This was my second Chelsea Challenge and after last year's race being so warm I took several different combinations of clothing as it was really cold when I first got up and tested the weather before having breakfast. In the end I went with shorts and a running jacket. I felt pretty cold at the start line but the sun was out and it wasn't too windy so I put it out of my mind and focused on a good start. This year, they had local hero and ultra runner Ray Zahab start the race. Ray is from Chelsea and as well as being the founder of "impossible to possible" he has an impressive list of victories in ultra marathons.
The race got off to a quick start with both the 10km and 5km race starting out at the same time and sharing the racecourse for 2.5 kilometers. I got into a good rhythm early on but my Garmin died on me so I had to run by feel instead of to a specific pace. I therefore have no splits for this race (and had to replace my Garmin with a shiny new 410).
The majority of runners do the 5km, so when they turn back to the start/finish area, the racecourse gets really lonely. I could see a few runners up ahead as we headed up the steep hill along Chemin Scott but they were quite a bit ahead so I kept my pace and pushed myself up the hill as fast as I could.
Once we made the turn onto the 105, I was unaware of any other runners behind me until I was startled by a lady passing me. She ran along side me for a little bit, commenting on the hilliness of the course and then took off on a steep incline. I tried to stick with her, but couldn't, so I followed behind as close as I could and used her as an incentive to run hard to the finish.
As we rounded the bend on to Chemin Old Chelsea, she wasn't too far ahead and I could see two male runners about 100 meters ahead of her, so I aimed for them seeing as I wasn't racing against her anyway, I set myself the target of catching the male runners.
Soon enough I was striding into the finish straight that was a road up to the school and passed the lady. I had also gained a lot of ground on one of the two male runners and sprinted as hard as I could. However, he saw me out of the corner of his eye and put in one last burst to pip me at the line. Still, it was good to finish strong and end up with a better time than if I had just cruised in.
Final time: 46:04, my second fastest 10km of all time (fastest was 45:22 at last year's Chelsea Challenge).
Monday, October 8, 2012
Sunday, September 23, 2012
Army Half Marathon - Sept 23rd 2012
This was to be my 4th Army Run Half Marathon and 11th Half Marathon in all. I put in what was probably my best training cycle for any race, but ended up getting sick with a chest infection about a month before the race and although I continued to train at an easier effort level, I wasn't quite 100% in time for the race.
The Army run is always a special one for me as my first ever Half Marathon was at the Army run back in 2008 and I have run it every year since that great day.
I vowed to run as hard as I could and was hopeful that I could hold on and go sub 1:50. After my hugely disappointing National Capital Half Marathon that I ran with a stomach bug, I was determined not to have a bad race.
The gun went off, and I mean gun, they use a huge military cannon. I scrambled amongst the 9000 other runners trying not to go too fast, but also trying not to lose too much time behind slower runners. 5:03 for the 1st kilometer was fine and I upped the pace a touch and held it there for the next few kilometers along Wellington and the River Parkway.
1st 5km Splits
1km - 5:03
2km - 4:45
3km - 5:03
4km - 4:54
5km - 5:00 (total 24:46)
I was feeling pretty comfortable and was not having any problems with my breathing at this point, but I knew I was not going to be able to run at the race pace I set myself earlier in the training cycle (4:40/km). I decided not to dwell on that disappointment and just try and hold my pace around 5:00/km and see where it led me. The next few kilometers back along the Parkway were pretty uneventful but the ups and downs in downtown Hull required my effort level to rise.
2nd 5km Splits
6km - 5:01
7km - 4:53
8km - 4:59
9km - 5:04
10km - 5:00 (total 25:00)
My pace dropped off a bit as we climbed up off the Alexandra bridge and back in to Ottawa, I was able to rebound on the downhill past the Royal Mint but I was starting to feel how hard it was to maintain my effort level. The support was as amazing as ever and I used as much of it as possible to drive me on as I knew there was still a lot of ground to cover. As I rounded Rockliffe Park I encountered some of the injured soldiers that were competing, some in wheelchairs, others with blades, and some with crutch-like devices to help them keep balance. I got a bit of a boost as I applauded and thanked these brave soldiers for sacrificing their health and risking their lives for the protection of Canada and vowed to myself to gut this race out to the finish.
3rd 5km Splits
11km - 5:11
12km - 5:01
13km - 5:07
14km - 5:09
15km - 5:12 (total 25:43)
Coming back up the hill towards the Art Museum was the hardest part, my pace was dropping but I was gutting it out and giving as much as I had. My stamina had taken a bit of a hit when I got sick but I was pushing really hard at this point, mentally ticking off each landmark as I passed it. The crowds were noisy all along the route from beside the American Embassy all the way along the Canal to the Pretoria Bridge. I was really hurting at this point but I know the route well and knew that I was getting close to the finishing straight on the other side of the Canal.
4th 5km Splits
16km - 5:16
17km - 5:25
18km - 5:22
19km - 5:19
20km - 5:25 (total 26:48)
With just over a kilometer to go I found another gear and on jelly legs I pushed as hard as I could. The finish line was not as far along Queen Elizabeth as in previous years and kind of took me by surprise but as soon as I saw it I surged and sprinted as hard as I could hitting the line at full tilt.
Last Splits
21km - 5:07
260m - 1:06 (4:15/km)
At the end of the day it was a really good race. I finished in 1:48:32, just over 3 and a half minutes slower than my personal best. Hopefully my next Half Marathon will see me fully trained up with no illness beforehand.
The Army run is always a special one for me as my first ever Half Marathon was at the Army run back in 2008 and I have run it every year since that great day.
I vowed to run as hard as I could and was hopeful that I could hold on and go sub 1:50. After my hugely disappointing National Capital Half Marathon that I ran with a stomach bug, I was determined not to have a bad race.
The gun went off, and I mean gun, they use a huge military cannon. I scrambled amongst the 9000 other runners trying not to go too fast, but also trying not to lose too much time behind slower runners. 5:03 for the 1st kilometer was fine and I upped the pace a touch and held it there for the next few kilometers along Wellington and the River Parkway.
1st 5km Splits
1km - 5:03
2km - 4:45
3km - 5:03
4km - 4:54
5km - 5:00 (total 24:46)
I was feeling pretty comfortable and was not having any problems with my breathing at this point, but I knew I was not going to be able to run at the race pace I set myself earlier in the training cycle (4:40/km). I decided not to dwell on that disappointment and just try and hold my pace around 5:00/km and see where it led me. The next few kilometers back along the Parkway were pretty uneventful but the ups and downs in downtown Hull required my effort level to rise.
2nd 5km Splits
6km - 5:01
7km - 4:53
8km - 4:59
9km - 5:04
10km - 5:00 (total 25:00)
My pace dropped off a bit as we climbed up off the Alexandra bridge and back in to Ottawa, I was able to rebound on the downhill past the Royal Mint but I was starting to feel how hard it was to maintain my effort level. The support was as amazing as ever and I used as much of it as possible to drive me on as I knew there was still a lot of ground to cover. As I rounded Rockliffe Park I encountered some of the injured soldiers that were competing, some in wheelchairs, others with blades, and some with crutch-like devices to help them keep balance. I got a bit of a boost as I applauded and thanked these brave soldiers for sacrificing their health and risking their lives for the protection of Canada and vowed to myself to gut this race out to the finish.
