Pender Pacers

Hi Everyone,
We’ve had some very pleasant running weather these past few days and it will continue tomorrow after which we’re in for some unsettled weather including lower temperatures and rain. So, come out tomorrow for a pleasant run and coffee and a chat afterwards at the Slow Coast Cafe.

See you at the Slow Coast parking lot, 8:30AM tomorrow.

Herb

Hi Everyone,
Another short note to encourage you to come out for our Sunday run and chat afterwards at the Slow Coast Cafe. It promises to be another early Spring morning. In other words Environment Canada’s highly reliable forecast is for a 60% chance of showers and a balmy 8-9C temperature; all perfect for an enjoyable run.

See you at the Slow Coast Cafe parking lot at 8:30 tomorrow morning.

Herb

Hi Everyone,
In addition to the topics that Kim suggested and that I reviewed last week, she referred to running shoes as a topic worthy of consideration. The term “running” covers a variety of different possibilities: putting on runners and heading out the door for a short run, racing from 5K to full-marathons, training for these races, and trail or cross-country running. Often, the shoes you choose will be specific to the running activity in which you will participate, and shoe manufacturers offer running shoes that are tailored to these different kinds of runs. If you’re training, for example, you’ll want shoes that are reasonably light but robust. For racing, lightness is desirable. Shoes that are for trail/cross-country running have differently constructed and patterned soles and tend to be heavier, track running and sprinting shoes are quite differently constructed with spikes and are specific to the track.

Running shoes are not cheap so choose carefully. Some of the major brands are Brooks, New Balance, ASICS, Saucony, and Nike, etc. These are sold at stores that specialize in serving runners. In Victoria they include Frontrunners, The Running Room, and the New Balance Store. The people who work in these stores are generally runners or triathletes and can help you choose the shoe that might work well for you. Still, you’re the runner so take direct esponsibility for choosing the runner you’ll buy. When trying on runners attend to the toe box, width, and size. Shoes that are too tight will be both uncomfortable and possibly result in blisters and very sore toes. Some running shoe manufacturers offer runners in varying widths as well as lengths so as to better tailor the shoe to your foot. Try them on and walk around in them before buying.

How long a running shoe will last depends primarily on you. Mine last 300-350kms depending on the runners I buy. I run in fairly light training runners. I pronate so I keep an eye on the back outer edge of my right runner to gauge how much the rubber has worn down. Often, too, my knees and my feet tell me when it’s time for a new pair. As a runner, you, like I, will be monitoring your body as you run so you’ll know, to a degree, when you’ll need a new pair. Even when training for a 5K race you will be running a surprising number of kilometres. Worn out runners can cause injuries so be alert to the need for new ones.

If you have questions related to what I’ve been writing about running, please email me and I’ll answer or touch on them in my Sunday Run emails.

Thank you to Carri Bell for posting my Pender Pacer messages to the Pender Forum. Maybe they’ll tempt some of you to come out and try a run with us. We’re a friendly bunch.

See you tomorrow morning, 8:30 at the Slow Coast Cafe parking lot. The forecast is for sun, believe it or not.

Herb

Good morning Everyone,
My long time running partner and friend Kim was kind enough to respond to my last few emails to the Pacers with some important suggestions based on our experience running and training on Pender. In this message and in the next one I will highlight Kim’s insights.

First, cross-training is important. On Pender this might include swimming either from the Magic Lake swimming hole with, for example, members of the Magic Lake Swim Club, or in the ocean at Boat Nook where the ocean water seems to be warmest around our island. Cycling is another cross-training option. Yes, it’s hilly and hills are a way that we want to help strengthen our leg muscles and our cardio. Just keep repeating the club motto: “It’s just a hill; Get over it”. Even in winter our main roads are busy, but Canal Rd. on South Pender is much quieter and offers a pleasant ride all the way to Gowlland Pt. Another aspect of cross-training is strength training. Strong muscles, particularly abs and arms contribute to improving your running form, stamina, and can help prevent injury.

