Below: Julia (aka Mommy), Tyler and I. Notice Tyler's cool Canada Day face painting.
Walter Elliott, Cited in BITS & PIECES
-- Roger Bannister, after becoming the first person to break the four minute mile, 1952.
Here's last years and this years results for comparison:
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| Time |
3:11:14
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3:20:30
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| Run 1 (10K) + transition |
1:02:37
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59:08
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| Bike (40K) |
1:34:57
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1:43:32
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| Run 2 (5K) + transition |
33:41
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37:52
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| Place | 94/97 (3 DNFs) | 36/37 (1 DNF) |
For comparison here are the lead men's ladies times from both
years:
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| Mens |
1:55:55
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2:06:37
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| Ladies |
2:07:06
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2:21:11
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So... as you can see all the times were slower. This makes me feel a bit better.
My first run went really well. They started us with the 10K racers and so for once I had some company on the run and didn't have to run completely alone. During the run I had drank my water bottle dry and drank water/doused myself at all the aid stations. I finished this run in 58:16 watch time and then headed into the transition. Some of my running club friends were there cheering which was nice. My bike was all alone. All the rest of the athletes were out on the course. That was kind of depressing. However, I quickly changed my shoes, put on my camelback and helmet and grabbed my bike. (You run to a line at the end of the transition zone before you are allowed to get on the bike.)
Mounted the bike and was off. Bike was tough going as there was a headwind. Saw lots of people coming back, many of whom were cheating and drafting. Grrr. 20 minutes into the bike I was passed and I spent the rest of the bike trying to find that lady again (and failing). Reached the turn around in 55 minutes. Finally, a tailwind, at least for a bit. The bike was a challenge as my feet and calves were cramping. I kept drinking even though my Gatorade/water mixture was not that appealing. I began to fantasize about a nice cold Diet Coke and promised myself I'd buy one after the race. Kept plugging along and thanking the volunteers at each turn who were patiently waiting for me to reach them so they could go back. During the bike I saw a number of turtle crossing signs but no turtles. I did see a Great Blue Heron flying and, on the way back, saw a burned barn right by the side of the road. I still can't believe I didn't see it on the way out (I must have biked within 3 meters of this barn). I began to get emotional and discouraged. I wanted to quit. Terry, one of the race organizers was out picking up the volunteers and rode his van beside me to see how I was doing. I lied and smiled and he drove off. *Damn!* There goes my chance to quit. I kept pedalling. Finally got back to the transition area.
The transition area was crowded with people who were finished their races and putting their stuff away. I hollered "Excuse me" and people scattered so I could get through. Again my friends were cheering. Two people from work - Jeff and Don - were cheering and I was not in a good mood. I asked Jeff to tone it down and suggested he could run the 5K with me again if he really wanted to be helpful. Thankfully he shut up :) After changing my shoes and ditching my helmet I was off. The final run was BRUTAL. Everytime my HR got over 170 I began panting and feeling lightheaded. So... I switched plans and began run/walking. I walked till my HR dropped and then ran a little more. It was a death march and I felt so hot, tired and miserable. During the final stretch I had no kick. I just ran it in and was so happy to be done. My coach was there congratulating me and I quickly got 2 glasses of water and moved to the shade for a little rest. After a few more minutes I dragged my stuff back to my car and then bought my diet coke, ate a banana and watched the awards.
So... I am a bit disappointed that I wasn't able to match last years time. However, I finished upright, smiling and on the same day. I also think I raced smart and to the edges of my abilities on that day. Maybe next year I'll be able to kick some serious butt. We'll see because I'll be back.
Carlene
My report... I was trying to run a 5:40 kms which would yield a new
PR of 56:35. That was the plan coach Jane and I laid out. Of course it
didn't happen. It was far too hot to be setting PRs. Ran the first km in
5:35 and tried to slow down a bit. I was with Howard
from my running club and by 3K he started to fall behind. Since this
is a 2 loop race at the 5K mark we pass the crowd and the finish area.
My coach was yelling encouragement and I saw my hubby and waved to him.
I also told Howards wife that he was behind me and kept going. After the
5K mark there were tons of people walking. It was ridiculous. I ran on
and stopped at the next water stop to refill my bottle. By this point I
am sure I looked like a drowned rat. I was getting sprayed and pouring
water over myself at every opportunity. My heart rate was solidly in the
180s for this race and during the middle of the second loop I was cruising
along at 185 and thinking how good my legs felt but how HOT I was. UGH!
I began to see people warming up for the 5K and they were really encouraging.
Before you knew it I was at the final water stop getting sprayed and there
was the 9K mark. My coach met me there and ran with me for 3/4 of the last
km. She was encouraging me to dig deep and try to pass people. I only passed
one person in that last km but it ended up being a 5:20 km. Considering
it was the end of a really hot 10K I'll take it. After finishing I grabbed
more water and asked for Gatorade. My one criticism of this race is there
was no sports drink. On such a hot day (and Canada Day always is hot) it
was needed. I met my husband and he went to the car for the cooler and
our gatorade from home. I walked down and cheered on the final finishers
of the 10K (this is where I missed Una. I think I was talking to my husband
when you went by). I returned, drank about 1L of Gatorade, another 1L of
water and then finally had a diet coke. AH REFRESHING! Final watch time
was 58:53 (about the same time as last year when it was also sunny and
hot but cooler than this year).
We watched the 5K with our friends Steve and Julia and their kids and
waited for the Tot Trot. This was going to be Tyler's first race
(he's 2). He had a number and we were ready. We did the Tot Trot although
Tyler really walked it. (Hopefully next year he'll run more.) He got a
nice red ribbon which mom pinned to his bib. Then he got a Canada Flag
painted on his face (which he liked) and we re-grouped. After that the
1.2K fun run started and we watched that and then headed home.
Carlene
PS - Here are some photos.
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| Before the race - notice my patriotic outfit. | Jane and I chatting before the race and trying to stay cool. |
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After the race. I'm a bit wet but really happy to be finished. |
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| Tyler and I running (well, walking really) in the Tot Trot
Below: Julia (aka Mommy), Tyler and I. Notice Tyler's cool Canada Day face painting. |
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Saturday Ray and I ran the Smiths Falls Classic Duathlon. Weather forecast said the temps were about 20C, overcast, 55% humidity and wind 19 km/h. The wind was supposed to die down in the morning, this would have been perfect for the bike portion of the race, but that never happened :)
This was my 4th duathlon and first one this year. Due to high water levels the swim in the accompanying triathlon was cancelled and everybody was running the duathlon. This made for a big field (400 athletes). The organizers decided to switch the distances around and put the 5K run at the beginning so that the competitors wouldn't all arrive at their bikes at the same time. The distances for this race were 5K run, 18K bike, 3K run.
My coach was kind enough to drive me to the race (about 45 minutes drive) and we got there nice and early. I got a perfect spot for my bike in the transition area and had time to study the transition in/out spots and the maps of the various courses. This helped me to visualize how everything was going to go. I also did a short 10 minute warm up finishing 10 minutes before the race started which was helpful.
Times (by watch) - First run = 28:11, Transition 1 = 1:12, Bike 41:59 (including T2), Transition 2 was between 23-26 seconds (using bike computer and watch/Sportstats to calculate), Second run = 19:35. Total time was 1:30:57 by my watch.
The official results from Sportstats list the following: Time 1:31:00, 39/52 Women, 80/96 overall, 2/2 Womens Clydesdale. First run finished in 82nd place (time 28:13), Bike in 70th place (43:13 includes transitions), second run in 83rd place (19:35).
We stayed for the awards. Two of my friends got age group awards. Lorne was first in his age group (second Duathlon ever) and Manuel was 20th overall and 3rd in his age group (first Duathlon ever). WOW! These guys are great.
Although I was second clydesdale they didn't do any awards for that category. This is both good and bad because I didn't really feel like I had earned an award (I would have been 13/13 in my age group). However, I wonder if the other Clydesdales were disappointed.
So... That is the story of our race on Saturday. Ray - Thanks a million for keeping me company through the good, the bad and the ugly.
Flipper hugs
Carlene
Sunday morning turned out to be another rainy day. I ran the 5K in 26:38 thereby smashing my previous 5K time of 27:30 (from August 2000). I was really happy. Unfortunately I was also sad because during the race I had started to get greedy and hope for a slightly faster time. (It was seeing that first kilometer split that sucked me in to believing that a 25:XX time was possible. SIGH! Maybe next time.)
I briefly saw Dave Lipson who was on the path nearby as the race started (doing his own workout) but didn't see him after the race. The race was relatively flat and run on a bike path. I did about a 10 minute warm up finishing 10 minutes prior to the race. Start was a bit congested but that was typical. I kept my HR in the 180's for as much as possible. In retrospect I think I paced the race poorly and am a bit disappointed with that. Splits are: 1K = 5:03, 2K = 5:13, 3K = 5:25, 4K = 5:29, 4.5K = 2:49, 0.5K = 2:37, (Making final K 5:26).
Of course this assumes accurate markers. Overall pace was 5:20 K's or 8:34 mile pace which is not bad. I did peak at my watch after the first K and was hoping for 25:XX but it was not to be. Legs were definitely tired for this one. Hopefully I can do better in August for the Graham Beasley 5K (although that will likely be a hotter day).
So... that's my race story.
Carlene
Well, a month had passed since my Personal Best 1/2 marathon in
Kentucky. In that time I had some ups and downs in my training. One
problem was some knee pain that left me feeling like something was under
my kneecap. That was not fun and resulted in cutting some runs short.
I also had problems with one of my bike workouts when just 12 minutes into
a very windy ride I started feeling poorly. I stopped to blow my
nose. Then I felt dizzy and started out sitting by the side of the
road with my bike, then laying on the ground. After a few minutes,
when I was feeling better, I made the tough decision to bag the workout
and head home. This involved walking up a killer hill that I really
didn't feel safe riding up. I am still unsure what was wrong with
me that day but I didn't want to be an idiot and start off a big story
with "First I nearly passed out, then when I felt better I pressed on and
something really bad happened to me." Instead I just get to say I
cut my workout short and became a bit more of a couch potato :)
Another thing that hindered my training during the past few weeks was the weather. We had a lot of cold rainy days and even some wet snow. This was not ideal training weather – particularly for cycling (which I refuse to do in real downpours). However, I did some stuff and generally started to feel better about my training, particularly after a nice speedy run on May 21st.
