Beating Beethoven

Beat Beethoven 8km Race - Ottawa - 29 Oct 2011

In 2009, about a year into my running journey I stood amongst the throng of runners at the start of the Beat Beethoven 8km run in the pouring rain. The race announcer told us that the piece of music they were going to play was Beethoven's 5th symphony and that it was 36 minutes long. To beat Beethoven, all you had to do was hit the finish line before the music had finished.

"Run a sub-36 minute 8km? Not in my lifetime, no way I'll ever be able to maintain that sort of pace, that's crazy talk" I said to myself. My goal that day was to go sub-42 and I just missed, clocking 42:03.

Fast forward 2 years and I stood a lot closer to the front of the pack than 2 years ago and bounded up and down on the spot trying to stay loose, keep warm and control my nerves. "I'm going to beat Beethoven, sub-36 baby, I CAN DO THIS", I thought.

What a difference 2 years have made, this year alone I have bettered my best times over every distance I have raced. Now I am a believer, I can hit my goals and if I don't then I have a damn good try at it with no regrets. 36 minutes for and 8km would be tough but definitely attainable if I ran at a pace slightly faster than my 5km race pace.

The gun went off and I quickly got into my groove, I counted 13 runners ahead of me and just concentrated on holding a steady pace that felt hard but maintainable over 8kms if I was up to the challenge of keeping going when it got tough.

The race settled down pretty quickly, no-one had passed me and I went through the 1st km in 4:16, probably a little fast but part of the 1st km was downhill so it felt about right. The next 2kms were completed in 4:31 and 4:28 and I passed 2 runners as I hit the 3km mark. At the turnaround (this course is an out-and-back along the Ottawa River - see map below) I felt strong and kept up the pace with 4:32 for the 4th km.

Halfway split: 17:47

Turning around, I knew I had a great shot at sub-36. I'd just have to keep up the pace for the next 3.5km and then run the last 500m as hard as I could. I was sitting in 12th place and noticed another runner in the distance, he would stop and walk for about 10 seconds and then take off for about 800m and then walk again. I gained on him little-by-little over the next 2.5 kms clocking 4:36 and 4:39 for kms 5 and 6 respectively. I finally passed him with about 1.5 km to go but I was starting to struggle a bit. I managed to pick up the pace ever so slightly with 4:36 for the 7th km but the runner I passed cruised past me again. I was starting to get a stitch in my side but I all I could focus on was getting back past this runner and back into 11th place. The uphill segment just before the descent to the finish straight was hellish and I couldn't catch him. I was starting to feel that I had lost him but I found one last gear and hammered it as hard as I could pumping my arms for all I was worth and I surged past him with about 200m to go and didn't let up until I was over the line. I had a quick glance at the clock it was at 35 minutes and something, so I had beaten Beethoven and gone under 36 minutes.

4:10 for the last 1km, not exactly sure where I pulled that from, but it was definitely satisfying to step it up a gear even when I felt I was struggling.

Final time: 35:48 (18:01 over the second half), 11th overall, 3rd out of 15 30-39 year old men.

Now the focus is on keeping it going up until the New Year and then building my base for the Winterman Half Marathon in February. Hopefully I will be able to step it up another notch in 2012.

100 Day Challenge

My running has been a bit sporadic since I hammered across that marathon finish line in May, arms aloft, a great roar emanating from my throat. I had various reasons for being off the road/trails/treadmill but I realized I was starting to get into a rut where I could dream up just about any excuse not to run. After the Army Half Marathon I decided to challenge myself to run 100 days in a row. There were 100 days left in the year, I would just need to run at least 10 minutes a day for the rest of the year to complete my personal challenge. So far so good, I have changed my outlook from, "can I get a run in today?" to "when will my run be today". I have rekindled the joy that I feel when I am out running and it feels so smooth and controlled and almost effortless.

Over the coming months I will be logging my progress, I have started well and hopefully will continue to run every day. Here is my completed log!!

Day 100 (Dec 30) 7.32km in 45:00
Challenge completed!!! 100 days, 100 runs!!! What I learned was that it is always possible to fit in a run, even if it is for 10 minutes. I will not run every day next year, but when I am trying to make excuses to myself not to run I will draw strength from this challenge and find the time.

Day 99 (Dec 29) 12.2km in 1:15:00
Just over 12kms on the treadmill...

Day 98 (Dec 28) 5km in 30:00
Despite being under the weather I had a very nice comfortable run on the treadmill, getting close to the magic 100 in a row...

Day 97 (Dec 27) 40 minutes snowshoeing with family, unknown distance.

Day 96 (Dec 26) 1.6km in 10:00
Only time/energy for a 10 minuter on the treadmill...

Day 95 (Dec 25) 3.34km in 19:58
Christmas day, snow falling, ran on uncleared streets ankle deep in snow. Absolutely beautiful day. Merry Christmas/Joyeux Noel!

Day 94 (Dec 24) 5.21km in 30:12
No offense to my Saucony Kinvaras, but my Mizuno Wave Creations really are the king of the ice and snow. Had a great run in the snow, toes stayed warm and dry, great traction. Beautiful sunny Christmas Eve day. Merry Christmas everyone!

Day 93 (Dec 23) 1.6km in 10:00
Not much time but squeezed in a quickie on the t-mill

Day 92 (Dec 22) 6.05km in 36:12
Nice little run with my wife on her Birthday!

Day 91 (Dec 21) 5km in 30:00
Treadmill, didn't fancy ice rain...

Day 90 (Dec 20) 3.2km in 20:00
An easy one on the treadmill, just 10 more runs to go to complete the 100 days 100 runs challenge I set myself back in September...

Day 89 (Dec 19) 1.6km in 10:00
Kids sick, wife away, only 10 mins to spare...

Day 88 (Dec 18) 3.2km in 20:00
T-mill, easy...

Day 87 (Dec17) 3.2km in 20:00
Busy, soon will have time for longer runs...

Day 86 (Dec16) 2.4km in 15:00
Only time for t-mill..

Day 85 (Dec 15) 3.2km in 20:00
Another t-mill run, busy busy, will get outside again very soon...

Day 84 (Dec 14) 2.4km in 15:00
Another one on the t-mill...

Day 83 (Dec 13) 2.4km in 15:00
Only time for an easy one on the t-mill...

Day 82 (Dec 12) 4.8km in 30:00
Tried out a hills and speed intervals on the t-mill, the changes kept it interesting and I was sweating bullets by the end. Felt good.

Day 81 (Dec 11) 8.52km in 51:50
That was a real struggle, beautiful day but really windy, ran too soon after lunch, felt so sluggish and then nearly lost said lunch. Still kept plodding and ended up going through the 1000 mile (1609 km) barrier for the year to date, so pleased with that milestone at least.