Second, and in spite of how serious I can sound, keeping our running and training FUN can really contribute to a positive attitude toward running and training and motive us when the going gets tough or the weather is unappealing. We have a good track record in this department. What have we done to keep things fun? We’ve had the Pender Olympics and Pentathlon (running, cycling swimming, kayaking, eating…), been tempted by Deb’s blueberry muffins after a morning speed workout, staged the Run for the Lights (this past year’s run was a great success), jumped into Magic Lake on a hot, sunny, and sweaty Sunday morning after our long run, changed up our hill work with a run through the Heart Trail to Medicine Beach for a stair workout, and on and on. There are many possibilities especially at this time of year when the weather is so inviting.

See you tomorrow morning, 8:30, at the Slow Coast Cafe parking lot.

Herb

Good Afternoon Pacers,
There comes a time when many runners will want to enter a race, be it a 5km, 8km, 10km, half-marathon or full marathon. How to get from A to B, from the decision to enter a race to the finish line? In this message I want to touch on a few components of a training programme that potentially can help a person successfully finish a race.

1. First, a runner has to choose the distance that she/he want to complete. Then, and I’ve referred to this previously, you must realistically chose a pace and finish time that you think you can achieve without injuring yourself and that will give you a sense of achievement. With those numbers and the distance you have chosen to run you can slot in the distances and paces that you will need to attempt to run in your training.

Over a number of years, Kim Brown and I and Deb developed the outlines of a training programme that we used and tweaked to achieve our goals. Not to say that we accomplished our goals, but the programme helped us structure our training and generally brought us to the start line uninjured and ready to race.

Our training programme included three basic components: hill workouts, speed work, and long runs and operated on a weekly rotation of three workouts/week.

2. Each component was graduated, so that, for example in the case of hill workouts we would start with 4X200m uphill runs then proceed to 5 and 6, then go to 400m uphill repeats, then possibly to 800m ones. Hill repeats are useful for gaining leg strength, but can easily wear out the legs, so it’s necessary to balance the number of repeats with the fatigue you feel in your legs. Generally, we would do repeats for 4 to 6 weeks in a 12 week half-marathon training programme, then stop doing them especially since in most cases races don’t have that many long hills.

3. Speedwork helps to increase leg turnover which is important to speed. We approached speedwork in different ways. One way was with 400m, then 800m, then 1200m repeats increasing from 4 through to 8 or 10 repeats for each distance. Sometimes, we did speedwork as a ladder: 100m, 200m, 300m, 400, 500m then down, 500m, 400m, 300m, 200m, 100m. Sometimes we would do fartleks: running telephone poles, fast for one, then recovery to the next one, the picking up speed to the following one and so on. There are as many approaches to speedwork as you want as long as you give your legs a chance to develop a faster, more consistent-over-time strength.

4. Long runs give you not only the endurance that is needed to complete the distance that you’ve chosen, it can also booster self-confidence in your ability to complete the distance. As with hill workouts and speedwork, develop your long runs incrementally. In the case of a half-marathon, for example, start with a base of 12km, then increase your weekly long runs by no more than 10% per week. So, if you begin with a 12km long run, go to 13km the next week, 14km the week after and so on until you’ve reached your run distance, i.e. 21.1kms, or even 19 or 20kms. Over your long run schedule try to put in a few fall-back or recovery runs of 10km or so. Whether it’s hill work, speed work, or long runs, attend to recovery. We usually trained three times each week, often hill work on Tuesdays, speedwork on Thursdays, and long runs on Sundays, trying to have some recovery time between each workout. The recovery helped keep us injury-free, motivated, and fresh for each training session.

5. For your long runs especially, but also for you hill work and speedwork, please remember to not leave your best times in training. So, for example, something that I failed at, try to run your long runs at a pace that’s clearly slower than the pace you expect to run during the race. You want to get to the start line fresh and injury-free. Training is training. Racing is when you raise the bar.

I hope that this has helped.

