This was my second Chelsea Challenge and after last year's race being so warm I took several different combinations of clothing as it was really cold when I first got up and tested the weather before having breakfast. In the end I went with shorts and a running jacket. I felt pretty cold at the start line but the sun was out and it wasn't too windy so I put it out of my mind and focused on a good start. This year, they had local hero and ultra runner Ray Zahab start the race. Ray is from Chelsea and as well as being the founder of "impossible to possible" he has an impressive list of victories in ultra marathons.
The race got off to a quick start with both the 10km and 5km race starting out at the same time and sharing the racecourse for 2.5 kilometers. I got into a good rhythm early on but my Garmin died on me so I had to run by feel instead of to a specific pace. I therefore have no splits for this race (and had to replace my Garmin with a shiny new 410).
The majority of runners do the 5km, so when they turn back to the start/finish area, the racecourse gets really lonely. I could see a few runners up ahead as we headed up the steep hill along Chemin Scott but they were quite a bit ahead so I kept my pace and pushed myself up the hill as fast as I could.
Once we made the turn onto the 105, I was unaware of any other runners behind me until I was startled by a lady passing me. She ran along side me for a little bit, commenting on the hilliness of the course and then took off on a steep incline. I tried to stick with her, but couldn't, so I followed behind as close as I could and used her as an incentive to run hard to the finish.
As we rounded the bend on to Chemin Old Chelsea, she wasn't too far ahead and I could see two male runners about 100 meters ahead of her, so I aimed for them seeing as I wasn't racing against her anyway, I set myself the target of catching the male runners.
Soon enough I was striding into the finish straight that was a road up to the school and passed the lady. I had also gained a lot of ground on one of the two male runners and sprinted as hard as I could. However, he saw me out of the corner of his eye and put in one last burst to pip me at the line. Still, it was good to finish strong and end up with a better time than if I had just cruised in.
Final time: 46:04, my second fastest 10km of all time (fastest was 45:22 at last year's Chelsea Challenge).
Monday, October 8, 2012
Sunday, September 23, 2012
Army Half Marathon - Sept 23rd 2012
This was to be my 4th Army Run Half Marathon and 11th Half Marathon in all. I put in what was probably my best training cycle for any race, but ended up getting sick with a chest infection about a month before the race and although I continued to train at an easier effort level, I wasn't quite 100% in time for the race.
The Army run is always a special one for me as my first ever Half Marathon was at the Army run back in 2008 and I have run it every year since that great day.
I vowed to run as hard as I could and was hopeful that I could hold on and go sub 1:50. After my hugely disappointing National Capital Half Marathon that I ran with a stomach bug, I was determined not to have a bad race.
The gun went off, and I mean gun, they use a huge military cannon. I scrambled amongst the 9000 other runners trying not to go too fast, but also trying not to lose too much time behind slower runners. 5:03 for the 1st kilometer was fine and I upped the pace a touch and held it there for the next few kilometers along Wellington and the River Parkway.
1st 5km Splits
1km - 5:03
2km - 4:45
3km - 5:03
4km - 4:54
5km - 5:00 (total 24:46)
I was feeling pretty comfortable and was not having any problems with my breathing at this point, but I knew I was not going to be able to run at the race pace I set myself earlier in the training cycle (4:40/km). I decided not to dwell on that disappointment and just try and hold my pace around 5:00/km and see where it led me. The next few kilometers back along the Parkway were pretty uneventful but the ups and downs in downtown Hull required my effort level to rise.
2nd 5km Splits
6km - 5:01
7km - 4:53
8km - 4:59
9km - 5:04
10km - 5:00 (total 25:00)
My pace dropped off a bit as we climbed up off the Alexandra bridge and back in to Ottawa, I was able to rebound on the downhill past the Royal Mint but I was starting to feel how hard it was to maintain my effort level. The support was as amazing as ever and I used as much of it as possible to drive me on as I knew there was still a lot of ground to cover. As I rounded Rockliffe Park I encountered some of the injured soldiers that were competing, some in wheelchairs, others with blades, and some with crutch-like devices to help them keep balance. I got a bit of a boost as I applauded and thanked these brave soldiers for sacrificing their health and risking their lives for the protection of Canada and vowed to myself to gut this race out to the finish.
