Race Recap: 2010 Halloween Haunting 5km

Well, what a weekend this has been. I'm lying on our bed, still in my running gear (yuck!) and I'm sipping a fine '07 Syrah from France as I try and recap the whirlwind that was this weekend.

Saturday saw me judge the Halloween Costume Competition at the London Runner Distance Club annual Halloween practice. There were some creative costumes (the entre women's squad dressed as elements from the periodic table), some funny ones (a few clowns stood out) and a truly amazing display of human strength. Dylan, a runner and hockey player, decided to wear his hockey equipment to the practice, and ran the whole workout with the equipment. Helmet, shoulder pads, gloves and a hockey stick. Simply amazing! I got in an easy 12km run, some strides and stretching as I was slated to race the Halloween Haunting 5km the next day...

Saturday night was full of spooky halloween fun with friends and then I got to shoot the debauchery at a local club. It was fun being the photographer when everyone wanted their pictures taken.


Halloween Haunting 5km Race Recap

And now, the piece de resistance. I ran my first 5km road race in at least 7 years. I ran a fun run 5km in the summer of 2008, clocking in at 22:30. A far cry from my speedy days, but I was also just getting back into this running business. I was really curious to see what I could crank out today as I've been training steadily for the past 4 months and I have been getting stronger and faster at our recent workouts.

I arrived at Springbank park with the very best cheerleader I could ever ask for, Melanie. Wes, another amazing cheerleader showed up well before the race to cheer me on too! How blessed am I? VERY! I quickly picked up my race package and timing chip, but I went and forget to pick up my long sleeve shirt that came with the package. I blame the person who was tending to me. Unless 5km runners don't get a shirt? Hmmm...

Regardless I got myself ready and went out for an easy 4km run. My legs didn't particularly feel sharp, or dull, but I was a little worried I wouldn't have the speed I needed to crack my goal time of 20:00 over 5km. I logged in 4 easy strides, some stretching and spent a few seconds being star struck by the sight of Matt Brunsting doing some strides just ahead of me. *Swoon*.

I met up with some teammates of mine and the announcers call the 5km/10km runners to the line for the race. I stuck around the front, not toeing the line just yet as they told us 'elite' (hah) runners that we should wait here if we're planning on going sub 20:00 for 5km (or sub 35:00 for 10km). I felt so special, but as I was just planning on hitting 20:00, wondering if I really belonged with the bigger boys.

I toed the lined and tried to activate my nike+ pedometer, but the darn thing wouldn't work. I look down at my shoe and I realize what happened. I forgot to put my chip on my racing flats after my warmup. DAMN IT. So I quickly realize that I'm just going to have to go with my gut on this one and quickly come to terms with it and calm myself down.  Then a few seconds later the starter asks the timing guys for a 30 second warming prior to the gun going off, and I jumped on that. 30 seconds? I can run and get my chip from Melanie in plenty time. And I did, but not after scaring my team mates. I made it back with 15 seconds to spare and we were off!

0km to 2km

I know this course so well and I knew the first 1km would be fast as most of it was downhill and I used this to my advantage to unfurl a little more without any fear of digging too deep. There were tons of runners around me at this point and I had to pay special attention to not get boxed in just before the long downhill section at the 800m mark.

I crossed the 1km marker at 3:33 and thought to myself, dayum, that is fast. Actually, I said it out loud too. I still felt great, and I should have, it was my first km, and I wanted to see what I could do coming up to the 2km marker and use that to gauge where I'd take the pace from here on in. The 2nd km marker was just atop the first uphill and when I crossed it feeling great and seeing that my split was at 7:05 I knew I had managed to keep my pace from the 1st km into the second.

2km to 4km

These were actually fun kms to run, and this surprised me. At this point another runner latched on to me and we chatted about the race, the fact the 3rd marker said 9km and his goal for the 10km race. The fact I was able to chat while racing says quite a few things about the effort I was exerting at the time.

I came by 3km in about 10:40 and was still feeling amazingly good. Light on my feet. Tall through my head. In great spirits. The turn around mark was at about the 2mile mark and I got to cheer on every team mate that I ran past. Nate, Matt, Tim, Ian, Leslie, David and cheered them all on as best as I could. It actually helped boost my energy levels as when we turned around, we'd be heading up a 300m hill we had just descended. This would be the last killer hill, and frankly, the only 'real' hill on the loop, so I attacked it with gusto. I felt a little spent coming off of it, but knowing I would only have about 1.2km left I was ready to attack every step I took.