Day 80 (Dec 10) 1.6km in 10:00

Day 79 (Dec 9) 1.6km in 10:00

Day 78 (Dec 8) 12.75km in 1:12:28
Beautiful day, tried a new route (over the new footbridge, through champlain woods and back up McConnell and Vanier), was pretty windy, but otherwise great run!

Day 77 (Dec 7) 2.4km in 15:00
Treadmill, easy.

Day 76 (Dec 6) 8.12km
Headed up to Gatineau Park, parked at Fortune and did trail #36 to Carbide Willson (abandoned mill) and back. After the snow fall last night it was gorgeous in there. I will post pictures to my blog later. Garmin was acting up so I have no time just an estimated distance from the last time I did this run.

Day 75 (Dec 5) 6.18km in 34:12
3 quarters of the way to my goal. Ran a route through neighbourhoods near my work as a scouting mission for the winter when the bike paths will be closed. Rained a little but it was really warm for December.

Day 74 (Dec 4) 2.4km in 15:00
Phew, almost forgot to run, that would have been a disaster! Kept it nice and slow on the treadmill.

Day 73 (Dec 3) 4.5km in 30:00
Nice and easy on the t-mill, keeping the legs loose.

Day 72 (Dec 2) 3.2km in 20:00
Messing around with the programs on the treadmill trying different inclines and speeds.

Day 71 (Dec 1) 3km in 20:00
Easy on the treadmill...

Day 70 (Nov 30) 6.36km in 35:31
Great to get outside finally. Did the bicycle path in Gatineau Park, a little chilly and a few snowflakes started to fall, great run.

Day 69 (Nov 29) 3km in 20:00
Bah, torrential rain all day, so had to take it indoors...

Day 68 (Nov 28) 3.75km in 25:00
Treadmill again, will be back outside again tomorrow!!

Day 67 (Nov 27) 1.6km in 10:00
Pretty lackluster effort after a tiring weekend. Over 2/3rds of my way to my goal though!

Day 66 (Nov 26) 1.6km in 10:00
Quickie on the treadmill.

Day 65 (Nov 25) 3km in 20:00
After another long day of First Aid training, the treadmill was a good option for winding down...

Day 64 (Nov 24) 3km in 20:00
At a First Aid course all day, so hit the treadmill in the evening..

Day 63 (Nov 23) 3km in 20:00
Easy one on the treadmill.

Day 62 (Nov 22) 6.21km in 33:54
Chilly today, did the ravine route, felt great!

Day 61 (Nov 21) 3km in 20:00
Treadmill, nice an easy, ravine route tomorrow!!

Day 60 (Nov 20) 8.2km in 44:44
60 down, 40 to go!!! Great run around my neighbouhood.

Day 59 (Nov 19) 1.6km in 10:00
Big pile of marking, managed to squeeze this one in...

Day 58 (Nov 18) 4.01km in 22:22
Squeezed this one in (somehow), was pretty chilly and very windy. Still going strong!

Day 57 (Nov 17) 7.09km in 38:08
7km on the ravine route, pushed the pace for the last 2km. Felt awesome and the weather was just perfect for running.

Day 56 (Nov 16) 1.6km in 10:00
Busy day, so just a quickie on the treadmill.

Day 55 (Nov 15) 8.21km in 45:07
Great weather continues, ran the 8km ravine route, loved it, will be a shame when the snow comes and it will be unrunnable.

Day 54 (Nov 14) 3.48km in 20:23
A few circuits of my neighbourhood. 14 degrees C at 6pm mid November, absolutely unheard of, could almost describe it as balmy...

Day 53 (Nov 13) 3.01km in 16:46
Windy and warm today, only had time for 3kms.

Day 52 (Nov 12) 2.22km in 12:38
Just a quickie, too busy today.

Day 51 (Nov 11) 7.18km in 39:56
Nice slightly chilly run in Gatineau Park. Amazing how different a route is when you do it the opposite way to what you usually do. There was a steady climb of about 1km that really spiced the run up. Good workout!

Day 50 (Nov 10) 1.6km in 10:00
That's the halfway point, just an easy one as I didn't have the energy to go longer, can't believe I have run 50 days in a row!!!

Day 49 (Nov 9) 6.4km in 34:14
Great run along path/trail 5 in Gatineau park, some great climbs on that section so I pushed the pace on the uphills and took it easy on the downhills.

Day 48 (Nov 8) 6.19km in 33:18
A reasonably pacy run along the ravine route. Felt great.

Day 47 (Nov 7) 1.6km in 10:00
Tired slow mile on the treadmill.

Day 46 (Nov 6) 1.6km in 10:00
Slow mile on the treadmill, tired after a fun boys weekend.

Day 45 (Nov 5) 3.07km in 18:14
Easy 3km at Andre's camp, great boys weekend.

Day 44 (Nov 4) 7.12km in 40:23
Beautiful day for an easy run in my neighbourhood, windy though.

Day 43 (Nov 3) 8.2km in 44:19
Nice moderate/easy 8km run on the new "ravine" route I discovered. Tough on the steep uphills, but a really nice run, pushed the pace at the end.

Day 42 (Nov 2) 1.6km in 10:00
Easy 10 minutes on treadmill.

Day 41 (Nov 1) 6.24km in 34:24
Tried a new route near my work, it's a bike path with a steep ravine, definitely a keeper. Legs still just a little tired from the race.

Day 40 (Oct 31) 1.6km in 10:00
An easy one on the treadmill, will go through Gatineau Park tomorrow.

Day 39 (Oct 30) 1.37km in 10:00
Just a 10 minute recovery run on the treadmill.

Day 38 (Oct 29) 8km in 35:48
Beat Beethoven 8km race. Ran an awesome race, finishing 11th overall, 3rd in my age group (30-39) for a personal best at this distance, not bad for an old guy!

Day 37 (Oct 28) 1.6km in 10:00
Just an easy one before my 8km race tomorrow...

Day 36 (Oct 27) 4.83km in 30:00
Felt great, effortless,could have run all night if I had the time.

Day 35 (Oct 26) 7.53km in 40:41
Felt tired today so I was surprised how much pep I had on the big climbs and steep descents on the path in Gatineau Park. Weather is absolutely perfect right now, hope it stays that way for my 8km race on Saturday.

Day 34 (Oct 25) 2.9km in 20:00
Over a third of the way to my goal, only time for 20 minutes on the treadmill, Gatineau Park tomorrow.