3rd 5km Splits
11km - 5:11
12km - 5:01
13km - 5:07
14km - 5:09
15km - 5:12 (total 25:43)
Coming back up the hill towards the Art Museum was the hardest part, my pace was dropping but I was gutting it out and giving as much as I had. My stamina had taken a bit of a hit when I got sick but I was pushing really hard at this point, mentally ticking off each landmark as I passed it. The crowds were noisy all along the route from beside the American Embassy all the way along the Canal to the Pretoria Bridge. I was really hurting at this point but I know the route well and knew that I was getting close to the finishing straight on the other side of the Canal.
4th 5km Splits
16km - 5:16
17km - 5:25
18km - 5:22
19km - 5:19
20km - 5:25 (total 26:48)
With just over a kilometer to go I found another gear and on jelly legs I pushed as hard as I could. The finish line was not as far along Queen Elizabeth as in previous years and kind of took me by surprise but as soon as I saw it I surged and sprinted as hard as I could hitting the line at full tilt.
Last Splits
21km - 5:07
260m - 1:06 (4:15/km)
At the end of the day it was a really good race. I finished in 1:48:32, just over 3 and a half minutes slower than my personal best. Hopefully my next Half Marathon will see me fully trained up with no illness beforehand.
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
Personal Best on Canada Day!!
One of my main goals of 2012 is to break 22 minutes in a 5km race. I came close in my other two 5km races this year, with 22:30 for a 5km that was measured 150m long and then 22:10 on a tough hilly course. After my struggles in the Alterna "do it for Dad" 10km race last month I targeted this race as my bounce-back race and a great opportunity to cross the sub-22 goal off my 2012 targets. After Alterna I got in more speed work in warm conditions in preparation for Canada day which is usually a hot day and with the race starting close to 9am I could expect temperatures in the mid to high 20s.
Sure enough it was very warm when I arrived in Kanata at the Earl of March School. I did a light warm up and then soaked my buff in cold water to keep my head cool and then headed to the start line. I was a little apprehensive as it was warm and I didn't know if I had it in me to run hard in these conditions.
I got off to a great start and felt calm and comfortable as I tried to keep my pace around 4:15/km. My friend Andy greeted me just after the first turn and sped off ahead of me, he was going faster than my goal-pace so I just let him go and kept him in sight. I hit the 1km mark in 4:12 and felt great so I was well on pace to go sub 22 minutes.
The second kilometer was a little slower (4:23) but I just focused on maintaining an even effort and getting myself to the finish.
The next kilometer came and went without incident (4:22) but as I approached the water station just past the 3km mark another runner cut right in front of me to grab a cup of water and stopped dead. Somehow I managed to avoid a huge collision, by moving even further to the left verge and we clashed shoulders and I stumbled to stay on my feet. Luckily I was able to steady myself and get back on pace. I did a quick check to make sure no damage had been done and quickly forgot the incident and started to prepare for the closing stages of the race.
I knew I was well on pace and decided to pick it up with 1km to go and pick off as many runners as I could. The finish straight was around one final corner and I told myself to go as fast as could along that stretch. My plan worked well as I went by a number of tiring runners (and some walkers from the 10km race). In the final straight I bore down on the line, I had no idea what my race time was as I could only see the 10km race clock (apparently there was a 5km clock too but I didn't see it). I hit the line and stopped the Garmin. It was several minutes before I looked at my race time as I was concentrating on staying upright (with the help of a barrier) and not puking. In had given it everything I had and when I finally looked at the Garmin I was elated to see that I had indeed gone sub 22 with a stellar personal best of 21:22!!
Kilometer splits
1km - 4:12
2km - 4:23
3km - 4:22
4km - 4:22
5km - 4:00
All in all a great way to celebrate Canada day and a race that has given me a great deal of confidence to hit my targets for 10km and Half Marathon later in the year.
Sure enough it was very warm when I arrived in Kanata at the Earl of March School. I did a light warm up and then soaked my buff in cold water to keep my head cool and then headed to the start line. I was a little apprehensive as it was warm and I didn't know if I had it in me to run hard in these conditions.
I got off to a great start and felt calm and comfortable as I tried to keep my pace around 4:15/km. My friend Andy greeted me just after the first turn and sped off ahead of me, he was going faster than my goal-pace so I just let him go and kept him in sight. I hit the 1km mark in 4:12 and felt great so I was well on pace to go sub 22 minutes.
The second kilometer was a little slower (4:23) but I just focused on maintaining an even effort and getting myself to the finish.
The next kilometer came and went without incident (4:22) but as I approached the water station just past the 3km mark another runner cut right in front of me to grab a cup of water and stopped dead. Somehow I managed to avoid a huge collision, by moving even further to the left verge and we clashed shoulders and I stumbled to stay on my feet. Luckily I was able to steady myself and get back on pace. I did a quick check to make sure no damage had been done and quickly forgot the incident and started to prepare for the closing stages of the race.
I knew I was well on pace and decided to pick it up with 1km to go and pick off as many runners as I could. The finish straight was around one final corner and I told myself to go as fast as could along that stretch. My plan worked well as I went by a number of tiring runners (and some walkers from the 10km race). In the final straight I bore down on the line, I had no idea what my race time was as I could only see the 10km race clock (apparently there was a 5km clock too but I didn't see it). I hit the line and stopped the Garmin. It was several minutes before I looked at my race time as I was concentrating on staying upright (with the help of a barrier) and not puking. In had given it everything I had and when I finally looked at the Garmin I was elated to see that I had indeed gone sub 22 with a stellar personal best of 21:22!!
Kilometer splits
1km - 4:12
2km - 4:23
3km - 4:22
4km - 4:22
5km - 4:00
All in all a great way to celebrate Canada day and a race that has given me a great deal of confidence to hit my targets for 10km and Half Marathon later in the year.
Sunday, July 1, 2012
Thursday, June 21, 2012
Alterna "do it for Dad" 10km race, Ottawa, ON - 17th June 2012
This was my third Alterna "do it for Dad" 10km race and eighth 10km race in all. I was hoping to run a personal best (sub 45:22) as I my training up until the race had been strong and I felt in really good shape.
The morning of the race it was pretty warm and sticky, from previous years I remember being quite chilly at the start so I knew that I would have to manage the heat as well as the tough uphill section between 6 and 7.5km.
The start was pretty crowded and it seemed that yet again this race was attracting more people than the previous year. I seeded myself a few rows from the front and concentrated on getting up to pace and seeing how it felt. During the first kilometer I could see that I was off pace but couldn't get my legs to pick it up that much, I figured that I would settle down and speed up gradually as the race wore on. The second and third kilometers felt easier and I got myself into a good rhythm. I was hoping to follow the 45 minute pacer but he dropped out with an injury after about 1.5kms. After first the turn-around and heading back towards the start it started to get hard, my pace started to drop and I tried to fight it as best I could. I managed to keep going at a decent pace but the effort level was creeping up and I was starting to struggle. I came through the 5km mat at 23:39, quite a bit off the target I had set myself so I was a little disappointed to say the least.
