Ready, Set, Go!

In case you missed the last few blogs, I am no longer living in Venezuela!  And in case you missed the last few years, I am no longer living in Canada.  I’ve now relocated to the tropical country of Trinidad and Tobago, West Indies.  Today I want to talk to you about a new adventure we recently began…RUNNING!

Trinis are very active.  Some train year round for the many events that are held right here in their native country, or in the neighboring islands.  When I say “events”, I don’t mean your typical nature walk, I mean the real deal…marathons, triathlons, survival challenges, ultra marathons (more than 50 miles), obstacle courses, etc.

I’ve been an athlete most of my life, but I have to admit that the last year or two have been my most inactive.  I was globetrotting instead.  But now it’s back to the serious training!  I grew up as a competitive figure skater, and always took my off-season sports (basketball and track and field) pretty seriously.  It’s nice to feel the competitiveness come back.

Why I chose to start training for events such as marathons…I don’t know!  I do love running.  But in the middle of a grueling event, in the scorching sun…it’s an odd kind of “love”.  A good comparison is to my love for raw cruciferous vegetables.  I “love” eating them because I know they’re good for me and I feel great afterwards, but the pleasure while taking that bite through the tough fibre of that sulfurous vegetable is not the typical “love”.

We, and when I say “we”, I mean Stephan and I, have joined the +One A Week Hill Runners Club in Port of Spain, Trinidad.  I must take a moment to give a well deserved “thumbs up” to Stephan, who joined this adventure with me once again (or partially got dragged into).  He went from being a heavy partying drinker, smoker and acidic blood meat eater to a healthy, marathon training, anti-smoking, vegetarian, alkalized blood one-drink-on-occasion type of guy.  What an amazing lifestyle change!  Stephan is a true inspiration and role model of someone who took a 360-degree turn to live a healthier lifestyle.  I’m glad to have him by my side, as he now portrays a true imagine of health, and is even changing people’s lives by giving his own two cents of advice now!

Okay so back to the running.  We ran our first “fun” race up Chancellor Hill (approx 7.6k) shortly after arriving to Trinidad (literally still jet lagged).  This is when the athletism of the Trinis caught our attention. We joined our first running club.

Now part of the +One A Week Hill Runners Club, we started with a ‘bang’ with our participation in the King of the Hill Race, held on Saturday, March 12^th. With a group of refined and prepared athletes, we accepted the challenge of racing up a monster hill! The Rincon Hill awaited us, 3.3k up-hill and 3.3k back down, over some very technical terrain. The difficulty of the hill and the carnival festivities (Trinidad Carnival 2011 was the previous week) eliminated some participants and narrowed the field to include a cast of serious and prepared athletes, totaling 69 competitors.  This grueling hill, but rather encouraging competition, demonstrated the result of hard work and consistency in the team we joined.  With some more training, I could see myself ravaging that hill next time around.  Still, Stephan and I were proud to have completed our first race (with decent time), representing the +One A Week Hill Runners Club.

We’ve survived our first month of training with the team...barely.  I believe the temperature in Trinidad reaches up to 45 degrees Celsius with humidity.  We normally wake up very earlier (4 or 5am) to do our runs in the morning, before the sun rises.  But unfortunately, some of the races take place later in the morning, or even during midday!  You know you’re in trouble when you are sweating before the race has even started!  My biggest problem before training and competitions is hydration.  Not the water part of hydration…the annoying pee-pee part!  I try to consume a lot of water throughout the day, to avoid having a grand tour of Trinidad’s port-o-potties on the course, but with the extreme humidity, it’s important to consume water or an electrolyte replacement drink every fifteen minutes to avoid dehydration. My bladder doesn’t like that!

One of the most important aspects of measuring your fitness level is to record your improvement, and there is no better way of doing this than fitness testing.  Our first team fitness testing consisted of the following:

1) "Beep test" - Level 12 is considered fit

2) 1 mile run – 7 minutes is considered fit

3) 800 m run – 2 minutes 45 seconds is considered fit

4) 400 m run - 60 seconds is the marker

5) 200 m sprint – 30 seconds

6) 100 m - 15 seconds

We are fortunate to have some very knowledgeable and experienced coaches, as well as team members.  I could say that we have a few of Trinidad’s top runners on our team.  Until I can get a proper training schedule for all the aspiring runners, here’s a small low down on the type of training we have been doing, more or less.  Perhaps I can motivate you to start as well!

