I wanted to register for the 100km race when I logged in to the Sulphur Springs trail race website – it was the Fall of 2018. The only thing was that I couldn’t find the 100km option – the race directors got rid of it. I thought that I’d sign up for the 100 mile distance and only run 100k. I sent my friend Chris a text message to let him know.

“You’re going to sign up for the 100 miler and run the 100 miler,” was Chris’ response. 

Running 100 miles at Sulphur really scared me. Could I run 100 miles after getting beat up during the Sulphur 50km race, two years ago? I got very dehydrated and ended up peeing blood towards the end of the race. I finished the 50km but Sulphur still scared me. Chris’ text message had an effect on me though. Why not run 100 miles if I was going to sign up for it? It was unlikely that it was going to be as hot as the time that I ran 50km. I held my breath and clicked the register button – I was going back to Sulphur.

I kept a close eye on the weather in the weeks leading up to the race. It was becoming more evident that it was going to be very hot. I checked the forecast three days before the race and had to accept that it was going to be 34°C, the same temperature as the last time that I ran Sulphur.

Encouraged by Chris, I decided to treat the heat like a challenge rather than an insurmountable obstacle. I spent a good amount of time working on a heat strategy a few days before the race. I planned to take at least one salt pill every half hour without fail. I would also run with my two 500ml water flasks in the front of my hydration vest and I keep a 1L bladder in the back of my running vest. I would chug 1L of water every time I completed a 20k lap.

I took the whole day off work, the Friday before Sulphur Springs. I learned my lesson from my previous race at Sulphur. I wanted to be fully rested before my run and I knew that working hard the whole day on Friday would make me feel tired on Saturday. Chris and I got to the start/finish area just after lunch time to set up base camp. It didn’t take very long and we had the rest of the day to lounge around in lawn chairs, listening to music. 

Chris and I went to the 100 mile dinner and race briefing at 5pm. The race director (RD) was also named Chris, and he told us about the 30 hour cut off and some details about the course which was made up of eight, 20km loops. RD Chris also addressed the weather.

“Some years it’s cool and other years it’s hot. This year, it’s going to be stinking hot. Be prepared for it. It was stinking hot two years ago and we had the most finishers ever for our 100 mile race. The reason for this, is that racers slowed down when it got too hot,”. 

Joe joined us later in the evening and we all went to bed early.

I got up at 4:30am to get ready for my 6am start. I lined up mid-pack behind the start line with the 100 mile and 50 mile racers. I was glad to be among these racers instead of just being a spectator like two years ago. RD Chris counted down from ten and the race started with some cheers. Chris and Joe came to see me off and cheered while I ran past. It felt amazing and surreal to start my first 100 miler.

The first two loops were going well and were uneventful. I was running at a good pace, drinking a lot of water and taking my salt pills. As expected, it started to get really hot at around 11am – the temperature rose to a humid 34°C. I was putting ice under my hat at each aid station which was a big help. The heat was slowing me down, I finished my third loop in around 3h30m where I had finished my previous two loops in under 3 hours. Fortunately, it was overcast and most of the Sulphur Springs course is shaded by trees. I finished loop 4 in another respectable 3h30m. 

I ran my last loop without a pacer and came into base camp at around 9:45pm. I was excited to see my wife Lindsay, my kids and my in-laws. I got loud cheers as I approached and had a nice chat with everyone. I finished this loop in 3h45m which was okay. It was great to see my family and I felt refreshed after it. I needed to eat something substantial but my stomach was bothering me. I was taking energy gels every 45 minutes and forcing down food at aid stations like cooked potatoes dipped in salt, potato chips, bananas and candy. I couldn’t stomach solid food at this point though. I took an energy gel and started my sixth loop with cheers from my family. I was excited to have Joe join me as a pacer. It was great to have a running partner after being alone on the trail for so long. 

Joe and Chris relaxed at base camp most of the day and Joe was ready to run when he joined me. I was moving really slowly and Joe got way out in front. Joe wanted to do a slow run but he ended up doing a fast hike and I still couldn’t keep up. Despite moving slowly, we were having a nice time running at night. We almost had a full moon and we were enjoying the calm and the silence of the woods. We were about half way through the loop when Joe asked me if I had eaten any solid food. I told Joe that I was taking gels but that I couldn’t handle any solid food. 

We got to the last aid station before base camp and Joe decided to intervene.

