Niagara Ultra Marathon 50 K race photos now available on-line: http://photos.mysportsshooter.com/eventgallerysearch/16871/257/1/

Am going to purchase 1 of the photos - but have e-mailed to ask how to get race logo and time on it.

5 K yesterday

Back to hot and humid weather. Ran 5 K slowly after work yesterday. First run since the ultra marathon. Still awaiting the race photos to be posted.

YTD = 706.4 K

First Ultra Marathon 50 K - Race Report

Niagara Ultra 50 K Race Report

Signed up for my first 50 K race late last month after the Whitby International Marathon went well (for the legs). Thrilled the 40C with humidity temperature went away Thursday night when it rained and thunderstormed. Overall, I am so happy to have successfully finished my first 50 K ultramarathon.

Woke up at 4 AM and left the house at 4:45 AM for the trek to Niagara on the Lake. Did not have time to take Bud on an early morning walk so fed him breakfast - he ate happily. Did not wear sunglasses since it broke this past week. I took it to an eye shop and was informed it could not be repaired. Will go back to place I bought it and re-order - $50 for the frame and $50 for the lens. Good deal - but guess I got what I paid for - i..e., cheap glasses. Forgot to bring a baseball cap along! Earlier in the week I bought 4 gels from Running Room. Since I did not want to secure each of the gels with a bobby pin, I opted to wear an $8 shorts I bought at Walmart earlier this week. Should have practiced this since the pockets were heavy with my car keys as well.

The drive was great in the early Saturday morning. I followed the directions from Mapquest. Unfortunately I could not find Townline Road. I went to the Tim Hortons and the cashier asked me to see customers at a table who know the directions. The key was I needed to go over the Welland Canal. Previously, I arrived at the Canal but turned back. With this new information, I made it to the start line with 20 minutes before the start of the race. I parked on the street and went to pick up bib and provided with a hoodie (not the usual tech shirt)!:

There are 4 events, with separate results for runners and walkers: 100 K start time 6 AM; 50 K start time 7 AM; Marathon start time 7:30 AM; and 1/2 marathon start time 8 AM. The race was sold out with a cap of 800 racers. I registered in late May after determining my legs were in good shape after the Whitby International Marathon. Good deal for $70.

The start line was on grass and we had to run briefly on the grass before being on asphalt. The route was scenic - "following the Niagara River Parkway from Niagara-on-the-Lake past Fort George and onto Niagara Falls and back" Each of the races followed the same path with turnaround 1/2 the distance of the race. For the 50 K, turnaround was amazing - at Niagara Falls! No spectators on the course and for the most part, I kept my eyes on the runners ahead of me to stay on route. I finally understood at the turns there was a white spray painted arrow indicating direction. There were also small flags indicating turns. No police hired (which saved a lot of money!) but there were a few volunteers at key turns. At road crossings, we had to exercise care as there was nobody directing traffic.

(photo from the Internet)

The 7 AM start was great since the sun wasn't boiling hot yet. Course markings were every 1 K but they were written with spray paint on the ground. Aid stations were every 5 K. As a result, I made a smart move to take a water bottle along. I can't recall how many times I asked for the 500 mL bottle to be refilled - 5 times? I was drinking 500 mL every 5 K. It was hot out there and not sure how I could have run this race without carrying that bottle. At the aid stations, I was reintroduced to delicious gummy (they were dinosaurs), pretzels, and bananas. Water and gatorade were also available. Each of the stations were well maintained and those working the stations were friendly and helpful.

The race is advertised as fast and flat. Unfortunately that is not true as there was inclines (and that means declines on the way back). Since my goal was to finish the race, I power walked whenever there was a steep incline. This must have been for a kilometre after 15 K when running on the trailed path and after the turnaround at Niagara Falls. These would have killed my legs if I ran. In particular, my right leg did stiffen and started to hurt. I had to stretch the quads about 15 to 20 times in the 2nd half of the race, which helped keep me going. The good news is what goes up must come down. I enjoyed the downhill running.

