Saskatchewan, then you are probably affected by the blizzard-like snowfall that recently occurred.  Not much turnout at last night's run club, but those of us who did brave the elements had the options of test-driving Salomon Spikecross 3 shoes. 

That centre pair was mine--post run. I found the shoes to grip the wintry mix of snow and slush very nicely, while keeping my feet dry. My only problem, and I think other runners may well agree, is that the arch support could be a little better.  I went into Brainsport today and picked up a fresh pair of the Spikecross 3's along with a pair of insoles.

The Bulletproof Challenge: Update One - Bulletproof diet + type 2 diabetes

When I stepped on the scale this morning I weighed 4.4 lbs less than I did on Sunday. More importantly, my body fat percentage had come down by nearly a full percentage point, which equates to about 1.5 lbs of fat loss. I'd wager that those other 2.9 lbs are water/inflammation weight as my muscle weight has apparently increased slightly.  I don't expect results like this on a daily (or weekly, for that matter) basis, but I'm impressed that the overall claims of the Bulletproof gestalt are apparently correct in my case. I really do want to stress that as a type 2 diabetic who runs frequently, my situation is a tad bit unique in the population. On that note, I still have not needed any medication to control my blood sugar--this may change, but let's see.

*I should also point out that I am a fairly active person. Right now I'm running about 40 kilometres per week, core workouts every 1-2 days as well as a regime of squats and lunges.

In total, yesterday's calorie count was 2,009. My macros were 17% carbs, 64% fat and 19% protein. That's an absurd balance, perhaps even after considering that the vast majority of the fat I consumed was of the MCT variety.  The day before yesterday was a 38%/47%/15% breakdown.  Again, absurd until you realize that I lost weight.

What's unique about yesterday's diet was that it included a slice of pumpkin loaf (* made with organic ingredients by my spouse here at home, which is important to mention, I think), fair trade dark chocolate with cinnamon (again, no added garbage or unpronounceable ingredients).

I'd say the only thing that gave me any fits was the hummus I had at lunch. I had a total of 81 grams of carbs yesterday, which were mostly divided between the pumpkin loaf and the hummus. The pumpkin loaf didn't seem to have a negative effect, but the hummus did. Sadly, the hummus is on Bulletproof's suspect list.

Now one other strange item is that I have been drinking soda.

Zevia uses stevia (considered "Bulletproof") and eschews colourings as well as the evil high fructose corn syrup. Nice.

Until recently I had been drinking quite a bit of Diet Coke. Zevia is simply a better option. You can get Zevia at Dad's here in Saskatoon.

So that's the latest.  Let's see in future updates if Bulletproof really is the real deal, or a flash in the pan.

The Bulletproof Challenge: Day One

Just for fun... for the next two weeks I'm consuming a "bulletproof" diet to see what effect the diet will have my health and blood sugar (remember, I'm a type-2 diabetic).  This may seem a bit dangerous, in the abstract at least, but I already have a pretty idea how this is going to go.

I'm not going to post everyday with my diet, but I will report any interesting findings. Right now, my weight is 191.2, muscle mass is 38.7% and my body fat is 20.9%. Feels weird making all this public.

Day One
For breakfast I had Bulletproof Coffee along with two scrambled eggs (organic). I sprinkled some crushed red pepper onto the eggs.
Result: 535 calories. Blood sugar one hour after: 6.3 mmol.  Ordinarily I'd take a Metformin after breakfast. Probably a good thing I didn't do that after this breakfast.

Lunch. 210g of grass-fed extra-lean ground beef, 1 tsp MCT oil, 1 tsp cayenne pepper, 130g of Hanes Hummus (* Hummus is considered a "suspect" food on the Bulletproof diet, but I'm easing onto the diet, so....). 15g of dark chocolate.
Result: 692 calories. Blood sugar one hour after: 7.3 mmol.

Early Dinner. Bulletproof coffee with a single square of dark chocolate.  What can I say, I had very little appetite. And at a grand total of 1700 calories for the day, I wasn't under-doing it.

Just checked my blood sugar... 6.3 mmol.  So my blood sugar was pretty consistent throughout the day. Can't argue with that.

