Army Half Marathon - 22 Sept 2013

The Army Run is a special run for me. My very first Half Marathon was at the Army run back in 2009 and I have run it ever year since. This year is the 5th anniversary of the Army Run, unfortunately I missed the inaugural event but I still want to keep the run going.

I have been trying to go sub 1 hour 40 in the half marathon and fallen short on each attempt. 1:43:41 at the Minto Run for Reach in April of this year, tiring badly in the middle of the race but then finishing strongly.

1km - 4:53
2km - 4:33
3km - 4:53
4km - 4:47
5km - 4:49

6km - 4:54

7km - 4:51

8km - 4:57

9km - 5:00

10km - 4:45

11km - 5:01

12km - 4:51

13km - 5:03

14km - 5:10

15km - 4:56

16km - 4:55

17km - 5:02

18km - 4:53

19km - 4:49

20km - 4:56

21km - 4:56

0.1km - (ended up being 0.2km) - 3:57

Commonwealth Games Canada Day 5km race - 1st July 2013

As a proud Canadian I like to do a 5km race on Canada every year and have been following this tradition since 2010.

This year was no exception and I was glad to see that the old downtown race had been reinstated. It's a really great race; the start is on the Alexandra Bridge looking up to the Parliament Buildings in Ottawa while they play the national anthem. After that it is a gruelling uphill towards the American embassy, out onto Elgin Street and then a screaming downhill alongside the Rideau canal by the locks and then you follow the bike path along the Ottawa River, cross into Hull via the Portage Bridge and then it is a sprint to the finish past the Canadian Museum of Civilization to the finish line by Jacques Cartier Park.

With the anthem over I got into a frame of mind that would hopefully propel me to a new personal best. I had hit the mark of 21:22 the year previous in the Canada Day race (on a course in Kanata) and was hoping to get closer to breaking 21 minutes.

As anticipated, the first kilometre was tough, up hill and jostling for position. My Garmin showed 4:21 and I knew I had to go quicker than that to get a PB so I hammered it, especially on the downhill stretch past the locks by the Rideau Canal. 4:10 for the second kilometre; better. I am not sure how much of a toll that hard downhill stretch had but I fell off the pace while going along the river, and vowed to just keep pushing as hard as I could and see what I ended up with. 4:31 and 4:30 for kilometres 3 and 4 I held on and ran with what I had left, legs screaming, lungs screaming and hit the finish line as fast as I could nearly ploughing into John Stanton (CEO of Running Room), breathlessly accepting my medal from him as I fumbled with my Garmin to see how I fared. 21:24, just 3 seconds shy of a new personal best, damn that hurts!

Not only that, but I just missed out on a podium place as well with 4/17 in age group (M30-39).

However, on reflection I was really happy with the result, it showed me that:

a) 21:22 last year was not a fluke.

b) That even though my pace dropped and I felt like quitting, I pushed myself to the max and nearly gutted out a PB.
c) New 1km split PB of 3:53 on the last kilometre is crazy fast for me!

d) 21:24 on a course with a punishing uphill and downhill stretch is bloody good!

Ultimate Run for Men's Cancers 15km race - June 16th 2013

I have done the Ultimate Run for Men's Cancers 10km race for the last 3 years (under its various different names/sponsors) but decided on a new 15km option for the 15th anniversary of the race. Having never done a 15km race it was a good opportunity to test the Half Marathon pace I have set myself to go sub 1:40 in the Army Run in September.

They set the 15km race off first but I wasn't really sure what the actual course the race would take. I was given "about as far as the Pretoria Bridge and then turn around and do the normal finish for the 10km". I realized that would mean the tough climb would come between 11km and 12.5km and prepared myself mentally for this.

I got chatting to a lady at the start who had competed in every single one of these Men’s Cancer races and because she was unsure of the course I told her what I had been told. But as I was telling her it didn’t seem right; the turnaround would have to be much further away that the Pretoria Bridge to make this a 15km race. I didn’t like the uncertainty but shook it off and got ready for the gun.

Off we went and I quickly found my pace as the number of runners was quite small (42). I was actually in the lead for a brief moment but that didn't last as the fast runners sped off into the distance. I counted those ahead of me and tucked into 9^th place.

