Author: ChristopherKelsall

Played every sport known to man, except pickleball and ultimate, but I am about to bring this franchise around and try both. Ran at age 13 a 2:22 800-metre...then didn't run again until 30, whereby I commenced about to chafe-and-bleed from not preparing for a marathon that I did. But I did eat enough afterwards to solve global hunger, within my personal, inner globe. It was a Thanksgiving Day race in Canada. I thought "Turkey Trot" meant the post-dinner washroom run... Went on to train the Lydiard Way and am now an expert - a certified Lydiard Foundation coach, writer and a former runner who didn't quite get as fast as the training volume I did (100-160K or 60-100mi/week). Personal bests settled at 5K-18:01, 8K-30:11 10K-37:12, 21.1K-1:23:57 and ran 19 marathons. Twice going 3:04 and 3:06, once each 3:07, 3:08, 3:09, 3;10 and 3:12. So you can see I was frustrated with 3-ohs. Give me a two, please! 2:59:59.99. No talent left on the table, but I was a master with those results, so as I tell all my younger friends who bettered me, "my 37:12 is age-graded to 35-something, take that, you swine." Anyway, after surgery, I hope to milk all the sympathy I can get and have my family wait on me hand on foot (kinda odd visual there). Then I hope to begin running again, maybe in March - who knows, eh! Here's the thing, at 50-years-of-age - and you wouldn't know it by looking at my picture (from 10 years ago), I will very likely need a revision before I depart this blue and green sphere, permanently. So why get a revision at 75? If I get a revision at say 60 or 65, I will be younger and will heal faster, then I can make piece with the running. Meanwhile, I have goals to fulfill. None of which include not drinking micro-brewery beer or running rim-to-rim, which I know, you know, what that means.

Some People Call me the Space Cowboy — yeeeaaah.

ChristopherKelsall

….I’ll take it or “gangster of love”.

But I covered a bit of space in my first long run (in 12 years) — hence “space cowboy”.

Context: In the tongue-in-cheek lore and culture of distance running, 20 miles or 32K is a long run or longer of course. Anything shorter is not a long run.

I have run a few 30-34K runs, but they don’t count, as they were during a thing we call TNLW  and we have beer stops at each other’s house, where there is stretching, and maybe a bit of snackery and farts.

This one had 600m of elevation gain or 2000ft of elevation gain and just as much descent. And no beer stops, stretching, but there was farting.

So, here is my Strava entry from Saturday for 32.44K of running. My buddy who ran with me has a recording of 36K. He ran a km longer, as I walked a km home. But his device is lying to him…..so it was in that tongue-in-cheek way a certifiable 20-miler….for sure….

https://www.strava.com/activities/5420552989

Some people call me Maurice, cause I speak of the pompitous of ruuuuun.… (Click Here to View Full Post and Comments)

Summer of Lydiard — some base aerobic building — going to get after this

ChristopherKelsall

Summer is nigh upon us, apex predators.

Therefore, I will be doing the Summer of Lydiard, ala Summer of Malmo, if you have heard about it (Malmo’s Manifesto – guy George Malley who ran a 2:12 marathon before super shoes).

More volume, no racing, no heartwrenching quality, just easy, medium, steady, and strong volume. As much as we can fit in.

o paraphrase George Costanza: “It’s going to be the ‘Summer of malmo!’”

Q: What is this so-called “Summer of malmo”?

A: It’s a foolproof, no-nonsense, 100 percent guaranteed program that will help runners of all abilities to improve their fitness over the summer WITHOUT the attendant physical or mental fatigue. “Summer of malmo” revolves around a relaxed commitment from a group to meet just twice a week for an organized workout. One tempo run and one longer interval session. JUST TWICE A WEEK IS ALL I ASK. Emphasis on RELAXED and emphasis on COMMITMENT. Make this a social event.

Q: Who is it for?

A: Everyone (almost). Anyone that isn’t reaching their full potential, and you know who you are. It’s for runners that have been THINKING about doing doubles and haven’t yet started. It’s for you runners that have been THINKING of jacking up the mileage and haven’t yet started. It’s for college runners. High school runners. Boys, girls, men and women. Anyone that wants to make the leap for next year’s cross country season. Different skill levels? No problem. Fitness levels? Coming off an injury and are way behind? It’s OK, I’ve thought of it all. This foolproof SCHEDULE is all things to all runners!

