Running injury... of course

Running injuries are super common. Every runner gets them. I remember reading somewhere that something like 80% of runners suffer from some sort of injury in any given year. It's the nature of the sport.

Up until this year, managing injuries has been a consistent thing for me. Ultimately a running injury is what got me into triathlon... I know that sounds weird given that running is one of the disciplines of triathlon, but it was a knee injury that got me to switch to road biking for a while, and the road biking that led me to do a swim-cycle event, and that led me to get into triathlon.

I've dealt with patello-femoral syndrome and achilles problems in the past, and made corrections to my training and equipment in order to prevent these issues from happening. This year, things were finally different. I was running in the right shoes and training intelligently, and was injury-free for the first time ever.

But after my Tri season ended, and I moved into my fall run focus, four things happened that led to injury, and in retrospect it's really no surprise that I got bit by the injury bug.

1) Increased run volume

After the Brockville race, I quite "training" on the bike, and just rode once every week or two when I could get out for a nice long ride. But I replaced any biking (and swimming) sessions with run sessions and hit 50km in a week for the first time, after averaging maybe 30-35 for most of the summer.

2) More speedwork

Under my normal training regime, I did one speedwork session per week. And this typically consisted of race-pace intervals. Once I switched to my run-focus and was running almost every day, I was doing one speed session (400m repeats well above race pace) and one tempo session (just over 10K pace). Furthermore, I devised a plan that quickly ramped up the duration of these sessions. So in a couple of weeks I was running more hard miles in a week than I had been in a month prior.

3) Hard surfaces

In the summer I have the luxury of running in the daytime, and can do my normal runs on gravel roads and my speedwork on the local high school track (also gravel). But once September rolls around and I'm back to work, I have to do my running at night after the kids are in bed, and running on the track isn't really all that great. It's not lit at all, and is overgrown in places with weeds - running in the dark can be treacherous, plus it's annoying not to be able to glance down at your watch and see your pace. So my speed sessions (now twice a week instead of once a week) were being done on streets, and asphalt is harder on your legs than gravel. In fact, all my running was being done on asphalt, as opposed to the summer where it was at least 50% on gravel.

4) Worn out shoes

Rightly or wrongly, I credit my injury-free season up to this point in a big way to my Brooks Ravennas. The right combination of stability (to help my knee and toes), heel-toe drop (to help my achilles) and light weight (to help my overall form) is something I've sought after for a while and while I'm sure there are other shoes our there that can provide similar benefits, I'm pretty sold on the Ravennas for now. But although I know there's some debate as to how valid this rule of thumb is, the general consensus is that you should be replacing your shoes after around 300-500 miles. And I got to the point where there were well over 400 miles in these shoes. Were they worn out and causing more wear and tear on my muscles and bones? Maybe, maybe not, but in conjunction with the previous 3 factors, it's pretty clear that I should have expected an injury.

So what was the injury?

I've dealt with medial shin splints in the past. The only thing that has effectively managed them has been a good RMT (shout out to Cory at Back in Balance). But since I'm now working in a different part of the city and my summer vacation has ended, it's been really difficult to get back in for treatment. And the four factors listed above have all added to the stress on my shins - both the soft tissues (muscles/ligaments/tendons), and bones - that has not really been dealt with.

My medial shins were getting sore leading up to the North Gower race, and after the race were really sore. I took a day off after the race and went for an easy 10K two days later. My shins were sore during, and perhaps more significantly, after. At work that week I was really feeling it. The issue with medial tibial stress syndrome is that it can turn into a stress fracture. And stress fractures mean potentially several months without running. I really wanted to hit my sub-40 10K goal this fall, and while so far my proudest achievement has been a running goal (getting that sub-20 5K last year), I'm still focused on being a multisport athlete. Jeopardizing next season in order to achieve that goal made no sense. I haven't seen a doctor, and there's some question as to whether what I'm dealing with is just a stress reaction or an actual stress fracture. The "hop test" resulted in no pain, but pressing on my tibia resulted in a pretty specific/focused pain in the bone.

So, in the interests of playing it safe, I've given up running for a few weeks. I've replaced it with more biking in order to maintain fitness, and have blown way over my previous highest weekly bike TSS. I've also devised a run-specific strength circuit that I've been doing a few times a week. I probably should have been doing this type of thing anyway.