I had set myself a pace goal of 4:44 per kilometre but so far wasn’t hitting that mark covering the first kilometre in 4:52. I figured I would pick up the pace soon but the wind was in our faces and the course was mostly uphill. I passed 3 runners to go into 6^th place and kept pushing as hard as I felt I could up until the Pretoria Bridge, where sure enough the marshal waved us through and said, “turn around is all the way up by the Laurier Bridge”. That made much more sense and allowed me to relax a bit and continue pushing. I wasn't however able to stop another runner passing me, putting me into 7^th position. I tried to hang with her for a bit and upped my pace, but I couldn’t keep pace with her and let her go ahead, consoling myself with a strong 7^th place rather than blowing up and finishing much further back. I hit the 5km turn in 24 minutes flat and noticed as I rounded the cone that there was no-one behind me for quite some distance.

Splits - 5kms

1km - 4:52

2km - 4:50

3km - 4:47

4km - 4:41

5km - 4:50 - 24:00

With a good lead on the runner in 8^th I decided to push on a bit and try and hit 4:44/km and managed it for about one kilometre until my legs protested a bit too much. Instead I took it down a notch, determined to finish strong and under 1:12:00 for the race.

By this time the 10km race had started and they use the same course as the 15km but with a closer turnaround. I saw some of the leaders heading the other way and noted their red bibs so that when they passed me (and they inevitably would) that I wouldn’t freak out thinking that a 15km runner was passing me. Sure enough a kilometre later some red bib runners started passing me. By this time I was approaching the 10km mat.

Splits - 5kms

6km - 4:43

7km - 4:50

8km - 4:53

9km - 4:56

10km - 4:51 - 48:10

Just over 48 minutes for 10km and the toughest part of the race was to come with the gradual but long incline to the 12.5km turnaround. Quick arithmetic in my head meant that I’d have to negotiate this last 3^rd of the race in a faster time than the 24 minutes I managed for the first 5km if I wanted to go under 1:12:00.

I pushed hard up the hill, cognisant of my slowing pace, but knowing that the last 2.5kms were downhill and that I’d have to push really hard in that section. As it had been for the last little while I would be passed, glance to my side, see a red bib and heave a sigh of relief, I had no idea if I was being hunted down by other 15km runners or not. I saw the 6^th place 15km runner (grey bib) heading back to the finish line and they seemed to be about a minute and a half ahead of me.

At the 12.5km turnaround I took a quick swig of water and then upped the pace, while all the time looking to the other side of the road to see where the next 15km runner was. When I saw him I realised I had a huge lead on him (over 2 minutes by quick rough calculation) and that I would finish in 7^th place overall (if I had counted correctly) as I wasn’t about to catch the runner ahead of me. I just focussed on pushing as hard as I could to get under 1:12:00 covering the 14^th kilometre in 4:40 and speeding up further for the 15^th kilometre.

At the finish the course takes a sharp turn onto grass and finishes in a park (where they had all the tents etc. for the race). I gunned it as hard as I could and could see from the clock that I had done just enough, hitting the mat at 1:11:44 for a very pleasing race.

Splits - 5kms

11km - 4:55

12km - 4:59

13km - 4:49

14km - 4:40

15km - 4:24 - 1:11:44

A quick check of the race results had me in 7^th place, 5^th place for men and 2^nd place in my age category (M30-39). I cooled off and it started to rain so I started to head back to the car until I heard my name called, turns out there were medals for 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd in each age group and I turned around and went to pick up a silver medal for my efforts.

In the end even though I couldn't hold 4:44/km I was very pleased with my race and silver medal (never received a special medal before).

Ottawa Marathon Report - Taming the Beast

BACKGROUND

I ran my first marathon back in 2010 and the lead up to running that marathon was the reason for starting this blog so that I could capture my thoughts and then post a race report. Since then the blog has become more of a documentation of my running that I will be able to look back on for years to come and relive the memories of my races etc.

When friends ask about the marathon I always find it a bit difficult to describe. Instead I refer to it as "the beast" and then shudder at the thought of those last 10 kilometers on very tired and sore legs.