Q: Who isn’t it for?

A: Any runner who has immediate racing goals. This “program” is a springboard for the cross country season. An easy way to prepare oneself for the real training to be done in the fall.

Q: I thought that you don’t believe in writing SCHEDULES?

A: I don’t, these workouts are only examples, you can customize it any way that you want – EXCEPT FOR THE INTENSITY LEVEL. That part … (Click Here to View Full Post and Comments)

UPDATE: Global One-hour Virtual Race update — how far can you go in an hour? — and a personal update

ChristopherKelsall

Registration is back up, apologies…..please sign up and if you don’t want to participate, you can buy a cool hat. $5 to race or $30 for hat and an entry. PROCEEDS to KidSport!

Hello, all you superhip peoples:

From a personal perspective, things are going well. As an Arthur Lydiard expert (flex) I am doing my first Lydiard cycle in about 14 years and am enjoying the heck out of it, sorta.

Didn’t build too much of a base (aerobic) because I kept getting calf pulls at 60-miles or 100K-ish-per-week, so down around 30-45-miles or 50-70K  now(tough speaking two languages, Imperial and Metric, but nevertheless). Went through the hill phase barely unscathed. And now nearly finished the anaerobic phase. One more workout, then onto time trials and racing. Let’s see how this goes. My goal is just to bang off some 5K races and see if I can get around 20:30-20:59.99999999 – ha-ha. My master’s best is 17:58 from age 42 and now at 55 (going on 2, I am an emotional toddler), I hope to get close to the age-grading equivalent performance level. That’s rich, though. Realistically I can run around 22-flat at this time and the racing will start in a month…..

All is good [touch wood, lucky rabbit’s foot etc — except I think the rabbit is unlucky isn’t it? Having lost a foot?].

___

So, the Global One-hour Virtual Race is on. Not as many people signed up as last year YET, however, there are some and we have extended the deadline to April 30 to get your time in.

Here is the little confirmation list below. Remember it is just $5 as a suggested donation. $30 if you want a commemorative hat. Proceeds to KidSport, so all kids can play.

How far can you go in an hour?

Confirmation list: 2021 Global One-hour Virtual Race

… (Click Here to View Full Post and Comments)

71-year-old runs 90-minute half-marathon; test runs Nike Next % vs Nike Pegasus.

ChristopherKelsall

In no way does the making of this video indicate an endorsement of any brand, damnit.

So, 71-year-old Joseph Camilleri does a workout (actually a few) testing the Pegasus against the Next % and other models. We just briefly look at the one workout.

No, he hasn’t had a hip replacement. He doesn’t need one, but I hope to run him over with a John Deer tractor to make that happen. But, still, at 71, he is saaaa mooooooth.

Nike Next % Test Run: 71-year-old Joseph Camilleri compares Nike Pegasus to Nike Next % in track session

… (Click Here to View Full Post and Comments)

Downhill skiing

ChristopherKelsall

I miss my downhill skiing on a bluebird day. My grown-up kids moved to Vancouver, where they are 20-minutes from three different mountains. I am jealous.

Does anyone know anyone who downhill skis with a hip replacement?

I swear I online-chatted with someone who does. A duathlete? Maybe? I cannot seem to find the convo anywhere, so might be my imagination.

On Vancouver Island, the snow is pretty heavy. Like skiing in butter, so I assume I will need groomed-only runs? Which I am okay with, I guess.

Time to take up nordic skiing I suppose.… (Click Here to View Full Post and Comments)

It’s back! 2nd Annual Global Virtual One-hour Race – had my best longer run yesterday since hip replacement

ChristopherKelsall

Good Day eh,

Hey all you apex predators, I had my best longer run since hip replacement yesterday. I went 25K with a bunch of kms under 5-mins-per-km, for an avg of 5:19. I think I could have been around 5:10, but I am wary about my calves still. Very happy.

I have run up to 30K with a group we call TNLW for Tuesday Night Late Workout. It used to be that we would start at 9:30 PM and run 90-minutes to three hours over very hilly terrain, into the forest trails, and through back yards and over farm fences. Now, we are softer with a 6:30 PM start, but we still go to three hours-ish. Now with the social distancing protocols, we do a shotgun start. Everyone puts beer out and we leave our respective domiciles at 6:30 PM. We do a running tour around town to each other’s houses and sample the fare (quickly). So, my 30K run, has had six quick beer stops…..