I've already signed up for the Cookie Run in November, so the plan is to do that. My goal had been to do that run in under 40 minutes, and at this point, I'm not sure that's reasonable. The McMillan run calculator puts me, with a 19:16 5K time, at right on 40 min for a 10K. But with a good month off running, I certainly won't gain any run fitness and break that time. If I'm still sore, I won't even race, but after a week of no running I was pain-free with normal activity, but some pain upon pressing on my shin has still been present, but gradually decreasing. Now a week out from the race, I'm pain-free, so will attempt to ease in some light treadmill running in the final week. Hopefully that will remind my legs how to run.

I'll likely try for the 4:00/km pace required to break 40 minutes, and if I blow up (or shin pain gets bad) I'll back off. If I break 40 minutes, in my mind, it'll be a triumph and an interesting learning experience. I'm hoping that a) run fitness, which doesn't increases quickly, will also not decrease quickly, and b) the strength work I've been doing will pay off.

As always, experience provides more lessons to apply to next season's training.

Race Report: Great Gower Run 2017

This race fits nicely into my fall running focus - lets me get a good block of training in after the triathlon season ends, and leaves time for another solid block before a final race of the year in late October/early November. And it's super close to home.

Initially I had no goals for this race. My big goal this fall was to try to break 40 minutes for a 10K in the season's grand finale. That still remains the goal, but as this race approached I started to wonder if breaking 19 minutes in this race would be possible. Initially that goal wasn't on my radar and seemed more long-term, but I was feeling good about my training and that sub-19 thought kept entering my mind. So as race day approached, I decided I'd go for it. I knew it would really hurt, and was an ambitious goal, but good goals are supposed to push you.

Race Day

Beautiful day for a race, as last year was. Cool temperature but nice and sunny. After warming up, I met last year's champ Michael and had a quick chat. I told him that if the stars aligned I might be able to make a run at sub-19. He said he might be right there with me - I think he's more of a distance guy, and apparently hadn't been able to come up with any real 5K speed this year. But he beat me by over two minutes last year, so I certainly didn't entertain the idea that I might actually be "racing" him for the win. But maybe I'd be able to keep pace with him for a while, if I was faster than last year and he was slower.

As per usual, the kids all lined up at the front and went off full bore. The first few hundred meters consist of picking your way through them. As we made our turn onto the main road, I was just behind Michael, with a kid who looked to be 12 or 13 leading us out. I glanced at my watch and saw we were running at about a 3:25 pace. This was obviously not the plan, and I was getting the impression Michael had underestimated himself. I felt good but knew 3:25 was not anywhere even close to sustainable for 5K, so I backed off. Michael soon took over the lead from the kid (Xavier) who continued run well.
Km 1: 3:34

This was way too hot a pace, but I rationalized that it was time in the bank that I would need later in the race. I was back running at what felt like a good 5K pace, and very slowly closing the gap to Xavier in front as Michael continued to disappear down the road.

Km 2: 3:46

Still holding a pace that was faster than what I had planned, but I felt like I had settled into something that I could keep holding. At this point I moved past Xavier, and he quickly tucked in behind me - he would basically be my shadow for the next 2 kilometres. Coming back after the turnaround, it looked as though we had a reasonably comfortable gap on our pursuers. I started to wonder if Xavier and I would find ourselves in a sprint finish for second - ultimately I wasn't "racing" the kid, but the clock, as my goal was sub-19, not a particular place.

Km 3: 3:54

Xavier stayed right behind me, and, as these races tend to go, things started to really suck.
As my watch showed 3:54, I was now running slower than my planned pace, but as I ran the first 2 km so fast, I had those 4 seconds to give, so was still feeling good about my chances of breaking 19 minutes (though not "feeling good" in general). As I pushed through the fourth kilometre, I could see that my pace was dropping off. I kept tying to refocus, but I was in a really dark place by that point. Towards the end of the fourth K we passed a cheering section with some kids that were friends of Xavier's "Go Xavier!" "Pass him!" they cheered, and he obliged. This didn't really surprise me, given how crappy I was feeling. He opened up a gap on me, and it was looking like I was going to finish in third.

Km 4: 4:06

I was really dismayed to see that "4" at the beginning my 4th K time... I was hemorraging time at this point, and the time I gained in the first few kilometres was looking like it was all being given back. I would really have to run that final km hot, and I knew that it would be a big ask given how I was feeling. There's a little bridge about halfway down the main road, right around half a kilometre from the finish. This was going to be my "go" point, where I'd put whatever I had left into my legs and empty the tank. As I picked up the pace, I passed Xavier. I never looked back, but it wasn't long before the sound of his footsteps receded into the distance. Either he didn't have that extra gear, or had injected too much pace when his friends cheered him on and had nothing left. Either way, it was a hell of run from a kid who I'm pretty sure wasn't even in high school yet. If we both do the race next year, he's going to kick my butt. Might not be long before he's kicking everyone's butt.