Day 33 (Oct 24) 3.2km in 20:00
Just an easy 20 minutes on the treadmill, burn off that slice of coffee cake I had for my Birthday!

Day 32 (Oct 23) 4.43km in 30:00
30 mins on the treadmill.

Day 31 (Oct 22) 2.25km in 15:00
Easy run on the treadmill.

Day 30 (Oct 21) 6.3km in 35:55
Wet and windy on the path in Gatineau Park, nice steady pace.

Day 29 (Oct 20) 5.15km in 35:00
Crazy weather here (high winds and very wet) so I took it inside to the treadmill.   

Day 28 (Oct 19) 10.05km in 54:42
Nice brisk pace on my hilly 10km route through Gatineau Park. Legs and lungs felt great, I am in awesome shape at the moment!

Day 27 (Oct 18) 1.6km in 10:00
Good effort after a busy day at work.

Day 26 (Oct 17) 4.43km in 30:00
Still under the weather and after long day at work, but pleased to run a comfortable 30 minutes on the treadmill.

Day 25 (Oct 16) 1.6km in 10:00
Didn't feel that great all day, tired etc. Got in my 10 mins on the treadmill to get to the 1/4 mark of my challenge.

Day 24 (Oct 15) 4.6km in 30:00
Treadmill, easy 30 minuter.
 
Day 23 (Oct 14) 6.06km in 36:04
Very wet run in Gatineau Park after work. Felt awesome!

Day 22 (Oct 13) 3.2km in 20:00
Long tiring day at work so nice to get in 20 mins on the treadmill.

Day 21 (Oct 12) 4.8km in 30:00
30 mins on the treadmill to clear the cobwebs after a day of marking lab reports. Felt awesome throughout.

Day 20 (Oct 11) 1.34km in 10:00
Super slow on the treadmill, legs feel surprisingly good after yesterday's race.

Day 19 (Oct 10) 10km in 45:22
16th place at the Chelsea Challenge 10km and good enough for 1st place in my age group (M30-39). Beautiful day up in there, the course was very hilly but the leaves were absolutely spectacular. Ran a really good race and ended up with a personal best.

Day 18 (Oct 9) 1.4km in 10:00
Ran the 1km Turkey Trot race with Emma (my daughter) she clocked an impressive 6:50 (PB). Then with running back and forth taking pictures of my wife and my friend Kyla, I got in my 10 mins of running for the day!

Day 17 (Oct 8) 6.28km in 36:03
Wow, amazing weather here, waited it out until it was cooler and then ran an easy 6km while the sun was setting. Glorious!

Day 16 (Oct 7): 6.01km in 31:52
Nice brisk run after classes. Really warm out there (26C) for October.

Day 15 (Oct 6): 5.36km in 35:00
Just a slow one on the treadmill, could have run all night at that happy pace, but I guess I should probably get some sleep.

Day 14 (Oct 5): 5.15km in 28:03
A breezy 5km in beautiful October sunshine!

Day 13 (Oct 4): 10.01km in 56:33
10km hilly run through Gatineau Park. Good pace for a hilly workout. Nice and cool and the leaves are starting to get really nice, in a week or so it will be utterly spectacular in there.

Day 12 (Oct 3): 4.83km in 30:00
Easy 3 miles on the treadmill.

Day 11 (Oct 2): 14.01km in 1:17:51
Hilly loop through Gatineau Park with Susi. A pretty peppy pace, Susi is lightning fast so that keeps me honest. Great run, thanks Susi!

Day 10 (Oct 1): 1.61km in 10:00
After a hard days shoveling topsoil just a slow 10 minutes on the treadmill.

Day 9 (Sept 30): 4.15km in 22:46
Nice run, felt awesome to blow off some steam after work.

Day 8 (Sept 29): 2.6km in 15:17
Just an easy one, busy today, have to get to work.

Day 7 (Sept 28):  2.59km in 15:03
Just a little easy one to keep the streak alive. I will have to pay attention to my pace for these runs, this one was a little too fast, I caught myself going 5:15/km at one point and had to really slow it down if I want to avoid injuries.

Day 6 (Sept 27): 9.21km in 52:54
Nice hilly run along trail 5 in Gatineau park. Beautiful day out there!

Day 5 (Sept 26): 10.07 in 56:22
A nice little 10km around my neighbourhood in the cool night air. Got into a really nice rhythm and was going a bit faster than I intended, but it felt so comfortable I just kept on going at the same pace.

Day 4 (Sept 25): 5.21km in 27:55
Nice run in the cool night air. Really cranked it up in the last 2 km with 4:32/km over the last 1.2 kms.

Day 3 (Sept 24): 4.21km in 23:30
Easy 4 km in my neighbourhood, now for some yard work!

Day 2 (Sept 23): 5.48km in 28:49
1km warm up, then 3x1km repeats at 4:32, 4:31 and 4:23, followed by cool down. Great run!

Day 1 (Sept 22): 6.02km in 35:56
Nice and easy recovery run, great to be back out there after a tough race on Sunday.

8KM

35:48 - Beat Beethoven - Ottawa - Oct 29 2011

Age Group Win at the Chelsea Challenge 10km

I noticed this race last year when I was driving the kids around Gatineau Park to look at the leaves that had changed colour. Traffic was stopped for a bit to allow the runners to get around the corner, and my immediate thought was, "what? a race, on thanksgiving Monday, in picturesque Chelsea, how come I didn't know about this?". I made sure to sign up this year and decided on the 10km distance.

The weather has been amazing lately, race day was no different, sunny, clear blue skies, maybe if one was being picky, it might have been too hot. I got there early, pinned on my bib, strapped on the timing chip and went through a very easy warm up, trying to familiarise myself with the start and what the finish straight would look like coming from the other direction.

The course for the 10km is a hilly loop with a big climb in the first half of the race and then rolling hills and net downhill in the second half.

They started the 5km and 10km at the same time and we were off, I had to make sure and not get carried away trying to chase the 5km runners who shot out of the blocks and were streaming past me. Soon enough they'd turned around to head back to their finish and I was left with what looked to be 6 runners in front of me heading towards the long incline. I knew I wasn't 7th as I knew that there would be some real speed demons who would be utterly out of sight by now, but I was more focussed on keeping my pace up the hill and then on 2 runners in front of me, "guy in blue" and "guy in white". Guy in white seemed to be struggling on the slope already, so I surged past him as I was wary of tucking in behind him and the unconsciously slowing to his pace. The surge took me past guy in blue and for the next few kilometers I could hear him breathing right behind me, but I seemed to put some distance between him as we headed down the hill towards the half way point.

First half of the race 23:21.