Splits for 1st half
1km - 4:31
2km - 4:26
3km - 4:32
4km - 4:39
5km - 4:36
With 5 kilometers to go I was really struggling, my pace dropped again and then as the hill started it dropped even further. The other runners close by me also slowed and it was hard not to get stuck at the same pace as them. With a 5:03 7th kilometer I made the decision to push and get away from the other racers and try and speed up in time for the downhill section. This tactic worked well, but I soon became aware of a blister on the sole of my right foot. I pushed aside the discomfort and after turning at 7.5km I focused on getting my pace up and started trying to pick off distant runners. With 2 kilometers to go I really started to push, there were about 6 runners that I could see ahead of me and I upped the pace trying to pass each of them one by one. Despite the discomfort of the blister on my foot I really started to get into a groove and passed all 6 runners. As I entered the path and grassy section of the finish area I was running as fast as I could flying past another runner in the last 100 meters.
Splits for 2nd half
6km - 4:57
7km - 5:03
8km - 4:50
9km - 4:33
10km - 4:07
In the end my time was a respectable 46:16, not a personal best, but a course personal best. I struggled quite a bit during various parts of the race but was very pleased with the way I picked up the pace in the last 2kms, finishing very strongly.
The morning of the race it was pretty warm and sticky, from previous years I remember being quite chilly at the start so I knew that I would have to manage the heat as well as the tough uphill section between 6 and 7.5km.
The start was pretty crowded and it seemed that yet again this race was attracting more people than the previous year. I seeded myself a few rows from the front and concentrated on getting up to pace and seeing how it felt. During the first kilometer I could see that I was off pace but couldn't get my legs to pick it up that much, I figured that I would settle down and speed up gradually as the race wore on. The second and third kilometers felt easier and I got myself into a good rhythm. I was hoping to follow the 45 minute pacer but he dropped out with an injury after about 1.5kms. After first the turn-around and heading back towards the start it started to get hard, my pace started to drop and I tried to fight it as best I could. I managed to keep going at a decent pace but the effort level was creeping up and I was starting to struggle. I came through the 5km mat at 23:39, quite a bit off the target I had set myself so I was a little disappointed to say the least.
Splits for 1st half
1km - 4:31
2km - 4:26
3km - 4:32
4km - 4:39
5km - 4:36
With 5 kilometers to go I was really struggling, my pace dropped again and then as the hill started it dropped even further. The other runners close by me also slowed and it was hard not to get stuck at the same pace as them. With a 5:03 7th kilometer I made the decision to push and get away from the other racers and try and speed up in time for the downhill section. This tactic worked well, but I soon became aware of a blister on the sole of my right foot. I pushed aside the discomfort and after turning at 7.5km I focused on getting my pace up and started trying to pick off distant runners. With 2 kilometers to go I really started to push, there were about 6 runners that I could see ahead of me and I upped the pace trying to pass each of them one by one. Despite the discomfort of the blister on my foot I really started to get into a groove and passed all 6 runners. As I entered the path and grassy section of the finish area I was running as fast as I could flying past another runner in the last 100 meters.
Splits for 2nd half
6km - 4:57
7km - 5:03
8km - 4:50
9km - 4:33
10km - 4:07
In the end my time was a respectable 46:16, not a personal best, but a course personal best. I struggled quite a bit during various parts of the race but was very pleased with the way I picked up the pace in the last 2kms, finishing very strongly.
Monday, June 11, 2012
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Half Marathon #10 is in the books!
Ottawa Race Weekend - Half Marathon - 27th May 2012
In the lead-up to the race, it seemed that something was telling me not to run it. A week before the race I dropped a metal vacuum attachment on one of my toes and cut and bruised it. Then the Wednesday before the race I slipped on some loose gravel while out on a training run and ended up with road-rash on my knee and elbow (also making a previous wrist injury worse). Finally I contracted some sort of stomach bug and spent Friday night being violently ill.
I was determined to run this race. Ottawa Race Weekend is the special race; the one on my calendar that I am most excited to do, running around our beautiful city with 100,000 spectators cheering you on. It's a great celebration of running and I have enjoyed it every year since I started running in 2008.
I spent all of Saturday trying to recover, taking on fluids and electrolytes and getting into the right frame of mind. I knew that if I ran but didn't feel well I could always just pop it into cruise control and just run, take in the sights and sounds and use it as a running celebration for my 10th Half Marathon.
On Sunday morning I felt fine, if not a little tired. I had a good breakfast and headed out to find a parking space in the Byward Market. Soon enough I was at the race site and it was the usual circus of people chatting nervously, stretching, lining up for porta-potties, going through their paces, getting into the zone, and all the other things people do before a race. I headed straight for the porta-potty line-up as even though I felt fine, I didn't really trust my stomach.
Getting to my assigned corral (orange) was a bit tricky having to climb the barrier and then squeeze through the crowds. This is one thing I wish they would manage better, as usual even though I was in the orange corral, a quick look around showed that runners from various other corrals were all packed in there with me clearly ignoring their corral assignment or just plain oblivious to it.
I was glad when the horn went off to start the race as it was getting pretty hot and sweaty in there, predictably it was a slow start with runners ducking and diving everywhere to find a space piece of tarmac to run on. My plan was to try something close to race pace for the first 5-10km and take it from there. The first 5km felt fine and I was encouraged by this and started to think maybe the stomach issues I had were in the past.
Splits for 1st 5km
1km - 4:53
2km - 4:45
3km - 4:49
4km - 4:51
5km - 4:48
As we climbed the slight slope off Carling and onto Sherwood I started to sense that my stomach problems were not completely resolved. I started to feel some disturbances and I nearly lost my breakfast on Fairmount Ave. Then it was time to take my first gel at the 7km mark just before we turned onto Wellington St. It was after taking the gel and heading onto Wellington that I started to really feel the heat. It wasn't too hot out there, but I was overheating and made sure to dump water into my cap at the next water station to cool me off a bit. My pace started to drop and I tried to fight it, but all of a sudden I didn't feel like I had any energy. I am guessing that the stomach bug had taken more out of me that I had thought (or dared to admit). Even though I hit the 10km mat a respectable time of 49:43 I knew I was getting slower and would be quite a bit off the pace for the rest of the race.
Splits for 2nd 5km
6km - 4:51
7km - 4:54
8km - 5:01
9km - 5:07
10km - 5:20
Then it came, the feeling that I was dreading, my intestines were cramping badly and I knew I would have to make a porta-potty stop. I saw some in the distance and in the time it took me to run up to them I had an internal discussion as to whether I would stop or not. By the time I got there I was virtually waddling so I had to stop. It seemed like I was in there for an eternity but in reality it was about a minute and a half. When I rejoined the race I couldn't regain my pace so I decided just to run at my happy pace and finish the race instead of risking illness or worse. I cruised along the parkway, up and over the hill and into Hull. At 14km I decided not to take my second gel as it was clear that the first one had gone straight through me and I wasn't really exerting myself that much to need another.