After the first marathon in which I managed to go sub 4-hours (3:55:22) I never really had any real urge to do another, but slowly over time I started to dream about facing the beast once more and beating my personal best.

The Ottawa marathon is an excellent race, a beautiful and varied course, great crowds, diligent volunteers and very well organized. I live across the river from Ottawa so I know most of the course very well and felt that a bit of local knowledge would really help me during the race.

So I signed up for Ottawa and started my training in January following Bruce Deacon's "quest for improvement" marathon plan.

I have trained using Bruce's Half Marathon plan and I find that the format of his plans really suits my needs as a runner. The combination of long runs, lots of different speed workouts, race paced efforts, and steady runs really help me keep my focus and 5-6 days a week is just about right for my level of experience.

Despite missing almost 2 weeks suffering from "walking pneumonia" near the beginning of the program I rebounded really well and this was probably the strongest training cycle I have ever had since I started running for fun in 2009.

PRE-RACE

I got up early and picked up two out-of-towners; friends of a friend of mine who were both attempting their first marathon. We had a good chat on the way in to town and I tried to help them with my local knowledge of the course and where to go and what to expect. I left out what it feels to cross the finish line after 42.2kms. One reason is I didn't want to taint their experience, the other is that even two years after my first marathon I still struggle to put the feeling into words, words that make sense at any rate.

We found a decent parking spot and headed down to the race, lined up for the porta-potties, I wished them good luck and left them to do their own thing. I got in a brief warm up mainly to clear the butterflies from my stomach and focus on the task in hand. It wasn't long before I decided to squeeze into the corral and get ready for the staring horn.

The conditions for the race could not have been much better with overcast skies and a cool temperature.  I was midway into the yellow coral and close to the 3:35 pace bunny. I don't use bunnies for pacing, but rather as a frame of reference and instead rely on my Garmin. My A-goal was to go under 3:45 so my plan was to start on pace for 3:35 and then see where it took me as I didn't really have a good idea of what my endurance would be like over 42.2kms and would likely fade and hopefully end up crossing the line ahead of my 3:45 target.

THE RACE

The race started and we shuffled over the line and up the hill to the top of Elgin Street. As usual I had a lot of trouble finding a space to run and was worried about clipping the back of someone's heels. I decided to just see out the first kilometer and once the race had settled down, to find some space and get on pace. As it was, it didn't take that long to settle down and I got to my race pace of ~5:05/km and just focused on staying calm and tension-free.

As we headed down the Rideau Canal towards Dow's Lake, even this early in the morning, there were some decent crowds giving us plenty of encouragement as we slowly woke up to what we were in the process of doing; running a marathon.

First 5kms - 5:15 / 5:03 / 5:00 / 5:01 / 5:02  - total 25:21

Bang on target for the first 5kms and feeling fine, I held the pace as we headed up Carling Ave and into the neighbourhoods of Sherwood and Fairmount that had a lot of residents out cheering out in front of their houses. The atmosphere was excellent and the crowds thickened even more as we hit Wellington and headed towards the 10km mat.

Second 5kms - 5:05 / 5:02 / 5:06 / 5:00 / 5:02  - total 25:15 (10km split - 50:36 / official race split 50:58 - longer as I gathered extra distance by not running the shortest tangent of the course)

This next section saw us continue along Wellington and into Westboro before turning around and heading towards Tunney's pasture and the Ottawa River parkway. Live bands and music blaring out of various tents kept us moving along well. I was still just behind the 3:35 bunny and feeling very fresh. I felt the first hint of a gusty wind whilst heading into Tunney's Pasture so I ducked behind some taller runners and used them as a shield. I took my second gel as we left Tunney's pasture and headed up the river towards Island Park, all the time looking over at the faster runners who were returning from the turnaround and heading down the other carriageway towards the War Museum.