For the next 2-3 kilometers, guy in blue would catch up to me on the uphills and then fall back on the downhills. I had never raced like this in a race, usually I just race against the clock and then try and pick off random runners in the last kilometer or so, but this was becoming a bit of a race within the race. I didn't really know what the course was going to do next and had to decide on a strategy, his breathing sounded pretty laboured but I wasn't sure how much he had left in the tank. I decided that I had 3 options, continue as I was, but that might give him the edge in passing me in the finish straight, would I be able to respond? I could let him pass and then hang with him and try and pass him in the finish straight, or I could try and break him by surging on a downhill, but I wasn't sure what was still to come. In the end, the decision was made for me as he surged past me on a the steepest uphill we had faced so far. Initially he put about 15 meters between himself and I. I reeled him in a bit and hung on with him up until just before the 9km point and then he just took off, I couldn't match his speed but just kept pumping my arms running as hard as I could to the laneway that was the finish straight. I picked it up even harder when I saw 45 minutes on the clock, I was so caught up in racing that I hadn't really given my overall time any thought, now I was heading for a huge PB so I kicked as hard as I could and made sure to run right through the finish (rather than slow right down to the line).

Final time 45:22 (Second half of the race in 22:01).

I went over to guy in blue and we had a chat, congratulating each other for a good race. My Garmin clocked the 10km distance as being slightly short, but not by any significant amount.

I was very satisfied with a  personal best on a tough course but was then stunned to see that I placed first in my age group (Male 30-39). I was 16th overall and 13th male finisher, so maybe I caught a break and all the fast 30-39 guys ate too much turkey yesterday and didn't feel like a race today.

Army Half Marathon - Sept 18 2011

This was my third Army Half Marathon and my seventh Half Marathon in total. Since my Marathon debut at the end of May I had trouble getting back to the volume and intensity that I was running in the first 5 months of the year. My children were at home with me all summer and then I started a new job in August, so time was at a premium and I wasn’t able to run with any great regularity.

I knew the race was going to be tough, but I decided to test just how much endurance I had by running it a pace that felt quick but not excessive. The weather was perfect, cool with a cloudless sky, and after a quick warm up and porta-potty visit I was in my start corral and ready to go.

After a slow start due to crowding I got into my stride and speeded up on the downhill portion of Wellington Street. Soon enough I was tackling the first hill of the course along the Ottawa River Parkway and was feeling strong and relaxed. We turned at the lights near the Remic Rapids and could now see all the racers behind us, it was quite the sight to see the mass of humanity that had turned out to race. The Army run is a special one, it is a celebration of all the brave men and women who have served our great country so well and allowed us the freedoms that we enjoy and take for granted every day. The race itself is to raise funds for the families of soldiers who have been killed or injured in the act of serving Canada.

Splits – first 5kms

1 – 5:03

2 – 4:41

3 – 5:01

4 – 4:49

5 – 4:54

Total – 24:28

Heading back towards the War Museum it was time to tackle hill number two and as we turned to head into downtown Gatineau I took my first gel. The downtown portion of Gatineau felt tough with quick turns and a few steep up and downs but it wasn’t long before I was running up and onto the Alexandra Bridge to return to Ottawa. The hill coming up off the bridge was tough, but the crowds were immense and really helped drive me on.

Splits – second 5kms

6 – 5:04

7 – 4:58

8 – 5:03

9 – 5:10

10 – 5:03

Total – 49:46 (25:18)

After a pretty quick 10kms I felt my pace drop considerably but kept pushing and responded well. As we climbed up towards Rideau Hall and ran behind it I really started to struggle, it wasn’t a surprise that my endurance wasn’t there, but with 7kms still to run I took my second gel and just kept looking ahead, pushing myself on without being too worried about the final outcome of the race. All I told myself was to keep running and not to let my complaining mind trick me into giving up.

Splits – third 5kms

11 – 5:18

12 – 5:09

13 – 5:16

14 – 5:30

15 – 5:20

Total – 1:16:19 (26:35)

The mind over matter battle continued until the end of the race, quite a few runners were now passing me, I wasn’t concerned about that at all, I just kept picking out distant targets and told myself to run to them, I had no idea of what sort of time I was on pace for, but when the 1:50 walk/run bunny passed me at 18 km I figured I would try for sub 1:50. Unfortunately, the continuous 1:50 bunny passed me about 1.5kms later and although I tried to hang with him and his pace group, my legs and lungs wouldn’t let me. Soon enough though, I was approaching the “1km to go” marker.

Splits – forth 5kms

16 – 5:13

17 – 5:26

18 – 5:29

19 – 5:33

20 – 5:39

Total – 1:43-39 (27:20)

The end was close (but not in sight as it only comes into view with about 200 meters left). I ran as hard as I could and stopped my Garmin on 1:50:22, a very pleasing result in the circumstances, I had hung on and gutted it out. Sure I could have run a far more conservative race, but I wanted to really test my endurance and practice the art of running on very tired legs. It’s a bit masochistic but I felt I would get more out of the race by running it this way, rather than taking it easy and then speeding up at the end.

Splits – last bit

21 – 5:32

256m – 1:11 (4:46/km)

Now I am excited to get back to regular training and take in a few fall races now that the weather is cooler and perfect for running.

Army Half Marathon - Sept 18th 2011

Finished the Army Half Marathon in a respectable 1:50:22 today. FULL REPORT TO COME.

July & August 2011 - busy summer

It has been a busy summer, what with holidays, looking after my kids and starting a new job in teaching (biology), so regrettably my running has suffered somewhat. Difficult weather has often made it difficult to get runs in but I did as best as I could in the circumstances. I managed 11 runs for 121.55kms in July with a new 5km PB of 22:21 set at the Bushtukah Canada day race. In August I managed only 6 runs for 77.51kms.

The Army Half Marathon race is in September so hopefully I can get plenty of runs in so I can have a go at my PB of 1:44:24 set earlier this year. If not, then maybe an event PB by besting 1:48:50 that I managed last year in this event. Time will tell I guess.

Bushtukah Canada Day 5km - July 1st 2011

After a solid personal best (46:26) in the 10km last month, I decided on trying to break my best 5km time (22:35) as well. Still coming off the back of the solid base I had from training and running the marathon in May, I hadn't done much preparation for this race other than a few slightly faster than easy-pace runs.

I haven't run the Bushtukah race before as I usually do the Canada Day race that is held downtown, but the appearance of a certain Duke and Duchess of Cambridge meant that the race was cancelled for this year, so instead I headed to Kanata to unfamiliar territory.