Heading into the Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon I have to say I had low expectations. I did not expect to better my time of 2:05:55 set at the Kentucky Derby Mini just a month before. Instead I was hoping to run 2:10-2:15 which would require a decent effort but shouldn't require killing myself. I lined up with the other penguins and started a bit farther back in the pack then I probably should have.
This made the first few km's a bit uncomfortable trying to pass people and find some space. I ran briefly with Daniel and he quickly advised me to remove a layer of clothes to prevent overheating. Once I had done that he sent me along my way. I saw Julia Kim ahead and tried to catch her. Let me tell you now, it didn't happen. I watched her neon orange singlet stay basically the same distance ahead of me for the entire race. That was a bit frustrating :( However, it also helped me gauge how I was doing and know that I wasn't slowing down too much. Around 15K I picked up another runner who was running her first 1/2 marathon. We stayed together till the Penguin Aid station when she stopped for a walking break.
I have to tell you – this race has a few major highlights for me. The first was starting with so many people I knew. Next was having two friends from my running club in Ottawa out on the course on their bikes. Having them wave and cheer (early in the race) and then ride beside me and encourage me to get moving near the end when I was tired and cranky, well, that really helped. Having Julia to try and catch was a good motivator :) Finally, being treated like a HUGE CELEBRITY at both the Penguin Aid station and the finish area. Well, words cannot describe the huge boost I received from everyone there. I felt like I floated through the aid station and most of that final finish sprint (though that sprint did feel hard).
This race was a big confidence builder for me as part of me wondered if I could run a good 1/2 marathon time by myself, without the expert pacing of Bill Kramer. When I ran KD mini with Bill it was a huge milestone for me because I ran harder and longer than I have ever done before. I also think KD Mini was ideally paced and I am so pleased with our negative splits. My time of 2:05:55 was over 4 minutes faster than my previous 1/2 marathon time. Rock 'n' Roll half, though slightly faster, was run at a lower heart rate and on a much flatter, easier course. My time was 2:05:23. I am delighted with both races. I hope this is the start of an awesome racing year for me. The greedy PR part of my brain is wondering if I could eke out another improvement by training for a fall half marathon. However, I'm not going to commit to anything right now. I am going to savour this awesome spring.
Carlene
PS – For those who are interested my splits were:
1 Mile
= 10:29
10K =
58:41 (9:27 pace)
16K =
1:34:59 (9:33 overall pace, pace for last 6K = 9:44 miles)
20K =
1:59:18 (9:36 overall pace, pace for last 4K = 9:47 miles)
21.1K
= 2:05:23 (9:34 pace, pace for last 1.1K = 8:53 miles)
So... I ran slight positive splits. However, I'm not going to complain :)
Well, my recovery from my half marathon PR was going well and so
I decided to throw in another challenge – a 10K race. My legs were
finally feeling more like normal and I thought the 10K would be a nice
treat.
The Nordion 10K is part of the Ottawa race weekend. There are a number of races including 2K, 5K, 10K, half-marathon and marathon. There are also inline skate races. This year the event drew 17,080 racers and raised $500,000 for breast and prostate cancer research.
This was my first time running this 10K but I have watched it before
and knew it would be big and quite busy. I registered on Tuesday
and headed down to the race expo on Saturday. The expo was bigger
than it has ever been. There were 5 major
running stores represented as well as vendors like Timex, Powerbar
and The Stick. There were also many races there trying to attract
entrants. It was electric. I did some shopping and bought some
great stuff including a Canada Flag singlet and matching race socks.
I returned home hoping that my husband wouldn't mind my shopping spree. I showed him my purchases and then changed into my running clothes. I was ready to go. This race is unusual because it starts at 6:30 pm on a Saturday night. Steve, a friend from the running club, picked me up and we went down together. We were early and had time to check out the whole start/finish area and decide where we would meet each other afterwards.
Soon it was time to line up. The crowd was huge. At 6:15 the 10K inline skate race started which made a bit more room for the rest of us. My plan had been to locate the 55-minute pace bunny and try to stick with him. Of course in the mass of 4000 runners I couldn't find him. Steve and I picked a spot as far back as we felt we needed to be and waited. When the race started we quickly became separated. I passed many walkers who had started ahead of us. UGH!
The kilometre markers along the course were hard to find. At one point I saw the 55-minute pace bunny but was unable to catch him. Around 38 minutes into the race I coughed and suddenly had bile in my mouth. YUCK!!! I did a shoulder check, moved over to the side and walked/drank for a minute. I determined I was fine and got moving again. The Gatorade at the next water stop got rid of that foul taste which was good. I was dragging along wishing the race were over when Steve caught me. I told him to go on ahead and not worry about me. I spent the remaining 2K trying to catch him and the rest of the people in front of me :) Steve finished in 57:07 and I was 36 places behind him with a time of 57:20.
Luckily we found each other quickly in the crush after the race and headed home without incident. I finished the evening off with Harvey's take-out and watching movies at our best friend's house. It was a perfect finale to a great day.
Well, now it is onward to PWC and the 1/2 marathon. Given that this will be my third race in a month I am trying to keep my expectations reasonable. I would like to run 2:10-2:15 for the 1/2. However, if I happened to have another perfect day like I did in Kentucky I would try for another 2:06. It would have to be absolutely perfect though... I am not as rested as I was for Kentucky and so doubt it'll happen. I think I'll be too busy having fun to worry too much about the clock.
Thanks
Carlene
While I was running with the club on Wednesday I spoke with one of our club members named Wanda who has been setting PRs this year and we talked about my upcoming race. She told me that the key for her in her last 1/2 (the weekend before) was to really put it on the line from the start and risk having the wheels come off later in the race. She set out to do her best and was rewarded. I pondered that but was unsure. When I had discussed my goals with my coach, Jane had suggested that I select goals like "finishing strong" and "feeling good" instead of strong time goals. After all, KD Mini was a challenging course. Add to that unpredictable weather and my small injuries of late (foot, ITB) and anything could happen. Finally, constantly improving your time in each race is unsustainable. Eventually, those improvements slow down and stop. I knew I had been blessed with a huge improvement last fall and asking for more now was unrealistic.
During my last run before the race I felt terrible. My right knee hurt unlike anything I had felt during training (where I had some ITB issues). I persevered and ran long enough for my body to warm up and get rid of that knee pain. That run felt like an eternity but really only lasted 16 cold minutes. However, I really didn't know what race day would bring and was unsure what I really wanted.
Friday in Louisville while talking with the Penguins Bill Kramer asked me I wanted to join the Penguin Pace Group they were putting together for the race. I asked what pace they were planning on and he replied "2:20". Without thinking first I replied "Nope. I want to run faster than that." The Penguins in the room all started laughing and I felt extremely embarrassed. I went on to explain that I would like to match my PR time of 2:10 set last October. My training times for this race were similar to those of last fall, and I thought matching my time on this more difficult course would be fine.
Bill, sweetie that he is, decided he would like to pace me. We
were both a little nervous about this. Bill is a faster runner than
I am, and I didn't want to hold him back. On the other hand, he had
been planning to run with the 2:20 group and not try to run
for a PR, so running with me would not destroy any of his goals.
I have also never run a race with a stronger runner to pace me for the
whole way. Since a 1/2 is a long race I was worried that I might
not be up to the challenge of avoiding the Bite Me Zone
and being pleasant for over 2 hours.
Friday night we went to the delicious Penguin Pasta dinner organized by Bill and his wife Jody. A lot of fun was had by all. The laughter was contagious and I started to relax. Saturday morning we caught the bus the start and I proceeded to make umpteen trips to the bathrooms. I handed over my jacket to Kathryn Lye prior to the start and held on to a long-sleeved shirt because I still felt cold. Bill and I lined up near the 10 minute pace marker with Mary D and some other Penguins around us. I usually run races entirely by heart rate -- taking the occasional splits for afterwards and ignoring my watch. This race was very different from most because there were clocks and split callers at every mile. Ignoring the clock would be impossible. We started and I realized that I still felt like another trip to the bathroom would have been welcome and I was hungry. Ooops!
There were thousands of people and we spent a lot of the race trying
to find our own space. We bumped arms many times as
we were crowded on the course. We finished the first mile in
10:20 on my watch and we learned it had taken us about 3 minutes to reach
the mats. About 3 miles into the race we had looped back to
Iroquois Park and the hills began. The next 3 miles of winding up
and down felt challenging but good. The park was beautiful and the
winding hills were easier to take mentally than a long straight incline.
My winter hill training was paying off. My heartrate was climbing in the high 180s, higher than I normally run at for the first half of a race, but I felt good. I was warm enough that the shirt came off. We reached the 6-mile mark in the park and were very close to my 10K PR time. I knew that if I could keep this pace up I could succeed in my time goal.
As we came out of the park I told Bill to look for Kathryn Lye's pink
hat as I wanted to drop my long-sleeved shirt with her if at
all possible. We found Kathryn and Bill gave her my shirt and
stopped for a kiss. I continued on -- afraid to break pace lest I
lose it. Bill quickly caught me and we kept moving along. Just
prior to 9 miles we approached an aid station with Powerade. I stopped
for a brief walk to down a glass of Powerade and pour another into my water
bottle. My fingers were swollen and salt was caking my face.
Gradually things had begun to get harder. I was running between 182
and 187 HR without talking. I told
Bill that, although I didn't have a ton of energy to spare chatting
with him because I was working so hard, I really appreciated his
company. I was really hot and was pouring water over my wrists
and appreciating every cool breeze. Bill on the other hand, was remarking
that he was cold. LOL!
Throughout the race we had numerous discussions about our pace.