Km 5: 3:47

At the point that my Garmin signals the completion of the fifth kilometer, I'm still short of the finish line, so it's about another 10 seconds before I cross the line in my official chip time of 19:16.8. So well short of breaking 19. I can't help but wonder if I had of raced that first leg of the race more conservatively, if I wouldn't have crashed so bad in that fourth K. Or maybe I would have finished with an even slower time. Who knows? I certainly didn't feel like I left anything out on the course - that 19:16 was as horrendous as a good 5K should be. Oh, and Michael? Beat me by two minutes again.

Official Time: 19:17.2
Chip Time: 19:16.8
2/93 Overall
1/8 M30-39

Triathlon in decline?

Still getting my thoughts together about this season as I do my fall run focus. I'm feeling good about my run training as the first race approaches, though still unsure of what my target time will be.

Something I've been thinking about though, is that triathlon, at least locally, seems to be in decline. I noticed this at the Brockville race this year where there seemed to be significantly fewer bikes in the T-zone than I had seen in previous years. So I looked at participation numbers for the individual triathlon events (i.e. no relays, no duathlons or swimcycles) in the "prime season" Somersault events over the past 7 years, and you can definitely see a trend:

Overall participation is certainly in decline across the board. Are people leaving triathlon? Or is the sport not attracting newcomers like it used to? Here is a look at all of the above races specifically showing participants in the Try-a-Tri event:


And here's a look at the series' only long-course event, the Canadian 113.

You'll notice there's an asterisk for the years up to 2014, and that's because they used to also run a full-iron distance race (the Canadian 226). Despite having a second long-course race running concurrent the half-iron, the numbers were still much higher a few years ago than they are now.


So.. not only are fewer people "tri-ing" for the first time, but the more hard-core events are also in decline. My guess be the rise of the Spartan/Tough-Mudder/etc. races is drawing a lot of people who might have gotten into multisport. I certainly hear from plenty of folks who do these races, and encounter way more of them in my day-to-day life than I do triathletes. There does seem to be a perception that they're a greater challenge, as in "You think a triathlon is tough? You should try a Spartan race!" I think the big thing is that a) you don't need any special equipment (bike, for example) and b) there's no swimming, which I think is a big deterrant for many people. First of all, it's not easy to learn to swim as an adult and takes a big commitment. Secondly, open-water racing is intimidating to even some proficient pool-swimmers - the weeds/fish/etc. seem to freak some people out, and the body contact can be pretty nerve-wracking too.

The obstacle-course type races don't seem to require any special training or equipment - you just go and do it. And I think that's pretty attractive to people who have busy lives. And they're just plain popular, and that popularity becomes a self-reinforcing thing especially in the age of social media.

I guess we'll see what the future holds for multisport - it certainly won't go away, but is in a state of decline, at least locally. The long distance events, especially the WTC races but also smaller races like Barrelman, seem to be holding their popularity. Though I do have some concerns about the number of people who do these as a "one-and-done"/bucket-list sort of thing, and don't stick around in the sport. I guess that's part of the reason to local races are in decline, because there are a lot of local triathletes that just don't do them.

If another Simon Whitfield comes along and focuses the national spotlight on triathlon, maybe interest will pick up again. I think Canada can put up a pretty solid mixed-relay team in Tokyo 2020 with the likes of Tyler Mislawchuk and Joanna Brown.

On a somewhat related note, nobody seems to blog anymore. Not the pros, nor the local amateurs I've enjoyed following. I think other social media like Instagram is taking up that space, not really sure though. Anyways I've taken down the links section of the blog since more than half of those blogs are in a dormant state. Part of the decline in triathlon?

Final Multisport Race of 2017

My race report for the Thousand Islands Duathlon is up. I think it was a successful end to the season for me. I'm happy moving forward as a duathlete for the next few years. Training two sports still gives enough variety to keep things interesting, and biking/running keeps things nice and flexible (unlike swimming). I think ultimately spending some time focusing on biking and running will make me a better triathlete when I return in a few years. And duathlon is a new challenge for me so despite just finishing this season I'm already excited about the next.

Taking the girls on a post-race tour of the Brockvillle Railway Tunnel

Now it's time to plan my running races for the fall and set some goals for those.

More lessons learned

This has been a bit of a different year for me, training-wise, as outlined in various blog posts. "Different" mostly in a bad way, but "different" still gives one the opportunity to compare the experience with previous years and perhaps gain some insight into what the different effects are of the various approaches.