4km to 5km

At this point, I didn't even check my 4km split. I wasn't trying to balance effort with capacity, it was time to throw down and leave it all behind me. The runner I was running with for the first 4km gave me a few words of encouragement which I took and ran away with. The last 400m are fun, except for the short and steep uphill you get to negotiate with a 90 degree right turn into the last 150m straight. I caught a glimpse of the clock as I neared it and I couldn't believe it.

I finished with a time of 18:02 for 5km. Absolutely astounding. If you recall, I was aiming to crack 20:00 for the race and well, to say I cracked it would be quite an understatement. I smashed it to pieces. Not only that, but my best 5km of all time is just below 17 minutes, I'm within reach already!

I ended up finishing with an average pace of 3:36/km, and with an overall placing of 7th. I was 3rd in my age group, with the top 2 being other London Runner Distance Club teammates.

I'm ecstatic to say the least and I rewarded myself with a lovely bottle of wine and some homemade pesto pasta. Now I'm relaxing and trying not to fall asleep. And now I get to update my About Page with a new, recent PB (aka post-post-collegiate PB).

For full event details, click here: http://www.runnerschoice.on.ca/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=11&Itemid=12

Running Log: Oct 18 - Oct 24 2010

Well, I've gotten so busy lately that my only posts are running logs, I have to apologize for that but I'm starting up a new business venture and it's eating up a lot of my time. The good news? I'm still running! :D

Here are my stats for the week, if I can remember the details:

Monday: Easy 10km
Tuesday: Easy 10km
Wednesday: 20km total:
- 5km warmup
-6,4,2,6,4,2,6 tempo with 2min rest between each segment
-5km cooldown
Thursday: Off
Friday: Easy 14km
Saturday: 4km Shakeout (without nike+)
Sunday: 13km Easy run

Grand total: 70KM

This was my heaviest week yet and my knees felt it. They aren't getting any worse and I'm still hodling steady at 90% healthy, but they definitely do feel a little beat.  This week is another HIGH week for me and it includes a 5km race on Halloween. I'm aiming to crack 20:00 for the race and my legs are faster than they have been in a long time. The question becomes do I have the stamina....I hope so!

Running Log: Week October 11-17 2010

I can't get over how quickly these weeks are whizzing by. It's been a week since Thanksgiving and already we're merely days away from my birthday. Whoa, where has October gone to?  This week was to be a low week in mileage for me, a welcome change after a 65km week the prior week. 50km was the number this week, but I blew the doors off that in my Saturday workout. D'oh.

Monday: Rest (raced the day before), did 30 minutes of stretching
Tuesday: 13.2km Steady run at 4:30/km
Wednesday: 10km Easy Run
Thursday: Day Off
Friday: 12km Easy Run
Saturday: Meadowlily Workout
 - 4km warmup
 - 4 x 100m strides
 - Meadowlily hill work: 3,2,1,3,2,1
 - 1.5km easy
 - 6x (2min hard, 1min easy)
 - 4x 100m strides
 - 4km cooldown
Sunday: Rest with 30minutes of stretching

Total Mileage: 57km

Nostalgia On The Trails

I quite literally ran into the UWO Men's Cross Country team last night as they were crusing along through the trail system lining the Thames river on an easy run. Guy and Brandon, both now coaches on the team, recognized me nearly instantly and well, who could ever forget Guy's loud voice?

We ran for about 3km and chatted about what's been going on in our lives lately and when they turned around at their 30min turnaround point, we went our separate ways.  It felt strangely amazing to get to run with two old running mates of mine and the new UWO blood. I had a new found bounce in my step, and it was great to have my recent efforts validated by allowing me to cruise along with the team without over exerting myself.

I then started reflecting on how far I've come since joining LRDC in mid July.  Back then, my mileage was a paltry 20km per week, normally 4 5km easy runs and I was slowly getting back into the regularity and consistency of a running program.  I decided it was time to take the plunge and join a running team, enter London Runner Distance Club.

Since then I've been consistently logging over 50km per week, reaching a few weeks of 65km and though I have to keep my knees in check, I am loving every step.  I'm starting to gel with some of my team mates, though it sure would be nice to have more senior level runners out with us right now. Try as I may, there is still 10 years separating me and the juniors on the team and relating is oh so challenging.