Splits for 3rd 5km
11km - 6:57 (porta-potty)
12km - 5:26
13km - 5:32
14km - 5:31
15km - 5:47
After a little bit of a slow-down over the short hills of downtown Hull I found my pace falling again, I felt like I didn't have an ounce of energy, I knew I would finish, but I wasn't sure how long it would take. I made sure to stop and hug my kids and wife when I saw them at the Museum of Civilisation and then gladly grabbed two sponges to help cool myself down. Coming off the Alexandra bridge I saw a couple of Running Maniacs (Miss Smiles and JoJo) in the cheering section and briefly said "Hi" and then continued on to the water station on Mackenzie where I decided to stop and make sure and take in plenty of water. The crowds along the canal were amazing, I took it all in and just cruised to the finish, safe in the knowledge that Half Marathon number 10 was about to go in the books, regardless of the finish time I was enjoying myself and glad that I was able to run after what had happened on Friday.
Splits for last 6.1km
16km - 5:45
17km - 6:01
18km - 6:00
19km - 5:57
20km - 6:01
21km - 5:36
0.32km - 1:42
I did manage to crank it up just a little bit for the finish and hit the line at 1:55:15, an entirely respectable time given my circumstances.
The finish line area was very well organised with people with hoses to help runners cool off and then drinks and snacks before lining up to get a medal. I met Mike as I was grabbing some water and we chatted about our races. He had been carrying an injury so like me had run a similar race, testing out the pace in the early going and then easing back later on to make sure and finish the race.
Today my legs feel fine, which in a way is pretty encouraging, being able to run 1:55 and it barely registering physically. I will push on from here, my training won't go to waste, I have a 10km race coming up in 3 weeks time.
In the lead-up to the race, it seemed that something was telling me not to run it. A week before the race I dropped a metal vacuum attachment on one of my toes and cut and bruised it. Then the Wednesday before the race I slipped on some loose gravel while out on a training run and ended up with road-rash on my knee and elbow (also making a previous wrist injury worse). Finally I contracted some sort of stomach bug and spent Friday night being violently ill.
I was determined to run this race. Ottawa Race Weekend is the special race; the one on my calendar that I am most excited to do, running around our beautiful city with 100,000 spectators cheering you on. It's a great celebration of running and I have enjoyed it every year since I started running in 2008.
I spent all of Saturday trying to recover, taking on fluids and electrolytes and getting into the right frame of mind. I knew that if I ran but didn't feel well I could always just pop it into cruise control and just run, take in the sights and sounds and use it as a running celebration for my 10th Half Marathon.
On Sunday morning I felt fine, if not a little tired. I had a good breakfast and headed out to find a parking space in the Byward Market. Soon enough I was at the race site and it was the usual circus of people chatting nervously, stretching, lining up for porta-potties, going through their paces, getting into the zone, and all the other things people do before a race. I headed straight for the porta-potty line-up as even though I felt fine, I didn't really trust my stomach.
Getting to my assigned corral (orange) was a bit tricky having to climb the barrier and then squeeze through the crowds. This is one thing I wish they would manage better, as usual even though I was in the orange corral, a quick look around showed that runners from various other corrals were all packed in there with me clearly ignoring their corral assignment or just plain oblivious to it.
I was glad when the horn went off to start the race as it was getting pretty hot and sweaty in there, predictably it was a slow start with runners ducking and diving everywhere to find a space piece of tarmac to run on. My plan was to try something close to race pace for the first 5-10km and take it from there. The first 5km felt fine and I was encouraged by this and started to think maybe the stomach issues I had were in the past.
Splits for 1st 5km
1km - 4:53
2km - 4:45
3km - 4:49
4km - 4:51
5km - 4:48
As we climbed the slight slope off Carling and onto Sherwood I started to sense that my stomach problems were not completely resolved. I started to feel some disturbances and I nearly lost my breakfast on Fairmount Ave. Then it was time to take my first gel at the 7km mark just before we turned onto Wellington St. It was after taking the gel and heading onto Wellington that I started to really feel the heat. It wasn't too hot out there, but I was overheating and made sure to dump water into my cap at the next water station to cool me off a bit. My pace started to drop and I tried to fight it, but all of a sudden I didn't feel like I had any energy. I am guessing that the stomach bug had taken more out of me that I had thought (or dared to admit). Even though I hit the 10km mat a respectable time of 49:43 I knew I was getting slower and would be quite a bit off the pace for the rest of the race.
Splits for 2nd 5km
6km - 4:51
7km - 4:54
8km - 5:01
9km - 5:07
10km - 5:20
Then it came, the feeling that I was dreading, my intestines were cramping badly and I knew I would have to make a porta-potty stop. I saw some in the distance and in the time it took me to run up to them I had an internal discussion as to whether I would stop or not. By the time I got there I was virtually waddling so I had to stop. It seemed like I was in there for an eternity but in reality it was about a minute and a half. When I rejoined the race I couldn't regain my pace so I decided just to run at my happy pace and finish the race instead of risking illness or worse. I cruised along the parkway, up and over the hill and into Hull. At 14km I decided not to take my second gel as it was clear that the first one had gone straight through me and I wasn't really exerting myself that much to need another.
Splits for 3rd 5km
11km - 6:57 (porta-potty)
12km - 5:26
13km - 5:32
14km - 5:31
15km - 5:47
After a little bit of a slow-down over the short hills of downtown Hull I found my pace falling again, I felt like I didn't have an ounce of energy, I knew I would finish, but I wasn't sure how long it would take. I made sure to stop and hug my kids and wife when I saw them at the Museum of Civilisation and then gladly grabbed two sponges to help cool myself down. Coming off the Alexandra bridge I saw a couple of Running Maniacs (Miss Smiles and JoJo) in the cheering section and briefly said "Hi" and then continued on to the water station on Mackenzie where I decided to stop and make sure and take in plenty of water. The crowds along the canal were amazing, I took it all in and just cruised to the finish, safe in the knowledge that Half Marathon number 10 was about to go in the books, regardless of the finish time I was enjoying myself and glad that I was able to run after what had happened on Friday.
Splits for last 6.1km
16km - 5:45
17km - 6:01
18km - 6:00
19km - 5:57
20km - 6:01
21km - 5:36
0.32km - 1:42
I did manage to crank it up just a little bit for the finish and hit the line at 1:55:15, an entirely respectable time given my circumstances.
The finish line area was very well organised with people with hoses to help runners cool off and then drinks and snacks before lining up to get a medal. I met Mike as I was grabbing some water and we chatted about our races. He had been carrying an injury so like me had run a similar race, testing out the pace in the early going and then easing back later on to make sure and finish the race.
Today my legs feel fine, which in a way is pretty encouraging, being able to run 1:55 and it barely registering physically. I will push on from here, my training won't go to waste, I have a 10km race coming up in 3 weeks time.