Here's a few lessons learned so far:

1) Miles on the trainer are more valuable than miles on the road

When I gave up on my structured training plan in the spring, it was liberating. No longer a slave to banging out intervals in my basement, suffering away on the bike trainer, I was free to enjoy biking outside. And I did. I was having more fun and logging more time in the saddle than I had been. So you might think more time in the saddle = more bike fitness, but that's not the way it worked. I still have deliberate workout goals, using heart rate to guide my efforts (no power meter on my road bike), like "2 hours in Zone 2" or "2x20 minute efforts at threshold". But my bike fitness didn't really improve and may have actually declined a little - as much as anything I think it was the lack of the dreaded VO2Max interval sessions that was doing it.

I got some nice rides in though, getting some good ones in beyond my usual environs. Here's a typical ride around where I live:

This one yielded a total of 91m elevation gain over 60km. So pretty flat, and on straight roads through farmers fields. Not very interesting. So I've made more efforts to get in opportunities to ride other places - twisty, up-and-down roads through woods and lakes between Perth and Westport, for example. Or this ride around Mont Rigaud:

Pretty much the same distance as the above ride, but 378m of elevation gain over the 60km. That's a more interesting ride.

A combination of life circumstances and a desire to put in a good build leading up to the Thousand Islands Duathlon have meant that over the last few weeks I've been back on the trainer rather than outside. And I've noticed a real difference in my bike fitness levels (they're actually improving!).

So quality trumps quantity, and you can't beat the quality you get from a good trainer session.

2) Stretching is overrated

Last year I wrote a pretty extensive blog post weighing the merits of stretching. Being really inflexible and having a history of injuries, I wanted to do whatever I could to help the cause. There's real debate on whether stretching helps, hinders, or does nothing at all. Ultimately I concluded that I wanted to keep up the regime.

This year, however, I haven't really stretched - a result of my lack of deliberate structure in my training. Coincidentally or not, I've been completely injury free this year. To be sure, there are other factors at play (general fitness accumulated over the years; holding off on speedwork until after months of outdoor mileage), but in retrospect I feel like stretching didn't really benefit me, and the fact that I'm by far the most injury free I've been when omitting stretching completely has me sold. I'm done with stretching. You were right, Paulo.

3) Core strength matters

Another part of my routine that's fallen by the wayside has been core strength exercises. I know this is important for all 3 sports, but I was particularly conscious of it as it related to swimming, since engaging the core is such a big part of a solid swim stroke. I had a good routine going in the winter and abandoned it in the spring, and my core strength is certainly not what it once was as a result. Obviously with no swimming I haven't noticed an impact there, but surprisingly enough to me, I have noticed an impact on my cycling. As part of my renewed efforts to get some solid training in leading up to Brockville, I'm back on the core routine and I feel like I'm able to transfer power to my pedals better (and sustain it) as a result of my returning core strength.

So there it is: 3 lessons to take into next year.

• If the goal is to maximize results, prioritize quality sessions on the bike trainer over outdoor rides.
• Don't worry about post-exercise stretching (I still see value in pre-exercise dynamic stretching).
• Have a good core strengthening routine and be consistent with it.

My last triathlon for a while

My race report for the Smiths Falls Classic is up. It was a fun race, albeit one with some execution errors, but nice to get the AG win after a bit of a drought. However, I'm pulling the plug on triathlon for a while.

Maintaining a consistent training schedule after the birth of our third child has been difficult, and swimming has been the biggest challenge. I can run and bike whenever - I've got a bike trainer and treadmill in my basement. What I don't have is my own pool, and the ones available to me are a) a fair distance away and b) only available for lane swimming at very specific times. Simply put, it's just not flexible enough for me at this point in my life. Many weeks I'd either have to skip swimming entirely, or I'd slink out of the house leaving my wife to deal with 3 screaming kids. I haven't been able to make any real swim progress as a result, and while I enjoy swimming, trying to fit it into my life is, at this point anyways, a source of aggravation. More significantly, trying to be a good swimmer is making me worse of a husband and father.

My pool membership expired at the end of June, and I'm not renewing it. I'm still running and biking, and will likely switch to duathlon for the foreseeable future. I'll come back to triathlon in a few years when the kids are older. So goodbye triathlon, you've done a lot for me over these past few years. You've gotten me fitter than I've ever been in my life. You've provided the motivation for me to maintain a healthy diet and lifestyle. You've provided a platform for me to challenge myself, and to set and achieve new goals. I've met some cool people, and had a lot of fun.

So I'm not done with multisport - I've got my eye on a duathlon in August. And there are more triathlons in my future. Just not for a while.