Several Hip Runners ran in the Global Virtual One-hour Race last year. Well, it is back! Details at link:

2nd Annual Global Virtual One-hour Race: 39 days to the start

… (Click Here to View Full Post and Comments)

Merry Christmas (and other sundry season greetings)

ChristopherKelsall

Merry Christmas all you apex predators. I am not going to bore you to tears with my year because I could write a 10,000-word treatise.

But quickly:

I organized the 2020 Pan Am Cross Country Championships or more accurately brought all the right people into the room to organize it. It was very successful. Some people were calling it potentially the greatest small international cross country champs all-time. Sadly USATF president Bill Roe died on the mountain with us. But it was otherwise a wonderful weekend. Of course, you can read all about it at Athletics Illustrated. And see all the post-race interviews that I did. It was the last international meet or any meeting before the pandemic hit. LUCK!

My running has gone okay. I did get a few 100K (62-mile) weeks in, but five times this year I have run into calf issues. So, now I am on a two-month stretch of no calf issues at about 40-miles per week 65K….not quite…..will grow that volume properly this time.

Merry Christmas to everyone (or whatever your respective seasonal affected celebration is labeled — enjoy).

Feel free to join the Athletics Illustrated Strava Club (and the Hip Runners one too of course).

See you at www.athleticsillustrated.com.

I have done extensive coverage of The Marathon Project that is happening in Chandler, AZ this weekend……;o)  — check it out!… (Click Here to View Full Post and Comments)

The Violence of Sugar

ChristopherKelsall

Okay, so personal update:

Have had multiple calf pulls, because I am too eager once I start sniffing a sense of fitness. I have had some stretches of eight or 10 weeks of 40-65-miles (60-100K), but then inevitably I get a pull — back at ‘er now.

Loving the 30-minute out and back on the same road, at max effort, but not quite max, great low lactate threshold, high anaerobic threshold workout. It’s a Lydiard things and for more context feel free to contact me.

Okay, so I just did this massive interview with a medical oncologist/athlete with unique perspectives, colourful language and frankness on the Violence of Sugar — yup!

Must read: https://athleticsillustrated.com/the-violence-of-sugar/

 … (Click Here to View Full Post and Comments)

Like, here’s the dealio, chump

ChristopherKelsall

I thought that would get your attention. Nice headline, eh?

So, don’t forget that the HipRunners ran quite well as a club at the Athletics Illustrated Global One-hour Virtual Race. Wasn’t far off the other teams and I know two of the teams stacked their rosters late – HipRunners had the lead for awhile. Results are at Athletics Illustrated. Age-graded results are coming soon.

Also, the results from the survey that many of you participated in is located at Athletics Illustrated too. Check out what the consensus is – use the search bar for results of the race and survey and speaking of surveys, can I get your opinion on a few things: doping, Kanye running for president….https://athleticsillustrated.com/survey-how-do-you-feel-about-doping-in-athletics/

Update on myself (with my THR, right side, anterior, ceramic on poly nearing 3.5 years):

FINALLY have consistency. Had a decent summer (after a decade off) last summer getting to about 75K per week before calf pulls wrecked me for about six months. Off and on. Now over the past couple of months, I have a bunch of 80K weeks, one at 100K. Longer (not “long” until they are 20 miles/32K) runs of 20-25K.

Ran a 5K time trial in 21:57 with a couple of wrong turns and things – so figure I could have run 21:40, at age 54 that age-grades me to about 18:30-18:45, which 30-40 seconds off of my masters personal best, so happy!

Been running Arthur Lydiard out-and-backs during the base phase over the past six weeks. Have improved almost every time. 3K warm-up, 3K warm-down and 30-minutes as fast as possible without straining and then turn around see how long it takes to come back, should be negative split. HOWEVER, we do very slight downhill to 6K or so, so the return is tough and we run even or small positive splits, which I think is fine. If we ran the other direction, we would have big negatives and falsely accuse ourselves that we are brilliant. No sense being more deluded than already.

So, a few more weeks of base 4-6, then see where I am … (Click Here to View Full Post and Comments)

Global One-hour Virtual Race

ChristopherKelsall

Oh wow – what fun.

Thank you to all of the Hip Runners who took in the Global One-hour Virtual Race – what a gas.

