My First 20km Run In Well Over A Decade

I’ve been an off and on again runner since high school. I ran the Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathon in 2003. I last ran a half marathon in 2009 in St. Catharines, Ontario. That was followed by a handful of 5k runs before pretty much hanging up the running shoes completely.

About a year ago, I was still under the impression that I would never again run long distance. I was about to turn 52 and I was relatively fit but every attempt at running seemed to bring some sort of injury.

But then, October came and I embarked on my lifestyle shift that would see me lose nearly 60 lbs in a matter of months. I started running in January. With the help of the weight loss, Wim Hof Method style breathwork and fasting, I was able to accelerate my mileage gain and was soon running more than I really had ever before.

Kids Back To School

I feel I’m now on a journey toward ultrarunning type distances. I run injury free and, I would even say pain free. With the kids finally back to school this week after being home since March due to COVID-19 school shutdowns, I was able to get out and put in a worry free run for as long as I wanted.

But, where to go? I have a running pack but I don’t really like wearing it. I run 12-15km somewhat often without water or food. But, going beyond? I need at least water.

Fortunately, there’s a park about ten minutes from my house called Upper Credit Conservation Area. The trails are short – a full loop is about 3.5k. However, down the road a short distance is another set of trails in the town of Alton.

What I did was park at Upper Credit (or as my family calls it, Dog Shit Park). Their parking lot is right on the highway which gave me an aid station (my car) conveniently located between the two sets of trails.

I looped Upper Credit to start then headed up a gravel road to enter the Alton trails from the far south end. After running north through those trails, I headed back for an ‘extended’ loop through Upper Credit – basically doing a figure eight to up the distance. At this point, 20k was definitely in reach so I hit the road and did an out and back to the actual town of Alton.

How Did I Feel?

I felt amazing. Simple as that. I could have gone longer and definitely thought about it. The varying terrain from single track trail to gravel road to paved highway shoulder and sidewalks seemed to keep my legs and mind fresh. There is a stretch at Upper Credit that, I believe, follows an old rail bed. It is still quite uneven and bumpy where rail ties used to be. That section was the only section that was a little hard to keep a steady rhythm.

I should mention that this run was done on an empty stomach. In fact, I hadn’t eaten since 3pm the day before and had a full strength training workout at night. I started running just after 9am. I did stop for water at each pass of my vehicle but did not break the fast until 2pm, nearly 24 hours after last eating.

I do also need to mention that I did not get in a full breathwork session before the run. However, the first thing I did upon returning home was do 5 rounds of the Wim Hof Method. I can’t emphasize how much this does for my recovery.

Oh, one more thing, I did the whole run doing nasal breathing on the inhale and exhaling mostly through my mouth.

Where Do I Go From Here?

For a while, I had faith in going beyond 10km training runs but didn’t feel it happening physically. Then, as the summer went by, I started stretching to 11, 12 and even further than 14k with relative ease.

Doing 20 seemed to open up a new realm of possibilities for me. Recently, I’ve watched a lot on ultrarunning. At the start, it was nothing more than a fantasy to think that I could put in 100km or more. Now, I believe that those distances are within my reach. In fact, I believe there’s nothing that is beyond my reach.

I will simply continue to go further. Interestingly, my goal all along was to go further but not necessarily faster. The side effect of going further is an increase in speed without a noticeable increase in effort.

I believe that continuing to practice the pillars of my lifestyle shift, this body (and mind) can pretty much do anything…

Find Me On Twitter

I’ve repurposed one of my Twitter accounts to share my running accomplishments at. You can connect with me here: Tom Samworth on Twitter .

Pfizer COVID-19 Vaccine: Second Dose Experience

About a week and a half ago, I went in for my second shot of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine. That date was pushed up a month from my original appointment.

I listened to the warnings about the side effects being more severe than after the first dose. I had people close to me who claimed to suffer flu like symptoms for a few days after. I listened, but I had no fear of these things happening to me.

The big question – Did I experience any ill effects from the vaccine?

