The highlight of the week was Friday’s run at Frontenac Park with Derrick Spafford. Since Sara had alluded to Derrick’s propensity for removing clothing mid-run, I have to admit that I got a bit nervous when he suggested that he run in front. Thankfully, the weather was mild enough that Derrick remained fully clothed for the duration of the run. We covered a fair portion of the park, and I got to see quite a number of areas that I’d never visited before. We each carried two bottles, and just treated the lake water with a Steripen when we needed more. I wore a pair of La Sportiva Crosslites, which were perfect for the trail conditions. My Crosslites offered ample protection from rocks and roots, and the lugs provided amazing traction on muddy and wet areas. While we were at the park for over six hours, our total running time (excluding water and smoke breaks) was exactly six hours.

We each had a great milkshake after in Sydenham. I pulled the famous “Oh I forgot my wallet” trick, so Derrick had to treat. I did actually forget it, though. For those runners wanting to train more effectively or who want to achieve new goals, Derrick is the owner of Spafford Health and Adventure and offers personalized coaching services and clinics. The guy knows so much about running and already has an extensive list of happy clients benefiting from his expertise and experience. [Note: I’m not a client, but think he’s got a lot to offer runners.]

This run was a great confidence booster for me, so I’m feeling much better about running the Sulphur Springs 100 Miler in three weeks. I plan to get in another solid week of training and then go for a long run this Saturday on the Sulphur course route. Then, after the weekend long run, I’ll taper for the remaining two weeks.

As it’s Mother’s Day, I want to say a special thank-you to Rochelle, who is the mother of our son, Kieran. Rochelle has been so supportive of my running, and I’m grateful that she encourages me to run and train. Training for ultras requires a great deal of time and focus, so I appreciate her patience and understanding. As she’s going to provide my crew support at Sulphur, I’ve already warned her that I may not look my best at various points of the race. I was going to make this a family event and have Kieran pace me for the evening portion of the race, but since he’ll only be 19 months old, he should probably be asleep then.

While I’m still congested from being sick, I’m no longer weak or dizzy. And I managed to get in some decent running this week. Unfortunately, due to work and family obligations, I had to take three days off rather than my usual one rest day. This negatively impacted my total mileage for the week, but I’m still very pleased with how the remaining four days of training went.

Total hours this week: 12:01 (7:30 trails; 4:31 road)