The Garmin said I reached the full marathon distance (42.2 K) at 5 hours 2 minutes. That's a long time due to the inclines when I was walking. The final 8 K was particularly rewarding since I have never run this far. There was a lot of walk breaks (quick 5 second breaks) as well as whenever there was an incline. The scenic route made the race particularly enjoyable - and the trail provided shade. Why didn't I wear a hat? But I did put on sunscreen but am darkened.

Post race food consisted of the needed bagel - I'm hungry - any type of bagel will do! I didn't take the macaroni salad or green salad. Pizza arrived and I had 4 square slices - delicious! There was beer but I don't drink.

Once reaching the finish line, a volunteer handed the finisher medal and a water bottle - 300 mL more was drank. The last 100 m was on the grass. There were people cheering at the finish line and this is much appreciated.

Very happy to have completed my first 50 K ultra marathon. Only concern is the fluid stations every 5 K - but I brought my own water that got refilled so this turned out to be okay. And the gummy and pretzels were great. The timing of the race is good since it allows for an ultra marathon after a spring marathon. Thank goodness the "heat wave" of a few days ago was gone. The 25 C sunny weather was fine since there was no humidity. And the breeze helped.

Overall, well-organized race. Hope to run the 50 K again next year. Not sure how people are able to run 100 K - how do you train for that? Incredible.

Gun Time = 6:08:07
Chip Time = 6:07:35
Overall = 123 out of 173
Age Category = 21 out of 22
Gender Category = 83 out of 106


As a result of this 50 K race, I made it to 700 K for the year: YTD = 701.4 K

30 K - thank goodness for the clouds

Hot and humid today - getting even hotter as the week goes on. Plan A was 30 K and Plan B was 25 K. Wore a baseball cap and sunglasses and took water and gatorade. The clouds made the run bearable as it was 22C (felt 29C with humidity). Got in 30 K on the Martin Goodman Trail. Four hours later, I am happy to report I'm finished! Next Saturday is the Niagara Ultra 50 K. Hope the humidity goes away!

YTD = 648.9 K

two weekday runs

Happy to report 5 K runs today and yesterday. Great running weather - not humid. This weekend will be 30 - 32 K run in preparation for June 23rd 50 K run. Humidity supposed to return :-(

YTD = 618.9 K

25 K LSD

It was hot out there 25C with humidity felt like 34C according to the radio. Plan was to begin the run early in the morning but implementation meant 8:30 AM - just couldn't get out of bed as I wanted my sleep. Wore a cap as well as sunglasses. There was a "cool" wind so it wasn't as bad as it could have been. Lots of runners on the Martin Goodman Trail. There was also the 100 K bike from Niagara Falls and ending at the CNE as well as a 5 K Walk with Walmart. Also, there was the 5 K Toronto Challenge but it was a different route so I didn't see them.

Overall, a good 25 K run today. Next weekend should be 30 K and then it's the 50 K run on Saturday, June 23rd Niagara Ultra.

YTD = 608.9 K

5K yesterday

Was able to get in a 5 K run before work yesterday. Had meeting at 9 AM so fit in the run. Great way to clear the head!
YTD = 583.9 K

LSD 21.1 K

Woke up disappointed yesterday (morning) when the radio forecasted rain for this morning and afternoon. Since it was almost 10 AM (!), I opted to take the chance and perhaps run in the rain - haven't done that in a long time. Fortunately, it was overcast this morning. When I was all set to go at 9 AM, I was shocked to notice my Garmin was low in battery - I forgot to turn it off after the weekday run :-( I charged it for 30 minutes and then left the house at 9:30 AM. The Garmin continued to say "Low Battery" so be it. Since there was still possibility of rain, I opted to stay on streets just in case it got really bad and I needed shelter. I chose to stay away from Queen Street East due to the shooting at the Eaton Centre yesterday at 6:23 PM (8 shot of which 1 dead). Ran on Bloor/Danforth - a winter route. Was very happy to see Mr. Greek had a special of 5 chicken solavki sticks for $10.00 - great deal considering the solavki stick, potatoes, rice, and salad is about $8. Got in half marathon distance and it was enjoyable.