Monday, April 30, 2012
New 5km PB!!!
Bear Run 5km - Chelsea Quebec - 29th April 2012
My goal this year is to break 22 minutes in a 5km race. At the St. Patrick's 5km I ran a fast enough pace to break 22 (4:22/km), but the course was measured slightly too long so I ended up crossing the line 30 seconds after the 22 minute mark. After coming so close I looked for another 5km race and found this one, the Bear, a 5km race on the North Loop in Gatineau Park.
At the start line I was hopeful of breaking 22 minutes, there was a strong-ish tail-wind and this was an out-and-back so I knew there would be a head-wind coming back. I was also unsure about how many hills there were and how steep they would be.
I lined up near the front and soon enough we were off. About 10-15 runners absolutely blew out of the "starting blocks" and headed off into the distance. "Let them go!" I told myself and settled into my goal pace and found my rhythm as I headed up the first hill of the race. It was a small race and the pack settled down pretty quick and I was running pretty much on my own. I clocked 4:10 for the first kilometer, a very good start. The second kilometer started with a gradual uphill but I kept my pace and was feeling pretty strong at this point. I knew I would turn back into a head-wind so I didn't want to ease off.
Everything seemed to be going really well, but then I became aware that my shoelace was undone, usually I go through a number of checks before a race but my mind was too focused on the wind and hills that I neglected to check that my laces were secure. I pulled over onto the grass, threw my gloves off (it was pretty chilly) and quickly tied my lace, grabbed my gloves and headed downhill towards the 2km marker and a steep hill (2km in 4:26). I was not sure how much time I had wasted tying a shoe lace, but I quickly shook it off and tackled the hill and then headed down a steep downhill to the turnaround. After turning around I found out how strong the wind was, it nearly blew my cap off as I struggled back up the hill. At the top of the hill I got some respite and was able to hammer it down the hill clocking 4:33 for the 3rd kilometer.
The forth kilometer was the hardest with a long gradual uphill and on tired legs I started to really struggle, I knew I didn't have too long to go and ran as hard as I could. I also know that there was a steep downhill in the last 500 meters of the race so I could run it really hard and make up any time lost in this section. As anticipated, the forth kilometer was slower (4:47).
At this point I wasn't really aware of where I stood in relation to the magic 22 minute mark, I just kept telling myself to keep running as hard as I could and to really hammer it when I got to the final downhill. Finally the finish line was in sight, I pushed as much as I could but as the clock came in to focus I saw that I would fall just short, clocking 22:10 with a 4:13 final km and good enough for 9th place overall (but a full 2 minutes behind 8th place!).
In the end, it was the shoelace that undid me, missing my goal by a mere 11 seconds. Still I had a very solid race, a personal best for this distance and on a really tough course. I know I can break 22, my next 5km race will be on Canada Day (1st July) and hopefully I will be able to celebrate sub-22 and Canada Day at the same time.
My goal this year is to break 22 minutes in a 5km race. At the St. Patrick's 5km I ran a fast enough pace to break 22 (4:22/km), but the course was measured slightly too long so I ended up crossing the line 30 seconds after the 22 minute mark. After coming so close I looked for another 5km race and found this one, the Bear, a 5km race on the North Loop in Gatineau Park.
At the start line I was hopeful of breaking 22 minutes, there was a strong-ish tail-wind and this was an out-and-back so I knew there would be a head-wind coming back. I was also unsure about how many hills there were and how steep they would be.
I lined up near the front and soon enough we were off. About 10-15 runners absolutely blew out of the "starting blocks" and headed off into the distance. "Let them go!" I told myself and settled into my goal pace and found my rhythm as I headed up the first hill of the race. It was a small race and the pack settled down pretty quick and I was running pretty much on my own. I clocked 4:10 for the first kilometer, a very good start. The second kilometer started with a gradual uphill but I kept my pace and was feeling pretty strong at this point. I knew I would turn back into a head-wind so I didn't want to ease off.
Everything seemed to be going really well, but then I became aware that my shoelace was undone, usually I go through a number of checks before a race but my mind was too focused on the wind and hills that I neglected to check that my laces were secure. I pulled over onto the grass, threw my gloves off (it was pretty chilly) and quickly tied my lace, grabbed my gloves and headed downhill towards the 2km marker and a steep hill (2km in 4:26). I was not sure how much time I had wasted tying a shoe lace, but I quickly shook it off and tackled the hill and then headed down a steep downhill to the turnaround. After turning around I found out how strong the wind was, it nearly blew my cap off as I struggled back up the hill. At the top of the hill I got some respite and was able to hammer it down the hill clocking 4:33 for the 3rd kilometer.
The forth kilometer was the hardest with a long gradual uphill and on tired legs I started to really struggle, I knew I didn't have too long to go and ran as hard as I could. I also know that there was a steep downhill in the last 500 meters of the race so I could run it really hard and make up any time lost in this section. As anticipated, the forth kilometer was slower (4:47).
At this point I wasn't really aware of where I stood in relation to the magic 22 minute mark, I just kept telling myself to keep running as hard as I could and to really hammer it when I got to the final downhill. Finally the finish line was in sight, I pushed as much as I could but as the clock came in to focus I saw that I would fall just short, clocking 22:10 with a 4:13 final km and good enough for 9th place overall (but a full 2 minutes behind 8th place!).
In the end, it was the shoelace that undid me, missing my goal by a mere 11 seconds. Still I had a very solid race, a personal best for this distance and on a really tough course. I know I can break 22, my next 5km race will be on Canada Day (1st July) and hopefully I will be able to celebrate sub-22 and Canada Day at the same time.
Sunday, April 15, 2012
New Half Marathon PB at the Minto run for Reach
Minto Run for Reach - 15th of April 2012 - Ottawa, Ontario
This was my third Minto Run for Reach Half Marathon and 9th Half Marathon in total. This race has been very good to me in the past with new personal bests each time I have run it. I decided on trying for sub-1:40 to see if I could get close and if not then what I needed to work on before the National Capital race in May.
The weather was perfect for racing and I felt in good shape to run as I chatted with Mike and Andy at the start line.
We wished each other good luck and moments later the race was on. As usual I bolted out of the blocks and had to tell myself to slow down and stay disciplined. This is a race that attracts quite a few very fast half marathoners so I didn't want to get caught up in the excitement. My first kilometer was covered in 4:36 so I dialed it back just a touch and was pleased to read 4:41 and 4:44 for the next 2 kilometers. At this stage I felt pretty fresh and relaxed and continued the pace down towards the Running Mania water station just beyond the Bronson bridge.
Splits for 1st 5km
1km - 4:36
2km - 4:41
3km - 4:44
4km - 4:48
5km - 4:35
Coming back up the canal after the turnaround I was suddenly aware of a stiff breeze and found the going a bit tougher. My pace dropped off and I found I was really fighting to stay on pace. I could see Mike ahead and he too had seemed to have dropped off the pace. I kept on pushing, wondering if I had gone out too hard or had help from the wind. I figured the 3rd 5km after the 10km turn would be easier.