Monday (medium road run – approx 10k, core & upper body)

Tuesday (up-hill intervals, lower body)

Wednesday (speed training/intervals/beep test, etc – 5k to 10k, lower body, core, upper body)

Thursday (medium road run – approx 10k)

Friday (light 5k run, lower body, core)

Saturday (long run – approx 20k to 35k+ - hill, trail & soft sand beach, some core, upper body)

Sunday (rest day/intensive stretching, yoga, etc)

We change it up a lot from week to week, depending on our work schedules, races, team training, etc. We also do some type of body weight/or weight lifting two-three times a week (including core, upper body and lower body), regular stretching and yoga.  Intensive stretching and yoga feels great after some rigorous training or a competition.  It helps to loosen up all the muscles and joints, while promoting speedy recovery.

We will focus on individual improvement at the next race.  It is therefore very important for us to invest in an apparatus that can record time and distance when running, as well as some proper running gear such as a hydration pack and belt, running shoes with good support, shorts, head-lights (for early races/training), and no need for shirts because we are proud to sport our team singlets.

We joined a "hill running group" because we wanted the extra challenge, and extra motivation to push on hills.  Now we understand the basic fundamentals of running a hill, some of which are:

1) Consistent stride

2) Controlled heart rate through recovery breathing, and stride change where required

3) Mental focus and strength

4) Upright torso and elongated neck – to limit restriction of air flow to your lungs

5) Understanding your body and pre race regime

6) Food and nutrition - what is good to eat before and after training/racing

7) Warm up and "warm down"

8) Running gear

9) Race recovery and supplementation

Rest…ready, set, GO!

During Easter weekend, our “homework” was to do two easy 10k runs.  It was intended for us to rest and recharge because this last weekend is when the "fire" started with five weeks to go before the Fusion race and three weeks before the "Fusion dress rehearsal".  Fusion is a 35k+ event in June.

A glimpse at our Fusion Training…

The first big competition we are training for is Fusion 2011.  This event is a challenging team race that takes place on various terrains such as jungle, hills, trail, sand and road.  We have been doing various training sessions to mimic the actual race.

The point of this preparation is to get our mind and body ready to face the rigors of the Fusion “races”, all 3 in one day, to make the 35k. It would be foolish to enter such a race unprepared and "pop down" or "bonk". We must prepare to succeed and it starts from home! What we eat, how much rest and sleep we get, stretching every day, getting massages, drinking lots of water and being ready to perform.  If we fail to prepare then we will CRASH!

Some natural and organic whole food creations to fuel between training and races, including miso soup (rich in electrolytes), brown rice flour banana and coconut bread, veggie lasagna with brown rice noodles and spelt dark chocolate chip and banana muffins!

Debunking Cardio Myths!

Even as a marathon or long distance runner, it's important to switch up the long runs with some speed and interval training. Running form is very important to prevent injury. Run from toe to heel instead of heel to toe. The ball of your foot should be hitting the ground first. Ensure your shoes are flat and do not have excessive cushioning at the heel. All these will help prevent stress injuries.

Speed training is important as it sets the base for advanced cardiovascular development, muscle power, endurance, and hill running. With Fusion approaching, this last Saturday we executed a 35K continuous run. We've been doing 3 separate runs in the past weeks. We now combined all three (road, trail & sand). A 5:30am prompt start from Las Cuevas with a road run to Maracas Trail (8K), up the trail and back down (6K), run back to Las Cuevas (8K) then soft sand beach run (10k) totaling approximately 35k! Do you dare to join us?  At this time, the wear and tear started setting in on our muscles, joints and immune systems, so it’s important for us to maintain a strict nutritional and hydration regimen, and include proper rest and sleep.

As stated by the team coaches, ALL members taking part in the "Fusion training" will be expected to have adhered to the preparation required.  For this reason, I created a Sports Nutrition Guide specifically for long distance runners.  This guide, together with our coaches’ support and training, will continue to ensure that the team members achieve their goals and become better athletes – but all athletes have been and will continue to be responsible for themselves. As an athlete, it is important to listen to your body and be fanatical with your health regime. Question yourself before every session and if you do not feel prepared, do not train!

*Sports Nutrition Guide available at small cost upon request.  Contact [email protected] for yours today! 