Next weekend is Woofstock at the St. Lawrence Market so Bud will definitely attend. He loves meeting other dogs.

YTD = 578.9 K

Massive study takes a long look at mortality and the marathon

Massive study takes a long look at mortality and the marathonJune 3, 2012
By Michael Doyle

from: http://runningmagazine.ca/2012/06/sections/news/massive-study-takes-a-long-look-at-mortality-and-the-marathon/

At last Sunday’s Ottawa Race Weekend spectators and organizers were witness to what has become the greatest fear at a road race: a runner collapsing near the finish line.
Chi-son Do, a 25-year-old Montrealer competing in the half-marathon, lost consciousness and immediately collapsed with only 20 meters to go before the finish line. Luckily, there were two doctors that emerged from the crowd that immediately attended do Do, after what the Ottawa Citizen describes as a face-first fall and subsequent motionlessness, where the two doctors struggled to find a pulse and ultimately began performing CPR in an attempt to revive the runner.
The above scene has seemingly become a weekly occurrence during peak marathon periods in the spring and fall. And, of course, this has led both mainstream media outlets and the public at large to wonder whether or not long-distance running is indeed good for you.
This very question, and curiosity about the overall state of long distance running in America, led researchers in the department of medicine at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore to survey a massive amount of data regarding marathons and the deaths that have occurred during and immediately following marathons over a ten year period.
What the researchers found after looking at data between 2000-2009 was that, although the number of marathon participants grew quite a bit over the course of the decade (from just shy of 300,000 in 2000 to nearly 475,000 in 2009), the comparative rate of deaths during a marathon did not rise. Also, the average finishing time of marathon runners did not significantly change (from 4:34:47 in 2000 to 4:35:28 in 2009), which would suggest that culturally there has been a stasis in terms of how long distance running is approached in the United States. The running population has not significantly improved, nor have they taken a step backwards.
Because the nature of deaths aren’t often reported publicly by hospitals, the researchers of the study found a novel and surprisingly thorough means of gathering data specific to marathons: the media. Unsurprisingly, more or less every single death or serious medical situation that occurs at a running event, or within a 24 hour window after a race is reported by some form of media outlet. Often, the tragic yet singular situation then spreads like wildfire across social media circles, with perverse curiosity and reactionary scorn by non-runners. The running community then finds itself revisiting the seemingly age-old question: is long distance running good for you? Lately, it seems that this question has been modified even further: is long distance running in fact bad for you?
The results of this massive survey in the United States revealed that a grand total of 28 people died either at or within a 24-hour window of running a marathon between 2000-2009. Of those 28 people, the median age was 41.5 years old. Exactly 50% (14) were under 45 years old. Of those over 45, 13 of the 14 died of heart disease related issues. Those under the median age died of a variety of issues, including cardiac arrest.
Also of note, and in what seems to be the takeaway from the study, the mortality rate of marathon participants did not significantly change over the 10 year period and remains insignificantly low.
The Johns Hopkins study seems to reveal what the vast majority of runners everywhere have long believed (or, rather, hoped): that training for and running a marathon is no more dangerous today than it was when the event was significantly less popular a decade ago. Moreover, one could read from this study that the only thing that has gotten out of hand over the last 10 years has been the sensationalistic media attention that a death during a marathon attracts and the desire for a grand narrative that is just simply not there. The numbers don’t lie, as the saying goes.
In the end, Mr. Do was revived and after an extended stay at an Ottawa hospital and a battery of heart related tests that revealed no stress on the heart or pre-existing heart condition, he was released. The Ottawa Citizen reports that Do is at home resting and feeling good, yet disappointed that he was not able to finish the race. The probable cause of Mr. Do’s terrifying collapse that made national news during Ottawa race weekend proved to be vasovagal syncope — a severe and sudden fainting spell. Chi-son Do will thankfully live to race another day.