Third 5kms - 5:00 /4:57 / 5:02 / 5:02 / 5:08  - total 25:09 (15km split - 1:15:45)

After the turnaround it was now a chance to gaze over at the runners on the other carriageway who were waving over at us and whooping and cheering. You get a real feel for the size of the race as the crowds of runners bouncing along seemed endless with runners of all shapes and sizes clearly enjoying themselves. Soon enough, the first real hill of the course was upon us, a climb up and over the railway bridge that crosses the Ottawa River and into Quebec. I shortened my stride and powered up it knowing full well that a long downhill followed the hill and the road swept around and in front of the War Museum where huge crowds had gathered to will us on as we rounded the corner headed onto the Chaudiere Bridge and into downtown Hull. The wind had picked up and made the climb after the bridge a tough one, but I knew the halfway point was approaching so I pushed on and kept up my pace.

Forth 5kms - 5:01 /5:03 / 4:59 / 5:09 / 4:59  - total 25:11 (20km split - 1:40:56)

I could see the halfway mat up ahead at the top of the hill on Alexandre Tache and kept pushing hitting the mat at 1:47:26 (official race split).

Turning on to the Lac des Fees pathway the headwind was at its strongest so far and I felt the first signs of the going getting a bit tougher. I was glad to turn off the parkway and then into the neighbourhoods of Hull and then the downhill along Montcalm before we headed into the twisty-turny up-and-down section through the Government buildings in downtown Hull. With the wind and the nature of this section my pace dropped ever so slightly, but apart from running into the headwind my effort level felt fine and the 3:35 bunny was still just ahead of me, so the course was affecting those around me in exactly the same way.

Fifth 5kms - 5:09 /5:08 / 5:06 / 5:05 / 5:11  - total 25:39 (25km split - 2:06:35)

As I weaved my way through Hull I knew I was getting closer and closer to my family. They were waiting to cheer me on outside the Museum of Civilization. It was great to see my wife and two kids as well as my wife's uncle and our friend Kyla cheering me on and helped give me a massive boost as I crossed the Ottawa River again and tackled the big hill that leads past the National Art Gallery and up onto Sussex Street. I was still feeling really good and took my 4th gel at 28kms, but as we made our climb up towards the Rockliffe Parkway, I started to struggle as my ankles and knees started to ache and the 3:35 bunny got further away from me and eventually disappeared around a corner and out of sight. I was prepared for this as I am not an experienced marathoner and didn't really know just how long I could maintain my pace. I had succeeded for the most part through 28-29kms so I took solace from that, but then put my mind towards the last tough 12kms of the race.

Sixth 5kms - 5:02 /5:10 / 5:10 / 5:20 / 5:32  - total 26:14 (30km split - 2:32:49 / official race split 2:33:49 - longer as I gathered extra distance by not running the shortest tangent of the course)

It was "gut check" time now. My knee and ankle joints were really sore, and the downhills in this section were really tough as I was unable to thunder down them and thus lost a bit of time. My pace was dropping so I just kept pushing as much as I could and kept looking for the next landmark. I knew that if I kept on going I would have a massive personal best so I kept telling myself not to give up, that this was the real race and the first 28-29kms were just the warm up.

Seventh 5kms - 5:26 /5:27 / 5:30 / 5:42 / 5:43  - total 27:48 (35km split - 3:00:37)

Seven kilometers to go, I took my 5th and final gel and just focused on moving forward as fast as I could. I read all the signs people were carrying and hi-fived the kids who were holding their hands out for runners just to keep my mind busy and away from the discomfort I was feeling. Stanley Park was as noisy as ever and heading back onto Sussex I knew my family would be once more waiting for me near the American Embassy.

Sussex Street is another part of the course that runs both ways so there were still many runners heading in the opposite direction getting ready to tackle the Rockliffe Parkway and New Edinburgh and luckily I saw the two girls I drove to the race coming the other way. They went crazy when they saw me, clearly enjoying their races and we instinctively moved the the middle of the road to high-five as we passed in opposite directions. I got a really nice boost from this and was able to pick up my effort level a bit and push myself on towards the American Embassy where my wife, kids, Kyla and another friend Benoit were waiting to urge me on to complete the final 3.5kms to the finish. It was great to see them and I was able to pick up the pace again as I headed past the Rideau Centre and along the canal.