Generally they went something like this:
Me "Hmmm... this time at X marker... If we
run the next X miles in X minutes we'll make my time."
Bill "I think we're running faster than that. We have been running
a 9:3X something pace for the whole race."
Me "Did I mention that I can't do math while I run? Hmmm... tell
me about that [tree, plant, building]."
Eventually the miles ticked by. I knew we were on a PR pace. Bill was relentlessly dragging me towards the finish line. We were doing little fartleks with each person we passed and I was working hard. Bill looked as fresh as ever and I was jealous! I was tired. I had no energy to chat with him. Since mile 9 we had been able to see downtown approaching but they cruelly make you wind around to the actual finish.
Finally we reached 12 miles. My internal arguing went like this "I'm tired... I want to slow down. Don't be an idiot... this is the END. Don't blow it now. You can rest in a few more minutes. This mile must have been marked wrong... it is taking FOREVER! Think of your keywords... Fast... Strong... Easy" (Repeat tirade endlessly) Bill was dragging me along. He was about a metre ahead of me and I was certain he was speeding up. I was struggling. I was gasping like a fish out of water and making horrible breathing noises. I am sure the other runners thought I was about to have a cardiac arrest. He ignored my distress and kept dragging me along. Finally we turned the last corner and could see the finish line. We ran side-by-side and I tried to sprint across the mat. It was done.
Clock time 2:09:51. Watch/chip time 2:05:55 (9:37 pace)
Our splits were:
1 mile
= 10:20
6 miles
= 58:35 (9:46 pace) [Time from mile 1-6 = 48:15 (9:39 pace)]
10 miles
= 1:36:35 (9:40 pace) [Time from mile 6-10 = 37:39 (9:30 pace)]
12 miles
= 1:55:40 (9:38 pace) [Time from mile 10-12 = 19:05 (9:32 pace)]
Final
1.1 = 10:14 (9:18 pace)
WOW!
We got our medals and some food and started heading for our shirts.
We ran into Josh Saak and started talking about our races. (Josh
ran a speedy 1:24:24 and placed 84th male.) I handed Bill my food,
sat down on the road and began
stretching. I was, and remain, sore. Hammering through
those hills and negative splitting that course has beat up my legs.
However, I am still grinning and it was worth it.
Over the course of the weekend I met lots of great folks. All of them were SUPER nice. All had different goals. It is rare for me to finish before the people I go to the race with. I have a lot to learn about navigating crowds and being back at the finish to see others finish their races. Despite missing all the other 1/2 marathon finishes, every Penguin I met rushed to ask me how I had done and CROWED when they learned that Bill had paced me to a new PR. I was blown away at how happy everyone was that I had exceeded my expectations. From time to time we have discussions about what makes people Penguins. That unconditional support and celebration of someone else's success defines it for me.
I will not be able to name all the folks I met over the weekend or all the locals who were so very helpful and hospitable to us. I had a fantastic time meeting everyone. The conversations, stretching demos, shopping trips, eating extravaganzas and general silliness were AWESOME. I wish I could go back tomorrow and do it all over again (although my legs might have something to say about that). Thanks to everyone for everything.
Flipper hugs
Carlene
PS - Here is a photo from our trip to Churchill Downs on Sunday. I'm holding the great shirt I bought for my husband Andre. Behind me in the white is Ellen Weisman from NY, behind me to the left is Marce from Iowa and to the far left is Tonya Fisher's back.
On Sunday I raced the Richmond 5K. There was a 10K running at the same time that covered some of our course. It was slightly overcast with the occasional snowflake here and there and temperatures about –13C/8F with a nice wind.
My knee injury has prevented me from doing speedwork and my last 5K race effort was in August 2001. I really wasn’t sure what to expect. However, my coach and I discussed my race plan and I selected a heart rate goal of 185 (85%) or higher for the entire race. As usual I planned to race totally by heart rate, ignoring my watch. It was also understood that if my knee voiced a strong protest I would back off as necessary.
About 20 minutes before the race I started out with 2 friends for a nice slow warm-up. They were both running the 10K and it was relaxing running with them. Eventually we turned and ran back towards the start area. The 5K start was further down the road and so I left them and kept going. (When I first started running I never warmed up for races – it just seemed counter productive. I needed all my energy for the race. Now that I have more aggressive race goals I warm-up but it still feels odd to me.) The warm-up was well timed and we didn’t stand around too long before the race started and crowd started moving.
The first kilometer was spent finding some space in the crowd and then I spent some more time messing with my headband and gloves because I was hot. Eventually the crowd thinned and I slowly tried to pass people and was also passed by some others. Then the 10K speedsters started passing us. WOW! They were FLYING and it was nice seeing them running alongside us, even though it was a brief experience. The 5K course was a square so it was obvious we were getting close to the end even though there weren’t any mile/km markers. Near the end my coach ran a bit with me to encourage me and then finally I saw the clock and finish, tried for the finish kick, found no extra speed available, and then it was over. I am pleased to say I succeeded in my goal. I never saw a HR below 185 and was as high as 190 several times. Afterwards I got to see the 10K winner cruise in around 32 minutes and then cheer for many of my friends doing the 10K who always finish before I do. That was a nice treat.
The final results are not yet on the web however I was 5th in my age group and 30/70 female finishers. My time of 28:12 is slower than my best 5K and I have to admit that initially I was disappointed by my results. I thought that working so hard for the whole race should have resulted in a faster time. I was a grumpy Penguin. However, I did my best. How can I not appreciate that and enjoy the fact that I am fortunate that my injury is healing and I am racing again? I can’t. Life is good.
Carlene
Slightly stiff but happy in Kanata
Elizabeth ran with me for a bit on the second loop near the canal turn which was great. She was very encouraging. Then it was a short jaunt over to the finish approach where Jane ran me in. According to the timer volunteer I finished in a time of 34:20. Then I had trouble getting my watch turned off (it reads 34:31). Adjusting my second split for the difference between the timer's number and my own my splits were 17:09 and 17:11. I guess I ran a nice even race :) Sure didn't feel like it at the time.
Anyhow, there were about 100,000 people out to see the Santa parade and so there were lots of spectators along the course. Many of them cheered (unlike years past) and it was great fun running this race. I finished in 14:25 - a new PR (my 1999 time was 18:00). Adjusting for the distance this works out to 7:52 mile pace or 4:53 km pace. WOW! I hope I can do as well at my 5K in a few weeks time.
After the race I hung around for the awards and door prizes but didn't win anything. Una won a door prize though. Afterwards we toddled down the street for some post-race eating and encountering and watched the parade through the restaurant window. It was an awesome time all around.
Carlene
PS - Both Una and I looked smashing in our Toronto Penguins shirts. I hope Una will pipe up with a race report of her own when she gets a chance.
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Yesterday there was a 5K/10K cross country race to commemorate the life of Dr Jim Howe a local sports medicine practitioner and runner who passed away in 1996.
We had a pretty wet week leading up to the event with some snow (that later melted) and lots of rain. The race location is called the Hornet's Nest and the course description indicated that the conditions would be highly weather dependent. Saturday the OFSSA (Provincial level highschool track and field) competition was held on the same course with 1500 kids running 3, 4 and 5K races. I have been told that one highschool coach described the course as a mud-bowl. Those kids certainly prepped the course nicely for us :(
I had been talked into this race by my coach Jane as a 'fun way to end the season'. Jane was unable to run due to a slight ankle injury and was the dedicated cheering section for our running club. Many of our club members (Michel, Manuel, Andrea, Sue, Jack, Jennifer, Andrew - 5K) were there and running the 10K. Having not done any crosscountry racing since early grade school I wasn't really sure what to expect.
Luckily for us the rain Sunday held off till afternoon so we were spared racing in a downpour. I was prepared to get muddy and wet and I did. There were some screaming downhills followed immediately by steep uphills including one cruel trek down a nice tobogganning hill, around the bottom and back up same hill (to an even higher level) before getting back on the trail. Trail conditions ranged from muddy grass to muddy track to muddy gravel (added to the trail). Water crossings ranged from bridges to logs. I never had any idea where I was on the course and just dilligently followed the volunteers promptings and the little white flags. I was dying mid-race and wanted to walk but I resisted the temptation and simply used my HR monitor to reign in my pace slightly to a more manageable level. (HR ranged between 175-188 for most of the race.) The race felt a little long and one runner projected that we may have run 5.5K instead of just 5K. I can tell you that I was HEARTILY glad Jane talked me into the 5K. Running that course twice would have killed me. During the race I vowed to never do a cross country race again. It made me feel slightly better. Of course at this point my shoes were caked in mud, felt like the weighed a ton and I had this shoulder/side stitch thing going on.
This race certainly felt harder than anything I have done recently which surprised me because I felt like I really worked quite hard at my last half marathon. I guess road racing and cross country really are two completely different things. One runner remarked upon finishing the 10K "That was the hardest half marathon I have ever run!" which garnered a few laughs and totally echoed how I felt about the course.
End result was a finish of 29:15 (watch time) which apparently was good enough to win the womens 30-39 age group. The next I can tell you I was quite surprised to hear my name called, particularly in first place. The medal is quite nice and Jane was thrilled for me. Unfortunately the results haven't been posted on the web yet so I can't obsess over, oops... I mean analize them, properly.
So... Sunday's short jaunt felt like the hardest race of my entire life,
it seemed like a slow time, but this race ended up to be the
best placing I have ever achieved. Weird how life is sometimes
eh?
Carlene
Still surprised and slightly sore in Kanata
NOTE: My placings were 7th/26 women, 36/66 total finishers. The
very next finisher about 40 seconds behind me was in my age group.
The overall female winners were all younger than 30. I really was
the first person in my age group. What a thrill.