The Hip Runners led the team event for a week, which really motivated two Vancouver Island, long-running and tough clubs to get going. The point spread looks like a lot of you are not familiar with cross-country scoring, but they are not.

Carolyn Rosner won the women’s elevation gain category and put the scare into some of the Comox Valley Road Runners who live next to a mountain range. They love mountain running. Dave Whiteside and Tom Fuchs led the Hip Runners with strong performances. You can see all of the Hip Runners in the results. Thanks everyone.

By the way, I could have helped the Hip Runners a little bit. But I dropped the ball – hilarious.

So I registered with three teams: Hip Runners, TNLW and Prairie Inn Harriers. I made three attempts and bailed on the first two. The third one, I warmed-up for 10:30 slowly, as you do. I had it in my mind to remember to mentally add 10:30 to whatever elapsed time that the Garmin showed. Then I lost all the brain sugar from the effort and when I got to around 48-minutes I was thinking, “just 12 minutes remaining, I am going to finish with 12.3 to 12.4 kilometres run – enough to get some points for Hip Runners.

Of course that 10:30 warm-up at 6:30 pace was included. So I stopped at 60:00 and you can see that the first 1.8k is warm up on my Strava. DOH! Total Facepalm.

The silver lining is that the runs were a tremendous stimulus for the top of the aerobic range or mid-range lactate threshold or right at the Aerobic Threshold. Can’t get better stimulus than that.

Thanks, everyone for jumping in. Check out the next unique race thing coming up. It’s pretty cool:

https://athleticsillustrated.com/andrew-russell-and-natasha-wodak-win-the-global-one-hour-virtual-race-prairie-inn-harriers-eke-out-win-over-comox-valley-road-runners/

See results here>>

 … (Click Here to View Full Post and Comments)

HipRunner survey results: strong satisfaction for would-be runners in having Total Hip Replacement

ChristopherKelsall

Hey Folks,

I think the numbers are at 222 respondents to the survey that you see pop up on your right-hand bottom corner of your screen from time-to-time. I gleaned from 219 surveys the data that points to very satisfied runners or would-be runners after having Total Hip Replacement.

If you know of anyone who has had THR and hasn’t visited this site or hasn’t filled out the survey, we could use more data from longer-term patients, the survey averages 2.3 years from surgery to survey, which gives us very useful information on the latest materials, and demographics et al, but we would also like to go deeper. Something like 300,000 Americans per year have the surgery. So that would be about 25,000 in Canada, perhaps 80-100,000 in the UK, 20-25,000 in Australia and New Zealand – you get the picture. Our 219 is a good sample size, but more is always better.

Here are the results, just published: https://athleticsillustrated.com/total-hip-replacement-surgery-results-in-high-satisfaction-for-would-be-runners/

Let me know if you find any errors.… (Click Here to View Full Post and Comments)

One week to go! – Global One-hour Virtual Race – join the HipRunner team

ChristopherKelsall

One week to go before the window opens on the Global One-hour Virtual Race. There is a teams category, the first team member was Tom Fuchs, he just needs four more.

But, yes, you still just run or move the best way you can for your own result. Any time from Friday, May 1 to Sunday, May 17 run one hour and provide proof of your effort. Results will be posted at Athletics Illustrated.

$5 suggested donation for registration.

https://athleticsillustrated.com/the-global-one-hour-virtual-race/… (Click Here to View Full Post and Comments)

Christopher’s update and a virtual race to tell you about

ChristopherKelsall

Been a while since I last posted on this website. I saw that when I first joined Hip Runners that people at first – right after surgery – post often, then slow down.

I have been running – had a good summer – got up to about 45 miles (77K) per week all summer – not a ton, but it was consistent, did have five calf pulls through 2019, which made the consistency a challenge during spring and fall and winter. Trying to grow the mileage again now….up to about 30 miles (50K). The goal all along was to get about eight weeks of 50-miles (80K) then work on speed and form and power on hills et al, ala Arthur Lydiard.

Back at the drawing board, moving the chalk, as we speak.

Meanwhile, we put on the 2020 Pan Am Cross Country Cup here in Victoria. I initiated the event and brought the committee together. We formed a society to manage the committee and legacy, I stepped back a little to be VP of the society and be a part of the communications team of the committee and we ran – and I hate to sound like the POTUS – but it was one of the greatest small-international cross-country meets all-time. The feedback has been tremendous. It happened on Leap Day, Feb. 29. Peru, USA and Canada were the dominant countries!

