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.