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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Splits for the first 5kms:

1km - 4:52

2km - 4:59

3km - 4:59

4km - 5:00

5km - 4:46

Total - 24:38

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

Splits for the second 5kms:

6km - 5:00

7km - 4:56

8km - 4:59

9km - 5:03

10km - 5:01

Total - 25:02

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

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

Splits for the third 5kms:

11km - 4:55

12km - 4:58

13km - 5:05

14km - 5:03

15km - 4:53

Total - 24:57

15kms run in 1:14:37

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

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

Splits for the final 6.1km

16km - 4:58

17km - 4:55

18km - 4:50

19km - 4:55

20km - 4:52

21km - 4:41

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

Total - 30:00

21.1kms run in 1:44:37

Offical race time 1:44:24.

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

March 2011 - Moving

My weekly mileage really started to ramp up in March resulting in a personal best 225.15kms (16 runs), eclipsing the previous best of 172.91kms that I set in January of this year. Although the increase seems pretty significant, it was a little lower than it should have been as I took 5 days off running whilst the family and I moved house. I figured that: a) I was getting plenty of cardiovascular workouts with all the lifting and stairs that I did; b) I was exhausted so I probably wouldn’t have been able to run anyway; and c) following on from b, that had I run I would have been risking an unnecessary injury that could derail my marathon bid.

I think I made the correct decision and just made sure that I got my quality workouts in, i.e. one long run (20-25kms) and one speed session (a tempo run at lactate threshold pace).

Speaking of tempo runs at threshold pace, I started phase II of my marathon training plan in March and thus started my speed work. I hadn’t done a single workout resembling a speed workout since November of last year so I was a little apprehensive before the first one. As it turned out, all the slower base-building runs I had done from November to March had kept me in excellent shape and lack of endurance was not a factor.

My tempo workouts at this stage consist of 3x2km repeats at threshold pace (T-pace) which equates to 4:50/km with 1 minute walk breaks in between each interval. The key to these workouts is to be able to hit the desired pace in each of the intervals with no slow-down below 4:50/km. If you can’t hold the pace then you will not get the maximum benefits from this workout. If you find that you can’t hold the pace in subsequent workouts then that T-pace is too fast for you at this point in your training. I was happy to complete all the intervals in each weekly speed workout at or faster than the required pace, so as I mentioned, endurance was not a factor and to be honest it was extremely liberating to be able to turn it up a couple of notches and run fast again.

April will hold a whole new set of challenges, my weekly mileage will increase again, and I have the Run for Reach half-marathon race on the 10^th. That race will be an excellent indicator of the success of my training so far. I am hoping for a personal best (sub 1:48:50) with a view to perhaps breaking 1:45 if I can. I will also have marathon-paced training runs to look forward to. These are long runs that start at easy pace for 3 or 4kms and then ramp up to marathon pace for a set distance (usually 16 to 21km). After that there is a cool-down at easy pace for another 3 or 4kms. At this stage I am not entirely sure what my marathon pace should be. I have in my mind to try 5:15 for these workouts and see how they go, and then adjust accordingly if the pace is too fast or too slow.

In less than 8 weeks the gun goes off for my first marathon. The snow has all but gone and I am now running in shorts, so spring is well and truly here. Let’s see if I can add some spring to my step in the month of April.

Ottawa Marathon route announced!

The powers that be have decided to change the route of the Ottawa Marathon for 2011. The new route is pictured below.

That is what I will be facing on 29th May 2011. For more details of the marathon course (as well as the courses for the 2km, 5km, 10km and half-marathon races) click on this link.

I am pretty familiar with the stretch along both sides of the Ottawa River and Rideau Canal, the 20 to 30 km stretch is pretty much the middle portion of the Army half-marathon (but in reverse). I will have to familiarize myself with the route  through China town, little Italy and Hintonburg. At first glance it looks like a really nice route, not too many steep hills, but a lot of different locations, landmarks, neighbourhoods, scenery to look at to keep my mind occupied.

February 2011 - First challenges

Following on from a solid start to the year, I had aspirations of running a personal best for total mileage in one month in February. Unfortunately, the kids got pretty sick this month at times I had to squeeze in runs as-and-when, if at all, as I felt like I was borderline sick (but never fully succumbing) on more than one occasion.

Despite this, I did manage 14 runs and 169.24 km (so less than 4 km short of a personal best). February, like January was a month of base-building runs at easy pace, with a race thrown in. I ran the Winterman Half Marathon as a test of fitness and had a really good race, clocking 1:53:08 (click here to read a race report). 

The weather is extremely variable at the moment, we are having snow storms, rain, above 0˚C days, and snap freezes in the minus 20s, so it can be pretty challenging out there. Hopefully the warmer weather and clearer paths/roads will be just around the corner.

In March I will move on to the 2nd phase of my Marathon training plan that will include "tempo runs" at threshold pace (see this article for a detailed explanation). These are faster-paced runs, so I am looking forward to the change and to see how my body will respond. I will also continue my long runs (that will build up to 28 kms) and easy-paced shorter runs.