3rd 5km Splits
11km - 5:11
12km - 5:01
13km - 5:07
14km - 5:09
15km - 5:12 (total 25:43)
Coming back up the hill towards the Art Museum was the hardest part, my pace was dropping but I was gutting it out and giving as much as I had. My stamina had taken a bit of a hit when I got sick but I was pushing really hard at this point, mentally ticking off each landmark as I passed it. The crowds were noisy all along the route from beside the American Embassy all the way along the Canal to the Pretoria Bridge. I was really hurting at this point but I know the route well and knew that I was getting close to the finishing straight on the other side of the Canal.
4th 5km Splits
16km - 5:16
17km - 5:25
18km - 5:22
19km - 5:19
20km - 5:25 (total 26:48)
With just over a kilometer to go I found another gear and on jelly legs I pushed as hard as I could. The finish line was not as far along Queen Elizabeth as in previous years and kind of took me by surprise but as soon as I saw it I surged and sprinted as hard as I could hitting the line at full tilt.
Last Splits
21km - 5:07
260m - 1:06 (4:15/km)
At the end of the day it was a really good race. I finished in 1:48:32, just over 3 and a half minutes slower than my personal best. Hopefully my next Half Marathon will see me fully trained up with no illness beforehand.
The Army run is always a special one for me as my first ever Half Marathon was at the Army run back in 2008 and I have run it every year since that great day.
I vowed to run as hard as I could and was hopeful that I could hold on and go sub 1:50. After my hugely disappointing National Capital Half Marathon that I ran with a stomach bug, I was determined not to have a bad race.
The gun went off, and I mean gun, they use a huge military cannon. I scrambled amongst the 9000 other runners trying not to go too fast, but also trying not to lose too much time behind slower runners. 5:03 for the 1st kilometer was fine and I upped the pace a touch and held it there for the next few kilometers along Wellington and the River Parkway.
1st 5km Splits
1km - 5:03
2km - 4:45
3km - 5:03
4km - 4:54
5km - 5:00 (total 24:46)
I was feeling pretty comfortable and was not having any problems with my breathing at this point, but I knew I was not going to be able to run at the race pace I set myself earlier in the training cycle (4:40/km). I decided not to dwell on that disappointment and just try and hold my pace around 5:00/km and see where it led me. The next few kilometers back along the Parkway were pretty uneventful but the ups and downs in downtown Hull required my effort level to rise.
2nd 5km Splits
6km - 5:01
7km - 4:53
8km - 4:59
9km - 5:04
10km - 5:00 (total 25:00)
My pace dropped off a bit as we climbed up off the Alexandra bridge and back in to Ottawa, I was able to rebound on the downhill past the Royal Mint but I was starting to feel how hard it was to maintain my effort level. The support was as amazing as ever and I used as much of it as possible to drive me on as I knew there was still a lot of ground to cover. As I rounded Rockliffe Park I encountered some of the injured soldiers that were competing, some in wheelchairs, others with blades, and some with crutch-like devices to help them keep balance. I got a bit of a boost as I applauded and thanked these brave soldiers for sacrificing their health and risking their lives for the protection of Canada and vowed to myself to gut this race out to the finish.
3rd 5km Splits
11km - 5:11
12km - 5:01
13km - 5:07
14km - 5:09
15km - 5:12 (total 25:43)
Coming back up the hill towards the Art Museum was the hardest part, my pace was dropping but I was gutting it out and giving as much as I had. My stamina had taken a bit of a hit when I got sick but I was pushing really hard at this point, mentally ticking off each landmark as I passed it. The crowds were noisy all along the route from beside the American Embassy all the way along the Canal to the Pretoria Bridge. I was really hurting at this point but I know the route well and knew that I was getting close to the finishing straight on the other side of the Canal.
4th 5km Splits
16km - 5:16
17km - 5:25
18km - 5:22
19km - 5:19
20km - 5:25 (total 26:48)
With just over a kilometer to go I found another gear and on jelly legs I pushed as hard as I could. The finish line was not as far along Queen Elizabeth as in previous years and kind of took me by surprise but as soon as I saw it I surged and sprinted as hard as I could hitting the line at full tilt.
Last Splits
21km - 5:07
260m - 1:06 (4:15/km)
At the end of the day it was a really good race. I finished in 1:48:32, just over 3 and a half minutes slower than my personal best. Hopefully my next Half Marathon will see me fully trained up with no illness beforehand.
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
Personal Best on Canada Day!!