“What’s the highest calorie food that you have here?” Joe asked the volunteer at the aid station.

“Well, we have butter tarts,” said the volunteer.

Joe picked up three large butter tarts and handed them to me.

“Here, eat these,” said Joe. 

I reluctantly took the butter tarts and carried them with me for the 5km back to base camp. I finished this loop in four hours which was slow. I noticed that Chris and Joe were talking while I was filling up my water at our tent. I walked over to Chris and Joe to see what was going on.

“You’re really slowing down, you need to eat some real food,” said Joe.

“You’ve got to eat those butter tarts now,” said Chris.

I ate two of the butter tarts and then I doubled over with hands on my knees. I thought that I was going to throw up. I decided that I was less likely to throw up if I started moving again. It was around 4:30am and Chris was going to pace me on this loop. Chris and I had been running for about 5 minutes when I started to feel much better. Just like Chris and Joe said, the butter tarts re-energized me and I started to pick up the pace. We got to the next aid station about an hour later and the aid station volunteer asked me what I wanted. Chris almost fell over when I asked for butter tarts. Unfortunately, they didn’t have any butter tarts but they did have some peanut butter and jam sandwiches and I ate a good helping. My stomach ached again but I got over it in about 15 minutes and continued to feel better. I ran a really good loop with Chris and I was in good spirits as I came back to base camp. 

I finished loop #7 in around 3h45m which put me right around the 24 hour mark. Joe joined me for my final loop and we left base camp at around 7am. I was still doing a good job on my nutrition and we steadily made our way along the course. We finally made it to the last climb to the finish line. Joe snuck off the course as we got closer to the finish line and my wife Lindsay and our kids ran out to cheer me on. I waved over my eight year old daughter Norah and we ran through the finish line together, holding hands. I was overcome with emotion and could barely hold back the tears. My two sons James and David came to stand with Norah and I while Race Director Chris presented me with my first 100 mile belt buckle. I finished the race in 27h38m and placed mid-pack. I ran in the same heat that had previously taken me out of the Sulphur 50k race. It felt awesome to have beaten the heat – this obstacle that I had built up so much in my head.

I put together a solid training plan for the Sulphur Springs 50km trail race and did a good job following it. I was in good shape, my running felt strong and I was consistently building up distance with my long runs. I was very self-confident, in fact, I was cocky. I thought 50km was going to be a breeze since I ran 80km a few months earlier. It was the Spring of 2016 and I was training mainly in the morning while it was cool. Sulphur was on the last weekend of May and I was expecting cooler temperatures but I couldn’t have been more wrong.

I met my friends Chris and Joe at the race site, the Dundas Valley conservation area the day before the race. I worked a full day and then rushed over to the race just before dark. I got a decent sleep but I didn’t feel well rested when I woke up early the next day. Chris and Joe were drinking a lot of water but I wasn’t drinking very much because I didn’t think that I would be on the course very long. I went to watch Chris and Joe start their races, Chris was running the 50 miler and Joe was running the 100 miler. There was a lot of energy as Chris and Joe left and I felt a pang of regret that I wasn’t running with them. 

My race started an hour later and I was off running fast, close to my road marathon pace. I sped around the course for the first four hours while the weather was cool. I slowed down in a big way at the four and a half hour mark as the heat rose to a steamy 34°C. I wasn’t doing a good job with hydration – I was taking gels but wasn’t drinking enough water or getting enough electrolytes. Salt pills would have helped but I didn’t know enough to take them. I was sweating like crazy and I remember wringing huge amounts of sweat from my shirt. I was in really bad shape at 5 hours and could barely do a light jog. I stepped off the trail for a pee break and was shocked to see blood in my urine. I considered calling the race emergency number for help but I was only 6km from the finish. I decided to hike the rest of the distance and I worried the whole time that I had seriously damaged my kidneys. 

I didn’t have a second place finish in mind when I started the Midnight Moose 100 mile trail race back in September. I didn’t set any speed records during the race but made relentless forward progress. I started to move up the rankings during the second night of the race – my second night in a row of not sleeping. I have been anxious about sleep for most of my life so you can imagine my surprise when I realized that I was handling sleep deprivation better than most racers. I steadily moved into second place during the last part of Midnight Moose by simply sticking with my pace. I used staying power to hang in the race and good things happened for me. 