Now that that is behind us, Athletics Illustrated is putting on the Global One-Hour Virtual Race to be run anytime between and including Friday, May 1 and Sunday, May 17. Send in your Strava or other app and data proving your run and we will compile the results, which will be posted at Athletics Illustrated.

If you want to run for a club and don’t have one, run for Hip Runners!!

Details are all here ($5 suggested donation, first 20 with $30 donation get a cool hat): https://athleticsillustrated.com/the-global-one-hour-virtual-race/

Global One-hour Virtual Race_ Let’s do this. – HD 720p (1)… (Click Here to View Full Post and Comments)

It was a long decade, get ‘er done.

ChristopherKelsall

Update: June 7, 2019

Well, I ran a hard 11.5K as a weekly sustained pressure run (Lydiard out-and-back). One of the final kms was 4:44, that’s exactly what my 5K race pace was in January. Boom.

Then we had beer and nachos.

That’s right.

Another 60K week…..

I haven’t checked in for a while. I have been busy. Some of that busyness is caused by running which is a great thing.

For context, I used to run 110-160 kilometres per week (65-100 miles). Had two heel surgeries, one for each heel: Haglund’s Deformity or Retrocalcaneal Bursitis. Then the hip – and the prolonged decline….so 8-10 years off of running depending on what you call running.

Two weeks ago, I had my biggest volume week in a decade-ish, 50K. Then a 33K week – but a seven-day stretch in there of about 45K. Then this week 6oK. I could have done more.

Things are coming together.

My average pace is improving.

So, if you are reading this wondering if you should get a hip replacement done because you are limping and not enjoying a good quality of life – get it done.

It was a long decade.… (Click Here to View Full Post and Comments)

We win bid for 2020 Pan Am Cross Country Cup

ChristopherKelsall

I discovered the stunning course in a last-ditch effort to get the “right” course. With a five-star hotel resort as an athlete’s village and the course on the Jack Nicklaus-designed golf course, we nailed it – submitted bid – and won as we found out yesterday:

City of Victoria to host 2020 Pan Am Cross Country Cup

I ran that course with Olympians, collegiate and competitive athletes over and over again, getting it right. Hip hardly bothered me at all on the fringe area, sandtraps, big hills and big downhill sections. Off-road rules for the hip!!!

So we will have club and masters championships. See you hiprunners next year! Maybe have a hip category.… (Click Here to View Full Post and Comments)

Run Through Time 5K – Victoria, BC

ChristopherKelsall

Crazy. This time last year, I could hardly run a sub-5-minute km in a run – real struggle. Tonight New Year’s Eve, I ran the Run Through Time 5K and ran five sub-5s in a row including going out too fast at 4:27.

Now 23:38 is humbling, when I have run this race in 18:00, but I am pretty darn happy after 10 years of almost no running – then post hip replacement – two years, raced a Boxing Day 10-mile. I managed two sub-5-minute kms – the first two – doh!

Averaged 4:40.

It isn’t a timed race, it is fun run, but you can see in my Strava account that I ran 5K, plus the required extra 1% over the shortest possible tangents (as per certification): https://www.strava.com/activities/2047648970… (Click Here to View Full Post and Comments)

Boxing Day 10-miler (handicapped): What is old is old again.

ChristopherKelsall

Ran the Boxing Day 10-miler (handicapped) (16.093km) today in Victoria, BC.

I think my best in this very hilly race is about 63-minutes or so.

After 10 years (+/-) of no racing or intense efforts, I got slow because I got old, but more because I was not running.

A week ago, I ran a 1:40 16.1km run and thought well, I am sure I will better 1:30:00 – and would love to take 1:22:00 – so I ran 1:26:26. It is a double, out-and-back.

Old dog; old tricks. The first two kilometres were my fastest. Oops. Never really learn.

I caught and passed one person, ran faster than a couple others, but about four or five passed me right at the end.

There is some faux-science about slamming or forcing oxygen into the red blood cells by running an intense effort. Like sometimes that effort is needed to shock the system for a future effort – tada!!! I will be racing the Run Through Time 5K on New Year’s Eve – this one is flat!

HR was about 163 average.

Here is the data at Strava:

https://www.strava.com/activities/2037317629

Hip Runners KNOW Hips. Help make the technology better. Take the Survey

… (Click Here to View Full Post and Comments)