So let me add that I'm supplementing my diet with a multivitamin I picked-up at Dad's Organic Market, an Omega-3 supplement (Life brand, from Shoppers Drug Mart) and a Glucosamine Chondroitin MSM supplement (already seeing results, so maybe I'm one of the lucky ones this supplement works on).

Official Upgraded Bulletproof Coffee Preview

So I was at Dad's Organic Market when I came upon actual Bulletproof products. I tend to be a bit skeptical of ... everything... but since I've had my own variations of Bulletproof Coffee I figured I'd take a flyer on a few of the official Bulletproof-labelled products. In those case, I think I took a $60 or $70 flyer, but who's counting?
I used half of the recommended coffee beans since it was already past 3pm when I started grinding the beans. At any rate, these beans are billed as "upgraded coffee", while the Brain Octane is essentially MCT oil. The ghee is a clarified butter.
So the recipe worked as advertised, though the real test will be tomorrow morning when I make coffee and oatmeal.

Pictured here is "Andy's Hill". I'm not sure who Andy is, how this came to be his hill or at what point the hill was named.  I just know that I want to ascend the damned thing during this evening's run.

My partner and I took our son for a stroll on the trail. One day he'll be running these trails.

This was our entry to a path down to the trail. Quite a lot of fun.  Probably a damned good thing I got a pair of trail walking shoes from Brainsport last month!

Gingerbread and Trails

Today's run club meeting was fairly interesting. We hit the trails for a good chunk of our run and I may well have trail fever now. What changed?
It must have been about halfway through our first segment when I noticed a lack of impact pressure in my hips--not sure I mentioned that I got a diagnosis of mild hip arthritis recently. I could have run all day on the trails.
*
I adhere to some fairly strict rules about nutrition. One major rule is that I don't eat foods that promote or cause inflammation (e.g. processed foods etc). Another is that I try to eat foods that reduce inflammation whenever possible (ginger, garlic, cayenne pepper, green tea).  I have yet to reach the point when I run without at least a little notice in my hips, but I'm pretty sure I've stopped things from getting any worse.  This is little comfort because I will eventually have to give up serious running at some point.
*
As it is now, any run over 21k has to be on a trail.
*
Saskatoon's notoriously short autumn is about to give way to early winter.
*
Brainsport just announced the 2016 Gingerbread Run.  I surprised myself by registering for the 5K. I'm eager to run a 5K with proper training (i.e. not one day removed from a 30k run... haha).

Autumn Rebound

Autumn has returned to Saskatoon. Since Autumn is not a particularly long season here it's probably a good idea to log those extra miles before we're all forced to wear spikes again. Thanks to the inevitable malaise, I have't been able to get anything done in the last two weeks, but I have a feeling that's about to change.
For starters, I've been able to determine from my Garmin that I have a 48 vo2 max. This is good news since I'm 190lbs, 40 years old and am not in shape (at least not by my standards).  So one of my goals this season is to see if I can raise that 48 to a 50.
I'm also eyeing the Brainsport Gingerbread Run 10K as an opportunity to get a 10K PR. Of course, the race goes off on November 20th, which is bound to be cold (and perhaps snowy as well).
Getting back to my fitness... I'm adding a new dimension to my fitness goals by making them public this time out. So here goes.

1. Lose up to 16lbs (but not less than 10lbs) by November 20th.
2. Raise my Vo2 Max to at least 50.
3. Run another 440k this year. (I'm currently at 872k for the year)
4. Perform at least 1 interval session per week.
5. Run up Andy's Hill (more on this in future posts).

Approaching Storm

Approaching storm. #meewasin #rain

A photo posted by John (@misterspalding) on Aug 4, 2016 at 8:17pm PDT

One really nice thing about living in Saskatchewan is the ability to see oncoming storms. It's quite a thing how they approach so quickly, despite looking so stationary.