It took a long time to sink in that I finished in second place. In six years of racing, I never finished in the top 10 of any race. During these years, I was constantly improving my diet and my training. I was stacking small changes on top of each other which helped me steadily improve my running. In the end, it was a small change that was the key to breaking the top 10 in a race. I recently read an interesting analogy that relates to this. Consider someone who is saving money in an effort to be rich. They save dollar after dollar every day. What is the exact dollar that this person collects that makes them rich? It’s hard to tell but it’s clear that if this person continues to save money, they will be considered rich one day. It’s the same thing with training and nutrition. It’s hard to tell which small change to your training and diet is going to get you to the next level but it’s guaranteed that your efforts will pay off if you continue to make improvements.  

Eliminating snacks from my diet was my small change that made a huge difference. I was snacking on a good amount of peanut butter everyday. It doesn’t sound like a big deal but quitting these snacks for 3 months helped me lose 15 pounds before the Midnight Moose.

Suffice it to say that my second place finish wouldn’t have happened if I had not stayed with my training and nutrition. I kept doing all of the right things with my training but needed to make a relatively small change in my nutrition to get me to the next level. That’s where the magic comes in with sticking with your goals. You put yourself in a position to have a major breakthrough with a small change. All of the small things that you do everyday add up until one thing puts you over the edge.

I wasn’t expecting a beautiful day on the trails when I drove through huge amounts of rain to get to Squamish, BC. I arrived in Squamish early on Saturday morning and much to my surprise, the rain stopped just as I started my run. It was my second running trip to Squamish and the trails didn’t disappoint. 

I joined in with the running club from the Capra trail running store (www.capra.run). I ran with Brian and Jason, two Squamish residents and all-around nice guys. Brian led us through Squamish’s extensive trail network. We ran out to Alice Lake where we had a beautiful view and saw some bald eagles circling the lake. The sun was peeking through and the temperature had risen to a nice 6°C. This weather was a big relief after spending a week in the rain in Vancouver. We started our run back to Capra and ran two mountain bike trails – 50 Shades of Green and Credit Line. These trails were fun to run, they had good elevation and were fairly technical. We also had some beautiful views of the surrounding mountains.

I thanked Brian and Jason for the run and then got back out on the trails. I headed in the same direction as my earlier run but I added in more climbing. Some parts of the trail were pretty gnarly because of all of the rain. Luckily the sun stayed out and I got some more beautiful views. I spent a total of five hours on the trail and loved every minute of it – except for the last 30 minutes. I somehow got onto the Squamish public golf course on my way back to Capra and had to hop a fence and walk through some freezing water to find my way back to the trail. 

I met Mike Murphy (http://murph-off-road.com/), the co-owner of Capra when I got back from my run. Mike is an accomplished ultra-runner, mountain biker and rock climber. Among other impressive accomplishments, Mike won the Squamish 50, 50 miler in 2017. Mike let me use his bathroom to change out of my running gear and then helped me find a new pair of trail running shoes. I’m looking forward to my next Squamish running trip and will be sure to stop in to see the friendly folks at Capra.

It was too late to course correct once I realized that I was running too fast. I was sprinting straight down a 1,000m descent, surrounded by other runners when I tripped and fell hard while letting out a guttural yell. I don’t know why but I have a tendency to yell “huh” when I fall. This certainly got the attention of the racers around me and they all asked me if I was alright. I got up quickly and assured everyone that I was okay even though I wasn’t sure – adrenaline had taken over and I couldn’t feel anything.

Background:

In the Spring of 2015 my wife Lindsay and I decided to spend a month in the summer in France. Lindsay and I were both self employed and wanted to take advantage of it. We planned two weeks in the South of France in Nice, ten days in Cinque Terre in Italy and ten days in the French Alps, ending our visit in Chamonix. The UTMB race had been in the back of my mind ever since my trip to Chamonix, France, six years earlier. We were going to be in Chamonix at the same time as the UTMB but I couldn’t get into any of the races. There are a number of races in addition to the 106 mile UTMB but you have to register for them in December of the previous year. You also need to have run qualifying races for the longer events. We still planned to watch the start of some of the UTMB races and I found a shorter mountain race called La Sauvage (the Wild) in Pralognan La Vanoise, about 130km south of Chamonix in the French Alps. La Sauvage was 28km through a protected, mountainous park with 1,100m of vertical gain and 1,600m of descent.