Eighth 5kms - 5:48 /5:57 / 5:58 / 5:47 / 5:49  - total 29:19 (40km split - 3:29:56)

I knew that I would pick up the pace in the last kilometer so I held back a little bit after the 40km marker so that I wouldn't ramp it up too soon and shuffle over the line. With 1km left I started to run as fast as I could and with 500 meters to go, without warning, my right hamstring cramped and my leg buckled beneath me. I steadied myself and actually yelled "NO!". Bizarrely enough the hamstring listened and stopped cramping but I was feeling rather nervous as I counted down the signs, "400m to go....300m to go....200m to go". With 100 left I put everything I had left into what felt like a sprint but in reality was probably some sort of jelly-like arms-and-legs flailing type movement. I didn't care as I could see the clock and knew I was about to break 3:44 and smash my personal best in the process.

Final 2.2kms - 5:55 /5:37 /2:31 (for 480 meters according to garmin - pace 5:18/km)

Official race time 3:43:51 a new personal best by 11 and a half minutes!!!

Reflecting on the race I was very happy with how I ran, I held my desired pace for 28-29 kilometers and then dug in and hung on when the going got really tough and my ankles and knees were hurting. The result was a 9 minute positive split (second half 9 minutes slower than the first half), however it is not really clear to me that if I had started out more conservatively as to whether my overall time would have been better or would the cumulative effect on my knees and ankles been the same forcing me to slow down in the same manner. This sorts of questions can be sorted out by running more marathons and trying out various strategies, but I have no plans as yet to run another marathon and will now focus on a sub 1:40 half marathon.

Minto Run for Reach - 14th April 2013

This was my 4th Minto Run for Reach Half Marathon and my 12th half marathon in all. I like to think of the Minto as "the PB race" as I have set a new half marathon personal best each time I have run this race.

This was my first race of the 2013 after missing (DNS) Winterman Half Marathon and then not even signing up for the St. Patrick's 5km race in March.

Despite my setback this year with "walking pneumonia" I felt that I was back, close to my best and told myself "no excuses" going into this race. I find it is easy for a runner (or anyone else faced with a task) to try and protect themselves from failure by having a bunch of ready-made excuses at hand and then when the going gets tough to not try as hard as they can. There is nothing wrong with trying hard and coming up short. What I hate is to not even try and then fail. At the end of the day it is only yourself you are trying to convince, no-one else really minds what your PB is or how you ran, only you, and it feels horrible to try and make excuses to yourself as to why you didn't dig in and gut it out when things didn't fall your way. I know this as I let myself down in this manner in the ORW Half Marathon a few years back and vowed never to do that again.

I got up on Sunday morning to snow, gently falling and a rather chilly 2°C, "no excuses" I told myself with a smile, and finished off my breakfast and pre-race coffee.

I opted for shorts and a singlet on top of a long sleeved shirt, thin gloves and a cap. I knew I'd be chilly at the start but once I got going would warm up nicely.

My plan was to set a personal best in this race and keep the Minto PB streak going. I figured that if I ran an average of 4:50/km or thereabouts I would PB the race and I would also get a good look at my level of endurance at this stage in my training for the Ottawa Race Weekend Marathon in May.

I seeded myself 5 rows back and got off to a decent start, maybe a little fast but I knew I'd settle down into a rhythm soon so I didn't reel myself in too much, just focused on avoiding the puddles that the falling snow had made. The first 3 or 4 kilometers clicked by and I had the feeling that the wind might not be too bad today. The Rideau Canal can be pretty windy so I was expecting it.

One of the reasons why I PB this race is probably due to the Running Mania water/cheering station at Dow's Lake. This race is an out-and-back-and-out-and-back so you get a double dose of friendly faces, kind words, and encouragement. This year was no exception with a bumper crop of "maniacs" manning the station and I got a good boost from them as I ran by and headed for the 5km turnaround.

Splits for 1st 5km

1 - 4:38
2 - 4:46
3 - 4:50
4 - 4:54
5 - 4:41
Total - 23:49

After turning around I quickly found out why the wind didn't seem to be a factor, it was mostly behind me on the way down the Canal. However, it wasn't gusty or really strong so I quickly put it out of my mind. This is where experience comes in handy, having run this course before I knew that the 6th kilometer (and 16th) is the toughest of the race, the road has an uphill stretch and splits in two with high banks on one side and the canal on the other. This creates a bit of a wind tunnel. I knew not to get down on myself as I felt my pace fall off and vowed to make sure and pick it back up after I got past this tricky section. The rest of this section of the race that takes you to the 10.05km turnaround was pretty uneventful. I was mindful of my pace as it was dropping off a little and was leapfrogging with the same 4 or 5 runners not knowing which of them were running the half marathon and which where running the 10km (and speeding up for their finish).