The kids wanted to do a 1km race, so we all headed for Kanata on what was already a very hot day. With the 5km due to start at 8:45am it was 27˚C and cloudless as the racers packed into the starting area. As usual, Canada Day brings out all kinds of runners, experienced, first-timers, old, young, and those who just want to walk and get Canada Day off to a great start. 

I seeded myself as far forward as I could, I wanted to get a good start but the corral was a bit of a mish-mash and when the gun went off I had to do a little weaving to get some fresh pavement under me.

Five km races are hard, often when I have told someone I am doing a 5km they respond with, "after a marathon, 5km should be a walk in the park for you". Unfortunately that is not the case, you pretty much take yourself to "the red line" and hold it there all race until you hit the line in a heap. It is rare for me to train at my 5km pace so the whole race feels really hard. 

I wanted to hit and hold a pace 4:20/km, but after the 1st km, with the heat and rolling terrain I just couldn't get to that level, so I hovered around 4:28/km and just tried to hang on for dear life. The first 2kms went smoothly, but I really started to feel it after that, I was regretting the decision to run without water and my mistake was not to opt for a small hand-held bottle to quench my throat as my lungs seemed like they were on fire.

After about 1km of internal struggle I started to feel a little bit better and was able to will my legs to just keep going and count off the remaining distance. By being totally unfamiliar with the course it made it quite tough, but when I finally saw the finish line (and my wife and kids cheering me on) I was able to pick it up as much as I could and I was able to beat out one runner who responded to my surge finishing in a new personal best of 22:21, bettering my previous time by 14 seconds.

Kilometer splits:

1km - 4:22

2km - 4:29

3km - 4:26

4km - 4:34

5km - 4:26

A very pleasing race and result, in tough conditions. I was able to keep pushing myself and keep the negative thoughts at bay. I think I definitely have a sub-22 in me, and perhaps on a cooler day on a more familiar course I will break through.

June 2011 - taking it easy

After all the training that went into the Marathon, I took June really easy. I needed a bit of a break, mentally and physically and my family came to visit us from the UK so it was a perfect time to ease back and get the body and mind back into some sort of shape to train hard for the Army Half Marathon.

I managed 5 runs for a total of 49.78kms including a 10km race on Father's Day in which I ran a personal best of 46:26 (race report here). 

Now my focus turns to the Army Half Marathon (September 18th) and after that a few Fall races, possibly including a duathalon (run/bike/run), as I just bought a new Eclipse touring bicycle.

Alterna Do it for Dad 10km – 19th June 2011

After my marathon debut I decided to move my focus to the 5km and 10km distances. I had run the Alterna Do it for Dad 10km last year and found it well organized and fun so I signed up again and decided to try for a personal best (sub 49:22) with a whisper goal of going under 47 minutes.

This year the race seemed to be much more popular, I had to park my car in a lot a bit further away from the start than last year, and there definitely seemed to be a lot more people milling around before the races.

The sun was out and it was nice and warm as I put myself through my warm up jog, I felt a bit of stiffness in my left hamstring, probably as a result of a soccer game I had played 2 days earlier, but otherwise I felt in really good shape despite having barely run since the marathon.

The race got off to a late start and I was a bit thrown off after standing in the start/finish area for 15-20 minutes, I forgot to start my Garmin and only realized 150 meters in, so the Garmin splits mentioned below may be slightly off. It wasn’t a problem for me as I just used the “lap pace” screen to keep myself at around the 4:40 mins/km that would see me home in under 47 minutes.

I got off to a bit of a slow start as a lot of walkers seeded themselves too near the front and I had to navigate around them, but once I got going I was thankful for it as my hamstring eased up and I sped up and got to the pace I wanted and felt comfortable there. The first 2.5kms were into a slight breeze and slightly uphill so I decided to stay in a comfortable zone and then speed up slightly on the slight downhill back towards the start finish, clocking 23:17 for the first 5kms.

Splits:

1km – 4:49

2km – 4:38

3km – 4:39

4km – 4:37

5km – 4:34 – 23:17 at halfway point

Having run this race last year, I knew what was to come, a longish uphill stretch that would seem to go on for ever before the turnaround point at 7.5kms at Hog’s Back. I decided to ease off the pace just it a bit and then use the downhill stretch from 7.5km to 10km to run hard to the finish. This strategy turned out to be a good one as it was pretty crowded on the course at this point as the 5km walkers (that were set off in the opposite direction) were all bunched up and although most of them kept way over to the side, a few didn’t realize runners were coming through so a little zig-zagging was necessary. I was wary of speeding up too soon so I held on until about 1km to the end, and then started to up the pace and run as hard as I could. I passed a bunch of runners in the last 500 meters, and a couple in the finishing straight. One runner responded to me as I came up level with me and we sprinted all out to the finish with him pipping me by 3 tenths, but I was glad he responded as it helped me finish a lot faster than I would have had he not forced me to sprint to the limit.

I was so focused on the sprint off that I didn’t even see the clock, I knew my Garmin was wrong so I had a bit of a wait until they posted the results. Final time, 46:26; a new personal best by just under 3 minutes. 26^th out of 107 in my age bracket.

6km – 4:48

7km – 4:47

8km – 4:41

9km – 4:34

10km – 4:20 – 23:10 for the second half and a 7 second negative split.

I am really pleased with the result as I felt I ran a smart race and stuck to the plan really well. Next up is to try and beat my 5km PB at the Bushtukah Canada Day road race to get a full sweep of PBs for the year! (…and then maybe try another 8km race, and a ten miler).

Alterna do it for Dad 10km race

Quick update:

Personal best at the Alterna do it for Dad 10km today; 46:26!!!

Race report to follow...

May 2011 - Marathon May

May turned out to be a great month. I managed several long runs and a couple of long-ish marathon paced runs before tapering before the big race. Total mileage for the month was 186.64kms from 10 runs.

My marathon debut came at the end of the month and I ran a really satisfying race, clocking 3:55:22 and thus achieving my pre-race goal of under 4 hours (click here for the in-depth report).

With the marathon out of the way, I have had to change the name of my blog and new challenges await. My focus now turns to shorter races as I want to improve my personal best times for the 10km (49:22) and 5km (22:32). I have a 10km race coming up on the 19th of June and a 5km race on Canada Day (1st July). I am also planning some trail runs in Gatineau Park, so don't forget to click back here and see what I am up to.

May 29th 2011 - Ottawa Marathon

This is my attempt to put into words the experience I had at the Ottawa Marathon. My whole training year had been geared towards this race, to complete a marathon was my goal at the start of the year and as my training progressed and I ran a personal best 1:44:24 in a half marathon race, I set myself the target of running the marathon in under 4 hours.