My Experience With the 2nd Dose

I was schedule for 12:45 at our local mass immunization centre – the local hockey arena. I started my day with a sunrise 10km run, followed by my usual hour of strength training. I wanted to get those in before the needle, just in case…

Prior to entering the building, I did a second series of Wim Hof Method style breathwork. Unlike the first dose, I was met with a lineup after entering the building. It seemed there was a bit of delay.

Standing in line to get checked in, we all witnessed an ambulance going by the window with lights ablazing. Shortly after, two paramedics entered the building with a gurney.

I could see the worried look on people’s faces, wondering if getting this needle was indeed safe. After all, should someone be taken away by an ambulance after getting a simple vaccine?

As I made my way closer to the floor and an injection station, the ‘patient’ was rolled away. He was conscious and he looked to be a teenager. I was fully expected someone elderly or someone in clear physical bad health. It was a bit of a surprise, for sure.

From what I got from the nurse who gave me my shot, they were having problems with the younger crowd. It seems they were simply getting dizzy or even passing out from the anxiety of getting the needle. We can attribute the fear that caused that to the amazing bucket of crabs that is social media.

So, when I actually got the needle, it was about 20 minutes later than expected. Once again, I barely felt the thing going in my arm. I waited out my recovery time and hit the parking lot for another round of breathwork.

The Side Effects Of The COVID-19 Shot

Once again, as with the first dose, there was pain in my shoulder where the needle went in. It wasn’t at all debilitating, just a noticeable pain in the muscle. I put in a four hour shift delivering food later in the day with no ill effects.

The following day, I once again put in a 10km run and my usual strength training session. I went about my day as usual.

In the end, there were simply no other symptoms or side effects. Living my pillars of optimum health and optimum fitness saw to it that my body could handle anything sent its way.

I’m not an anti-vaxxer. But, I truly hope that I don’t have to have anything else injected into me. If optimum health and fitness had been promoted even a little over the past year and a half, I believe that we wouldn’t have reached the situation we’re in now. But, instead, governments steadfastly ensured that fast food, alcohol and pot were always readily available to the people. After all, the real pandemics of obesity and diabetes are the staples that keep the world economy rolling on…

Completing A 50km Walk (Warmup For A Fall 100K)

My 22 year old son and I get together nearly every second Saturday for a pretty hard core trail hike. We often do between 20 and 30 kilometres on the never-flat terrain of the Bruce Trail in Ontario, Canada.

Since getting a Fitbit Charge 4 at Christmas, I’ve pondered what it would take to put in a 100,000 step day. I figure it would be an 86km walk or a 100km run (less steps to cover the distance while running). My son actually seemed to take more interest than me, even though it would be my steps and not his as his stride is a fair bit longer than mine.

We talked about a 100 kilometre hike. Without much research, I estimated the time would be around 14-16 hours. Of course, after a bit of research, I quickly found that time to be way off. It would more likely be in the 24 hour range. Which is fine with us but then we had to work with the factors of time and environmental conditions.

I didn’t want to do it on rugged trails. I believe the toll on the quads would be too much for a first time attempt. I wanted flat parkway-style trails that would not much nearly as much strain on the muscles. I also wanted somewhere with a reasonable length loop so that we could return to our vehicle on a somewhat regular basis and essentially have it serve as our aid station with food, drink, etc.

After watching some videos on solo, unaided 100km attempts, it became clear that things start to go south as the mileage builds up and it’s not just a steady trek to the finish line. That was when it was decided to do a 50km warmup during the hot summer months, in preparation for a longer attempt in the cooler months of autumn.

The 50km Walk

After somewhat grandiose plans of doing the 50k along the Lake Ontario waterfront in Toronto/Mississauga, we settled on a more local course. Within walking distance of our house is a convenient multi-use recreational trail that just happens to cover about 10km around a man-made lake. (The photo included in this post is actually of the trail)

The Vicki Barron Lakeside Trail circumvents the Orangeville Reservoir at Island Lake Conservation Area at the eastern edge of Orangeville, Ontario, Canada. The trail falls short of 10k but if you add a little loop at the top end, it comes in over the distance.

We were able to park pretty much adjacent to the trail at a secondary parking lot on the north end.

This is where the incredible inaccuracy of the Fitbit GPS comes into play. When I run the course, it measures somewhere between 10.7 and 10.9 kilometres. On our walk day, there was even sharper contrast.