TOMORROW IS DAYLIGHT SAVINGS. DON’T FORGET TO PUT YOUR CLOCKS FORWARD ONE HOUR BEFORE BED TONIGHT.

See you tomorrow morning, 8:30, at the Slow Coast Cafe parking lot, or afterwards for coffee in the club room.

Herb

Good morning Pacers,
The sun is shining, and out our window the daffodils are adding their colour to the green of the after-rain. Soon, it will be Spring and with Spring and then summer and Fall, the road races will spring up, too. (Full disclosure: Deb and I have already signed up for the Oak Bay Half-Marathon), which begs the question: Why race? First, it’s fun to run with a bunch of other runners on a course that’s new to you in a location that you may never have seen; Second, you get a medal for finishing and a t-shirt as well most of the time and bragging rights; Third, for those who are goal oriented, it opens up a whole new adventure in striving to attain that goal; Fourth, a race provides a training structure that can motivate a runner to get out the door even when you don’t want to put on those runners, and finally, racing can make you a better, happier runner. There are the health benefits, too, but let’s face it, most of us run simply for the pleasure of running and for the company of friends. Right?

5K, 8K, 10K, Half-marathon, or full Marathon, after you choose the race that you want to run you’ll want to set up a training programme to help you reach your race goal(s). In next week’s letter, I’ll review some components of a training programme regardless of the distance that you choose to race. First, some basics of training: 1. Choose a goal pace that will get you to the finish line at a time that you decide that you want. This will require knowledge of your running and the strength of your motivation, and a realistic, repeat: realistic appraisal of your ability to complete the race in your goal time; 2. You want to toe the start line fresh, strong, motivated, and uninjured; 3. Considering #2, don’t leave your best times in training. That is, don’t train at race pace all the time, especially on your long runs. The training effect will be minimal, but the tiredness will wear you down; 3. Be flexible. Don’t fear changing your goal pace or your training regime, especially if you find that you’re unusually tired or on the verge of injury. 4. If injured, stop running until the injury has healed.

Next week, I’ll discuss the basic components of a training programme that you can then taper to your particular racing goal.

See you tomorrow morning, 8:30, at the Slow Coast parking lot, or afterwards in the club room at the Slow Coast Cafe for coffee and a chat.

Herb

Hi Everyone,
OK. Here’d not her instalment in my Running and Training log:

Different people run for different and overlapping reasons. Many people run simply because it makes them feel good while running and afterwards. I’m one of those people. There are many people who just run. Maybe their goal is good health. Pace doesn’t matter and the goal is simply to run either to reach a goal distance, pace, or time. I think that all of us at one time or another, or always, can be described as this runner.

At some point, some runners decide that they want to run in a race, to compete. Sometimes, that person may get hooked on competing. I’m one of those runner, too. So, what have I learned about training for races not only to finish but to be competitive, i.e. to place or win?

To start, here is one simple idea: You can’t train all the time. You need recovery and you need to vary your goals and pace over time. Tom Patrick organized my training year into three phases: Two were devoted to training for a goal race, i.e. a marathon or half-marathon, and between those two was a recovery phase. Within each phase each week included three running workouts. At first, this worried me because when I trained with JR we ran just about 5 times each week. I thought my running would tank. But, it didn’t. The workouts were about the same. It got better because my body was aging and needed the recovery while my running buddies in Edmonton who continued to train at the rate began to get injured and to stop running. So, as you get older, don’t try to continue running as if you were 20 years old.

Next week: At what pace should you train for a race?

See you tomorrow morning at 8:30AM at the Slow Coast Cafe parking lot.

Herb

Good Afternoon Everyone,
Here’s the start of another hint about running.

Before I joined the Millcreek Runners I ran a lot and I raced. A few weeks before I joined the club I raced in the Melissa’s half-marathon (actually a half-marathon + a kilometre). Fearing that I might not be able to complete the race I went out the day before it and ran 22km as fast I could just to make sure. I did finish the Melissa’s Half and actually didn’t do too badly, but if I had had JR as a coach before that race I’m sure that I would have run an even better race, and after his coaching I did run significantly faster, injury free, and better in races. What did I learn from JR that made a difference? Hint: How to train for races. Tune in next Saturday for my explanation.