Saturday I got up and ran 15 minutes as instructed by Jane (my coach). This was just long enough to get warmed up and work some kinks out but not to get tired. After that I headed downtown to the host hotel to meet up with the Penguins. We had a loose plan to meet there around noon. I got lost on the way there and was a bit frazzled by the time I arrived. Penguins David Gegear and Kathryn Lye managed to find me and then we spent the afternoon getting our packets, talking with Jeff Galloway and shopping. Glenn Gabriel joined us for dinner at a FABULOUS Italian restaurant and later we were joined by Tracy Gilliam and his friend who were on the way home from an Argos (football) game. (Shortly thereafter the next table was filled by extremely beautiful women who turned out to be the Argos cheerleaders. If we could book them for the Penguin conference we would. I’m sure it would increase registration significantly. However, I really don’t think we could afford them.)
My coach had suggested that my goal time for this race should be 2:11. When she emailed that to me I read and re-read the message and generally cowered in fear. I really couldn’t wrap my mind around that time. My ½ marathon personal best time was 2:26:29 (May 2000). That race was a 12 minute improvement over my first ½ marathon the year before. Dropping another huge amount off my ½ marathon just didn’t seem possible. I spent a lot of time pre-race trying to grasp that number and convince myself that it was possible. Let me tell you - training my mind was harder than training my body.
Sunday morning Kathryn, Kelly, David and I took the shuttle buses from the host hotel to the start area, checked bags and did the porta-john line. Then we began to walk towards the start. Turns out we were still walking to the start line and the race was about to start. Kelly, Kathryn and David suggested I run along ahead so that I could get in place. (I was on the wrong side of the timing mat at this point.) So I ran ahead, and squeezed on to the course.
My plan for the race was to line up with the 2:10 pace bunny and see how things went. I managed to get into the crowd behind the 2:15 bunny but figured I could try and catch the 2:10 bunny as the crowd thinned out. Then we were off. People kept telling me this race was flat. They lied. I never did catch the 2:10 bunny but I strove mightily to keep the 2:15 group behind me. I ran the entire race by HR and know that I was in the low-190’s for some of the hills early on in the race. Somewhere around 10 or 11 K I was really discouraged and feeling really fatigued. I began drinking Powerade in addition to water. This helped a bit. It also began to rain which made me feel a bit cooler. During the second half of the race my overall goal was to keep my heartrate around 180 (or above). I am pleased to say I managed this. Towards the end of the race it was really hard seeing the people walking back with medals. Finally I heard the bell and began to look for Glenn. Got cheered for, had my photo taken by Glenn and then was off to finish my race. Imagine my surprise when I rounded the final corner and finally saw the finishline clock and realized that – if I kicked I could finish in sub-2:11 clock time. Finished, hit my watch and then I saw the 2:10 pace bunny. I had finally caught him (he was 2 minutes early). I collected my rose, medal, food, etc and then wandered back to join Glenn and cheer for more runners. Soon David was waddling towards us and then Kelly. I don’t know where I found the energy but I ran back down the course and ran with her for a bit and she looked so fabulous. It was wonderful. My final time and new PR is 2:10:10 (chip time) – an improvement of 16.5 minutes. WOO HOO! What a wonderful pay-off for all my hardwork trying to follow Jane’s wonderful training schedules.
After the race Kathryn (who DNS and dropped out somewhere along the way) sweetly drove me back to the hotel, waited while I got changed into dry clothes and then drove me to lunch with the Toronto Penguins. We had a great time at lunch and I have to say I had such a wonderful weekend. Thank-you so much for being such wonderful hosts and for supporting me. In particular I’d like to send huge Penguin flipper hugs out to Glenn, Kathryn and David who went above and beyond the call of duty before, during and after the race. Thanks for reading and sending those Penguin prayers my way today.
Carlene
Still grinning in Kanata
PS - Here is a slightly blurry picture that Brian took of me near the finish. I was moving along well and was really happy to be almost done. Thanks Brian!
Race: Run 10K, Bike 40K, Run 5K
Short results:
Heading
out on the bike leg of the course after a hot opening run.
My goal for this race was to finish upright and smiling. This would be my longest duathlon ever and my strategy was to try and run a comfortable opening run, do a decent bike time and then push through the final run as best as I could. We estimated that I would finish around 3.5 hours. I figured 3:15 was possible but only if I was having a really good day.
This race was a qualifier for the Canadian National Duathlon team. Because of this and the length of the event the caliber of athletes who raced was significantly higher than the shorter Duathlon I did just a few weeks ago on June 23rd. I knew from the outset that I would likely be last and alone for most of the race but hoped to be able to meet up with some triathletes who I could pass on the bike.
The run started on a bridge and it was already sunny and warm. I felt slightly nauseated and was hoping the feeling would disappear. I started at the back of the run and quickly saw people fade away. My first K was 6:15 which I determined was a fine pace for this first 10K run. Kept my heart rate between 170-180 on first run. The 10K was two loops of a 5K course. At the 2.5K mark there was a water stop manned by 3 brave volunteers including someone I knew from work. They were strategically located under a nice shady tree. Luckily I also planned ahead and wore a belt with a water bottle. Despite doing a short run warm-up I felt tight and sluggish for the first 5K and was really glad to be feeling better during the second 5K. It was then that I began dumping water over my head to cool off.
As I was running the opening 10K run I began to get passed by 5 and 10K road racers. It was very odd being passed by people who were running so fast (some of them looked to be at the puke threshold). However I also had some encouraging runners pass me including one fellow who complimented me for being a real athlete and doing one of the big races. I laughed and told him I was just pacing myself to finish sometime today. I think having the other runners pass me helped me pick up my pace a bit since my 6:15 pace would have yielded a 1:02:30 10K time and my time including transition was 1:02:37. During the run I contemplated eating the balance bar I had in my pouch because I didn't want to bonk later during the race however I still felt queasy and so decided to hold off in favour of drinking some gatorade during the bike ride. As I was running down towards the transition area I glanced at my watch and saw 1:01 and knew I was ahead of schedule (we had estimated 65 minutes for my opening run). Unfortunately I couldn't figure out where to take a split time for the transition and so gave up on taking personal splits during the race.
At the transition I had to dump my bottle fanny pack, don my camelback (1/2 gatorade, 1/2 water), helmet, change shoes and grab my bike. The transition zone was basically empty and I knew everyone had been out on the bike course a long time. (The triathlon running at the same time was a 1500m swim, 40K bike and 10K run so all the du and tri people were well ahead of me.) However, I was hopefull that I would be able to catch some people from the last triathlon wave. Got headed out of town and turned a corner to find a headwind. Great. I'm plodding along trying to keep my cadence and spirits up and watching all these bikes going in the other direction. I passed one rider who appeared to be doing the sprint event (15K ride) and was barely moving on the bike. Drinking the gatorade did help calm my upset stomach though which was wonderful. Eventually the course turned again and the headwind was gone. Of course the hills in this section of the course made for challenging riding. Andrea, one of the members of my running club who was doing the tri and Jane (my coach) passed me going back and yelled encouragement to me. Somewhere past the 15K mark another rider told me that it wouldn't be long till the turn around. At the 20K turn around I thanked the volunteers and told them I was really glad to see them. My race was now half finished and overall I felt pretty good. Sure, my back/neck was sore, my legs were tired and my knees were creaking a bit. However, overall I was good to go and keen to see if I could get my average bike speed up to a decent number. Gradually I saw a rider in the distance and I spent 15K trying to catch them. I ended up passing that one bike within the final kilometer of the bike course. I skidded to a stop, hopped off the bike and dragged it over to my transition spot. Then it was off with the helmet and shoes. I decided to keep the camelback because the gatorade would be welcome during the final run. After dealing with a knotted shoe lace I was off for the final run.
As I headed out of the transition zone I was thankful that I had such a dedicated cheering section. Many of the members of our running club had come out to spectate and their enthusiasm was quite welcome. As I went by I got some smiles and high fives and smiled and told them I was glad I only had 5K more to run. As I was starting the loop I glanced at my watch and saw I was around 2:45 and knew I was well ahead of schedule. However I decided I wouldn't look at the watch again. I wanted to try and run as hard as I could and not coast on my prior hard work. Of course my legs felt quite stiff and I was shuffling along. However, I kept moving. I saw lots of people walking but I refused to do so because I had trained to run that final 5K. I chugged along with my heart rate around 170. I just couldn't seem to get it any higher. I was around 2.75K when Andrea passed me going strong in her final 10K run. I told her to tell my coach that I was just behind her (my coach missed me finish at the last race because I arrived earlier than expected) and that she was looking good. I tried to keep her in sight and gained on her a bit around 4K when she did some walking.
The final kilometer felt LONG. Came down the main street and saw Manuel from the running club and then my husband Andre (who I didn't think would be there). I was struggling to breathe at this point and wheezing. Saw Jane and then saw the clock - 3:09 as I'm approaching. Had no kick to give. Just dragged myself across the finishline. YEAH! One more goal accomplished.
After the race I got to talk to my friends and thank them for coming out. We loaded my bike and stuff into the car and then wandered around a bit. We saw that Duncan, one of the other athletes who Jane coaches, had a National Team jacket under his arm and had obviously met his goal of qualifying for the team. It was nice to be able to congratulate him on a great race. We stayed for the awards start because I wanted to hear Jane talk about Graham Beasley who the race memorializes. After that we saw Andrea get her 3rd place ribbon and then Andre and I decided to head home. (I was a bit befuddled and thought the awards were finished.) Andre headed off to his car and I headed off to mine. As I was leaving I heard the Du awards start. I decided to go back to see Jane get her award and ended up getting one of my own for 3rd place in my age group. (The woman who was second in my age group finished only 28 minutes ahead of me.) Gotta love strategic racing. Too bad I had sent my husband home and he missed my big moment :(
So… I finished upright and smiling and much faster than I expected. I was last for the entire race but I also got hardware. Today I am sunburned and achy but also very, very satisfied with a job well done.
Thanks for reading
Carlene
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This race is located only a few blocks from my house. The course
is two 5K loops through the subdivision and it is a gently rolling (read
mostly flat) route. The day before the race it was horribly hot and
there were air quality warnings. Therefore, it was with some relief
that it was cooler and rainy before the race started. The temperature
was 18C, 24C with humidex. The rain stopped about 2 minutes prior
to the race start. From there the clouds parted and the sun beat
down and we started to get quite hot. By the 3K mark we were all
wishing the rain had continued. However, we were in for another hot
steamy Canada Day 10K this year.
