Category Archives: Training Notes

Although I have run 3 street marathons and countless half marathons, this is the farthest I have ever gone on a trail run. Over the last few years, I have decided that I am not that interested in road runs, although I will not rule that out in the future. I have fallen in love with trail running as it is so much more difficult than road running and consequently much, much more interesting and challenging. So over the last few years I have been running trails almost exclusively. The problem though, is that the trails I so love to run become impassable in the winter. So I have to train on the roads. However, this year I have a solution that may very well allow me to maintain my current level of fitness, and even improve it. I have a new road route planned out for the winter which … Continue reading →

The Canadian 5Peaks Trail Running Series is just getting better and better. Although it is across Canada, I only have experience with the Northern Alberta series. But I have heard similar praise from others who do have the experience in other provinces. The weather was perfect. It was totally sunny with a high that day of 26 degrees. Nevertheless when I got there for the 9:00 AM start (I got there at 7:30 AM), it was very cold. Most people there seemed to be aware that the day would turn hot enough soon enough because almost everyone choose to wear shorts and t-shirts. The race distances were 7.1 km for the Sports category which was one lap of the course. The 14.2 km Enduro distance was of course two laps, and my own half marathon distance was three laps. There was I think over 560 people who registered for that … Continue reading →

Hi all, thank you for your blog comments. I will try to be brief with some answers and an update. I am currently winding up a trip to Mt. St. Helens, Washington and am writing this from Spokane on my way home. I have not done any running but have done over almost two marathons worth of hiking to the summit of the mountain via Monitor Ridge, spent 4 hours underground walking through the Ape Cave lava tube, and many hikes on the trails including one to the base of Lewitt Falls, the closest one can get to the actual crater. As for barefoot running, those of you who have followed my journey will know that my training began on an indoor track and as can be expected was perfectly smooth and barrier free. I had a difficult time with almost crippling soreness to the calf muscles because of the … Continue reading →

But wait! It is not very often that you go running and end up with an injury to your hand. I knew the Devon trail would be a mudhole today and so I took my Nordic poles along. I was not even one kilometer into the run when the treacherous mud got me while I was standing still trying to adjust the straps on my Nordic poles, without which you just cannot do the slimy hills. Actually the sequence of events is a bit fuzzy but I broke my fall with my right hand. Those finger gloves I wear for protection from just such events? They were cut clean like a knife. I would hate to know what my hand would look like if I did not have those gloves but the cut was very deep and about two inches long. The cut was in the fleshy part of my … Continue reading →

To refresh your memories I began barefoot training in the beginning of February. A few weeks before that I began trying a forefoot strike and naturally progressed to running on the indoor track with just socks because the heels on my shoes just made it too hard to do a forefoot strike. Well today, I ran 3 kilometers on the home trail outdoors in my VFF’s for the first time ever. I have some pretty interesting trails with a few minor hills on my property which is just ideal for beginning to run with my Vibrams. I have to say that there is just no other way to run except barefoot. Of course that is just an exaggeration designed to emphasize that I really like it. Having run only on a smooth indoor track with zero debris and zero obstacles, I have to say that I learned a few new … Continue reading →

What happens when you begin to change your training either by increasing the training or by undertaking training for a new activity? I have made some unscientific subjective observations which I would like to share with you. I think it may help to explain why some of us get injured, and why it takes so long to create a stable fitness base, or a stable fitness foundation from which you can progress. I have made these subjective observations because of my own training. I have been trying to effect a transition from the normal shoe where I run with a heel or at best mid-foot strike to a minimalist shoe (Vibram Five Fingers) forefoot strike. I have observed that when I run with a forefoot strike, different muscles are involved than when I run with normal shoes using a heel or mid-foot strike. I think it is very difficult to … Continue reading →