A review of Brainsport's 100% Kenyan Roast Coffee

In the very recent past, Brainsport began offering coffee for sale at its store on 10th Street East. I make it a point of buying fair trade coffee from local businesses, so in buying coffee from Brainsport I am holding true to my beliefs.
I picked up a bag of their beans.  I should say at the outset because neither the weight nor volume are listed on the package, it's hard to make an educated guess as to whether the coffee is worth buying without your own scale.
Luckily I have a digital scale and was able to ascertain that the bag of whole beans (correcting for the tare weight) I purchased was 115 grams. Given a price of $8.80, this is incredibly expensive coffee.

But before we evaluate it, let's consider the claims made on the bag.  First, this is organic coffee. Second, it is from Kenya. Those are the relevant claims.  Searching the website listed on the bag, rockpapercoffee.ca, reveals that these coffee beans were roasted here in Saskatchewan.

Ordinarily I'll buy about 300 grams of Organic Fair Trade Ethiopian coffee beans from McQuarrie's Tea & Coffee Merchants for about $12.  For comparison's sake, you can buy about 454 grams of Tim Horton's coffee beans for about $7.50 at supermarkets.

For my review I prepared this coffee three times over two days in order to get a real sense of whether or not I might have an even more expensive coffee habit.

Cup #1. To be sure, after adding three tablespoons of coconut milk coffee cream (no sugar... ever), I was able to determine that, in fact, the coffee tastes like an organic fair trade coffee.  This is a very good sign.  Generally speaking I really dislike vegan coffee cream options, but with this blend of coffee it actually tasted okay.  Still, it's no better than the fair trade coffee I usually get.

Cup #2: Prepared "Bulletproof" style with 15ml of MCT Oil, 2 tablespoons of unsalted grass-fed butter, blended for 30 seconds in a blender.  This method produced one of the best cups of bulletproof coffee I have ever had.  I'm not sure exactly why this particular bean produces such a great cup of bulletproof coffee.  Could it be how it was roasted? Maybe it's the quality of nutrients in the soil where this coffee was grown?

Cup #3: Prepared with three tablespoons of 18% cream.  This was a good cup of coffee, but was it worth the cost?  Well, I'll defer that question.

At any rate, I think the cost of $8.80 (that's after GST is assessed) makes this a little too rich for my blood, though I'm sure I'll buy a few more of these from time to time.  The coffee isn't bad, and it's always a good thing to support local businesses.  I love the idea of offering Kenyan coffee!

New Goals... and the latest

One of the things I've been aware of lately is just how much of my time I've spent obsessing over upcoming races. Now that my racing season is basically over--regrettably, I've decided to give the Queen City Marathon a miss this year--and I don't have any races in the near future, I've begun to accept that I'm now running for fun.
As my body slowly repairs itself from the absolute pounding it took over the course of the 42 kilometres at the Manitoba Marathon, I've begun to miss running with groups.  True, I'm not exactly a social fixture, nor do I talk all that much, but I never-the-less miss the companionship of my fellow runners.
So rather than chase PRs (or PBs) this summer and fall, I want to make new friends and share my own experiences with others.
That said, I can finally tell you that my spouse Jasmine has taken up the religion of running... and she's preparing for her first 5K as well.

2016 EY River Run Classic

So a few days ago I switched my registration from the 5K to the 10K when it hit me that 1) I wasn't feeling 100%, and thus didn't think a 5K personal best was going to happen, and 2) I haven't run a 10K race in over two years.
What made this particular race interesting for me--and yes, the race has been run--is that I managed to get a 10K personal best despite having recently run faster during my training runs, despite having run 10 kilometres faster during half marathons, and despite not feeling anywhere near 100%.
It's odd to call it a personal best because I've done better on several occasions. Yet, oddly enough, because I never seem to train for 10K's or be prepared for them on race morning, I was able to snatch a personal best.
So when I say "unprepared," I mean to say that I've run once in the past twenty-three days. Now, in my defence, I did run a marathon on June 19th, so it's not as if I skipped too many runs.  I should also add that I wasn't even sure what pace I should run--ultimately I ran about the same pace as my last half marathon--or what shoes would make best sense.
No, I just went out and ran. No headphones and no robot voice coach telling me my splits, I just ran. Obviously with my hip nagging me, I found it hard to maintain my stride.  Here is probably where I should note that I had my hip x-ray'd yesterday, just in case; and as it turns out, it would seem that my problems are of a soft tissue nature.
Naturally, I have to decide whether I'm going to now take 2-6 weeks off from running to let my hip heal itself and probably kiss the Queen City Marathon goodbye (in which case, I'd have to switch to the half marathon) or live on anti-inflammatories, suck it up and keep running.  For once, I may just do the sensible thing and cross train while I recover.