Splits for 2nd 5km
6km - 4:51
7km - 4:48
8km - 4:49
9km - 4:52
10km - 4:52
10km split = 47:30
It turns out that I had figured wrong, the 3rd 5km section was not easier, there was no tailwind and it was starting to feel quite humid. I realised that sub 1:40 was gone and started to analyse whether I didn't really have the fitness for that goal or whether I had made a tactical error in going out too hard. I kind of felt a bit sorry for myself, but kept plodding on trying to keep up as quick a pace as I could. I got a good boost when passing the Running Mania water station this time as they had dressed up a blow up doll and chased me with it. I put on a good burst of speed and headed towards the final turnaround at the Dow's Lake Pavilion.
Splits for 3rd 5km
11km - 4:54
12km - 5:07
13km - 5:16
14km - 5:19
15km - 5:04
After I passed the Maniacs one final time I became aware of someone right on my heels, I moved over to let her through but she moved over with me, when I moved again, she moved. She was draughting off me and it was killing my pace. In the end I slowed right down and moved over and she got the hint, I was struggling enough without having to pull someone all the way to the finish line. This incident kind of woke me up from my slumber, I checked my Garmin and realised that if I ran a steady 5:00/km I could still PB the race. I had 4km to go and told myself that I would run as hard as I could and damn the consequences, I could lie down after the finish line. Surprisingly enough I managed to hover around the 5:00/km mark and kept pressing until I could see the finish line in the distance and ran as hard as I could on tired legs. The clock was approaching 1:44 so I knew it would be really close, but I may have PBed the race after all.
Splits for the last 6.1km
16km - 5:24
17km - 5:09
18km - 5:04
19km - 5:05
20km - 5:02
21km - 4:45
0.1km - 0:22
On checking the race stats when I got home, it was confirmed that I had run a new personal best of 1:43:58. Even though I had not gone sub 1:40 I was still very happy that I was able to pick myself up from the disappointment from not being able to hold my goal pace to set a new personal best.
This was my third Minto Run for Reach Half Marathon and 9th Half Marathon in total. This race has been very good to me in the past with new personal bests each time I have run it. I decided on trying for sub-1:40 to see if I could get close and if not then what I needed to work on before the National Capital race in May.
The weather was perfect for racing and I felt in good shape to run as I chatted with Mike and Andy at the start line.
We wished each other good luck and moments later the race was on. As usual I bolted out of the blocks and had to tell myself to slow down and stay disciplined. This is a race that attracts quite a few very fast half marathoners so I didn't want to get caught up in the excitement. My first kilometer was covered in 4:36 so I dialed it back just a touch and was pleased to read 4:41 and 4:44 for the next 2 kilometers. At this stage I felt pretty fresh and relaxed and continued the pace down towards the Running Mania water station just beyond the Bronson bridge.
Splits for 1st 5km
1km - 4:36
2km - 4:41
3km - 4:44
4km - 4:48
5km - 4:35
Coming back up the canal after the turnaround I was suddenly aware of a stiff breeze and found the going a bit tougher. My pace dropped off and I found I was really fighting to stay on pace. I could see Mike ahead and he too had seemed to have dropped off the pace. I kept on pushing, wondering if I had gone out too hard or had help from the wind. I figured the 3rd 5km after the 10km turn would be easier.
Splits for 2nd 5km
6km - 4:51
7km - 4:48
8km - 4:49
9km - 4:52
10km - 4:52
10km split = 47:30
It turns out that I had figured wrong, the 3rd 5km section was not easier, there was no tailwind and it was starting to feel quite humid. I realised that sub 1:40 was gone and started to analyse whether I didn't really have the fitness for that goal or whether I had made a tactical error in going out too hard. I kind of felt a bit sorry for myself, but kept plodding on trying to keep up as quick a pace as I could. I got a good boost when passing the Running Mania water station this time as they had dressed up a blow up doll and chased me with it. I put on a good burst of speed and headed towards the final turnaround at the Dow's Lake Pavilion.
Splits for 3rd 5km
11km - 4:54
12km - 5:07
13km - 5:16
14km - 5:19
15km - 5:04
After I passed the Maniacs one final time I became aware of someone right on my heels, I moved over to let her through but she moved over with me, when I moved again, she moved. She was draughting off me and it was killing my pace. In the end I slowed right down and moved over and she got the hint, I was struggling enough without having to pull someone all the way to the finish line. This incident kind of woke me up from my slumber, I checked my Garmin and realised that if I ran a steady 5:00/km I could still PB the race. I had 4km to go and told myself that I would run as hard as I could and damn the consequences, I could lie down after the finish line. Surprisingly enough I managed to hover around the 5:00/km mark and kept pressing until I could see the finish line in the distance and ran as hard as I could on tired legs. The clock was approaching 1:44 so I knew it would be really close, but I may have PBed the race after all.
Splits for the last 6.1km
16km - 5:24
17km - 5:09
18km - 5:04
19km - 5:05
20km - 5:02
21km - 4:45
0.1km - 0:22
On checking the race stats when I got home, it was confirmed that I had run a new personal best of 1:43:58. Even though I had not gone sub 1:40 I was still very happy that I was able to pick myself up from the disappointment from not being able to hold my goal pace to set a new personal best.
Thursday, March 22, 2012
St Patrick's Day 5km race
I missed this race last year as I was moving house, so when
it came around this year I was anxious to sign up for it as it is good race to
gauge the early season fitness over a shorter distance than the Half Marathon I
am training for (Ottawa Race Weekend, 29 May 2012).
Added to that, my neighbour, Susi challenged me to beat her
in a race. I have never beaten her in a race so far, but I am getting closer
and closer.
I hadn’t done much speed work if any, but challenge aside I
wanted to run as hard as I could and go under 22 minutes.
The weather this year has been amazing, with temperatures in
the teens already, but on race morning it was decidedly chilly with a mist that
was hanging in the air, giving very little visibility. I opted for shorts and a
thermal top with my singlet on top, a normal running cap (rather than a toque)
and no gloves.
After the 10km has started I spotted Rick (airforcerunner)
and chatted to him for a few minutes as we warmed up and then I was joined by
Susi in the starting corral about 3 rows from the front.
Soon enough we were off and Susi went off like a rocket, I
checked my Garmin and saw sub-4:00 so I dialled it back a little bit and hit
the 1st km in 4:15. I felt good at this point and continued to push
at the same pace, then I saw that the 1km marker in the distance, “looks like
someone put that down in the wrong spot” I thought to myself and didn’t give it
any more thought as I had my Garmin. My 2nd km was done in 4:25 so I
was slowing a little but I still felt good and tried to keep my breathing deep
and even and my legs nice and relaxed as the course took on a slight incline.
My hands were freezing though and the turnaround at 2.5 km seemed to take
forever to get to, and with the mist that had moved off the still partially
frozen canal I couldn’t see it in the distance until I was almost upon it.