My training went pretty well, I didn’t hit the weekly mileage targets I had set myself and had a bit of a lull in the middle of the program but I felt that I had done as much as I could do with what was a pretty demanding program for me (in terms of time and recovery).

The weather forecasts were calling for a warm and humid day with rain and possible thundershowers, and as the big day dawned it was in fact a little warm, but nothing too out of the ordinary for Ottawa in May. I breakfasted on oatmeal and made sure to down plenty of water in preparation. I had been nervous for the past few days but now that it was race day, I felt calm, ready, happy, and excited. 

A quick drive downtown, I found a decent parking space in the Byward Market and walked to the start area, chatting with another first-time marathon hopeful on the way, she seemed happy with the way the weather had turned out, even though a few drops of rain were starting to fall.

Then it was off to the portapotties and as I was getting ready for my warm up I spotted my friend Sylvie, she was testing a sore foot and getting ready to try and qualify for the Boston Marathon, we ran together and chatted a bit, she gave me some great words of encouragement before she went off to find some of her other friends.

I made my race plan some days before the race. I had never raced over 21.1 kms before and had never even run over 30 kms so I went with a cautious approach. I decided to run each 5 km in around 27 minutes and keep checking how I was feeling (legs, lungs, head), take gels every 7 km and water as needed from my fuel belt until I ran out, then take it from the water stations, then I would try hang on and fight the inevitable fade as fatigue set in. 

I lined up in the yellow corral and soon we were off. It seemed like a really slow start but I quickly got into my pace, I was fearful of getting carried away with the excitement and kept telling myself, “easy, take it nice and easy”. I ran for a bit behind a blind guy with his guide through China town and then all the way down Preston Street and Little Italy. The pace felt good, and as we turned up Sherwood and onto Fairmont it dawned on me I was running my first marathon.

1 - 5:29
2 - 5:22
3 - 5:13
4 - 5:26
5 - 5:22
26:52 (5:22 average)

Bang on pace for the first 5 km and I was feeling really good, so I upped the pace ever so slightly (again cautious of going out too hard). I saw the runningmania.com cheering squad at 7 km so that definitely gave me a boost as they called out to me as I went by. Took my first gel and soon enough I had hit the 10 km mat in 53:19 and I was feeling really fresh and focused on the task in hand.

6 5:24
7 5:18
8 5:13
9 5:17
10 5:15
26:27 (5:17 average)
10 km split: 53:19

The route along the River Parkway had the first few hills of the route, I decided not to try and maintain my pace, but keep the same effort level as in the previous kms. Apart from a tent with loud music blaring out, the Parkway was pretty quiet until we turned to head across the Chaudière Bridge and into Gatineau where a good crowd had gathered. I took gel number 2 and headed up the hill.

11 5:29
12 5:23
13 5:23
14 5:11
15 5:25
26:51 (5:22 average)

A few ups and downs in Gatineau, always wary of the holes in the road, I kept on pace and was still feeling great. Soon enough we were heading up and onto the Alexandra Bridge and back into Ottawa. I was dreading the climb off the bridge and past the art gallery, but the crowd support was awesome and I tackled it with no real problems, coming around the corner and past the Royal Canadian Mint, I saw and absolutely amazing sight. The leaders were heading back towards the Rideau Canal, a pack of about 8-10 Africans striding gracefully towards the 31 km marker (I was at 18 kms), they looked so calm, so focused, and so in control, that everyone in the pack I was running in started to clap and whoop at them. It was amazing to see some of the best distance runners in the world close up in the heat of a big race. Then it was time to get my mind back on the race as we headed up a steep hill into Rockcliffe, lots of other runners were walking the hill, but I decided to drop the pace ever so slightly but keep the legs moving and stay on pace for this 5 km segment. 

16 5:20
17 5:23
18 5:20
19 5:19
20 5:33
26:55 (5:23 average)

Coming up the next hill, I could see the “halfway point” banner and mat ahead and a quick check of the Garmin showed me I was executing my plan really well. A thought then crossed my mind, “I have to do this all again”, I quickly shook it off and focused instead on completing my 5 km segment, “just keep it going to 25, keep moving to 25”. On reflection, this part of the course was the toughest; it was mostly uphill with very little crowd support and a very slight headwind. It was at 23 kms that I started to feel the first signs of fatigue (my groin muscles were starting to complain) and maybe just a little doubt. In planning my race I had thought of 2 key words that might help, “TRUST” and “BELIEVE”, trust your training, and believe in your abilities. Whenever I felt doubt I would repeat these words to myself and just keep running. 

21 5:28 halfway split 1:53:23
22 5:16
23 5:36
24 5:33
25 5:37
27:30 (5:30 average)

Coming back down towards Vanier/New Edinburgh, the crowds were better. I got a real boost from them and was enjoying the support. I read every sign I saw on the race course, some of them were really funny so it was hard not to burst out laughing. I had told myself that whatever the result, to take it all in, enjoy it, look around, smile, and I think this really helped me in the difficult parts of the race. My pace had slowed, I was well aware of it, so I decided not to force myself to do the 27 minute 5 kms anymore and just keep my form good and keep running. I have various screens set on my Garmin, one of them is current lap pace (lap every km) so at this point I told myself just to stay under 5:40. I hit the 30 km mat in 2:42:56 and it dawned on me that every step I took beyond that point was my longest ever run.

26 5:34
27 5:27
28 5:34
29 5:35
30 5:39
27:49 (5:34 average)
30 km split: 2:42:56

“32 kms of hope, 10 kms of truth” is what they say about marathons, as I went under the Mackenzie King Bridge I was entering the kms of truth, the kms that would determine whether I finished the race under 4 hours or not, or whether I finished the race at all. Again my pace had dropped, I was getting really tired and sore in the quads and my groin muscles were now on fire. The rain started to fall again but I was soaked through anyway from squeezing the sponges over my head that the volunteers were giving out along the way. I took my final gel at 35 kms and it was everything I could do to get it down, it was my fifth of the race and I was pretty sick of them, although they had done their job, I had had no gastrointestinal problems, no cramps and hadn’t hit the wall.

31 5:42
32 5:40
33 5:42
34 5:48
35 5:52
28:44 (5:45 average)

All I could think about at this point was my family they were waiting to cheer me on Lakeside Avenue (37-38 km point). They were waiting in what was now pouring rain, I didn’t want to let them down, I didn’t want to let myself down, I was now digging deep, my pace had dropped again, but I was still running and the kms were clicking by. I had been just behind the 3:50 (run/walk) pace bunny and his group for a while, they’d pull ahead of me and then I’d catch them while they were walking, they were starting to drop me, a guy at the side of the road called my name (he read it off my bib), “Mark! That’s the 3:50 bunny, don’t you dare let him out of your sight, you’ve got this!”. It was a great boost and even though I didn’t catch the bunny it helped me keep on running, pushing as hard as my legs would let me, my family were close, I was going to finish this marathon. 