The long and surprisingly winding road of marathon recovery

Members of the Saskatoon Road Runners descending the hill at McPherson Avenue (aka "Big Mac").

If I've learned anything, it's that how the first run after a marathon (or a hard-run half marathon) is going to go is usually a mystery until I've actually begun it.  Such was the case on Monday when I laced up my New Balance 890 V5's and joined the Saskatoon Road Runners on their Monday evening hill work session.
It was not until I took the first few steps in a running posture that I felt a sharp (albeit not-painful) bit of something on my let side near my hip flexors.  This was the same stiffness that wrecked my running form near the end of the Manitoba Marathon.
It's hard to say what was happening, but I kept running because I was curious. The feeling eased a bit, but still felt stiff at times.  Stiff.
My guess is that I probably ripped some muscle fibres in my hip flexor near the end of the marathon. When it heals up, somebody needs to do more core work.  Hmmm...

So that's where things are right now.  I've taken it real easy this week--today is the first day I've done any push-ups or core work.  I'm probably going to need to do some planking this evening, along with more push-ups, and probably a bit of stretching as well.

There are just under two and a half months until the Queen City Marathon in Regina.  That's plenty of time to get ready.

_

In other news, New Balance Saskatoon is closing.  Given the economic situation in Saskatoon, I can't say I'm terribly surprised. Things are not too bad here, but I wouldn't say Saskatoon can support the kind of businesses that Edmonton and Calgary can.  At any rate, I'm a little sad over the closing since--for whatever reason--I've come to appreciate the New Balance brand.  NB makes some of their shoes in North America, which is a pleasant surprise.

[There's an article here about the struggle businesses on Broadway Avenue are facing].

2016 Manitoba Marathon Recap

3:00am CT -  Marathon Morning

Thunder and lightning.  It's apparent from inside the tent that a massive storm is nearing.  My family and I evacuate to our rented mini-van and wait the storm out.


7:00am CT - Start of Race

I find that as we get going my lungs need time to adjust to the new environment.  It's been two years since I had run in Winnipeg, so I was a little slower in the first few kilometres that I had anticipated would be the case.

approx 9:00am CT - Halfway

I'm not precisely certain when I reach the 21k point, but my pace feels comfortable.  That said, I'm already feeling tight in my hips.  I'm not sure what street I'm running on, but it's a wide one with few spectators.  One of the things about running in unfamiliar places is that you're almost always someplace new.  I grab a sponge, two cups of water and one cup of gatorade at the aid station.   I thank the volunteers.

Between 25 and 26K ...

I see my wife and son, and my two step kids on University Crescent.  According to Jasmine (my wife), my form is looking good.

30K - I'm in trouble here since my form is really starting to break down.  My heart rate remains consistent, though, which is a good sign.  According to Runtastic, the humidity is at 97%.

32K - My slowest kilometre of the race (8:02).

36K - The 4:30 pace group has caught up to me.  I realize it's time to dig deep, so I join them.  We run together until the group scatters at 40K when the pace bunny is injured.

42K - This is probably among the toughest kilometres I've ever run.  I'm tired, my form has broken down, it's hot and humid.  I am truly struggling when I come across paramedics removing an unconscious runner from the course.  I'm shaken by the sight, but I continue.  Investors Group Field is in sight.  This is the home of the Winnipeg Bluebombers and the site of the most recent CFL Grey Cup.  It's not too much longer before I'm passing the stadium and back onto Chancellor Matheson Road.  It's painful, but I make the turn onto Ken Ploen Way and onto two track where the finish arch is now visible.  In the stands are hundreds upon hundreds of spectators cheering on the finishers.




Before the storm outside Winnipeg



Me in Indian Head, Saskatchewan

My son meets a dog

Finally home in Saskatchewan

Training is over: now it's on to Marathon Weekend!