Splits for 2nd 5km

6 - 4:58
7 - 4:56
8 - 4:58
9 - 4:53
10 - 5:01
Total - 24:47 (10km split - 48:36)

I knew at the turnaround that I'd have to pick it up a bit and was in danger of getting lulled into the pace of the other runners around me so I passed a couple of runners and focused on the road ahead. My feet were pretty wet now, but I felt fine and kept pushing knowing that I was going to give it my all on the way back up the Canal after the final turnaround. Soon enough I was approaching the maniac water station and Marg told me that I was "looking strong". That helped as now it would be easier to tell myself to pick it up than if I looked like a dead man walking.

Splits for 3rd 5km

11 - 4:53
12 - 4:58
13 - 4:56
14 - 5:01
15 - 4:55
Total - 24:43 (15km split - 1:13:15)

On the way back past the maniacs I told Mike "IT'S GO TIME", he nodded, he knew what I meant, but hearing myself say it helped convince me to up my effort level and go for the personal best. After a quick calculation I knew that if I kept it under 5:00 for the next 5kms I would have a new personal best, so I just kept pushing and started to pass some of the other runners who were tiring a bit.

My plan was to push even harder when I got to the final water station with 1.5kms to go and sprint as soon as I could see the finish line (about 200meters from the finish).

As it was, two runners flew past me with about 2km to go so I just focused on them and tried to up my pace to chase them down. I didn't catch them, but I caught and passed some other runners and then as soon as I saw the line I gunned it as hard as I could. Luckily there are no race photos for this year's event as I probably have broken a few lenses as I put everything I had into those last 200 meters. I could see that the clock was on 1:43:00, I knew at this stage I would set a new personal best, I just needed to shave off as many seconds as I could.

Splits for last 6.1km

16 - 5:04
17 - 4:56
18 - 4:59
19 - 5:02
20 - 4:56
21 - 4:42
21.1 - 0:42 (garmin measured 180 meters - 3:52/km)
Total - 1:43:41

In the end it was another personal best at the Minto Run for Reach, beating time from last year by 17 seconds. Very pleased with how I tackled the race and the end result. I think I definitely have enough to go sub 1:40 in the future and the mental toughness I showed will definitely help with that goal.

Chelsea Challenge 10km - 8 Oct 2012

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).

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 1^st 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 2^nd 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 3^rd 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 4^th 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.

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.

Age Group Win at the Chelsea Challenge 10km

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

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

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

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

First half of the race 23:21.

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

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

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

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

Army Half Marathon - Sept 18 2011

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

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

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

Splits – first 5kms

1 – 5:03

2 – 4:41

3 – 5:01

4 – 4:49

5 – 4:54

Total – 24:28

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

Splits – second 5kms

6 – 5:04

7 – 4:58

8 – 5:03

9 – 5:10

10 – 5:03

Total – 49:46 (25:18)

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

Splits – third 5kms

11 – 5:18

12 – 5:09

13 – 5:16

14 – 5:30

15 – 5:20

Total – 1:16:19 (26:35)

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

Splits – forth 5kms

16 – 5:13

17 – 5:26

18 – 5:29

19 – 5:33

20 – 5:39

Total – 1:43-39 (27:20)

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

Splits – last bit

21 – 5:32

256m – 1:11 (4:46/km)

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

Bushtukah Canada Day 5km - July 1st 2011

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Kilometer splits:

1km - 4:22

2km - 4:29

3km - 4:26

4km - 4:34

5km - 4:26

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Splits:

1km – 4:49

2km – 4:38

3km – 4:39

4km – 4:37

5km – 4:34 – 23:17 at halfway point

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

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

6km – 4:48

7km – 4:47

8km – 4:41

9km – 4:34

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

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