To conserve the battery of the Fitbit (which seems to have longevity issues on long treks), I just went by the daily totals and didn’t use the actual exercise measurement function. The laps seems to come short with the first at only 9.6k and others right around the 10k mark. I measured the fifth and final lap and it came in at just over 10.1.

So, the walk was certainly 50km. But, was it closer to 55? Irrelevant. We reached our goal and did it in a respectable time of just under ten hours. It should be noted that the Fitbit step count was just under 65,000.

How Did I Feel During The Walk?

First, I should note that the weather conditions could not have been any better. For July 31, the temperature at sunrise was just 8 degrees celcius. The high got up to no more than 20. It was sunny for a while but much of the trail is shaded so that wasn’t a factor. It became overcast later and threatened rain but that never happened. A little rain would have been nice, though.

Keeping with the pillars of my lifestyle shift, I did not eat anything before we started and did not have anything until after the second lap. At that point, I took in some raw veggies and mixed nuts. With each of the remaining laps, I had a handful more of the veggies and nuts. I drank a fair amount of water. We both had an extra large coffee at the start and my wife brought us another midway through the final lap.

Also, I maintained nasal breathing through the five laps. Of course, there were periods of talking but there was never any mouth breathing out of pure necessity. My heart rate stayed pretty steady in the 100-109 range.

As the walk wore on, there were a couple areas of soreness. My left upper quad and my left calf had moments of tightness. My right achilles (a chronic problem from my past) would talk to me every once in a while but mostly stayed quiet.

All in all, I finished up feeling pretty darn good. I could have easily continued for more.

The Aftermath

After we got back to the house, I started to stiffen up but not to the point of not being able to walk. I was exhausted but that was mostly attributed to the 5am wakeup after a pretty short and crappy sleep.

The following day, there was definitely stiffness but it was not where I’d expect. My lower back was extremely tight and remained that way two days later. My calf muscles also were quite tight and felt like they were going to cramp up. But, as far as mobility and energy, things were mostly back to normal.

Looking Forward

Next up, as mentioned, as an attempt at 100k. We’re looking at mid to late October. The location is yet to be determined. Much of the walk will take place in darkness – a 24 hour walk during the much shorter daylight hours at that time of year. Ten 10k laps of our local course would be incredibly monotonous. And then, there’s the logistics of it all as, technically, you’re only to use the trail during the daylight hours.

There will be planning and there will be updates to come. The sure thing is that the 100k walk is going to happen…

I’m sure there will also be longer trail attempts, as well. It all comes down to available time…

Update: Have I Stuck To The Plan?

A few months have passed since an update to this website. That doesn’t mean I have not progressed with my Lifestyle Shift. In fact, things seem to be accelerating. As for my contributions here, I have resolved to move to more of a daily progress report.

The site started as a collection of content that could later be shaped into a book. I first thought that at the six month point in my transformation, I would be ready to start putting that book together. Why six months? That is the point where the ‘experts’ say most weight loss and fitness plans die out and all progress begins to reverse.

At six months, it would be my time to tell the world that my plan works and your progress will not come to a screeching halt. Indeed, it won’t. But, now closer to a year than six months from when I started in October, 2020, I’m still learning, tweaking and progressing on a daily basis. A book is coming – maybe at the one year mark…

So, the pillars of my lifestyle shift are documented here in previous articles. Moving forward, I will simply document the daily journey, along with improvements and changes to the system.

Coming Soon…

I’ve committed to publishing something here every day that I am at home. If I’m away at the trailer or on some other adventure, most likely there will not be an update. I believe I can publish here through a cell phone app but my 50+ eyesight has no desire to struggle with that.

Interestingly, my eyesight is about the only thing (except for maybe my gray hair) that hasn’t reversed the aging process since I began in October, 2020. A fact that kind of sucks considering I was a perfect 20/20 prior to turning 50.

Things that will be discussed in more detail over the coming days/weeks:

• 50 km + walk completed
• increased running mileage and pace
• tweaks to breathwork
• fasting (beyond intermittent)
• future challenges
• daily strength training routine
• daily stretching routine
• 2nd dose of Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine

Quick Preview

My 22 year old son and I have made a ritual of doing a lengthy trail hike every second Saturday. We were pondering the idea of a 100km walk. But, after doing a little research, I thought we might need a little more prep for that challenge. And, the conditions might be much more optimal in the fall when it’s considerably cooler.