Lindsay and I travelled with our two kids, Norah who was 5 years old and James who was almost 3 years old. We enjoyed Nice although it was not a great place for kids. There weren’t many young families and we got the sense that our kids weren’t appreciated in most places. We loved Cinque Terre in Italy. The five villages in Cinque Terre are beautiful and the people were much more relaxed and welcomed our kids. We had access to a small beach and we spent most of the day there. I was sad to leave Cinque Terre but excited to get into the mountains of France. We took the train to Annecy, France and spent a week in the beautiful medieval town beside a lake and surrounded by mountains. We rented a car and drove to Pralognan through the French Alps the day before the race. It was a super clear day and there were a ton of cyclists on the roads. We were going very slow as a result but we didn’t mind since the views were spectacular.

Start of the Race:

I got up early on race day and walked over to City Hall for our 6:45am pre-race briefing. Hot coffee and banana bread was available for all runners – I quickly realized that the French do racing the right way. I was in good spirits but worried about altitude sickness since I would be running at 2,700m above sea level and I didn’t know how my body would react. I wanted to run the high altitudes of UTMB at some point though and La Sauvage was a good first step.

All of the runners got on a bus which took us over to a ski village called Tignes. The bus ride took two hours because of all of the twists and turns through the mountains. It felt like it would never end. We got off the bus to freezing weather even though it was the end of August. The race director counted down from ten and we were all off running up the mountain. The sounds of all of the runners grouped together at the start made an impression on me. I heard watches beeping at the same time as we started our timers and listened to the water sloshing in everyone’s hydration packs as we started to run. 

I ran uphill for around five minutes straight – I should have been hiking but most of the racers were running and I was eager to keep up. Fortunately, most of the pack started walking at this point. It was also at this point that I noticed a big guy who reminded me of the way that I used to look before I lost weight – I had lost about 40 pounds in the last two years. He was still running uphill and passing a bunch of runners, I thought that I would pass him later because he’s such a big guy. This first climb was 600m and I was winded from the excitement, altitude and the early uphill running. Fortunately, my heart rate settled down and I sped up and passed a few people which felt good. I reached the top of the climb at 2,700m and ran on the flats for about 5 minutes. I monitored how I felt and looked for signs of altitude sickness. It was a big relief to realize that I felt fine. I made it to the first aid station at this point and I thought that I hit the snack jackpot. My mouth watered from the assortment of fine chocolate, two kinds of raisins, prunes, peanuts, crackers, gummy bears, hot tea and soup. 

Mid-Race:

I left the aid station and came to my first descent. I ran hard right away and passed two people fairly quickly. The last person who I passed was the big guy who passed me earlier. We started our last climb and I was getting hot. I thought about stepping off the trail to take off my jacket but I knew that I was almost finished and I didn’t want to give up any ground. I caught more racers as I climbed the hill and I decided to leave my coat on so that I could make a last big push. It was at this point that I realized that I might be a good mountain racer after all. It was my first time doing a mountain race and I was passing what appeared to be serious mountain runners. This did a lot for my confidence with trail running. I was worried at first that I couldn’t complete the race and here I was passing experienced mountain runners. 

Race Finish

I came to the last aid station and had a quick drink of water and a few candies. I only had 8k to go over a descent of 1,000m and I didn’t want to burn too much time. I descended fast and started passing people again. The descent was steep and my legs were tired. This is when I fell hard and made a big cloud of dust. I had no idea if I had injured myself but I ran for a few more minutes and quickly assessed my body as the adrenaline died down. It turned out that I was okay after all but I scraped my knee and sprained my thumb. I slowed down to avoid another fall and a few runners passed me including the big guy. This was disappointing but I knew that I was still running a good race. 

I finished the last part of the descent and ran into Pralognan. I was greeted by a lot of smiling (partly because I have a big smile when I race), clapping and cheers. I powered through the finish line and felt amazing even though I had a good amount of blood running down my leg from the knee scrape. I was thrilled to hear “Daddy” and to see Lindsay, Norah and James waiting for me. I finished in 3h35m which is much faster than my expected 4h40m. Lindsay said that she suspected that I might finish earlier and that she wanted to make sure that she was there. I enjoyed some more of the awesome food like sparkling water, banana bread, orange bread and cheese before leaving with my family. We walked over to the grocery store and stocked up on some more excellent French food so that we could have a little celebration. 