With only a few days to go before we set out for Winnipeg, I'm seeing some interesting camping weather ahead.  Luckily it seems that it won't be bad on Marathon morning!  

Here are some interesting statistics and facts relating to my training this year:

741K run / 1,764K combined (cycling/running)

Cities: 6 (Saskatoon, Banff, Calgary, Vancouver, Port Coquitlam and Yellowknife.)

Races: 6 (Three Half Marathons and Three 5Ks)

For the next few days I am taking it easy and avoiding unnecessary activity (i.e. no push-ups, squats, cycling etc.)

2016 Saskatchewan Marathon Recap

A video posted by John (@misterspalding) on May 29, 2016 at 2:21pm PDT

We left the house 25 minutes prior to the gun at the 5K portion of the Saskatchewan Marathon. Although we live only a few kilometres from the start line, I really didn't have any concerns about arriving on time.  Yet, as we found Ruth Street blocked at Broadway Avenue, and Ruth Street generally inaccessible, we began to snake through some of the many neighbourhood streets that rest between thoroughfare and collector streets, only to find that getting within more than 1500 metres of the start line was nearly impossible.
With time against us, Jasmine got us to Taylor Street and Coy.  I had less than ten minutes left until the gun, so I decided to run to the start line.  As I got to St. Henry Street, I noted a lot of walkers from the previous race as well as a number of volunteers. "I'm running to the start line," I assured a volunteer who had given me a suspicious look.
As I drew closer to the arch, I could see that hundreds of runners had already assembled.  Three minutes left.  My heart rate had to be quite elevated as I stormed to the start through the finishing area with all the tents.
Finally, as I arrived there were two minutes for me to recuperate before the gun.  I listened as my heart pounded efficiently as it slowed.  I wanted to drink in the experience.  I brought no headphones and wanted no music.  Sometimes its better to run with the community than against.  This was a race and we were all ranked.  But my expectations were minimal.
I had run 32K the previous day, and was just around 175K for the month (my previous record was about 178).  Yes, my expectations were minimal.  And yet, as the gun fired, I found myself nearly sprinting past runner after runner, before clearing the initial throng and forcing myself to slow down.  I was running a 4:46/K as we turned onto Ruth Street, and I wondered just how long I could keep that up in my current condition.  These days I've been running a 4:00/K pace when doing intervals, so I was well slower than my top training speed, but I was unsettled.  I suppose calling the general feeling painful would be a mistake; if anything it was a strange discomfort, like soaking in ice cold water.  That's to say that continuing wouldn't hurt me, but continuing would be difficult.
Still, I took it kilometre by kilometre.  The first was 9 metres uphill, and was surely the toughest.  I told myself that if I hung in there, I'd get the benefit of 9 metres downhill at the end.
Sure enough, I began to settle-in around the halfway point.  My body was no longer struggling, but had accepted the present difficulty of maintaining the pace.  A sense of peace prevailed.  Rather than worrying if I could keep up the pace, I simply kept up the pace.  There were no more ifs, there was the reality that I had acclimated. Before it could even cross my mind to worry again, I had only two kilometres left.  Then a few minutes later it was just one.
Then I was turning off Ruth Street and heading to the finish line arch.
The race was over.  I crossed at 23:48, which was good for 33rd place out of 482 runners.  It was my second best 5K overall (my best being in BC), and my best in Saskatchewan.
After the race, I chugged two cups of water (in my haste just to get to the race on-time, I neglected my Honey Stinger Gel and Nuun drink), before spotting James Funk at the results tent.

Marathon Weekend in Saskatchewan Part 1

Well, it has actually been a year since the last marathon... so here we go.  As you probably know by now, I'm running the Manitoba Marathon in a few weeks (primarily because I fell behind in training for the Saskatchewan Marathon), so tomorrow I'll be running the 5K race--I can't fathom the idea of being in town and not participating in the event.
Luckily the race expo was held at Prairieland Park once again, and not TCU place like last year.  Truth be told, there wasn't much doing at the expo when I got there.  I didn't stay too long--just long enough to pick up my race bib and tech shirt--because I had just finished a 32K run (mostly on the marathon course, interestingly enough) and still hadn't had more than 700 calories all day, despite burning 2900 on the long run alone.
The Saskatoon Road Runners had their booth as usual, and I saw a few familiar faces.  Because I'm the least talkative person to ever operate a blog, I probably spoke only a handful of words in procuring my bib and shirt.  That changed when I ran into a member of the run clubs named Sue--we exchanged the latest and gave our thoughts on the next day's race.