See you at the Slow Coast Cafe parking lot tomorrow, 8:30AM for our Sunday morning run followed by coffee at the Slow Coast.

Herb

Hi Everyone,
When I joined the Millcreek Runners in Edmonton I not only met my wife-to-be Debbie, I met John Reeves who became my first running coach. I had been running for quite a while before being coached, but although I put on miles, I was an undisciplined and inefficient runner. I had participated in a number of races of different lengths without knowing how to train or how to run efficiently. John (or JR as we called him) made me into a competitive runner. I’d like to share with you one of the first lessons that he taught me: How to run efficiently and as effortlessly as possible.

The principle is that most all of a runner’s energy is best directed forward, not side-to-side and not up and down. As self-evident as this is, many people don’t attend nearly enough to this principle. How to do this: First, keep your feet and legs as close to the ground as possible. The best long distance runners look as if they’re shuffling along (at a 4:00min/km pace!). Keep your feet low to the ground. Don’t raise your knees high. Second, keep you upper body quiet. It should be facing straight ahead. Your arm swing should not cross the centreline of your torso. It is best to keep your arms swinging straight ahead and swinging in a shallow arc. Changing your running style isn’t easy and it doesn’t happen overnight, but if you persist in attending to these simple principles your running will become effortless and your pace will probably pick up. Try it.

See you tomorrow morning, 8:30 at the Slow Coast Cafe.

Herb

Good Late Afternoon Everyone,
Sorry for the late running message. I’ve been busy doing not much of any significance today. Doesn’t it feel like Spring? The turn in the weather seems to get the running blood pulsing. It won’t be all that warm tomorrow morning - 5C I think - but there will be a mix of sun and cloud and no rain, unless, of course, there is. Shouldn’t be.

And, the Slow Coast Cafe which has been closed for the week for renovations is open tomorrow. I wonder if they’d renovated our club room?

See you tomorrow morning, 8:30AM at the Slow Coast.

Herb

Good Afternoon Everyone,
So much rain today it almost seems like a sacrilege to speak encouragingly about tomorrow’s run, but I will. 17.3mm of precipitation so far today at our house, but it has stopped, yes, stopped, at least for the moment. More rain to come, but the Environment Canada forecast for tomorrow morning does not include rain - or at least there’s only a 20% possibility of rain - after 7:00AM and throughout our run. Adding to this optimistic view, the temperature will rise to 12C, higher than it’s been in a while and just about the best temperature for a long or a short run.

You didn’t expect me to be negative about a Sunday run, did you? Sometimes, you just have to dig a little deeper to find the bright spot.

See you tomorrow morning, 8:30, at the Slow Coast parking lot.

Good Afternoon Everyone,
Let’s focus on the positive side of running on Pender. The cold “snap” is behind us - until the next one - and the snow - until the next storm - while still on the ground is clear of the roads on which we run and the roads themselves are almost preternaturally quiet. The temperature tomorrow morning after 8:00AM is predicted to be around 6C. Yes, there probably will be some rain, but after this past week who can complain. Please join me at 8:30AM tomorrow morning at the Slow Coast Cafe parking lot for our Sunday run. There will be many weather-related stories to tell to accompany our run, so many that we’ll loose ourselves in stories and marvel at the distances we’ve run on a quiet Sunday on our island.

See you there.

Herb

Good morning Pacers,
One winter in Edmonton in the 1990s I and some running friends ran in -37C temperatures. I think that I even bragged about that. I’ve learned my lesson. This morning at 7:15 - late by my standards - I walked Olive from home to Thieves Bay. It must be the wind and the humidity here (at 67% even with the cold sucking the moisture out of the air) that makes a windchill of about -20C feel like -40C, or is it just me showing my age? Probably a combination. All this to advise that you dress for the weather tomorrow morning; weather that will not be easy to run in. Count on layers of clothing, a slower pace, and probably fewer kilometres.