My plan for this race was to keep my heart rate consistent for the first 5K and then see where I could bring it from there. The first 5K felt really hard. I began to regret the 2 glasses of wine I had drank the night before. Running felt HARD. I passed the 1K mark in 5:36 (a bit fast). My HR was around 178 and my 5K split was 29:15 (watch)/28:28 (chip time). After that point I passed a couple of people and turned up the volume. My HR moved into the 180's. Coming along Teron Road I had a HR of 188. I turned the corner and kept pushing it. I saw lots of friends including my coach Jane Armstrong and my friend Howard (a total surprise). I pushed down the final part of the course and finished my race with a HR of 190 at the finish line. My final kilometer was 5:28 according to my watch. A good effort indeed. I was very pleased with this race - my pacing was good and I put in a very solid effort. Afterwards the aching back, tired legs and stiff neck all felt worthwhile :) Now ONWARD to the next race. |
Short results: time 1:27:24, 48th/56 overall, 16/19 women, 11/12 women
30-39
Official splits: Run 1 17:56 (place 49, pace 5:59 per K), Bike 42:11
(place 41, pace 28.5 km/h), Run 2 (place 48, pace 5:28 per K)
Note: Run times include transitions (approx 1:10 seconds each)
Smiths Falls is located 45-60 minutes drive from home. Since I can get lost driving almost anywhere I was nervous about getting there alone on race day. I talked my husband into going the night before and staying overnight with me. This meant I wouldn't have to worry about getting lost and I could get up early to get ready while he stayed in bed. It would also mean that I had up early to get ready while he stayed in bed. It would also mean that I had a private bathroom at my disposal which is a wonderful thing on a race day.
My coach and I had met the week before the race to discuss my training, the race, etc. but we hadn't put together any time estimates for the event. I'm not sure why we didn't do this but we didn't. This was my second Duathlon. My first Duathlon was last October and the distances were just a little shorter. I finished in 1:32 and change. So... I figured finishing around 1:30 would be doable and that was when I told my husband to look for me.
I got up at 6:30 and it was overcast. The forecast was supposed to be partly sunny/cloudy and no rain. I began to doubt that. I showered and dressed and then went downstairs to get my bike out of the car and take it over to the transition zone (across the river). I pumped my tires like a pro and then biked across to the transition area. I picked a nice spot for my bike in the first row and only a short distance from the transition zone exit (where you bike in/out). It was however the farthest spot from the transition zone entrance (where you run in/out). I took the bike for a spin to make sure the computer was working, etc. Then I went to a convenience store to buy cold water and gatorade for my Camelback and wandered back to the hotel to get my race kit. Before the race I walked back and forth the hotel to get my race kit. Before the race I walked back and forth several times in order to get body marked, cover the bike/shoes/helmet with bags to protect from the rain, etc. I also saw Jane my coach who was also racing this event. Around 8 am I roused my husband and suggested he get showered and dressed. Prior to the race I wasn't feeling 100%. My bowels had awoken with a vengence and I was having a bit of a mucas/blood problem. ICK! Having the hotel room with a private bathroom was terrific. Luckily I felt a bit better by the time the race started.
This race includes a triathlon, triathlon relay, duathlon and 5K race. It was a busy scene. Last year I spectated at this race and watched my coach do a phenomenal job and place third female overall. When we went downstairs there was a visual feast. The triathletes looked so picturesque with all the different colour swim caps on as they floated in the river and lined up along the bank. I met up with Canadian Clyde Kent and we chatted briefly before the race. How he managed to find me in all those people is still amazing to me. (I was not wearing my pink hat - I hate running in hats.)
Before long it was time to start. The 5K and Duathlon races started together. I lined up at the back, the gun went and then we were off. The first kilometer felt LONG and involved a bit of rough terrain. I passed the first kilometer felt LONG and involved a bit of rough terrain. I passed the first K marker in 5:35 and decided I was working plenty hard. From this point on I ignored my watch and used the HR monitor as my guide. During the 3K run my HR was 175-85 and I was working really hard. We passed some houses, went over a bridge and then ran down a winding pathway beside the river. Eventually after crossing a few footbridges we got to the transition zone. I quickly ran through the transition zone, saw my husband, found my bike and started ripping plastic bags off everything. Got my shoes changed, my helmet on and then was running the bike to the mount/dismount line and was off.
The bike course was an out and back route along a rural road. Parts were bumpy and there were some gentle rolls but no real serious hills. I was spinning like mad and really enjoying myself. HR was in the 170's when I checked (which I usually don't while biking). There was a bit of a tailwind and my bike computer was showing speeds in excess of 30 km/h. Somewhere along this route I hit a max speed of 43.5 km/h. Around the 5K mark I saw someone on the opposite side of the road with a flat walking their bike. ICK! I prayed that wouldn't happen to me. I passed some people, got passed by some buff triathlete women (they were in the final swim wave) and began to start praying for the turn around point. Finally hit the turn around and to start praying for the turn around point. Finally hit the turn around and the person behind me tried to run me off the road (they ran into my bike which really annoyed me!). I used my anger and started spinning furiously and passed them back. Now we had a light headwind and some rain drops. It was tough going, particularly in the final 5K. Speeds on the bike began to drop but I kept chugging along. Finally got back to town and into the transition zone and saw my husband cheering again. Got the bike racked, the helmet off and the shoes changed.
Off on the final run. UGH! I can't believe that I have 5K left to go. However I just concentrated on moving forward and ran the phrase Relentless Forward Motion through my head a few times. Finally caught the lady in front of me and said something encouraging as I went by. This part of the run course went through a park along some boat locks (where they lift the boats from one part of the river to another), over the locks and then back past the transition zone and on to the same course we ran for the first 3K run. Kept working to try not to impede other runners as well as catch those in front of me. Was paranoid about slipping on one of the bridges. Got passed by a few people but was working hard. HR was in the 175-80 zone most of this run. HR fell to 172 at one point but I pushed myself and brought it back up to 178 pretty quickly. The final kilometer seemed to last forever. Finally the last volunteer said the finish was 50 m away - down the hill and around the corner. I smiled and barreled down the hill and around the corner. The clock said 1:26 and I knew I would finish sub-1:30 and I was thrilled. Tried for a finish kick but didn't have any extra speed to draw on. Finished with a huge smile and then walked slowly in circles for a minute. Got a hug from my husband and recovered for a minute. Then we went to the transition zone to get my bike. Then back to the hotel to grab goomies (they had PIZZA!), get showered and check out. The drive home took a little longer because the rain had really started to pour down. A tractor trailer had jacknifed and was completely blocking the road. This started us on a series of detours and a very scenic drive back home. My husband was frustrated as he just wanted to be home but I enjoyed the drive.
Overall impressions:
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The Race start.
Notice the skinnyfast runners in shorts despite the chilly March temperatures. BRRR!!!!!! |
Toronto Penguins Glenn, Tracy and Heather braving the cold temps and waiting for us at the finish. |
Mary D (pink headband) and Carlene (right) running down the final stretch. |
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The TRIUMPHANT FINISH!
Chip time 3:23:57. WOO HOO! |
Mary D and Carlene with medals happy to be finished |
 Mary D, Carlene, Tracy, Kathryn and Glenn
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Sunday I got up at 6 am. Not being a morning person that was difficult. However, I needed enough time to get up, eat breakfast (2 Nutribar meal bars), digest, hydrate and stretch. Weighed myself and was up 2.5 pounds from the day before. The temps were -7C/19.5F, -17C/1F with windchill. Winds were around 20 km/h. It was also sunny. Mary called to find out what the temps were in fahrenheit and I told here that I figured with windchill it was around 0F. I was pretty close. After many trips to the bathroom in the comfort of our room we headed over to the starting line about 20 minutes before the start. We were staying at the host hotel and could see the start (2 blocks away) from our room.
Once outside I wrapped a blanket around my legs to ward off the chill. We met up with the Toronto Penguins and Mary D before the race at the back of the pack. Just before the start I passed the blanket back to my husband, grabbed a kiss and some goodluck wishes and started merging with the pack. Mary corrupted me into starting much farther up in the pack than I would have. Turned out to be a good thing as we still passed lots of folks in the first few miles.
Mary D and I had a very compatible pace which was wonderful. We chatted as we went and I watched my HR monitor. Kept the HR between mid-high 170's and low 180's for the whole race which I was very pleased with. We also walked the five water stops as well as walking once for about a block after running up the killer hill near the end of the race (26K). So... although we positive splitted the second half of the race by 12 minutes, we kept a very consistent effort level which was wonderful. (Also, even the winners positive splitted so we were not alone.) During the race we saw Clydes Dave and Brenda a couple of times (they were run/walking and so we kept passing each other) and Gail Anderson from Ottawa once. All three of them finished ahead of us.
Here is a rough outline of our progress:
5K - didn't take a split but we were just over 30 minutes. Was worried that we were going too fast but we felt good and were having fun.
10K - 1:01:50 - we are travelling a bit faster than I thought we should be but there was a gradual downhill and a tail wind. There was also only one water stop in this segment.
15K - didn't bother taking a split as there was a mat. Between 10 and 15K we began to turn and the wind was hitting us sideways. Our chip time at this point was 1:36:20. (Reportedly, at the lift bridge, in the middle of a spit of land at the 15K mark, at 9:30AM it was -40C with the windchill!)
20K - 1:09:33, elapsed time 2:11:23 - hit the split button a bit after this marker. We had gone through another 2 water stops and battled the headwind.
24K - Saw my friends Sandra and Cheryl from London bravely standing in the cold and cheering the runners on.
25K - 37:59, elapsed time 2:49:22 - course is definitely rolling and we have travelled through another couple of water stops.