Takeaways:

You don’t need a runner’s body to run:

I was very focused on my weight during this time of my life. I was proud of the way that I looked but I was fixated on my diet. I had reasoned that the skinnier that I got, the better I would get at running. I definitely had my perception changed when the big guy beat me in this race. Even though I would have liked to beat the big guy, I was also encouraged by his performance. This taught me that you don’t need to have the perfect runner’s body to run well in challenging races. You want to be in the best shape possible and being lean makes racing easier but you don’t need to wait until you are in perfect shape.  

Going around roadblocks:

I was disappointed that I couldn’t run the UTMB, especially since we were going to be in Chamonix at the same time as the race. Instead of letting that stop me, I found La Sauvage which was very similar to a UTMB race. I knew that I wanted to race UTMB some day and I gained some very valuable experience and confidence racing in the French Alps. Everyone encounters roadblocks in their lives and it’s important to address them with the right mindset. I could have easily given up on running a race while I was in France. Instead, I kept my goal of running UTMB in the front of my mind and brainstormed different ways to accomplish my goal. Do you have a big goal that you have been blocked from accomplishing? There might be an easy solution waiting for you if you spend some time working at it. 

There is no substitute for action:

I was legitimately surprised about how well I performed during the race. I didn’t expect to beat any serious mountain runners or to get my finish time. I finished the race with a lot of confidence and this came from the action of actually doing the race. I could have continued to plan and to reflect on what was needed to eventually run UTMB but that only would have taken me so far. The action of running a mountain race gave me some very valuable insights and a strong foundation for my next races.

I had my first top 10 finish in an ultra-marathon by getting 2nd place at the Midnight Moose 100 miler in September, 2019 after six years of racing. Prior to Midnight Moose, I always finished mid-pack and I thought that finishing top ten was impossible. Since Midnight Moose, I placed 3rd in the Fat Ass 6 hour trail race in November and 3rd in the Stride Inside 6 hour indoor track race in January. Although these are not elite races, I am very proud of these podium finishes. I have been reflecting over the last two weeks about how I got these results. What stood out in my mind – I have gotten really good at embracing the suck. 

One thing is guaranteed in ultra-marathons, pain. Pain can be postponed and reduced during a race but it is coming for you. I have gotten faster at running over the last six years but I am not a speed demon. I have improved the most at dealing with pain or embracing the suck. For the most recent Stride Inside indoor track race, I spent a good amount of time preparing myself mentally for the pain. I knew that I could run pain free for three hours but that the pain would descend in a big way for the last three hours. I put this pain into context though. The Midnight Moose took me 30 hours to finish and I was in pain for most of that time. The suck was more intense for Stride Inside since I was running faster but dealing with pain for 3 hours is nothing when compared to the pain endured over 30 hours. I kept reminding myself that I only had to endure for 3 hours and this helped me deal with the pain and discomfort that came at the end of the race. 

I also reflected on my two different personalities during a race. Similar to Seinfeld’s morning guy and night guy, I become race guy and finish line guy. Finish line guy doesn’t care about any of the pain that race guy endures before the finish. In fact, finish line guy doesn’t feel any pain, he feels amazing, instantly. When I’m race guy, I’m constantly reminding myself that I will be finish line guy soon – I only need to last a bit longer. 

Embracing the suck has helped in different areas of my life as well. Experiencing short periods of pain helps me to appreciate the comforts of my life. Lying on the couch and sleeping in a comfortable bed feels extra good after a race. Utlra-runner and author Dean Karnazes put it well in a recent quote. “…We’ve thought that in the absence of pain — if there were no discomfort or struggle — our lives would be filled with happiness. But in many ways we’re so comfortable [that] we’re miserable. We get in our air-conditioned cars, ride in high-speed elevators to our air-conditioned offices and order lunch via GrubHub. Life is easy, so why do something hard? Well, because life is easy.”

Like racing and in life, you will always have to endure some level of pain and discomfort. Rather than fight against it, embrace the suck and practice enduring the pain. Dentist appointments, performance reviews and vomiting illnesses. These all royally suck but are great opportunities to put on a brave face and practice how you will react to temporary pain. This skill has certainly helped me get to the next level with my racing and has helped in many other areas of my life.

I found my race recap from my first marathon in October, 2014. A lot has changed about my running since then but I still use the same fundamentals. I continue to set three goals before any race: 1) have fun, 2) finish the race and 3) hit your aspirational time. I always have a pace, nutrition and hydration plan and I always arrive at least one hour before the start of the race.