Winterman Half Marathon

Winterman Half-Marathon - February 20^th 2011 - Ottawa, Ontario

I decided to run Winterman as a marathon-paced run to get a feel of what level my fitness was at following the base-building I have been doing in the first phase of my marathon training program.

I did the 10km race at this event last year and really enjoyed it. It is an out-and-back race on the parkway beside the Ottawa River. The route could be described as hilly as well as windy too.

The race itself starts at the War Museum and continues along the western carriageway of the Ottawa River Parkway to the off-ramp to Parkdale Ave. There is a turnaround point on Goldenrod Street in the Tunney’s Pasture complex and then it’s back towards the Museum, where you complete your loop in front of the museum and then down a chute that takes you to the start of the next lap. The half-marathon is 4 loops plus a short out-and-back portion that makes up the final 1.1km of the distance.

When we arrived at the race site it was minus 16˚C and windy, the calculated windchill factor was minus 24˚C and we really felt it as we went to collect our race chips to fit around our ankles. Luckily with this race, the War Museum kindly lets you stay warm in their huge foyer. The foyer was packed with 1,400 excited, expectant runners trying to stay warm and keep loose in preparation for the races.

In this event all the races (bar the 3km race) are started at the same time, so it can be pretty confusing exactly who you are racing against (bibs are colour-coded). My wife had entered a team in the 8 person relay and decided to run the 1^st leg so she could start with me.  

As expected the start was pandemonium with no seeding, we all just huddled together bracing ourselves against the cold winds coming across from the Ottawa River. The race was started by a huge military gun, scaring the heck out of most of the runners, and we were off. I bid farewell to my wife and wished her a good race and started to weave through the throng of runners, trying to find some pavement to get to my pace as soon as possible. Straight away there a was a long climb as the road goes up and over a railway bridge so it was pretty slow going but I was able to nip in and out of the packs of runners and get some space. I hadn’t really decided as to what pace I would run, I told myself “marathon race pace” but I don’t really know what that is yet with any conviction, so I decided to just run by feel and let the pace take care of itself.

I was pretty cold for the first 10 minutes or so, so most of my focus was on warming up my fingers and toes, this is a good thing though as you should be cold as you start a run like this and it wasn’t long before I was nice and toasty and comfortable and could focus on how my legs and breathing felt. I felt great to be honest, it was great to be in a race so soon in the season and my body was not complaining at all.

On the off ramp it was a little icy as were sections of Tunney’s pasture, but it was a lot easier underfoot than last year when we had actively falling slow and it was slippy and slushy underfoot.

Soon enough I was heading back into the museum and glanced at the clock as I came around the chute to cross the lap mat and start another lap; 27:26, not bad, I decided to just keep doing what I was doing and see how I felt as I continued along the course. The runners on the course had spread out considerably and with all the 5km racers finishing, the number of runners on the course started to decline. The second lap went along without any problems, I took a gel at 7km and I felt really comfortable at the paces I was going at which seemed to be roughly 5:28 per km on the uphill section, 5:15 per km on the other sections and as I glanced at the clock at the lap end it was 54:27 so I had run that lap in roughly 27 minutes.

At that point I started to form a plan for the second half of the race, I wanted to keep going as I was and do another 27 minute lap, keeping an eye on how my legs and lungs felt and then increase the pace during the final lap if I felt capable at that point. I took my second gel at 14kms but by this time it had frozen so it was pretty chewy. As I came through the lap chute the clock read 1:21:29, so I was pacing it really well with another 27 minute lap.

This time when I turned at Tunney’s pasture I took one last swig of water and started to consciously increase the pace. I didn’t bother to look at my Garmin, I just increased the pace and held it there and it felt fine, actually it felt really good so I increased it again as I was coming down the hill towards the museum. Through the lap chute for the last time, clock read 1:47:59 so I put the hammer down and ran as hard as I could back up the hill towards the 1.1km turnaround marker, around it, back down the hill and into the final stretch. I had somehow passed a guy that I had been on the heels of for the last 5km but he blew past me with 100 meters to go, I duly responded breaking into a full-out sprint, I didn’t catch him, but we both flew past two other runners and I hit the finish line one step behind him (5:11 for the final 1.1km).

Final time 1:53:08, the second-fastest of the five half-marathons I have run to date.

I was 99^th out of 277 runners and 10^th out of 20 male 35-39 year olds.

Splits

1 - 27:26 (5:29/km pace)

2 - 27:01 (5:24/km pace)

3 - 27:02 (5:24/km pace)

4 - 26:30 (5:18/km pace)

5 - 5:11 (4:42/km pace)

I am extremely pleased with that result as I felt comfortable throughout and had plenty left in the tank to increase the pace and then sprint finish. So far I have only done training runs at my slow pace (6:00/km) and have yet to add any speed work, so in theory I should get considerably faster. With the 300km at slow pace I have run this year, I have built a solid base to build off of, and that will pay great dividends come May.

Link to other race photos of me taken by Zoomphoto