30K - 35:04, elapsed time 3:24:26 - forgot to hit my watch right away. Adjusting this split based on our finish time, the last 5K took us about 34:30. This 5K involved the killer hill (1K in length and a 13% grade) and 1 water stop. I must say that the killer hill wasn't too bad for me. Those hills I have been running in training really helped. During the final stretch we saw the Grim Reaper letting us know the end was near. I was also in the Bite me zone. I thought we had to turn to get to the finish and let out a very unladylike tirade to the delight of the runners around me. Lots of folks were walking during this stretch and we could see folks who had already finished limping back to their cars. I am certain that if I was alone I would have been walking during those last few K's. Mary dragged me along to the finish quite ruthlessly speeding up as she went. It was HARD! However, we also passed lots of people which was very cool. Near the end we saw the Penguins cheering us and then my husband Andre and the Clydesdales. Then we were DONE! It was awesome. I couldn't stop SMILING! (I am still grinning like an idiot.)
Overall notes: From the start of the race I had a tightness in my upper left quad that never really went away. By the middle of the race my knees had started to ache a bit. In the latter half of the race as the course rolled my right quad and left quad began to be equally sore. During the final 2 miles my feet were really sore. My feet swelled as we ran - next time I'll leave my shoes a bit looser because they felt bruised on the top after the race. I ate fig newtons and drank 1/2 gatorade and 1/2 water from my Camelback during the race. I also drank water from the aid stations as we travelled through them. By 8K I was already hungry. That was a bit unexpected as during training I usually had to force myself to start eating after 60-80 minutes.
After the race we got our chips removed and received our medals. Then we headed inside to get cleaned up and before our luncheon. My friends Sandra and Cheryl made it to the finish line after we finished. They thought it was funny that it takes longer to drive to the finish than to run there. (Traffic was nuts with the road closures.) We had reservations for 2 pm at East Side Marios. We had a great time chatting and my friends seemed to survive our running talk pretty well. I was trying to corrupt them into running with their local Penguins but don't know if I was successful or not. We also got to see Mary D's photos of Antarctica which were beautiful. WOW! Kathryn gave out cute Penguins as presents and we had a grand time.
After lunch everyone headed home. Andre and I had elected to stay in Hamilton an extra day and we were very glad we had. It was snowing quite fiercely and we got worried about our friends travelling to London and Detroit. ICK! However, since there was nothing we could do for them we took a nap. (Well, I took a soak in the tub first.) Later that night we ordered pizza and wine from the room service and had a picnic in our room while we watched a movie on TV.
Monday morning I awoke stiff and HUNGRY! I weighed myself and was up another 2.5 pounds. UGH! We drove back to Ottawa in sunny and dry conditions and had an uneventful trip. Tuesday I was back down 4 pounds (still up 1 pound from where I started Friday). I am barely sore and have been bouncing around at work. I am however still HUNGRY and still grinning like an idiot.
As I said earlier, it was a good day and a very fun weekend. I
feel so blessed that I could have so many things go right for me all at
the same time. My friends, family and coach have been very supportive.
My training went well despite a crappy winter. The race conditions
were pretty good and the company during the run was FABULOUS! I can
hardly wait to do it all again next year. Encountering with the Toronto
Penguins is THE BEST! I'm warning you all now - Encounter in Hamilton
in March 2002!
Hi Folks
On Sunday I ran the Richmond 10K for the third time. It was a sunny cold day (-20 C plus windchill). I was quite pleased with my race and managed to churn out a time of 59:37 - my first sub-60 minute 10K. I was so happy! I was also particularly pleased that I ran a very even race. (My 5K time was 29:17.) It was also fun to note my new time in my log. My times for this event now show:
1999 - 1:17:28 (my first 10K, last place finisher)
2000 - 1:03:27 (201/206 finishers, 3rd last female)
2001 - 59:37 (71/91 females, 199/234 overall)
So... this has been quite an improvement. I wonder what the rest
of the year will bring. As you can imagine, I'm still floating from
how well
things went on Sunday.
Carlene
The race had a few hiccups. Perhaps the nicest was that they shortened the bike distance to 18K from 20K. Here are the numbers:
Cumberland Duathlon (Run 4.8K, Bike 18K, Run 2.8K)
Official results from Sportstats = 1:32:11 total time
Run 1 place = 51 4.8K run = 28:37
(pace = 5:58 per K)
Bike place = 50 18K bike time = 49:00 (pace
= 22.0 km/h)
Run 3 place = 46 2.8K run = 14:35
(pace = 5:13 per K).
Placed overall 47/51 (+ 1 DNF), 7/8 in women's 30-39, 14/16 women overall.
Yesterday was cold. It was -4C with windchill when I left the house. Add to that a wind of 17km/h plus some gusts and intermittent flurries during the day. It was a heck of a day to do a race. I think we were all nuts.
The duathlon start was delayed from 9 am till about 9:45-9:50. By the time the race started I was starting to get hungry again. Standing around in the cold trying to stay warm takes a lot of energy. Next time I'll need to eat a much bigger breakfast. Another lady from my club named Andrea was doing her first duathlon too so we had someone to chat with prior to the race which was really nice.
The first run started with a 5K race on the same course. They continued on to the finish line and we peeled off to the transition area in the final stretch. It was nice to have so many people to run with. I am pretty sure that if it was just the Duathlon people I would have done much worse on the first run. Had my HR up to 185 during this run though which was nice and high. Running back towards the transition zone I saw my mother and father-in-law who had been talking about coming to spectate. (I tried to talk them out of it since it isn't that exciting. I figured the cold weather would really convince them not to come but I was wrong.) I waved to them and headed into the transition zone. Some more people started cheering for me. Linda, Mike, and Sarah from the running club as well as Sarah's brother Chris and mom Diana had come to cheer. What sweethearts!
Changing shoes was hard but I managed it. Then I put my helmet on and grabbed my bike. There was some confusion as to whether I was supposed to run over the chip mats again which caused me to stop a second but then I was off and running my bike down a gravel road to the paved road. There was another lady in front of me. We both mounted our bikes and started riding. I quickly passed her (yeah! I passed someone) and then started to pedal like mad to stay ahead. The first 4K of the bike course was described as winding and uphill with some significant climb sections. They didn't lie. I had my HR up to 180 on some of the bike climbs and later while biking into the wind. The course was well marked with pylons and I found myself riding from pylon to pylon in the wind and rolling terrain. One bad thing was that I had been expecting to use my bike computer to guage my progress. However, I took my bike tire off to put the bike into the car. When I put my bike back together I had so much trouble getting the brake cable re-connected (another athlete ended up helping me) I neglected to check the computer. The sensor was misaligned and so didn't read anything. About 10K into the bike course I caught up with the half marathon runners and we were sharing the course. It was a bit annoying in some parts as some runners were travelling along 5 across completely blocking the route. (The course was also open to traffic and some cars were passing us.) I used my bell a lot to warn people of my approach. I also encouraged a few of the runners I was passing. During the bike we experienced a few bad weather patches where we got sleeted/hailed upon. That was a real treat. My hands were getting quite numb. I had been really looking forward to the final stretch back to the race site as the wind should have been behind me. Didn't really feel that way though, especially when I was having trouble seeing anything due to rain on my glasses. Luckily, though we got pelted I didn't get soaked. Finally I saw the signs that there was only 2K to go. I really worked it and zoomed past some more runners. Traffic was heavier here though and that was a bit problematic.
Braked hard and skidded, hopped off the bike and started running back up the gravel road to the transition area. Lots of bikes in the lot this time. Saw my cheering section and commented to them on the 'lovely weather'. My voice was hoarse and my hands were frozen. Getting the shoes changed again was a huge challenge. Finally that was done. I grabbed some gloves from my bag and headed out for the final run. I was alone but the loop was part of the course we had run earlier. Having the gloves on was great as my hands were warming up and felt heavenly. Coming down the first hill I saw a group of 7 or 8 runners coming in the other direction. I ended up running on the shoulder so that the passing cars wouldn't take me out. I saw Andrea and she looked great. I told her to keep up the good work and kept running. I was alone but doing fine. I had my HR up to 175-80 on the second run. Funny thing was that there was a small cul-de-sac we had to run down and back up as part of the course. A guy in a truck drove by to make sure I actually ran this part of the course. I thought it was ludicrous that they would check and see if I cheated. Anyhow, after the cul-de-sac it was back out of this subdivision and up the hill. Then I was on the final stretch. I saw my father-in-law and my mother-in-law was trying to get to the finish to get a photo. I could tell that I was going to beat her there if she didn't hurry up and I did. I turned off my watch and it read 1:31:59. I was extremely pleased.
After the race I chatted with my cheering section and Andrea. I thanked them all for coming. Finally I started to feel more recovered. They were doing the awards for the 10K race and my family asked me if I intended to stay for the duathlon awards. I told them I didn't expect to win anything and so I declined. My father-in-law offered to take my bike in their truck (as the tire wouldn't have to be removed) and I packed the other stuff into my bag and thanked them. They took my bike off to their truck and I walked to my car. I started driving home and stopped to buy a pop. The sky opened up and it started dropping ice bits and rain on us again. I ran into the store and back to the car. Later in the evening I also ran to tha car for a sweater. Today I feel perfectly fine. I am wondering if maybe I didn't push hard enough? It is an odd feeling as I usually end a race feeling completely spent. (Andre thinks I'm just fitter than I think I am and that's why I feel so good now. I was just properly prepared for the effort I did.)
Overall impressions: The race was well organized. The late start was the only major snag. The course was well marked and I never felt lost which was really nice for me. The course also had lots of distance markers which was great, especially since my bike computer was non-functional. It was a very good event. I was also impressed with the chip timing since my race number was on my shirt and not visible for most of the race. Finally, they had the results on the web in the afternoon of race day which was awesome. I would consider doing this event again however I see that next year it is scheduled for Oct 14th. Given the weather problems this year I wonder what next year's weather will be like. Luckily this company puts on a series of races and I can do some of the others in the summer instead.
Thanks for reading
Carlene
Hi Folks
For myself, the weightloss thing seems to be going pretty poorly. I keep yo-yoing between 163ish and 166.5 pounds. UGH! This week was an up week. I was disappointed. However, I had also run a 1/2 marathon the day before weigh in so I expected to be retaining water and up a bit. However 3.5 pounds was more than I expected. I am feeling a bit discouraged. I just want to be done!!