After the turnaround I could feel my pace starting to get
tougher and was starting to hurt, for me this is the hardest part of any 5km race,
knowing that there are over 2 kms of pain ahead but not wanting to stop until
you hit the line. Sure enough my pace had slowed and when my Garmin beeped it
showed a 4:32 split for the 3rd km. I still couldn’t see Susi, but
Rick was just up ahead so I pushed on and picked up the pace a touch and willed
myself onwards, sub-22 was still in the offing and I always seem to finish
strongly so I just focussed straight ahead and kept the pace and was pleased
with a 4:26 for the 4th km.
Now was the time to decide when I would start my sprint for
the finish, I decided on when I got to a particular junction near the canal
that I had spotted earlier, I am not sure why, but then I could see Susi in the
distance so I picked up the pace. I realised that I wouldn’t catch Susi with
about 300 meters to go, but I saw that with a strong sprint I could catch and
pass 2 guys ahead of me.
I caught them easily and continued to accelerate and stopped
my Garmin as I flew over the finish mat, surely it was the sub-22 I had planned
for.
After catching my breath a stole a look at my
Garmin…..22:31? I was confused, I was sure I’d have been sub-22 when I did all
the math in my head as I was running (to forget about the pain), and I sped up,
“there must be some mistake” I said out loud to no-one in particular. Then I
checked the distance screen on my Garmin and it read 5.15kms. Could l
In search of a bottle of water and a banana I got chatting
to a guy who was asking me about my race, and then he said, “We never know how
much water to get. The weather is so variable in Ottawa in March”. “Oh are you one of the race
organizers?” I asked him, “Yes, race director actually”. “I think the 5km
course was long” I told him, “yes, so I hear, by 150 meters, sorry about that”.
So there it was 22:31 for 5.15 kms which works out to
4:22/km or 21:50 over 5kms. I also had a very strong finishing kick with 3:32/km
over the extra 150 meters. Obviously my sub-22 isn’t official, but knowing that
I ran a great race and improved my pace has given me a lot of confidence for
the next race. I am heading in the right direction and have plenty of time to
go sub-22 (or better) in the next 5km race.
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
St Patrick's Day 5km
Solid 22:31 at the St Patrick's day 5km race, course was 150 meters too long, so my pace was actually PB pace...
...report coming soon...
...report coming soon...
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Monday, February 27, 2012
Winterman Half Marathon - Ottawa - 19th Feb 2012
This year, the weather was very kind with an air temperature of -4˚C and clear sunny skies.
Opting to run a half marathon distance at this stage of the year is a great motivator to get the year off to a good start and to keep up with the training, regardless of the winter weather. I had a good base already and was targeting sub-1:48 for the race and when I went outside to test the weather on race morning I opted for my lighter shoes (red Saucony Kinvaras) and just 2 layers. When I got to the race site, I started to regret my decision, I was freezing as I lined up for my timing chip, and the line was so long I didn’t get a chance to warm up or make a pre-race bathroom visit. The starting area was crowded and I couldn’t get as far forward as I wanted. I had forgotten that this was a “gun time” only race, but as we were huddled in the starting enclosure I finally heard about a change in the course. It wasn’t really clear to me at the time the exact details of the course change for half marathon and marathon runners, I figured I’d just have to stay alert as I started the race and look out for course marshals directing the runners. It was a little unsettling not to have a clear picture of the route I was running in my head, but I just shook it off and listened for the gun.
The gun was deafening (they use a huge army cannon) and we were off. The Winterman race is a mass-start with all distances (5km, 10km, half marathon and marathon) starting at the same time so it was a slow start and I had to duck and dive looking for some free road to run on as runners of all abilities were moving on masse towards the first hill of the race.
Soon enough I had settled into my pace and any time I lost at the start I was able to take back on the downhill over the railway tracks. I felt fine at 5:05/km and held it there as I was directed towards the course change that they had mentioned at the start. Marathon and half marathon runners had to run past the off ramp to Tunney’s pasture and further up the road (marathoners to a turnaround 1.1km away, and half marathoners to a turnaround 550m away). Then we were directed onto the off ramp to Tunney’s pasture.
This course change was a mistake by the race organisers as now a whole bunch of runners, running at a ~5:00/km pace were stuck behind runners running at 6:30 - 7:00/km pace at the narrowest part of the course. It was like hitting a wall to be honest. I managed to cut in and out and find some room, nearly slipped on a patch of ice and was starting to feel some frustration at the situation. Then I realised that I was losing my focus, “it is what it is” I told myself, I decided that I wouldn’t let this give me ready-made excuses for not making my goal time and I would look for gaps and hammer the pace to get into them and then slow if I needed to get ready to sprint for another gap. This is something that running has taught me, you can stay in your comfort zone and if something goes against you, you can easily start lining up the excuses “if it wasn’t for this or that I could of…” etc., or you can take risks, get out of your comfort zone and if you fail, then you fail, no excuses, at least you had the guts to try. I used this “no excuses” thought as my mantra as I weaved in and out of the traffic and ended up losing no time at all. I had a quick glance at the clock as I came around and into the lap chute and it was definitely wrong, by about 5 minutes according to my garmin.
1st lap (garmin data started at start line)
1km - 5:15
2km - 4:53
3km - 4:57
4km - 4:55
5km - 5:00
6km - 4:51 (29:51) - 6.1km race split - (30:43 - includes time to cross start line).
Starting the next lap, I could feel that the wind had picked up a touch, it was a side wind so I knew I wouldn’t get much relief from it coming back in the other direction. I held my pace at as close to 5:07/km as I could, I was feeling really good but I wanted to keep it comfortable so that I could run the last lap at a faster pace and really hammer the last 2.5km.
I took my first gel at 7km and headed down the off ramp and into Tunney’s pasture for the turnaround, the pack had really thinned out as all the 5km runners were now off the course and the 10km runners were mostly on their final lap.
Annoyingly I had to stop to tie my shoelace as I came into Vimy Place by the museum but as I came around the bend to the lap chute I was pleased to see that they had fixed the race clock. I saw a friend amongst the spectators that I hadn’t seen in some time so that gave me a boost. I was also starting to get too hot so I threw my hat to the side of the racecourse. The rest of my race attire was perfect, so although I felt really cold at the start I had made the correct decision.
2nd lap (garmin splits)
7km - 5:06
8km - 5:03
9km - 5:12
10km - 5:07
11km - 5:02 (25:30) (55:21 total) (6.1 - 11.1km race split 25:36)
Now the course was really empty, just the marathoners, half marathoners and marathon relay runners. I always find this part of the half marathon the toughest mentally, you are past half way, but not near enough to the finish to really sense it, you just have to keep willing yourself forward, keeping an eye on your pace and just tick those kilometres off as you complete them. I took my 2nd gel at the 14km point and started to think about my tactics for finishing the race, i.e. when to pick it up and gut it out to the finish. Just then, the leader of the half marathon race powered past me and into the distance, I find it incredible to see athletes like that up close under race conditions. I knew that as I rounded the bend to finish my third lap, he would be cooling off having finished the race 8-10 minutes earlier.