All in all, it was great to run again with a team I cowardly left back in 2001, and again in 2003. I didn't know how to deal with my mental state, physical well being and pressure from my engineering program. Last night, though as insignificant as it was, was a stepping stone in my healing that I had to step on. Now that it happened, I can see it clear as day, but I had no idea this would be on my path. And for this I have Guy and Brandon to thank. :D

Running Log: Oct 4 - Oct 10

This week was scheduled to be a HIGH week for me as my mileage was set to increase to 65km. I felt up to the challenge come last monday and even though I had a super busy week in all areas of my life, I stepped up to the plate and delivered. Here are the details:

MONDAY: Stretching for 30mins
TUESDAY: 13km easy run
WEDNESDAY: 15km total
-3.4km warmup (15mintues)
-12 diagonal strides (1km)
-4x 1km Pond loop (4:00, 4:00, 4:08, 4:03) Consecutive
-5min rest
-4x430 small pond loop (6:15 total over 1.75 km)
-4.5km cool down
THURSDAY: Day Off
Friday: Easy 11km
Saturday: Easy 10.5km
Sunday: 15.2km Total
-3km warmup
-8.3km Turkey Trot (Sudbury) Time: 35:47
-3.2km cool down



TOTAL MILEAGE: 65km (nikeplus is missing a few as I forgot to start the darn watch a few times...)






This week is an LOW week for me, I get to run 50km and then jump right back into a 65km week the next. I'm impressed with how well my legs are recovering and reacting to all the mileage I'm logging. I'm also getting much stronger and faster, yay!

From Treadmill to Track: A few Pointers

Do you find yourself having an enjoyable time running on a treadmill but when you hit the pavement, trails or track your breathing becomes labored, legs tired and you just can't seem to get very far without stopping?

Sadly, this isn't an option...

Well a friend of mine recently commented on this very issue and I thought I could offer a few pointers to help out with this transition.  Short of finding a treadmill we can use outside, these tips are a great option if you want to ditch the spinning track and start pounding the trails in the peak of Canada's fall colors.

1. Take it easy: You are likely to start off rather quickly once you start to pound the pavement. When I started running again last year I did so on the treadmill and once I moved outdoors my pace picked up by 30 seconds per kilometer. That worked out to an increase of about 10% and can be very hard for someone to maintain. Focus on taking it just a little slower as you begin running outside. 
2. Run at dusk/dawn: This is key if you begin running during a hot summer season. When you ran indoors on a treadmill odds are the room was air conditioned and the humidity was controlled.  Outside, you don't have this luxury. Try and work your schedule around the cooler times of the day so that this plays as little a factor as possible.
3. Water: If you learned to run on a treadmill with water at hand, don't expect to start running outside without water. Your body needs it if you've trained it to, so get a water belt and a water bottle. This is especially important if you can't control point #2 above.
4. This ain't a track meet: If you find other runners on the track or on the trails, don't feel the need to pass them or stay ahead of them. When you ran on the treadmill, you weren't passing anyone because you couldn't. It made it easy to keep your ego in check. You'll have to force yourself to this time around.
5. Find a distraction: In the gym, on the treadmill, you likely had TV to occupy your thoughts. You won't be privy to such luxuries outdoors so bring along an mp3 player or clear your mind so that you can freely flow from thought to thought. Even better yet, bring a friend along so you can chat.

I hope you can find some benefit from my pointers above when you decide to transition from the treadmill to the trails, roads or track. Happy running!

Race Report: 2010 Sudbury Turkey Trot

Wow, 6 days since I last posted on this blog. I just had a stupid busy week this past week and I guess this is the first time I get to write.  This week was a rather busy week for my running, as I was to run a HARD/HIGH week and had to 65km.  I managed to outdo that, but I guess we'll have to wait for my weekly mileage roundup, which I will post tomorrow night.

This weekend saw me and Melanie travel to Sudbury for Thanksgiving with part of our family (miss you Nat, Al and Zavier!) and it has been an absolutely gorgeous weekend filled with sunshine, family, food, running and a touch of beer.

Update: Results are now online!

http://www.sudburyrocks.ca/Results%202010/Turkey%20trot/Turkey%20Trot%202010%20results.htm 


Pre-Massacre

So the day started out rather normally. Up bright and early at 7:30 and a light breakfast by 8am. We got all our running gear together and by 8:45 Melanie, Joce and I were all ready to hop into our little Rabbit.