On the race front... finished the half marathon in 2:27:45, 1:15 slower
than the race in May. However, since it was very hot, humid and sunny
I was pleased with my time.
----------
(Note from Carlene: My time was 1:45 (who knew I could run that fast?) and I was complaining because lunch wasn't sitting well.)
Hi Folks
Weighed in today and was up 1.5 pounds. SIGH! I expect my bike ride this afternoon influenced the scale somewhat. Might also have been some of the food I ate while in Vermont. Mostly healthy food I might add although I did have fries once. Ah well, will be working to reverse this latest setback this week. That 70 pound total loss marker is still in my sights.
Last weekend I attended the second Penguin World Conference in Vermont. I ran leg #2 of the Vermont City Marathon last Sunday. Clyde/Penguin Tom ran a wonderful leg #1 and passed off to me. I then started out too fast, took a short walking break with Penguin Kathryn and then started running again. Leg #2 was an out and back thing along a highway. The route didn't have many spectators, rolled and seemed to wind quite a bit. I thought I'd never get to turn around. Finished my 5.4 mile leg in 52:32 (a great time for me) and passed off to my next team member. From then on our relay bracelet was in faster hands - Bruce and Penguins Ward and Ken. Our final team member finished in 3:46. I can now lay claim to part of a 3:46 marathon :) The Penguins awarded our team hardware for being the fastest Penguin relay team at the conference. I now have a very buff looking female runner statue to inspire me.
Today I recovered from my weekend away and cycled some. Logged a little over 21 km and had a great time. Tomorrow I'm back to work and expecting to descend into work hell till late June. So... if you don't hear from me you'll know what happened.
Carlene
Written: May 15, 2000
Hi Folks!
Thanks for the great vibes Sunday. I could feel them speeding me down the course. I ended up running the whole race with Howard (the guy I ran with last year). I think he slowed me down a bit in the first half but he kept me running consistently in the second half so that worked out well. We finished together 2:29:55 clock time, 2:26:29 chip time. I was thrilled. We passed 10K around 1:09 so I think we ran reasonably evenly as well. Yeah! Last year our chip time was 2:38:27 so we improved by about 12 minutes. WooHoo! A new PR!
Weather turned out to be much better than expected - cool and clear at first with some clouds rolling in as the day progressed. By afternoon, after we had finished, it was raining intermittently. There was a steady headwind which we fought for the first half of the race. Of course when we turned and it was behind us we didn't feel a thing :)
We managed to 'beat' the womens marathon winner by about 10 minutes as well which was one of my mini-goals. I also cheered for all the lead men marathoners and the wheelchair racers who passed us.
One funny thing, I was talking to Andre after the race and told him that I didn't see him along the final stretch. He claims he stepped out in front of us, took 3-4 photos and told us to hurry up. I caught none of that :( Oh well, at least he saw us running fast (well, as fast as was possible.) We saw my friend Vanessa before we crossed the mats at the beginning and again just after we finished. Apparently she was going to take an action finish shot but thought better of it. Good thing because I think my shot this year will indicate how green I felt at that moment (I wanted to puke for about 30 seconds after finishing).
I weighed myself when I got home after the race and I was up 3 pounds from the day before. That hardly seems fair eh? Today I'm down one of those pounds and hope it'll continue to improve. Will be weighing in for weight watchers tonight and would like to have a loss this week.
In the late afternoon we went to a BBQ with some clydesdale runners who came into town for the race (some from as far as California) and had a nice encounter.
Today everybody at work is talking about one of the marathon runners who finished a bit over 3 hours (with a PB time) then promptly collapsed in front of his wife and 2 of his 3 kids and later died. He was only 39. This is the first death they've had in the history of the race and it seems to be causing quite a stir. I keep telling people that at least he died happy, doing something he loved and with his family nearby. (I had left the race area by the time this happened.)
Today I'm feeling pretty good. I have a few minor aches and pains and keep yawning. Have a bit of sunburn on the back of my neck/shoulders, some new blisters on my feet and chaffing spots on each breast (that did not happen during training). The worst are the breast chaffing spots as they scream loudly when wet. UGH! I have a massage scheduled for this afternoon and I can hardly wait.
So... that's my story. I had a great time. I'm improving and that makes me very very happy. Thanks for listening and for all your support.
Carlene
Well, what can I say - the Ottawa encounter was AWESOME! Lorne and Gail are wonderful hosts. The Tank became our weekend rendezvous spot and was an easy place to find each other despite the crowds. I will tell you, somebody DIED at the marathon but it wasn't a clyde and it wasn't our fault. (Now I've got your curiousity up haven't I?)
On Saturday the rain cleared up before the race making for good conditions. Watching the 10K Saturday night while chatting with some fellow clydes face to face was a nice treat. Got to cheer for the clydes and some of my local running friends. Seems everybody ran a great race and was quite happy. Luckily this became the theme of the weekend. Saturday night after the race we went to a great italian restaurant (Lorne, thank's for introducing me to a great place to eat!) and enjoyed wonderful food and lots of good conversation.
Sunday dawned cool but dry. I met the group at the tank, introduced my husband quickly and then a few minutes later wandered off to get ready. I ran the half marathon with my running buddy Howard. We started quite appropriately at the back of the pack and well behind the 5 hour pace bunny. I was wearing my Penguin Brigade singlet which says "I had the courage to start" on the back and got many positive responses about the shirt throughout the race.
Last year Howard and I ran this race in 2:38:27. This year our goals were simple: 1) try to better our time, 2) beat the ladies marathon winner, 3) try to finish around 2:20 (I was actually hoping for 2:15 if I was having a perfect day). The weather this year was good but there was a bit of a headwind for the first half of the race. We reached 10K at 1:09 on my watch and I knew 2:15 was not in the cards this time. We were doing a 10/1 run/walk thing and when running I was keeping my HR above 80%. By 15km my HR was up to 85% and I was getting cranky. As the Penguins say, I was sinking into the Bite Me Zone (BMZ). It was at this point that I vowed never to run a full thon :) In the final few kms I cranked up the HR further to well over 90%. When we hit the final stretch the crowd support was tremendous. I looked for my husband but didn't see him. (I later found out he stepped into the road in front of us, took several pictures and told us to hurry up. I saw none of that :( Figures eh?) We rounded the final bend and I saw that the clock was still under 2:30 and we could make it if we hurried. We tried to crank it up a bit further for the final sprint. We finished in 2:29:55 gun time, 2:26:29 chip time - almost 12 minutes faster than last year. We were blessed to have finished this year BEFORE they ran out of medals (they ran out about 3 people behind us). It sure is nice to get a medal on race day instead of a few months later in the mail. A great volunteer clipped off our chips (this plastic tie idea is a great one!) and we were done. About 10 minutes later I felt sufficently recovered that I would consider running another half marathon in the near future.
We mingled a bit and totally missed the ladies marathon winner finishing about 8 minutes after us. We got oriented and decided to head home. I think we left the race area about the same time the marathon finisher who died finished the race. Basically, a 39 year old man finished with a PB time of 3:03, collapsed in the finish area while with his wife and 2 of his 3 children. He had a heartattack and though they tried to revive him was prononunced dead later at the hospital. The news coverage of the race can be read at http://www.ottawacitizen.com/sports/000515/4103884.html and http://www.ottawacitizen.com/sports/000515/4103941.html
Now... back to the encountering. After the race we gathered for a BBQ at Gail's parents house (I think). I finally got to meet some more clydes including Tom who had driven all the way to Ottawa for the BBQ. What a great guy eh? We shared race stories, limped around and ate a ton of great food including some PieO from BathO. Lorne and Gail were the bestest of hosts and even had prizes for some of the speedsters in the group. All in all everyone was having a wonderful time. It was great meeting so many people and getting to put some faces to some of the names on the list. All too soon my husband's headache reached migrane proportions and it was time for us to go. We said a few goodbyes and drove home. It was a most splendid day and far more fun than last year's race.
Thanks to everyone for coming to Ottawa. It was great fun meeting you all. It was also extremely good for my ego - you were all so complimentary about my slowly diminishing girth :) I am all charged up for the Penguin encounter I'll be attending in Vermont in two weeks and hoping I get to attend another clyde gathering sometime soon. This encountering thing is addictive.
Thanks for reading this far.
Carlene
Hi Folks
Ran a beautiful 10K this morning. On the way there the world was breathtakingly beautiful. There was this thick hoarfrost on everything and with the sun rising it made everything glow. It was wonderful.
Wandered over and introduced myself to Clydesdale runner Lorne before the race and had a brief chat. Then was off for a final trip to the potty and out to the start. Lorne nicely cheered for me as I waddled by (the course loops by the finish in the first 2 K) then it was time to get serious and concentrate on racing.
The temperature was great for racing (-10C when I left home, -6 C when I got back) - clear, bright but not blinding and no wind. I wore just thin tights, my cool max long sleeved shirt and a jacket that I ended up wearing open for most of the run.
I wore my HR monitor and decided to keep it around 175-180 (80%) for the majority of the run and crank it up at the end if I had it in me. I wanted to be cautious because my knee was still bugging me. Howard (the guy who ran the half marathon with me last spring) arrived and joined me at the starting line. I figured he'd start with me and then slowly pull away. Not today... he stuck with me all the way and we had a great conversation as we passed the km's. We positioned ourselves nicely at the back and so were only passed by two people late in the race. We also passed two other people - one of them in the final stretch which felt wonderful (I seldom get to pass anyone). My knee bothered me quite a bit throughout and was like a toothache between km's 5 and 8. Luckily I had Howard to help me distract myself and keep plugging away.
After the 8K mark we turned up the volume and slowly tried to pass the few people in front of us. In the final km we were met by some folks from my running club who helped run us in and crank us up further. Managed a final sprint to the finish line where Lorne was cheering (thanks Lorne - I appreciate it!) and then about 5 minutes of gasping as I tried to catch my breath. My friends were trying to herd me inside before I got chilled but we stayed out long enough to cheer the final 10K finisher.