Still it will be a run for the records.

See you tomorrow morning, 8:30AM at the Slow Coast parking lot.

Herb

Hi Everyone,
I was down on the breakwater with Olive earlier this afternoon - about 4:00PM - and got a firsthand experience of the weather to come: a cold blast of air from the NW. So, fair warning. It’s forecast to be a mix of sun and cloud by about 8:00AM with light wind if any, but the temperature will hover between 3 and 4C. So, dress accordingly for a pleasant winter run.

I’m pretty much recovered from the flu-like symptoms that are plaguing this island and will run for the first time in more than ten days. Deb suggests (That’s a euphemism) that I run slowly and even I am inclined to agree with her.

See you tomorrow at the Slow Coast parking lot at 8:30AM and for coffee afterwards.

HerbHi Everyone,
I was down on the breakwater with Olive earlier this afternoon - about 4:00PM - and got a firsthand experience of the weather to come: a cold blast of air from the NW. So, fair warning. It’s forecast to be a mix of sun and cloud by about 8:00AM with light wind if any, but the temperature will hover between 3 and 4C. So, dress accordingly for a pleasant winter run.

I’m pretty much recovered from the flu-like symptoms that are plaguing this island and will run for the first time in more than ten days. Deb suggests (That’s a euphemism) that I run slowly and even I am inclined to agree with her.

See you tomorrow at the Slow Coast parking lot at 8:30AM and for coffee afterwards.

Herb

Good Afternoon Everybody,
Tomorrow morning will be the last last day of 2023 and our last run of the year. It’s been raining lightly most of today, but by tomorrow early morning the rain and much of the cloud will have lifted and it will be a fine morning for a run on the quiet South Pender roads.

At the moment, I’m huddled in from of the hot wood stove, covered by a thick blanket. I should be out on Magic Lake for a practice of the kayak ballet, but I’m experiencing a miserable, shaky cold - no fever, not COVID - and hoping, but not expecting to join you at 8:30AM tomorrow morning at the Slow Coast Cafe parking lot. I’ll try to get myself feeling better in order to do the kayak ballet tomorrow early evening. Do come out for the Lantern Festival at Magic Lake and experience the pleasure of seeing our kayak lights doing some pleasing manoeuvres on the lake.

I wish you, each and every one of you, a new year of friendship, health, and the pure joy of running on our Pender roads.

Herb

The lights were bright on the darkest of nights. The Pacers, seventeen in all, gathered to make things right, laughing and chatting and munching the delights. The Run for the Lights is back!

Good Afternoon Everyone,
We are fond of saying that the Pacers never run in the rain; not that we avoid it or are afraid to run in it, but that we’re either lucky and it doesn’t rain when we run, or when it does that we run between the raindrops. Well, tomorrow morning we won’t have worry about rain because while it will be cloudy there is no rain in the forecast… I think.

I believe that one of the original five people who were the original Pender Pacers will be out to run with us. Tomorrow morning we’ll welcome Kim Brown to our run.

See you tomorrow, 8:30AM at the Slow Coast parking lot.

Herb

Good afternoon Everyone,
The weather has made the day interesting; gale force winds with gusts to 90kph and rain, quite a bit of rain, 17.8mm at our house. Tomorrow, though, should be more like a mid-December Sunday morning: a possibility of rain, but not a torrent, and about 7C. Dress accordingly, coffee afterwards at the Slow coast Cafe.

I’ve been mulling a question that I’d like to share with you:

What does it mean to run?

I’d very much like to read or hear your thoughts on this question either in response to this message or in person.

See you tomorrow morning, 8:30, at the Slow Coast Cafe.