3rd lap (garmin splits)
12km - 5:08
13km - 5:12
14km - 5:09
15km - 5:08
16km - 5:00 (25:37) (1:20:28 total) (11.1 - 16.1km race split 25:44)
Last lap, the time to hang on in there and wait for my chance to pick up the pace and finish the race as strong as I could. The course has a few ups and downs and all I could think about was that final climb up and over the railway tracks before coming down and around to the museum. As I turned for the last time at Tunney’s pasture I took one last swig of water and told myself it was “go time”. I powered up the last hill as hard as I could and then hammered it down the hill and into the museum reaching a flat out sprint as I hit the line, with a just a quick glance at the clock that was just moving to 1:47.
4th lap (garmin splits)
17km - 5:06
18km - 5:07
19km - 5:06
20km - 5:05
21km - 4:39 (25:03)
0.1km - 0:44 (200m by the garmin - 3:40/km) (16.1 - 21.1km race split 25:05)
Final race time - 1:47:05
All in all I was really happy with that race. I feel I am stronger and faster this year and have set myself some pretty tough goals, so to run this race over 6 minutes faster than last year was very pleasing.
Sunday, February 19, 2012
2012
Feb 19 - Winterman Half Marathon - 1:47:05
Mar 17 - St Patrick's 5km - 22:31
Apr 15 - Minto Run for Reach Half Marathon - 1:43:48
Apr 29 - Bear Run 5 km - 22:10
May 27 - Ottawa Race Weekend Half Marathon - 1:55:15
Jun 17 - Alterna Do it for Dad 10km - 46:16
Jul 1 - Canada Day 5km - 21:22
Sep 23 - Army Half Marathon - 1:48:32
Oct 8 - Chelsea Challenge 10km - 46:04
Mar 17 - St Patrick's 5km - 22:31
Apr 15 - Minto Run for Reach Half Marathon - 1:43:48
Apr 29 - Bear Run 5 km - 22:10
May 27 - Ottawa Race Weekend Half Marathon - 1:55:15
Jun 17 - Alterna Do it for Dad 10km - 46:16
Jul 1 - Canada Day 5km - 21:22
Sep 23 - Army Half Marathon - 1:48:32
Oct 8 - Chelsea Challenge 10km - 46:04
Great first race!!!
1st race of 2012 is in the books, 1:47:05 in the Winterman Half Marathon, pleasing result...
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
2011 - A Year in Review
Summary – 194 runs for a total of 1683.26km
8 races – 1 Marathon 3:55:22 (PB); 3 x half marathons
1:44:24 (PB), 1:50:22, 1:53:08, 2 x 10km 45:22 (PB), 46:26; 1x 8km 35:48 (PB);
1 x 5km 22:21 (PB).
Click on race times above to go to the full race results, and on the names of the races (in orange text) in the paragraphs below to go to my race reports.
Click on race times above to go to the full race results, and on the names of the races (in orange text) in the paragraphs below to go to my race reports.
Part 1 Jan 1st to March 31st
47 runs – 557.07km [Jan – 172.91; Feb – 169.24; Mar –
214.92]
My main focus for the year was to run my first marathon, the
Ottawa Marathon in May. Therefore the first few months of 2011 were spent
building suitable base and increasing my mileage. I managed one race in this
quarter, the Winterman Half Marathon in February, clocking a pleasing 1:53:08
on no speed work whatsoever. I started my speed work in March and found that I
hadn’t lost much if any speed at all since 2010 and was able to build up my
speed and endurance as I found myself able to run harder outdoors as there was
less ice and warmer temperatures were on their way.
Part 2 April 1st to June 30th
26 runs – 411.14km [Apr – 174.72; May – 186.64; Jun – 49.78]
In the second quarter of the year I ran three races
including my debut marathon. Before the marathon my running volume was high as
I put in long runs of up to 30km and 15 to 20 km marathon paced runs to get
myself in as good a condition as I could for the big race. In April I got to
test just how much my speed and endurance had improved by running a personal
best 1:44:24 in the Run for Reach Half Marathon. This result gave me a lot of
confidence leading up to the Ottawa Marathon and for the first time I was
dreaming of a sub-4 hour performance.
Soon enough the big day arrived and although the closing
stages of the race were as mentally tough and physically painful as I have ever
experienced in a race, I hung on and hit the line in 3:55:22.
Needless to say, my running volume in June was much lower as
I took a bit of time off to recover, but that didn’t stop me clocking a then
personal best 46:26 in the Do it for Dad 10km on Fathers Day.
Part 3 July 1st to September 30th
31 runs – 307.97km [Jul – 121.55; Aug – 77.51; Sep – 108.91]
I got the 3rd quarter of the year off to a great
start with a personal best 22:21 at the Canada Day 5km race in Kanata.
It was a blisteringly hot day and I think I definitely could have gone faster,
but in the circumstances I was very happy with a PB. Afterwards I had the
pleasure of running the 1km kids race with my daughter Emma who run her little
legs off and clocked an impressive 8:48 for a 5 year old. My mileage for the
month was a little on the low side as I struggled to find the time or energy to
get out there and run. I ended up going into the Army Run Half Marathon
undertrained and paid for it in the second half of the race. I started brightly
enough but my lack of miles told, and I struggled badly in the last 6 or 7 km,
but hung on for a decent enough time of 1:50:22. After, or probably during that
race, I made a pact with myself to stop finding excuses and just get out and
run. I had read of runners doing a 100 day challenge, whereby you run for 100
days in a row. The rules are simple, as long as a run is 10 minutes long or
more, it counts toward the challenge. I embarked upon this challenge on 22nd
of September and didn’t look back.
Part 4 October 1st to December 31st
90 runs – 407.08km [Oct – 154.35; Nov – 124.74; Dec –
127.99]
Even in the midst of the 100 day challenge I was able to fit
in 2 races and had personal bests and age group placements in both. The Chelsea Challenge 10km on Thanksgiving Monday was the site of my first ever age group
(male 30-39) win. I ran a good aggressive race on the many hills and clocked a
personal best 45:22 coming in 16th place out of 58 runners and 1st
out of male runners between the ages of 30 and 39.
My inspiration for the race was simple. The day before I was
running alongside my daughter again as she smashed her 1km best by 2 minutes
for a personal best of 6:50. She showed a lot of tenacity, had a great time and
was very proud of her medal. Not half as proud as me though, had a bit of a
lump in my throat as she left me to sprint down the finish chute.
With the 100 day challenge ticking over nicely I signed up
for an 8km race (Beat Beethoven) and finished 11th out of 168
runners with a personal best of 35:48, good enough for 3rd in my age
group.
After that, I saw out the rest of the year, running every
day ending up with a total of 1683.26 km for the year from 194 runs.
All in all, 2011 was an excellent year. Personal bests in all distances, a new personal best for total distance run, and number of runs. Best of all, no injuries. Hopefully 2012 has some big things in store for me.
Thanks for reading and here's wishing you and your family an excellent 2012!!
All in all, 2011 was an excellent year. Personal bests in all distances, a new personal best for total distance run, and number of runs. Best of all, no injuries. Hopefully 2012 has some big things in store for me.
Thanks for reading and here's wishing you and your family an excellent 2012!!
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