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.