I also found this video, a gem which I had forgotten about. Some parts make me cringe but the video captures the bliss of the finish line. This feeling of accomplishment comes from all races – it could be 5km or 10km, not only marathons. If getting in shape is one of your new year’s resolutions, planning a running race is a very rewarding way to get in shape.  

Race Recap – Toronto Waterfront Marathon 2014

I live about an hour from downtown Toronto, where the race started. I got up at around 4am and started getting ready to leave. I made sure to review my three goals and my targets for pace which gave me a lot of comfort. It relieves the pressure when you remind yourself that you are not out to win the marathon. This is a very unrealistic goal. A much better goal is to ensure that you have fun. I also did a quick mental review of all my training. I had completed about 80% of my training plan which also gave me a lot of comfort. One of the things that I love about running is that you have either put in the work or you have not. 

Starting Line:

I arrived at the race with my wife Lindsay about an hour and a half before the beginning of the race and the start line was already buzzing with excitement. I was happy to have Lindsay there with me, this was the first time that I had run a race bigger than 10km and I was nervous. It was a freezing October morning and I was only wearing one layer, some running tights and a T-shirt. I looked around and saw that some of the more experienced runners were wearing garbage bags that they had pushed their arms through. This was a smart move. You could wear the garbage bag at the beginning of the race until you warmed up and then throw it out along the course.

The Toronto Waterfront Marathon has its start line on University Avenue, one of the busiest streets in the city. It was quite a site to see it deserted from cars and filled with people. There was loud music playing as all of the runners started filing in to the start line. 

Before I knew it, the race had started and I was running quickly down University with music blaring over the PAs and surrounded by thousands of runners. We turned on to Bloor street and I noticed that the loud music had faded away and I could hear the distinct sound of collective footfalls. This is a melodic and light sound but it is very distinctive. There is something very special about this sound. I have run a good number of races with large groups of people since this race and I always take note of this sound at the beginning of the race when everyone is running close together. 

Mid-Race Cramping:

I was running at the pace that I had planned and things were going well. I hit my pace for the first 10k and enjoyed the scenery. There were steel drum bands and rock bands set up at the side of the road. There were spectators all over the course who had hilarious signs – a lot of them which had to do with getting beer at the end of the race. The thought of an ice cold beer always gets into my mind towards the end of a race. It was at this point that I saw Lindsay and the kids at the side of the road. They had come to watch and it was great to see them. I had only been on the course for two hours but it’s amazing what seeing your family can do to lift your spirits. I kept a good pace as I left my family and continued along the course. 

I got fairly serious cramping in my quads at around 35k. I stopped at the side of the course and pulled my foot up behind my butt to stretch my quad. The stretch helped for about ten seconds until it made my hamstring to seize up. I immediately let go of my foot and stood up straight to get rid of the hamstring cramp. This made both quads to seize and I yelled out in pain. I made eye contact with an older lady who was watching the race. I will never forget the look of shock on her face when she heard me yell. She suggested that I stop the race but I was determined to finish. I had big knots in my quads but I decided to keep running and hope that they went away. I know now that salt pills would have gotten rid of those cramps fairly quickly. 

Finish Line Bliss:

Fortunately, the knots in my quads did go away. It was painful running for about ten minutes and then my legs started functioning well again. I could tell that I was getting closer to the finish line and this gave me some renewed energy and focus. The crowds started getting bigger and everyone was cheering me on and calling me by name, your name is written on your race bib. I got to the final 1km stretch of the race and started to realize that I was actually going to finish my first marathon. I was exhausted but I somehow summoned enough energy to sprint through the finish line. There was an announcer on a loud PA and he announced my name and my time as I finished. It felt amazing to be done and to be walking instead of running. I got my medal from the volunteers and wore my medal proudly as I started walking back to find Lindsay. The feeling after a race is incredible, it often makes me tear up. I believe that this is your brain’s way of appreciating all of your hard work. My mind often brings me to my family at the finish of a race and I reflect on how much I love them.

You know that you are a bit strange when you can’t wait to run around an indoor track for 6 hours. My training partner Chris and I had signed up for the Stride Inside 6 hour race back in September. The goal of the race was simple, do as many laps of a 215m track as you can in 6 hours. We would be racing alongside runners doing 1 hour and 3 hours as well. Stride Inside took place at the Royal Distributing Athletic Performance Centre in Guelph, Ontario – a nice facility with two good sized synthetic turf playing fields surrounded by a track.