Then it was over.  One of the events I await all year was quite literally over (for me) in minutes.  I should say that I admire the volunteers for giving so much of themselves and their time.  I feel guilty for not volunteering.  Granted I had a 32K run on the agenda, but that's an excuse.  Next year!  Until then, however, I will volunteer at local races!


I took a single photo while inside the hall.  New Balance Saskatoon (which I've supported quite enthusiastically) had a selection of shoes on hand.  I suppose I could have used my Mastercard to acquire more shoes, but in light of a recent instagram post, I think I need to abstain.

That moment when you realize how many running shoes you own. I go through a pair per month--on average. Maybe it's time to start donating? #runningshoes #running #runningaddict #newbalance

A photo posted by John (@misterspalding) on May 26, 2016 at 12:02pm PDT

Mogathon cancellation, Saskatchewan Marathon news and more

With just over a week until the Saskatchewan Marathon, I feel pretty good.  Now, as you know, I've switched from the full marathon to the 5k (as such, I'll be running the Manitoba Marathon in June).  I'd be lying if I told you I didn't feel like I was missing out on something special by missing the full marathon, but such is life.  The Saskatchewan Marathon is now the largest racing event in Saskatoon, btw.
And this brings me to the next topic of discussion:

One of the things I just don't understand is why the good races are disappearing from Saskatoon.  As everyone knows, the last iteration of the Bridge City Boogie was in 2014.  This time it's the Mogathon.  At least with the Mogathon we can speculate that timing was probably what killed it.  Holding the race mere weeks after the Saskatchewan Marathon (i.e. the race that most serious runners participate in) probably didn't help--though oddly enough, in 2015 the Mayor's Day Marathon event occurred days after the Sask Marathon.   There is no Mayor's Day race this year, it seems.

Although the race organizers did the right thing in agreeing to refund everyone's registration fees, they ought to have released a statement explaining the reason why the race is cancelled.  Truth be told, I'm hesitant to set aside time in 2017 before knowing what happened in 2016.

Race re-cap: Mother's Day Run 5K (Yellowknife, Northwest Territories)

In my ongoing effort to run a race in every Canadian province and territory, I ran the Mother's Day Run 5k in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories.  In doing so I've discovered yet another wonderful Canadian city.  Yellowknife is unique in that it is situated just outside the Arctic Circle and the tree line.  Winters in Yellowknife are long and cold... much like Saskatchewan (the difference is the severity of winter).

I didn't go for a personal best--after last week's half marathon, I wasn't exactly recovered (a fact that was reinforced about 250 metres in to the race when I back off a bit).

I ran a pretty steady 4:59/k pace and finished pretty strong.

The race took place on the Frame Lake Trail near City Hall.  Although the trail was paved, the elevation profile had about 86 metres of uphill, including a few steep ascents.  I noted on my walk-through on Saturday that the trail was at maximum elevation around 196 metres (less than half of Saskatoon), yet despite this I found the air to be thinner than Saskatoon, though not quite as thin as Banff.  It's possible that I imagined this, but I found it particularly difficult to run faster than 4:45/k without getting winded.

Photos from the 2016 Saskatoon Police Half Marathon

Ran a personal best today!

The day started off with a 6am wake-up followed by a blueberry Pop Tart and Vitamin Zero Water.  There I ran a half marathon.  Here are some photos!