Herb

Hi Everyone,
Recently, I was reading an article on advances in weather forecasting. What else is new? The proliferation of different kinds of sensors on land, on the oceans and in the atmosphere and the ability of technology to gather, integrate, and analyze weather patterns in real time has made for much more accurate forecasts. Forty-eight hour forecasts are now highly accurate. No need to go into statistical detail. Why am I going on about this? Rain. Tomorrow morning it’s going to rain; rain when we gather at the Slow Coast parking lot and rain during our run. If it isn’t raining tomorrow morning please don’t blame me. Contact your local Environment and Climate Change Canada weatherperson.

See you tomorrow, 8:30AM at the Slow Coast parking lot.

Herb

Good Afternoon Everyone,
On Thursday, I went for a short - 8.4km - run in the morning, the kind of run that sticks in one’s mind as the way running should be. It was cool, dry, sunny with some cloud. I felt like I had wings. Well, tomorrow may be something like that. It should be dry - that’s what’s the forecast suggests - and cool with some sun and cloud. I look forward to another one of those runs that leads me to ask how I could be so fortunate to be here, running, on a late November day. Come out tomorrow morning, 8:30, and explore that feeling.

See you at the Slow Coast Cafe parking lot at 8:30AM tomorrow.

Herb

A Pacer in the wilds of Watfords! My annual Watford run with Stella Gordon ❤️

Good Afternoon Everyone,
Last night and into early this morning the barometer was perilously low and the rains heavy. Between 11:00PM yesterday evening and 7:00AM this morning my weather station recorded 21.8mm of rain, approaching 1”. Then, the skies cleared, a pleasant breeze rose, the temperature remained more than seasonal, and the day was perfect. Who could ask for anything more?

There’s more rain in the forecast, but not for tomorrow morning which promises to be a mix of sun and cloud and about 11-12C, nice for running.

TURN YOUR CLOCKS BACK BEFORE BED.

See you at 8:30AM PST tomorrow morning at the Slow Coast Cafe parking lot.

Herb

Good Evening Everyone,
Sorry for the late motivation. We were sailing the day away on a calm sea.

Sunny and quite cool to start our run tomorrow. Dress accordingly.

See you at 8:30AM at the Slow Coast Cafe parking lot.

Herb

Here’s an article from the NYT to provoke thought and discussion:

Running for our lives
Why run? I ask myself this question as I lace up my shoes, as I confront an approaching hill, as I coax one more lap out of my aching calves. The obvious answer is that we run to be healthy, to improve our cardiovascular systems and our moods, to become fitter and stronger. But sometimes it feels like the real reason that I run is to get better at running. I run so that I can run more.

That’s why it knocked me for a loop when I read about recent studies showing that you don’t have to run very much, or very fast, in order to get major health benefits. “Running, even 5 to 10 min/day and at slow speeds

Good Afternoon Everyone,
Congratulations again to Stephen, Xander for completing the Victoria full marathon and to Wanda, and Sheila for completing the half-marathon, and to LeeAnn, Jorgen, and Carmen for completing the formidable Grizzly at the Canmore Nordic Centre. Former Pacer David Sykes now living near Maple Bay was among the spectators. All the more reason to come out tomorrow to congratulate these seven Pacers in person. If you need more motivation here it is: The Jesperson’s have welcomed a new family member: Frida Khalo Jersperson is a 9-1/2 week-old cutie of a puppy.

Environment Canada forecasts cloudy skies and 11C for tomorrow morning with a low !0% possibility of rain. At this time of year we could not ask for better.

See you at the Slow Coast Cafe parking lot tomorrow morning at 8:30.

Hi Everyone,
First and most important: Let’s wish Stephen, Wanda, Xander and Sheila fleet feet and a gloriously enjoyable marathon at the Victoria Marathon, and to LeeAnn, Carmen, and Jorgen as they run the challenging Grisly race at the Canmore Nordic Centre. Do us proud.

See everyone else tomorrow morning, 8:30 at the Slow Coast Cafe parking lot. It is forecast to be a pleasant morning for a run - a mix of sun and cloud, 14-15C.

Herb