The start of the race caught us off guard. Chris and I were chatting when he looked at the official race clock and noticed that the race was starting in 30 seconds. The Race Director got us started and we were off to complete our first of many loops. The 6 hour and 1 hour race started at the same time with 56 runners in total – 43 runners for the 6 hour and 13 runners for the 1 hour. I was glad to be running the 6 hour with three friends, Chris, Matt and Kandice. Matt paced me at the Quebec Mega Trail 110km in June, 2019 and Kandice knows Chris and I through our local swim team. I set off at a fast pace of 5km / minute (8.3 minutes / mile) which felt comfortable. I planned on going out fast and seeing if I could hold on until the end. Although 6 hours is a long time to run, it is relatively short compared to the amount of time it takes me to do 100 mile races. I reasoned that if I could run for 30 hours straight to finish a 100 mile race, I could most likely hold on to an aggressive pace for 6 hours. I knew that the pain would come in a big way towards the end of the race though and I would have to do my best to last through it. 

I held my pace for the for the first hour which put me in first place. I was moving fast and still felt comfortable. It was at this point that a runner named Mickey nonchalantly passed me, moving at a good clip. Mickey was wearing a red hat backwards with a race tank top. I tried to keep pace with Mickey but quickly realized that I could not hold his pace while keeping enough energy to finish the race. I let Mickey go and decided that he deserved to win the race if he could hold that pace. 

We changed direction after 90 minutes and it felt great to use different muscles on the corners. To change direction, you doubled back at the halfway mark so that you were running towards a lot of the racers. I had become familiar with the backs of many runners at that point and it was nice to make eye contact for a change and to say hello, even if it was for a brief moment. 

My pace slowed down to around 5.5 minutes / km after changing direction. I was still running comfortably but began to feel the start of some cramps in my hamstrings. This turned into full blown cramps at the 2 hour mark. Both hamstrings seized and I was forced to walk for 50m or so. I had experienced cramps like this before and knew not to panic. I immediately took two salt pills and drank a full 500ml bottle of water. The short walk got rid of the cramps and I resumed my 5.5 minute / km pace. 

I noticed that a runner named Patrick had passed me a few times at this point. He was pacing Mickey and both of them were moving well. I tested a pace that would keep up with them but quickly realized again that I could not maintain it. I decided to hold my pace and to see if Mickey and Patrick could also hold. There was 4 hours left in the race and a lot could happen. 

I held my pace for the third hour and was running without much pain. The nice part about running around a track is that you see your friends every 20 minutes or so. I got to bump fists with Chris and Matt and say hello to Kandice on a regular basis. The bad part about running around a track is that it gets boring. Many runners put earphones in and were listening to music. I highly regretted leaving my earphones at home. I decided not to listen to music because I didn’t want to carry my phone. It was nice to run without carrying anything but it would have been well worth it to run with music.

The pain descended in a big way during the fourth hour of the race. I was holding pace but felt tired and was cramping up. I focused on my breathing and attempted to go into a meditative state. I tried not to check my watch or the race’s time clock too often so that I could stay focused. This all worked well and I kept my mind off the pain and boredom. My wife Lindsay and kids had come to watch at this point and it was comforting to have them there. 

The pain lifted slightly as we moved into the final hour. A racer tipped me off that a runner named Jamie was only 3 loops behind me. I had noticed Jamie passing me and this was the right amount of motivation for me to pick up my pace. I was in third place and there was no way that I was going to get kicked off the podium so far into the race. I held pace with Jamie even as the pain amped up. Jamie and I ran this way for a good 20 minutes and then Jamie stepped off the track to the aid station. I was relieved to slow my pace and to recover while Jamie was off the track. Jamie stayed at the aid station for a few minutes and I gained back a lap or two. Jamie was moving slower when he got back on the track and I kept up my pace. I passed Jamie a few times in the next 20 minutes and felt like I had built a good enough buffer to maintain 3rd place. Chris and I started running together during the last 20 minutes of the race. I knew that I was in the clear from Jamie but I didn’t know if any other racers were challenging for 3rd. We were concerned about a strong looking runner who was running two laps to my one. We decided to keep up my pace even though we were both in significant pain. Chris was keeping me motivated with encouraging words and I was grateful for it. The minutes ticked away and we were on our last loop before we knew it. Chris and I found an extra gear and ran the last lap in 56 seconds, matching my fastest lap time of the race. There were hugs and handshakes with all runners as we crossed the finish line. I had finished 294 laps of the 215m track for a total of 65km but I still wasn’t sure if I had secured third place. The race directors decided to do the award presentations right away since everyone was gathered at the finish line. I was so proud to have my name called as the 3rd place overall finisher. I confessed to Chris and Matt that I thought that a result like this was impossible as early as a year ago. Patrick finished in 2nd place with 302 laps and Mickey finished 1st with 316 laps. Chris also had a strong showing with 269 laps for 9th place overall.

