Run For The Toad

I don't know how many runners entertain thoughts of organizing their own race.  It can be a wonderful idea, if (in my case) you have a thoroughly challenging course that demands to be shared with other, preferably unsuspecting, souls.  Execution of your plan can be something entirely different than what you envisioned.  It is tough to hold an event these days.  Gone are the times when you could hold a race on a whim, with little planning and less thought to details such as medical, police, port-a-potties, insurance, websites, registration and personal liability...

Now imagine a race that has it all.  Makes international marathons look limited in scope, has high-end catered lunch, great prizes, an amazing trail, a civilized 9:30 start and the most ultra runners of any race in Canada.  Yes, Run for the Toad.  The Toad is organized down to the finest details by Peggy and George Sarson.  George and Peggy put their hearts into the Toad each year.  As a race director, all I can do is look around their race pavilion and take notes.  No race approaches the experience or the chance to see some of Canada's best runners up close.  Last year, I chatted with Ellie Greenwood.

The course is a 12.5K loop of mainly trail, with some small paved sections.  There are no monster hills, but before you ignore the rollers and attempt to scream it at max VO2, prepare your will.  There is one short but indecently steep kicker just past the 11K mark.  If you overdo it, there is a bench at the top of the hill that you can share with a skeleton.  Look closely at the volunteers.  Some of Ontario's top ultra talent are handing you a cup of water, or enticing you to try a pretzel.  The Ontario ultra community is a small family and they are all at the Toad, racing or volunteering.

Oh yeah, my race report...

I did not train nearly enough for the 50K distance and as we well know, 50K is not a distance in which you can cheat on your training without suffering dire consequences.  I started off slowly, hoping to prolong the time before my lack of training would take more than an intrinsic toll.  I had some difficulty in the first loop, the same troubles with stiff joints I refuse to call arthritis.  At times, it takes considerable effort to extend my leg forward.  The start of the second loop filled me with hope as the effort of running eased somewhat.  I was tiring at 14K and took a gel, which seemed to help me to maintain a decent gait.  Things went from good to better as I was able to drink a large amount of water (I have GERDS - Gastro esophagus reflux disease - which means I cannot swallow and tend to throw up during races) and was feeling very positive as the race progressed.

Who was it that said that all good things must come to an end?  I hit 20K and was actually passing a few runners!  I was becoming tired due to a lack of training, but running was pain-free.  Until 20K...

I felt a twinge in my left knee.  This is my bad knee.  No cartilage, problems with the ACL, patella tendon, IT band and lower quads, to name a few of the injuries.  This happens on every long run and it usually recedes after 1 - 2K.  So I continued to run, favouring the left knee ever so slightly, waiting for the pain to subside.  No such luck.  For 4K, the pain became progressively worse, until I was performing a running lurch that must be hilarious to watch.  At 24K, I had to make a decision.  In previous races, when my left knee forced me into a hobbling run, I have about 30 minutes before my back goes out.  Once the back goes out, the writing is on the wall.  I have no more than an hour of sheer agony before I lose feeling in my right leg and fall down.  Getting back up ranges from crawling up a tree, to quality 911 time...

I knew there wasn't another 26K left in my legs, so I would be walking at about the 30K mark, if back pain did not sideline me first.  Did I mention how great the lunch was?  Did I mention that there might not be any left if I completed after 5:00 PM?  I had many ready-made excuses and knew them to be such, but I was also not willing to spend the next 5 hours in pain, simply to finish my first ultra of 2011.  I decided to call it a day at 25K.

This causes a problem.  This will be the first year since 2004 in which I have not run an ultra.  Something has to be done.  Suggestions are most welcome.

On the bright side, I ran 7K this evening without any pain and very little effort.  This is the beauty of running.  Your deepest self-imposed low (not running an ultra in 2011) is quickly replaced by something positive.  Maybe I can train effectively now.  By April of next year, I'll be running 50K's with the front runners (please attempt to forget that I am 53 years old), moving up to an age category podium finish, run all the OUS ultras and cure cancer...

Well, gotta go get a medical degree this weekend!