This was the first time that Joce and I have entered the same race, so it was nice to share the moments of today with her. Upon arriving to the race location, the Laurentian Conservation Area, Melanie started to realized just how grueling this race may be as we were forced to park about 500m away from the start and climb up Cardiac Hill. The hill gets its name for the fact that it will cause just about any athlete to quite nearly have a heart attack upon seeing it, and then promptly have one as they make their way up.

The race area was well organized with a registration area, a few washrooms and a nice finish line complete with timing clock. We were not expecting this as the race was billed as a fun run. The weather was perfect. By 10am the temperature was probably above 10C and the full sun was shining down on us. Given the fact today was the 10th of October (10/10/10 woot) we could not have asked for anything better.

The kids started off with a 1km race that was won by a young girl in just under 6 minutes.  After that we made our way to the start of the race where the 5km walk, 5km run and 8.3km run racers toed the line together. On your mark. Get set. Go.

And we're off!

Massacre

Having run in these trails in the past, it all felt very familiar during my warmup and for the first 400m or so. Then my world got turned upside down. Let's back it up a bit and give a bit of background.

This Turkey Trot race changes location every year. Last year it was run in Windy Lake and this year the popular vote from last year decided that it would be the Laurentian Conservation Trails. Fine enough, there are cross country skiing trails to be run on. But no....the organizing committee decided we run on the snowshoeing trails. Trails that are so narrow you can barely fit your shoes on them. Trails that are used exclusively in the winter, when snow completely covers the uncovered roots, fallen trees and jagged rocks. Trails that when frozen, aren't wet, but that wasn't the case today.

I have never, ever run on such mentally demanding trails in my life. And I have done many XC runs in my past, far too many.  Within the first km I was boxed in behind a few slower runners with nowhere to pass and when I found the first opening I could I decided to put in a surge just so I could put them behind me.  Shortly after I was soaring through the woods. Jumping over water, avoiding rocks, dodging fallen trees and swatting prickly branches. At this point, about the 3km mark, I passed a fellow and thought I was in second overall.

I felt great about my position, my legs were light and springy and I wasn't over exerting my lungs at all. Then the hills kept coming. The water got deeper, colder, wetter. I rolled my left ankle but recovered so quickly I can barely remember rolling it. I didn't see anyone for at least 2 km, but then found another runner ahead of me who magically appeared from the woods. I can only imagine nature was calling.

So I trailed him moving from 4km to 5km and tried to slowly reel him in as we took in the last challenging segment of the run. More fallen trees, mossy rocks, wet leaves and a 500m hill that felt like it would never end. Then all of a sudden a runner came whizzing past me, in the opposite directions. I was surprised to see him, but then another. Damn, turns out I was in fourth at this point and had some work to do if I wanted to finish top 3, possibly 2nd. We finished the out portion of what turned out to be an out and back loop and I had finally caught up to the runner ahead of me. He let me pass him as we circled the cone at the edge of Perch Lake and I took off like a madman. I knew the large uphill we took on the way out here would be a large downhill this time around and being an excellent downhill runner, I wanted to capitalize on this to try and catch 2nd place.

As I weaved my way back through the maze of wilderness I also had to contend with the other runners taking part in the 8.3km race. Luckily, many of them politely moved out of the way, as did I, but a few apparently didn't see me coming and didn't even flinch as I had to re-route my feet at the last second. Luckily I managed to stay upright and escape rolled ankle hell.

As I was coming up to the gravel road that connected both trails we ran on I noticed a flash of red/white and I knew right then and there that I had made up close to a minute of time on the 2nd place male. Oh, what to do now?

At this point I realized I probably had another 1km or so left as I was at the 32min mark. There were but a few hills left and a wide gravel path to run on. I made up at least 100m by the time we crested the last hill and my legs were really starting to feel like lead. He started to pick up the pace, and so did I. I closed a little, maybe to within 10m. As I surged, he responded. I just couldnt get any closer no matter what I could do and my burning lungs and heavy legs didn't help my case.

We ended up finishing 2nd and 3rd, except I wasn't 2nd. He finished in 35:40 and I finished in 35:44, but a few feet behind him. All in all, it was a great race. I felt great throughout and managed to maintain a rather steady and fast pace.  Impressive considering that for the entire 8.3km there was only about 1km of what one might consider 'flat'.