Stride Inside was a great time. The venue was perfect and the race directors and volunteers were friendly and well organized. Runners got some very nice swag including a tank top, coffee mug and medal. It was also awesome to run a local race in January. I usually take the winter off from racing and this race helped me keep up my motivation with training. Happy Trails puts on a great race and I look forward to running more of their events

I was considering calling this post “Don’t be a Little Bitch” but I decided to take a more compassionate approach. It’s hard to get motivated to run in the winter. It’s dark and cold outside and the house is so warm and cozy. Many runners choose to run indoors in the winter but I love winter running. It’s easy to feel confined to the house in the winter and it always feels great to get outside for a run even in freezing temperatures.

Proper running clothes are the key to winter running and I discuss my winter running gear below. I also bust some common myths about winter running. 

Winter Running Clothes

Temperatures: -5°C to +5°C:

I wear a pair of standard running tights (Under Armour or Sugoi brand) with my shorts over top. For upper body, I wear a long sleeve dry fit shirt with a dry fit T-shirt over top. I wear a buff on my head and will pull it down over my ears if needed. For gloves, I wear the thin, stretchy cotton gloves – the cheap ones that you find at the grocery store. I will sometimes wear a pair of thin, Spring gloves over top and then take them off when my hands warm up.

Temperatures: -5°C or colder:

I wear warm running pants in really cold temperatures. Winter running pants are expensive but worth it. They keep you warm while being made of thin and flexible material. I wear running tights underneath the pants when it gets really cold, -20°C or colder. A word of caution for men, despite layering running tights and pants you can still get very cold down south. Wearing a pair of warm underwear or running shorts over top of your tights helps.

For upper body, I wear a long sleeve dry fit base layer, a dry fit sweater and a running jacket. You can remove the sweater and tie it around your waist if you get too hot. 

I stick with the buff on my head until around -10°C and then switch to a synthetic toque that I can pull down over my ears. I wear a face warmer when it gets really cold, under -25°C. This is uncomfortable at first – it feels strange having a cloth over your mouth when breathing hard. You get used to it quickly though with some relaxed breathing. 

Myths about winter running:

“You’ll freeze your lungs”

Running in the cold is uncomfortable for only the first few minutes as your airways adapt to the cold. The human body can amazingly handle most climates on earth including extreme cold. However, running in the cold can irritate lungs that are already distressed. For example, if you have a cough or mild asthma. 

“Running on snow is bad for your knees”

Snow creates uneven surfaces however this is no different than running on uneven trails in other seasons. Running on uneven surfaces can strengthen the small stabilizing muscles in your legs. I recently ran the Fat Ass, 6 hour trail race on hard packed snow. I had a great time running, didn’t get any injuries and set a personal best for my 50km time.

“My body doesn’t work in the cold”

If this is your mindset, I would strongly encourage you to test your hypothesis by dressing warmly and going for a short run in the cold. I guarantee that your body will work. It takes longer to warm up in the cold but your body is well adapted to function in the cold.

“You’ll slip on ice and kill yourself”

Ice is dangerous and you will want to avoid it. However, running on slippery rocks and slick mud in other seasons is dangerous as well. A good trail shoe can help give you extra traction on ice and slippery snow. You can use a traction device like Yaktrax or microspikes to give you even more traction. 

A disclaimer that my recommendations apply only for long runs of 3-4 hours in the cold. As you can imagine, very special preparations are needed for winter ultra marathons. In races of 12 hours or more, hypothermia is a real danger.

I have a hard time getting out running in the first few weeks of the winter. It’s like I have a mental block after the first snow. When I finally build up the nerve to go running in the cold, I’m always glad that I did. Running outside in the winter gets easier the more you practice it. It’s a great way to beat cabin fever and the winter blues.