Then I saw my wife, with my children in the chariot, they were soaked but went crazy cheering me on and I left them with the words “GO PAPA GO!!!” ringing in my ears. Down onto Queen Elizabeth drive, it was now or never, I had to keep on going, I hadn’t taken a single walk break and I told myself, “you’re running this one to the finish, you can walk when you get past the finish line”.

36 5:57
37 5:54
38 5:55
39 6:05
40 6:07
29:58 (6:00 average)

Two and a bit kms to go, my “trust” and “believe” weren’t working anymore, I just focused on the fact that I knew this portion of the course really well, I used to run here almost every lunch time when I worked downtown. I set myself little targets, “get to Pretoria Bridge”, “get to Corkstown Bridge”, I started to sniff the finish line and was actually speeding up. I had no real sense if sub 4 hours was still on, I couldn’t do the math in my head, it was just too much effort, I kept expecting the 4 hour bunny to stride past me, I resisted the urge to look behind me and just ran as hard as I could through the massive puddles that had formed and barreled towards the finish, urging myself “COME ON!”. 

Then I saw it, the finish line, and gave every last ounce of energy I had, I had to dodge a guy who had lost control of his legs and was swaying around like a punch-drunk boxer, he was so close but his legs had nothing left. I hope he finished his race and is in good health now. 

One hundred meters to go, the clock was on 3:57, I knew that it had taken a couple of minutes to cross the start line so I knew I was going to be sub 4 hours, what a feeling it was, mission accomplished, I hit the finish mat hard with a roar and a fist pump, and quickly remembered to stop my Garmin, 3:55!!!

41 5:59
42 5:51
0.471 2:26 (5:11)

Final time 3:55:22

What a rush! After a few minutes of catching my breath, I realized that it was absolutely pouring down with rain, I grabbed a bottle of water and one of those foil blankets they were handing out, I could barely walk and was taking tiny steps forward to get my finishers medal. The line-ups to get through the food area were crazy as all the sub 4 marathoners and sub 2 half marathoners were arriving at the same time. I had about a 1 km walk to the car in the pouring rain, but nothing, could dampen my spirits. I am a MARATHONER!

MARATHON COMPLETED!!

Just a quick update to say I completed the Ottawa Marathon today in 3:55:22!!!

Race report to follow...

Taper time thoughts

Well, the race is almost here, almost all my training runs are in the book, it won't be long until I have to get up at some crazy hour to go to the start of the National Capital Marathon for the 7am start time.

I thought it would be fun to put together some running tips/ideas that I have learned/used over the last 3 and a bit years.

1. Ice baths

Why? Why would you come in from a run out in the cold, wet and wind (as we have been having here lately) and then sit in a bathtub of ridiculously cold water? It is pretty unpleasant (to begin with) but it has enormous benefits to recovery and muscle healing. Here's why:

When you run, your muscle cells (fibers) suffer all sorts of mechanical stresses. Sometimes the muscle fibers are too weak to withstand these kinds of insults and they break. This is known as muscle micro-trauma. Muscle fibers breaking and then regenerating back into their original spot is the basis of strengthening and improving the muscle fiber and ultimately the muscle itself.

The trouble with this is that when the muscle fiber breaks, it has to be degenerated and then regenerated, whilst this is happening pain fibers in the muscle fiber can become exposed and more sensitive to chemical stimulus. That is why after a hard workout, your muscles can ache/hurt for 3 (or sometimes more) days as the muscle fibers go about repairing themselves. Often, the soreness doesn't occur straight away, this is known as delayed muscle onset soreness (or DOMS). DOMS has nothing to do with lactic acid. Lactic acid is a buzz word for selling products aimed at speeding muscle recovery. How many times have you seen a product that boasts that it can "flush out all the built-up lactic acid"? Evidence exists that the lactic acid has long since been metabolized away and may even be beneficial to muscle fibers as a stimulus like hard exertion.

Conversely an ice bath can help speed up the recovery (notice I don't say, eliminate DOMS, the muscle fibers still have to degenerate and then regenerate). The plunge into the cold bath with slow down metabolism around the injured sites for a short time and help reduce any painful swelling that might occur. The real benefit is after the bath, as the muscles warm up there is increased blood circulation to the legs and this helps get nutrients to the damaged muscle fibers, and help clear metabolic waste more quickly thus speeding up muscle repair.

How to do it right:

1) As soon as possible after a race, long run, or hard run, start filling your bathtub with cold water (I find that my tap water is icy cold enough, you may want to add a few trays of ice of you live in a warmer country) until it is deep enough to submerge up to your waist when sitting down.

2) While the tub is filling, make a hot drink or prepare a bowl of soup, have a watch handy, something to read and a towel to rest your back on (the tub will be cold). Some people like to wear something on their upper half or feet, I prefer to just go au naturel.

3) Take the plunge and get in, don't torture yourself just say "1-2-3" and plunge yourself as quickly as possible, if you try to lower yourself slowly, you'll chicken out as soon as your bum touches the water. Scream out if you need to when your legs go under, I find it helps.

4) Sit with your legs submerged for 10 to 15 minutes. I pass the time reading a book and slurping down some hot soup (this also helps get post-run nutrients into the body, so they can get to work on your muscles).

5) When it is time to get out, don't dive straight into the shower, the temptation is immense, the slower your legs warm up the better. Just towel off and slip on a bathrobe while you continue with your post-run meal (I recommend peanut butter on wholewheat toast with sliced banana).

6) 30 minutes after the ice bath and you can hit that well earned shower.

After the first one, it does get easier, after the initial plunge the worst is over, and you'll save yourself a couple of days moving around like a robot on stiff/sore muscles.

More tips/tricks to follow...

April 2011 - Ups and Downs

As the title suggests, April was a bit of an up-and-down month. I was expecting to increase my mileage from the 214kms I ran in March, but for one reason or another I was unable to run consistently throughout the month. In total I managed 11 runs for a total of 174.72kms which in itself is not too bad but fatigue, poor weather, and my first real brush with illness this year kept me off the roads a little more than I would have liked.

I ran another half-marathon race, in which I decided to try and break 1:45 (rather than run it as a marathon paced training run) and was successful with a personal best 1:44:24 (race report here).

I also managed some quality long runs, with a 30km at my easy pace of 6:00 mins/km. As the kilometers clicked by, it got pretty tiring, but running for 3 hours has given me a great deal of confidence that I will be able to stay the course during the marathon race, and keep my mind occupied an in the present (rather than stressing about what is to come, and what has been).