All About Fusion 2010

“The Port Authority of Trinidad and Tobago hosted its fourth annual challenge competition titled “Fusion 2010” on Saturday 05th June 2010. The Fusion competition is an exciting, physical and intellectually challenging sporting event that requires courage, fortitude, stamina, commitment and most importantly teamwork.

This year sixty teams (43% more than last year) comprising of four (4) persons per team participated. Each team was required to hike/hash selected mountain trails within Trinidad as well as complete a series of team-work/problem-solving activities. There was an average of twenty-five (25) officials on the trails as well as eight search and rescue paramedics.

Competitors were required to assemble at Maracas Beach opposite Sam’s Bar no later than 3:00am where numbers were assigned to each team as the final step to completing their registration.

Fusion 2010 started at 3:45am with an event titled ‘fill the bottle’ where, as the name suggests, each team was required to fill their labeled bottle using their labeled cup. Both of these items were placed approximately 200m away on the opposite end of the beach next to officials. A team member had to run along the beach to the officials and return to their team with the items. On returning to the team, they were now required to use the cup to fill the bottle with a red liquid from buckets at the same point where the bottle and cup were located; only 1 person per team was allowed to run at a time. Once the bottle was filled the team could proceed onto the trail, which began at the back of Sam’s Bar. The filled bottle represented their token for entry onto the trail and they were required to have it in their possession at all times.

The first leg of Fusion was estimated to take from 2.5 hours (estimated fastest time) to 5.5 hours (estimated slowest time). This leg was approximately 10.4km long and had a total ascent of approximately 5,165ft. All four (4) team members were required to compete on this leg, which included a ‘night’ hike and was marked with silver reflective tape. The first part of the leg comprised of a long painful ascent (which was compounded by the darkness) and 2 rope climbs amid the sounds of the night forest. This was followed by 5 multiple-choice questions, which carried time penalties if answered incorrectly. Teams continued along a fairly wide benching path along a mild downhill to the top of St. Joseph where they were required to solve a cryptogram, which embodied the definition of Fusion.

By this time, darkness began to give way to sunlight and teams now faced the daunting task of a fairly short but excruciating climb. The downhill was technical, long and proved to be trying for even the best teams. Teams took the opportunity to cool themselves in a stream at the bottom of the hill before starting the final test for this leg; a 2km road run to the finish line at Maracas Beach. Team times for this event ranged from 2 hours 35 minutes to 6 hours 9 minutes.

The second leg started at the top of the Lady Chancellor Hill and this previously abandoned trail proved to be a very scenic one, which few participants were aware of prior to Fusion. This leg was 12.5km long, required 3 team members and began at 11:10am. Three members from each team were directed down Teracita Hill, across to St. Ann’s and then to the bottom of Hololo Hill. On very tired legs, teams again had to conjure up their spirit to ascend a road hill, which at this time would appear intimidating especially under full sunlight. By request from participants, some workers sprayed participants with water to cool them down; additionally, there was a scheduled water-stop at the top of Hololo. Much to the delight of the teams there was now some downhill but this was very short-lived as there was yet another hill climb but now in the forest. After a short but steep downhill, the trail flattened giving way to a majestic view of Santa Cruz on the right. Teams were now required to solve as many ditloids as possible with each correct answer reducing their overall time.

The trail continued to 2 large steel plates which serve as radio transmitters, then onto a long benching with several technical parts including treacherous cliffs and huge gorges; several of which were outfitted with support rope. The trail allowed for many splendid views of Port of Spain, which drew closer, with every step. The end of the trail was marked by a beautiful gorge spanned by a bridge; a rarity in the forest. The completion times for this leg ranged between 2 and 4 hours. At around 5:00pm, teams (using 3 persons per team) were required to run for 5km from TGIF in a clockwise direction around the Queens Park Savannah and back to TGIF. They then proceeded down Victoria Avenue and headed toward the Fire Services Headquarters where their fourth member rejoined them. All four (4) members then continued running to the Cruise Shipping Complex at the Port Authority where they all received medals. This leg of the event ranged from 21 to 45 minutes and culminated in a prize giving ceremony within the packed Cruise Shipping Complex where there were prizes for the top 9 teams, team spirit, the top 2 female teams, the top port team and the most senior team to complete the entire event.”

SEE YOU AT THE RACE!  GOOD LUCK TO ALL FUSION PARTICIPANTS!!!