Post-Massacre

We stuck around after for some of the best post race grub we've ever had. Homemade muffins, squares, rice krispies and cupcakes adorned the food tent and I was in heaven.  Once everyone finished we waited around for the award ceremony since I was to receive at least a medal. A medal I received and a door prize I won. Nothing more, nothing less.

I had a blast but found the trail to be incredibly demanding. So did Melanie and Jocelyne who both still had amazing races.

We capped off the day with a post run protein brownie that Joce made us and I dipped my feet and calves in the frigid water of some random lake at the Conservation Area.  It felt amazing, like a massive ice bath. I wish I had one of those in my backyard. Here's a shot we took with Joce's cell phone at the lake:

Running Posture and Knee Pain

I've chronicled my battle with knee pain over the past few months and just this past Saturday I declared that my pain was finally dissipating. Mysterious? Maybe. Maybe Not.  I managed to get rid of my knee pain, Patello Femoral Syndrome aka Runner's Knee, by becoming more aware of my running posture.

I've been slowly trying to land more on my midfoot when striking the ground, and I've successfully made that transition, removing any achilles/plantar fascia pain I had, but I still found that I often times would find my knees in pain after a 10km run, especially in the latter half.  Well, after a stellar 1km repeat workout last week, I think everything finally fell into place. So what's my magic secret?


Midfoot landing and proper posture will cure your knee pain! It cured mine!

So, I don't think I need to go over how to incorporate midfoot landing into your running stride, there are plenty of discussions on this online. What I found to be lacking was information on changing your stride for knee pain. The issue is, that you don't technically or consciously want to make changes to your stride. That's where I went wrong, time and time again. I would try and adjust my extension, my stride length, my cadence, but no matter what it would not get rid of all my knee pain, and I would typically strain another part of my stride (heel, plantar fascia, calves, etc).  What I was doing was slowly integrating a midfoot strike into my stride, and that is beneficial for entirely different reasons, but it wasn't the whole ticket I needed to rid me of knee pain.

So, what is Running Posture? First off, it's a term I just made up, so take the designation with a grain of salt, but in the end, it involves positioning your core so that your legs are best positioned to land properly. Landing properly involves many things, but for one thing, you want your foot to land midfoot (NO HEEL STRIKING!) and for your foot to land roughly beneath your knee. This is hard to visualize and to incorporate, but here's how I finally cracked the case.

I found that during my longer runs I would always start to get knee pain after 6km and it would last till 1 km before I was done. So from 0-6 and from Y-1 to Y (Y being the total km), I was completely pain free. But why? How does make any sense?  So I figured it had to do with my entire stride mechanics, but I just didn't know what exactly. Until my practice last week.

I had begun to notice a trend: My knees didn't hurt when I ran faster than my easy run pace. Somewhere under 4:20 would normally take care of any pain. That signaled to me that it was definitely something in my stride, and not just the fact I'm slowly getting old and may have bad knees. As I mentioned above, switching to a midfoot strike has helped, but it wasn't the whole ticket.  It turns out that when I run faster I engage my core in a manner that shifts my hips forward slightly, forcing my knees to come up and out a little further (comparatively) and force my foot to land midfoot more naturally, beneath my knee.

What a revelation this has turned out to be for me, and who knows, maybe you can take a thought or two away today and take care of any knee pain you may have too. I'm still working hard at ingraining this posture change into my running, its forcing me to become very active in my core instead of just letting it sag along with my arms and legs.  What's more, this has actually made me considerably faster when running. I just don't get as tired anymore as my posture and natural stride have become more efficient.

Here are some tips I use when running to help with my posture:

• Imagine you are reaching for the sky with your chest. If you don't you'll start to sag and you will essentially mimic a mild sitting position. At least that is how I visualize it.
• Start by pushing your hips forward so that they are parallel with your shoulders. This should feel a little awkward, as you'll be running fully straight. Once you've done this, tilt your chest slightly forward. Ever so slightly. Enough so that you aren't fully straight up anymore, but remain rigid and engage your core (back, abs, chest) to help you keep your boat (butt) afloat.
• Check every few minutes, mentally, to see if you've let your core sag. If so, just re-engage. I'm finding that I have to do this, but already it's becoming much easier. Don't wait till knee pain returns for you to engage, do it ALL THE TIME!