We did agree that a 50km walk would make a good trial to see just where we stand. This past Saturday, we pulled it off. Actually, it was a bit more than 50. The details will follow in the next post but, I can tell you, we felt great during and after. The 100km is definitely in our sights…

As for my running, I continue to put in 4-5 8-11km runs per week. I am running injury free and despite what feels like a slow pace, I am running considerably faster these days. Interestingly, my pace seemed to take a big leap forward after taking a few days off while at the trailer. They certainly weren’t sedentary days with lots of paddling. But, the break from running seemed to push me up a rung on the ladder.

After two weeks of vacation and a bit of straying from my new normal feeding pattern, I jumped back on the wagon hard. Along with some new research, I started into more extended fasting. I believe I want to go more in the direction of a single meal per day. I’ve even extended my fasting time past the 24 hour mark.

As for future challenges, obviously the 100km walk is going to happen. A 72 hour fast is something that I want to do. I want to really up my running distances, as well. The first new high water mark will be a 20km run. I plan to do that on the same trail course that we did the 50km walk on. Oh, 100,000 Fitbit steps in a day – after all, that’s the original goal that spawned the 50k and 100k walk idea.

My daily strength training routine is simple and not very exciting. It usually takes between 45 minutes and an hour. It is non-stop, without breaks. IT WORKS. I’ll get more into that soon.

David Goggins rants about stretching. I idolize Goggins but that initially didn’t start me stretching. I’ve never been one to warmup or stretch. We had a theory when running in high school and college that your warmup was the first couple of kilometres.

But then, I started to develop what could be called ‘runner’s knee’. I had no problem while running but afterwards, my knee felt like it was full and was painful to bend. I did my research and found that it was probably the result of a tight quad that was straining the tendons in the knee. Sure enough, that right side quad was definitely tighter than it’s counterpart. Stretching made the problem disappear. Stretching has now become a regular part of my day, several times per day.

Finally, I got my second dose of the Pfizer vaccine. People close to me complained of basically having the flu for a couple days following the jab. I saw it as a chance to test my incredible immune system created from my lifestyle shift. I’ll tell you the results soon…

My COVID-19 Vaccination Experience (Was It Cause For Alarm?)

Yesterday morning, I had my first dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine pumped into my shoulder. Did I experience all the symptoms they warn about? Were there side effects? Was it life-changing? How did I prepare and deal with the process?

Well, let’s start with the last question. How did I prepare for getting the vaccine? My appointment was at 9:45am. I got up at around 7am, had a cold shower and did my breathing practice for about 25 minutes. That’s it for the beforehand prep.

After getting jabbed, I stopped in a parking lot a few blocks away from the clinic and did another session of breathing (my tweaked version of the Wim Hof Method). I then drove home and went about the rest of my day as if nothing had happened.

I had no fever, tiredness, dizziness or strange growths on my flesh. What I did have was a bit of pain in my shoulder where I was jabbed. It felt as if I’d been punched in the muscle. However, I was still able to get a workout in and go for an 8.5 KM run in the evening.

The shoulder pain seemed to only be a bother when I was sitting around. I had concerns about it being an issue while sleeping, as that is the side I predominantly sleep on, but it wasn’t at all.

My Thoughts On Getting The Vaccine

So, now that part 1 is done and my appointment for the second dose is set, how do I feel? I would say relieved. I had no concern about getting the virus. I felt that the pillars of my lifestyle shift and what it did for my immune system and my overall health and fitness would protect me. Even if I was to somehow get the virus, I was very confident the symptoms would be mild and I wouldn’t end up in a hospital bed. I would not be vulnerable.

But, who’s to say I wouldn’t unknowingly pass on the virus to other people? By getting jabbed, I truly feel I’m doing my part to irradiate COVID-19. My income and growth potential relies on an open and free world. With the restrictions looming over our heads, this simply hasn’t been possible. I look forward to once again being able to travel freely.