A photo posted by John (@misterspalding) on May 1, 2016 at 9:32am PDT

A review of Runtastic's story running

I've seen the "story running" tab in my Runtastic App, and because I didn't have any idea (or curiosity) what it was I didn't bother to use it... until now.  Since today was pretty much a recovery-type day for me (considering how much hard running I did in Vancouver last week), I figured I'd run for about 30 minutes at a relatively conservative pace.  Naturally, though, I through my plans mostly out the window and did a "fartlek" session using the Story Running feature of Runtastic.  This particular program was of the coaching variety and featured non-descript gym music you might find in Berlin.  The narrator guided me through the oddly named "fartlek" session [note: Fartlek is a Swedish creation, and according to a Google search, is defined as "a system of training for distance runners in which the terrain and pace are continually varied to eliminate boredom and enhance psychological aspects of conditioning"].  At first I had a little trouble determining when to start increasing my effort because, and maybe it's just me, the narrator was a little vague about giving the command.  I'm hesitant to criticize too much, but I will say that since my splits are being timed, it seems rather odd that the timer begins before the programs expects you to actually begin running.

The interface is similar to a normal running sessions, though the voice coach is muted by default (probably a good thing).  Overall I'm intrigued by the idea of story running, though it remains to be seen if any of the other offerings are better/worse than this.  We shall see.

Leg Day at the Gym

Greetings again readers.  What are you doing to train?  

Today I'll share my leg workout.  Yes, I incorporate core work into leg day.

• 209 bodyweight squats using the Runtastic Squats app (4 sets total)
• 50 squats with a 10lb dumbbell in each hand (held upward much like a barbell) (3 sets total)
• 50 lunges (3 sets total)
• 60 side lunges (30 on each side; 3 sets)
• 60 Erect Lateral Bends (3 sets of 20)
• 2.5 minutes of planking
• 2.5 minutes of side planking (both front and side planning were broken up into continuous 30-35 second sets, where after a normal plank I would switch to side planking and so forth)
• 1 set of 10 leg presses
• 2 sets of 10 hamstring curls
• 3 sets of 10 box jumps (20") 

I finished off by swimming for 200 metres.  I should add that I would have done back extensions as well, but I saw the following sign on the Roman chair:

My objective today was to work on my core and leg muscles, obviously, in order to avoid common running injuries and increase my speed.  Incredibly I was also considering a 20k bike ride as well today, but I think I've done enough.

On to the Manitoba Marathon

It hit me the other day about how awful it is to have to bail out of a marathon because of something as ridiculous as a two week slow down in training.  So, since dropping from the marathon to the 5K at the Saskatchewan Marathon I've done some soul searching and decided to register for the Manitoba Marathon in June.  Since I'm familiar with running in Winnipeg (thanks to running the Intrepid Dezine Half Marathon there at the 2014 Manitoba Marathon event), I'm not concerned with elevation.  And yes, the weather in Manitoba is every bit as terrible/wonderful as it is here in Saskatchewan.  I'd say the biggest superficial difference is that Winnipeg sits significantly closer to sea level than Saskatoon, and that has me thinking about potentially running a sub-4 hour marathon for the first time.
So there it is.
This Saturday I run an 18k test run as a final long run before the Saskatoon Police Half Marathon on May 1.  As silly as it may seem, my goal for this half marathon isn't just to run another sub-2 (though, let's face it, anything over 1:57 is going to be a let down), but to really see about improving my hydration strategy to something above and beyond merely hoping that there's enough on course support.  That may mean, gasp, carrying a hydration belt; but it might also mean deploying me wife to a strategic location on the course to hand me a small bottle of water (with a dissolved Nuun tablet).  It also might help if I actually "glyco-load" or "carb up" ahead of time.

Switching from the Marathon to the 5K...

A funny thing happened when I was running along the seawall in Vancouver... I started to feel an old and familiar pain in my upper hamstring.  To make a long story short, I noticed the very same malady that had struck me in 2014.  Now rather than living in denial and getting injured, I've decided to not to do any more long runs (e.g. 15k+) until I've got some treatment and recovered.  The one exception to this is the upcoming Saskatoon Police Half Marathon on May 1.

Other than that, I have to admit that I'm really excited about trying to get under 20 minutes in the 5k, so my training will continue.

So yes, for the third year in a row, I'll be participating at an event at the Saskatchewan Marathon.

Photos: Running in Vancouver