Let me know your thoughts on what I've discovered and if you decide to try any of my ideas out, be sure to let me know. Use them at your own risk.

Running Log: Week Sep 27 - Oct 3

Well, we had a very, very rainy week in London, and it was capped off with two solid days of downpour this weekend. That didn't stop me from running twice though! Yeehaw!  Here's the breakdown:

• Monday: 10km Steady run at 4:30/km
• Tuesday: Off
• Wednesday: 14km Total. Practice at Weldon: 4km warmup, 5x1km repeat with 2min rest (4:00, 3:57, 3:53, 3:48, 3:38), 4km cooldown
• Thursday: Easy 12km
• Friday: Off
• Saturday: Easy/steady 16km run @ 4:34/km
• Sunday: 6.5km (CIBC Run for the cure 5km)

My knees are essentially fully healed, I would give them 97% at the moment and getting better each day. That is so encouraging, considering I've managed to log nearly 60km this week, 58km to be exact. Now it's time to deal with this cramping left calf of mine. Maybe it's really officially seriously time to call an RMT.

This coming week looks to be a good week weather wise, it should make for the perfect running week. And then we're off to Sudbury for Thanksgiving with the fam and an 8.5km race in the Conservation area Trails.

September Came and Went!

Well, did that ever fly by. I had a super busy running month, by far my heaviest month since competing at UWO in 2001/2003. All in all, I'm very satisfied with my month, here's my quick breakdown of what went down:

• I ran a total of 226km, up from 160km the previous month (40% increase in mileage, that sounds rather dangerous!). I consistently did two hard workouts per week and threw in some easy miles to round things out.
• I ran my first XC race in 7 years and it felt AMAZING! I also broke 4:00/km over a 7.5km distance, something I never would have thought I was capable of doing yet. Looks like my 2011 goals will have to be re-adjusted come the new year, and I predict some great times as I finish up the xc and road racing series.
• My knee pain that I was battling in August, and had physio for, returned to haunt me this month.  It all started happening after a 5 day week that saw me log 65km. I wasn't ready and I was still trying to perfect my posture/form/stride some as I ran.  I immediately took the next week easy (40km) and returned to my physio exercises.  Since then I've been cautious but the knee is definitely on the mend as I think I've finally cracked the root of my knee problem, more on this later.
• My mileage increased by 40%, but my overall pace slowed by about 2 seconds per km.  Considering the fact that I increase my mileage by such a large margin, I'm surprised to see that my performance didn't really drop much, as I would expect to see as mileage increases.
• I keep shedding fat all over my body, but the damn scale isn't dropping much. I have a personal goal to weigh 165lbs by November 1st and it's looking harder and harder to get to that goal. I'm currently at 167lbs and have been for the last 6 weeks (ranging from 165.6 to 168.6 lately). I know I've got some fat that I don't need to carry around with me while I run, so I'm hoping to lose some more, with an ultimate goal of losing another 10lbs so I can be in the 10% body fat range.  I hear a 5% drop in weight results in a 5% increase in performance. I'm curious to test that out...
• I've had some great speed workouts this past month and the weather has me in such a good mood. Heck, I ran 16km in a steady downpour today and was grinning most of the time. I had the trails all to myself! I love running, it's my therapy. Well that and red wine. Yum.

It was a great month of running and the weather was damn near perfect nearly almost every day. I ran 18 days out of a possible 30 this month and racked up 226km in just over 18 hours. Heck, I burned up 18000 calories, or the equivalent of  5lbs in calories.  Here's my nikeplus overview for the month, just so you know I'm 100% legit:

 

So what does October bring? Other than amazing weather, and for certain, too much rain, here's what I'm hoping to accomplish this month:

• Race a smart 8.5km race in Sudbury Thanksgiving weekend. Hoping for something in the vicinity of 34 minutes.
• Run 250km in October, including two heavy weeks of 65km. I will need to be on my best behavior on those weeks, I can't let my knees suffer again.
• Race a blazing fast 10km on Halloween.
• Lose 2lbs and KEEP IT OFF FOREVER. I think this is attainable, we'll see.
• Try out a pair of CEP Compression socks and find out first hand what all the hype is about.
• Do 4 physio related plyo sessions per week. Looks like I should get the ball going today then.

Until next time, stay healthy, smile and just keep running!