To be honest, I am starting to feel nervous for the big race, I am taking that as a good sign, it shows I care about my race performance and I will be mentally ready for what I will have to face during the race. Not long now, just another 3 weeks and some speed work and shorter runs as I taper my mileage so that I will feel fresh when I line up in my assigned start corral.

I think that in training for a marathon and by keeping this blog I have been able to take a good look at my training and I have discovered the things I am doing well (speed work, recovery techniques, mental aspects, nutrition etc.) and the things I need to work on (pacing during long runs, consistency, motivation when conditions are not as good as I would like). I can take these lessons and make myself a better runner in the future, which is an added bonus that I did not realize I would get when I embarked on the road to 42.2.

April 10th 2011 - Minto Run for Reach Half Marathon - Ottawa

The Minto Run for Reach races are held every April and after really enjoying the course, the organization, and setting a personal best for the Half Marathon at the race last year I decided to run it again as an indicator of my training thusfar.

The course is reasonably flat and follows the Rideau Canal from the City Hall in Ottawa down to Dow’s Lake and back, and then back to Dow’s Lake and back to complete the 21.1km distance.

At first I was planning to run the race at my suggested Marathon pace (5:15 - 5:20/km) but I decided that with still 6 weeks to go until the Marathon I would throw caution to the wind and try for sub-1:45 (~ 4:58/km). I have been running my threshold repeat workouts at a faster pace than this, so I knew roughly how the pace would feel, but I had no clue if I could hold it for 21.1kms rather than the 3x2kms of a threshold repeat workout. I figured that I would try for sub-1:45 and if I couldn’t hold the pace I could slow to Marathon pace and maybe still run fast enough for a personal best (sub-1:48:50).

I have had success in the past by making a race plan and sticking to it in the early going in a race (a time where your mind can play tricks on you), but then adapting it as I got into the middle of the race, checking how my body was feeling and then speeding up or slowing down accordingly.

The Run for Reach Half Marathon is started at the same time as the 10km and follows the same course, down to Dow’s Lake and back, but just before reaching the City Hall the 10km and Half Marathon runners are then directed into two lanes, the 10km runners head into a finishing chute, whereas the Half Marathon runners do a small 100 meter loop and then head back towards Dow’s Lake. On the second lap, the turnaround point is 500 meters futher down the Canal and thus with the 100 meter loop this portion makes up the additional distance for the 21.1km race.

The horn to start the race sounded and I got off to a slighly fast start, “ease back! ease back!” I reminded myself whilst looking at a 4:10/km pace on my Garmin. It is really easy to get carried away at the start and keep pace with the quicker runners, the adrenaline makes you feel like you could easily keep up, but as I learned in the National Capital Half Marathon last year, you burn out really quickly and then you can’t even maintain the pace that you set yourself before the race. Before you know it, the race has turned into a death march as your pace slows and slows to a crawl. Therefore, I eased back and let the faster runners go, it’s an odd feeling, a bit like you are going backwards but I soon found the pace I wanted and was now running with a group of runners at a similar pace.

A quick body scan told me that I was feeling really good, I had dressed light for the race, just a singlet and shorts, others were wearing gloves, tights, shells etc., but I felt really confortable in the early going. I was hitting my pace well, leapfrogging positions with those around me. At around 4.5km is what is now known as the “Running Mania” water station. Each year, led by one of the runningmania.com website administrators, Marg, members of the website volunteer for water station duty. As I post on the Running Mania discussion forum, I am familiar with some of the members that were handing out the water and Gatorade. It was good to see them and I got a good boost as they cheered when they recognized a fellow “maniac”. The good thing is that the course continues past them to a turn around and then you pass them again, so I got a double dose of “orange power” as I ran past.

Splits for the first 5kms:

1km - 4:52

2km - 4:59

3km - 4:59

4km - 5:00

5km - 4:46

Total - 24:38

The second 5km portion heading back up the Canal to City Hall was pretty uneventful, I kept an eye on my pace and how I was feeling and continued to feel good apart from a slight tightness in my left Achilles tendon. I took my first gel at 7km and made sure not to pick up the pace with the 10km runners who were sprinting to their finish line.

Splits for the second 5kms:

6km - 5:00

7km - 4:56

8km - 4:59

9km - 5:03

10km - 5:01

Total - 25:02

10kms run in 49:40 (gun time 49:59)

After the little 100 meter loop, I headed back down the course. The pack had thinned out and there were only 3 or 4 people running near me. At about 12.5km to 13kms I was aware of the strong winds that were blowing right into us. It was hard to maintain the pace at this point so I decided to ease off ever-so-slightly and not tire myself out fighting against the wind. I knew I had a double dose of “orange power” to come and that by banking energy I would have enough left to ramp up the pace on the way back up the canal to the finish. I took my second get at 14km and got my boost and a cup of water from the running mania water station.

Splits for the third 5kms:

11km - 4:55

12km - 4:58

13km - 5:05

14km - 5:03

15km - 4:53

Total - 24:57

15kms run in 1:14:37

Now with 6 kms to go I knew it was time to start increasing the pace ever so slightly, to start looking for other runners ahead as targets and try and pick them off one-by-one. As expected, the runners ahead of me were thinking the same thing as the pace increased so I didn’t pass any of them for at least 4 kms. 

With 2km to go, I felt great so I started to really push and reeled in a couple of runners, another slowed at the final water station, but I kept going and passed him too. I was really finding my stride but as always, because of the way the Canal snakes around to the City Hall you don’t see the finish line until you are about 150 meters away. At this point I ran as hard as I could, passing one more runner, I was expecting him to respond and race me to the finish but I think I took him by surpise. In any case, I wasn’t really racing him anyway, I was just using him as a target, the real target, the clock was just passing 1:44, “I’m going to do it, I’m going to break 1:45!!!!”. I hit the line hard, punching the air in jubiliation. Sub-1:45, over 3 minutes faster than my PB and over 12 minutes faster than my time at this race last year.

Splits for the final 6.1km

16km - 4:58

17km - 4:55

18km - 4:50

19km - 4:55

20km - 4:52

21km - 4:41

0.1km (Garmin measured 0.18) - 0:47 (4:21/km)

Total - 30:00

21.1kms run in 1:44:37

Offical race time 1:44:24.

I am very happy with that result, not only did I break 1:45 but I ran a smart race, allowing myself to ease off the pace into the wind so that I would have the energy for the final kick. However, there is no denying the power of  “orange” it’s pretty damn potent stuff so part of this race success is dedicated to the Running Mania water station, you guys are awesome!