One of my main goals of 2012 is to break 22 minutes in a 5km race. I came close in my other two 5km races this year, with 22:30 for a 5km that was measured 150m long and then 22:10 on a tough hilly course. After my struggles in the Alterna "do it for Dad" 10km race last month I targeted this race as my bounce-back race and a great opportunity to cross the sub-22 goal off my 2012 targets. After Alterna I got in more speed work in warm conditions in preparation for Canada day which is usually a hot day and with the race starting close to 9am I could expect temperatures in the mid to high 20s.
Sure enough it was very warm when I arrived in Kanata at the Earl of March School. I did a light warm up and then soaked my buff in cold water to keep my head cool and then headed to the start line. I was a little apprehensive as it was warm and I didn't know if I had it in me to run hard in these conditions.
I got off to a great start and felt calm and comfortable as I tried to keep my pace around 4:15/km. My friend Andy greeted me just after the first turn and sped off ahead of me, he was going faster than my goal-pace so I just let him go and kept him in sight. I hit the 1km mark in 4:12 and felt great so I was well on pace to go sub 22 minutes.
The second kilometer was a little slower (4:23) but I just focused on maintaining an even effort and getting myself to the finish.
The next kilometer came and went without incident (4:22) but as I approached the water station just past the 3km mark another runner cut right in front of me to grab a cup of water and stopped dead. Somehow I managed to avoid a huge collision, by moving even further to the left verge and we clashed shoulders and I stumbled to stay on my feet. Luckily I was able to steady myself and get back on pace. I did a quick check to make sure no damage had been done and quickly forgot the incident and started to prepare for the closing stages of the race.
I knew I was well on pace and decided to pick it up with 1km to go and pick off as many runners as I could. The finish straight was around one final corner and I told myself to go as fast as could along that stretch. My plan worked well as I went by a number of tiring runners (and some walkers from the 10km race). In the final straight I bore down on the line, I had no idea what my race time was as I could only see the 10km race clock (apparently there was a 5km clock too but I didn't see it). I hit the line and stopped the Garmin. It was several minutes before I looked at my race time as I was concentrating on staying upright (with the help of a barrier) and not puking. In had given it everything I had and when I finally looked at the Garmin I was elated to see that I had indeed gone sub 22 with a stellar personal best of 21:22!!
Kilometer splits
1km - 4:12
2km - 4:23
3km - 4:22
4km - 4:22
5km - 4:00
All in all a great way to celebrate Canada day and a race that has given me a great deal of confidence to hit my targets for 10km and Half Marathon later in the year.
Sure enough it was very warm when I arrived in Kanata at the Earl of March School. I did a light warm up and then soaked my buff in cold water to keep my head cool and then headed to the start line. I was a little apprehensive as it was warm and I didn't know if I had it in me to run hard in these conditions.
I got off to a great start and felt calm and comfortable as I tried to keep my pace around 4:15/km. My friend Andy greeted me just after the first turn and sped off ahead of me, he was going faster than my goal-pace so I just let him go and kept him in sight. I hit the 1km mark in 4:12 and felt great so I was well on pace to go sub 22 minutes.
The second kilometer was a little slower (4:23) but I just focused on maintaining an even effort and getting myself to the finish.
The next kilometer came and went without incident (4:22) but as I approached the water station just past the 3km mark another runner cut right in front of me to grab a cup of water and stopped dead. Somehow I managed to avoid a huge collision, by moving even further to the left verge and we clashed shoulders and I stumbled to stay on my feet. Luckily I was able to steady myself and get back on pace. I did a quick check to make sure no damage had been done and quickly forgot the incident and started to prepare for the closing stages of the race.
I knew I was well on pace and decided to pick it up with 1km to go and pick off as many runners as I could. The finish straight was around one final corner and I told myself to go as fast as could along that stretch. My plan worked well as I went by a number of tiring runners (and some walkers from the 10km race). In the final straight I bore down on the line, I had no idea what my race time was as I could only see the 10km race clock (apparently there was a 5km clock too but I didn't see it). I hit the line and stopped the Garmin. It was several minutes before I looked at my race time as I was concentrating on staying upright (with the help of a barrier) and not puking. In had given it everything I had and when I finally looked at the Garmin I was elated to see that I had indeed gone sub 22 with a stellar personal best of 21:22!!
Kilometer splits
1km - 4:12
2km - 4:23
3km - 4:22
4km - 4:22
5km - 4:00
All in all a great way to celebrate Canada day and a race that has given me a great deal of confidence to hit my targets for 10km and Half Marathon later in the year.
Sunday, July 1, 2012
Thursday, June 21, 2012
Alterna "do it for Dad" 10km race, Ottawa, ON - 17th June 2012
This was my third Alterna "do it for Dad" 10km race and eighth 10km race in all. I was hoping to run a personal best (sub 45:22) as I my training up until the race had been strong and I felt in really good shape.
The morning of the race it was pretty warm and sticky, from previous years I remember being quite chilly at the start so I knew that I would have to manage the heat as well as the tough uphill section between 6 and 7.5km.
The start was pretty crowded and it seemed that yet again this race was attracting more people than the previous year. I seeded myself a few rows from the front and concentrated on getting up to pace and seeing how it felt. During the first kilometer I could see that I was off pace but couldn't get my legs to pick it up that much, I figured that I would settle down and speed up gradually as the race wore on. The second and third kilometers felt easier and I got myself into a good rhythm. I was hoping to follow the 45 minute pacer but he dropped out with an injury after about 1.5kms. After first the turn-around and heading back towards the start it started to get hard, my pace started to drop and I tried to fight it as best I could. I managed to keep going at a decent pace but the effort level was creeping up and I was starting to struggle. I came through the 5km mat at 23:39, quite a bit off the target I had set myself so I was a little disappointed to say the least.
Splits for 1st half
1km - 4:31
2km - 4:26
3km - 4:32
4km - 4:39
5km - 4:36
With 5 kilometers to go I was really struggling, my pace dropped again and then as the hill started it dropped even further. The other runners close by me also slowed and it was hard not to get stuck at the same pace as them. With a 5:03 7th kilometer I made the decision to push and get away from the other racers and try and speed up in time for the downhill section. This tactic worked well, but I soon became aware of a blister on the sole of my right foot. I pushed aside the discomfort and after turning at 7.5km I focused on getting my pace up and started trying to pick off distant runners. With 2 kilometers to go I really started to push, there were about 6 runners that I could see ahead of me and I upped the pace trying to pass each of them one by one. Despite the discomfort of the blister on my foot I really started to get into a groove and passed all 6 runners. As I entered the path and grassy section of the finish area I was running as fast as I could flying past another runner in the last 100 meters.
Splits for 2nd half
6km - 4:57
7km - 5:03
8km - 4:50
9km - 4:33
10km - 4:07
In the end my time was a respectable 46:16, not a personal best, but a course personal best. I struggled quite a bit during various parts of the race but was very pleased with the way I picked up the pace in the last 2kms, finishing very strongly.
The morning of the race it was pretty warm and sticky, from previous years I remember being quite chilly at the start so I knew that I would have to manage the heat as well as the tough uphill section between 6 and 7.5km.
The start was pretty crowded and it seemed that yet again this race was attracting more people than the previous year. I seeded myself a few rows from the front and concentrated on getting up to pace and seeing how it felt. During the first kilometer I could see that I was off pace but couldn't get my legs to pick it up that much, I figured that I would settle down and speed up gradually as the race wore on. The second and third kilometers felt easier and I got myself into a good rhythm. I was hoping to follow the 45 minute pacer but he dropped out with an injury after about 1.5kms. After first the turn-around and heading back towards the start it started to get hard, my pace started to drop and I tried to fight it as best I could. I managed to keep going at a decent pace but the effort level was creeping up and I was starting to struggle. I came through the 5km mat at 23:39, quite a bit off the target I had set myself so I was a little disappointed to say the least.
Splits for 1st half
1km - 4:31
2km - 4:26
3km - 4:32
4km - 4:39
5km - 4:36
With 5 kilometers to go I was really struggling, my pace dropped again and then as the hill started it dropped even further. The other runners close by me also slowed and it was hard not to get stuck at the same pace as them. With a 5:03 7th kilometer I made the decision to push and get away from the other racers and try and speed up in time for the downhill section. This tactic worked well, but I soon became aware of a blister on the sole of my right foot. I pushed aside the discomfort and after turning at 7.5km I focused on getting my pace up and started trying to pick off distant runners. With 2 kilometers to go I really started to push, there were about 6 runners that I could see ahead of me and I upped the pace trying to pass each of them one by one. Despite the discomfort of the blister on my foot I really started to get into a groove and passed all 6 runners. As I entered the path and grassy section of the finish area I was running as fast as I could flying past another runner in the last 100 meters.
Splits for 2nd half
6km - 4:57
7km - 5:03
8km - 4:50
9km - 4:33
10km - 4:07
In the end my time was a respectable 46:16, not a personal best, but a course personal best. I struggled quite a bit during various parts of the race but was very pleased with the way I picked up the pace in the last 2kms, finishing very strongly.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)