My goal was to match my July 10K time of 65:50. I exceeded that by running a time of 63:27, including a wonderful sprint at the end. Yeah! Splits were: 1 Mile: 9:35, 5K = 31:22, overall pace 10:12 mpm. . Last year this race was my first 10K and I finished in 1:17:28. I feel so happy today and just sore enough to know I worked hard but didn't injure myself yesterday. I will be working hard to increase my endurance in the next few months. I'd really like to be able to maintain about the same pace for the half marathon in May. We'll see how that goes.
Lorne, thanks for being so supportive and friendly. It was great to have a crowd of friendly people to meet me at the finish despite being at the back of the pack. I hope your injury recovery progresses smoothly and we can meet up at some more races soon.
Carlene
Glowing in Kanata
Saturday night I attended my company Christmas party - ate, drank and even danced. Sunday bright and early I got up and headed to the race. My tummy wasn't sure this was a good idea but, the money goes to the Salvation Army Christmas Hamper program which is a great cause.
The course is two loops through a local park. The first 1/3 of the route is uphill then we do a steep downhill and wind around back to the start area. I ran/walked this race last year in foggy icy conditions and finished in 47 minutes and change. This year it was again foggy and the crowd seemed big. I lined up at the back and spent the first 10 minutes passing people (tricky on a trail which only supports 3 people abreast). I eventually caught up with a lady I knew and ended up running the remainder of the race with her and her friend. We finished the first loop in 21:09 and the second in 19:57 for a total time of 41:07. WooHoo! Negative splits and a great new time for this race. I was a happy camper.
I gave my race bib to Sarah and Mike from our club because I had to leave before the draw. They called and told me I won a vest. Coolness! Of course I seriously doubt it'll fit me so I am planning to give it to Sarah. Sarah is a nice skinny fast kid in our club who is growing out of all her clothes. (She grew 7.5 inches in the last year!)
I finished off the morning with brunch at Denny's. My hubby had breakfast and I ate a big burger and fries. (The first time I have ordered fries for myself in eons! WW was on vacation :)
Hope everyone had a great weekend!
Carlene
PS - I also weighed in and have maintained at 58.5 pounds. I guess I need to do more running and less eating :)
I haven't been running much. Instead I have been focusing on trying to get better. Wednesday I had a fever again and I ended up staying home from work. I bought more vitamins and started popping them. I have been sick since October 5th and am heartily sick of it. My running log clearly shows the how bad things have gotten. September 73 miles, October 40 miles, November 22 miles. UGH! I'm barely moving! However, the cold is starting to go away (I'm keeping my fingers crossed as I type this which is making typing VERY challenging :)
Today was the Help Santa Run 2 Miler. I felt like a slug going out for this but I had pre-registered and wanted to see how I would do compared to last year. Last year I finished in 24:17 and ended up walking during the second mile. (Yes, I was a wimp.) Today I was hoping to break 21 minutes and praying to break 20 minutes. This was based on the fact that my fastest 5K is 32:35. I was itching to see if I could break the 10 minute mile barrier. Well... my watch time was 17:53 and my official time was 18:00. WOW! I was thrilled! Afterwards I saw a friend from my last job and discovered that she just finished a beginners running class and that she started running because I inspired her. It was really a cool day despite the fact that I didn't win any door prizes. Afterwards I headed down the street to begin the dreaded Christmas shopping. Of course I only managed to find stuff for one person. SIGH! It is going to be another one of *those* shopping years.
Happy running folks!
Carlene
Hi Folks
Weighed in on Saturday and was down anothre 1/2 a pound. Total is 57.5 and slowly climbing. Yeah!
Did a 'fun run' on Friday and, when I went to log it, had a bit of trouble. My watch said 55 minutes - that I can't lie about. My new mapping software said my route was 8.4 km. That made my pace work out to an unbelieveable number (under 11 minute miles) - basically a race pace for me BUT I didn't feel tired or overworked. I was tempted to play with the numbers to make them come out to a pace that would be more realistic for me and realized that I wasn't giving myself enough credit. After all, the pace was possible. So I left it as is in my training log and will see what happens on future runs.
Did the Run for the Cure on Sunday. Not a fast race (too congested with walkers) but I still had fun. Ran 3/4 of it with a friend named Steve. Turns out it was his very first race and his goal was to finish without walking. He did great. We ran, chatted and had nice kick at the end. Finished in just over 32 minutes which was pretty good. I'm not really considering this a race in my log though as the course congestion prevented speedy running and I think the course seemed a bit short (it was laid out differently than last year due to road construction).
Didn't log any of my eating all weekend. Today I'm back on track though. I am also fighting a tiny cold (scratchy throat, congestion, etc.). Please send some prayers my way - I can't get sick until AFTER the half marathon next weekend. I have invested too many months of training to get sick now.
Ciao!
Carlene
PS - Tonight I'm having my first chiropractic adjustment. Hopefully it'll go well. I already feel tired and achy so I hope this treatment improves things instead of making me feel worse.
I ran the Graham Beasley Memorial 5K today with my husband Andre. It was Andre's first 5K and his idea of the plan was that we would start together and, if he ended up going really slow, I could go on alone and then wait for him at the finish. My idea of the plan, formed after lots of thought, was to run with him regardless.
Andre did very little training for this race but it was my hope that having a race to go to would help motivate him to exercise more and it did help. During training Andre's 5K time was around 40 minutes. Consequently I was not expecting a really fast race.
Today was perfect weather for a race. The predicted high was 19 celcius (mid-70's I think) and it was sunny with a nice breeze. Andre and I started together with Howard (my running partner). Howard left us at the 1K mark and then Andre and I were on our own. For the first half of the race we were behind a 5 year old girl who was running with her Dad. This girl was a great runner. Eventually though she got tired and we passed her. We were beat by someone with a jog stroller though.
Andre and I thanked all the volunteers (Andre doesn't know this tends to be unusual behaviour) and we plugged away. Our 1K split was over 7 minutes so I was expecting our time would be over 35 minutes. We found out later that the 1K sign was at the wrong place and was a little long. Andre kept trying to get me to go ahead but I stuck to him like glue. My HR monitor told me that I was putting in a good effort but, every so often, Andre would groan and claim that I had speeded up on him again. I was feeling really good around the 3K mark and was ready to put the hammer down. Andre wanted to wait till the 4K mark and so we held back a bit. Unfortunately, the 4K mark was directly followed by a big hill. UGH! When we got to the top I knew that the finish line was just around the corner. However when we rounded the bend it was hidden from view by the trees. That was not good. Andre was sucking wind big time and telling me that I had better not ask him to try and sprint as he had nothing left. My HR monitor read 192 which let me know that I was working plenty hard. We stuck together for the final stretch and I hung just behind Andre as he crossed the finish line. Our time 32:35.
I was very pleased. Andre had done a wonderful first race. We started slow and gradually increased throughout. I can only hope that today will help encourage him to join me in other races down the road. (When we started running Andre was much faster than I was. If he does start training more it is likely that I will be eating his dust at future races but I don't mind.) I am a happy woman with a new 5K PR and a husband who is no longer a race virgin. This has been a wonderful day.
Carlene
PS - After the race I pulled out my trusty HR chart and discovered that
193 is supposed to be 100% for me. Since my mid-race readings were
reasonable I guess I can truthfully claim that I gave just about everything
during that final kilometer. That is a nice feeling.
Hey Folks
I could feel all your helpful vibes as I trudged along the course today. It is a great day here. The temperature is 22 degress but with humidex it feels like 27 degrees. So... it was a very hot race. I did see the ambulance leave with lights flashing at one point so I imagine somebody suffered some heat stroke or perhaps a heart attack. Perhaps I'll find out more tomorrow.
Anyhow... as you can see from my new sig I BURNED rubber racing around that subdivision this morning. My goal was 70 minutes. Obviously I smashed that big time. I completed the first 1K in 6:15 and the first 5K in 31 minutes and managed to complete that just ahead of the mens 10K winner. (I congratulated him as he passed me in the chute.) Pretty disgusting actually to think that some folks can run that fast. WOW! I walked a very small amount here and there along the course. My heart rate never dropped below 180 which means I was working very hard for the whole race. My friend Jane ran with me for much of the last kilometre. She really helped me to push harder. Once I rounded the final corner I could see my husband waving the Canadian flag I bought him and then I focused on the finish line. I was gasping and felt dreadful. I had been fighting nausea for the second half of the race and many negative thoughts were rolling around me head. Jane kept saying positive stuff and reminding me to relax, breath deeply and watch my form. I started my final sprint and Jane reminded me to think about the 100m sprints I have been doing in training and to really kick it. I pushed myself hard and finally crossed the finish.
Afterwards I felt like throwing up but didn't actually do it :) Howard and his wife met me at the end of the chute and I went and drank about 10 cups of water and enjoyed the shade. I told Howard I was pleased with my time and didn't care if I ever beat it. I wandered off to find Andre and then some food and more fluid. We waited around, watched the 5K and the 1.2 K fun run and then ran with Howard's daughters Beatrice and Lillian in the 200 meter Tot trot. They were both thrilled to get their red ribbons at the end.
We then set out for home. The chain on Andre's bike had self destructed on the way to the race so we walked the bikes home. (I had left the house earlier so Andre was in quite a panic when the bike died. He arrived just before the race start with greasy bike chain in hand to see me off. Then he patiently waited through all those races and did lots of babysitting before coming home. He is now in bed taking a nap.)
So... that's my story. I had a challenging but very rewarding
race. I can honestly say I really pushed myself and that, in retrospect,
it feels
pretty good.
Now... on to the partying!
Carlene
PS - I was struck today by the fact that, when I donned my race number last November for one of the races I ran my number was 205 which was also my weight at the time. It really helped me remember that I have come along way since then.
PPS - I did LOTS of PEOPLE watching today. Lord do some of these
runners have GREAT BODIES! I am particularly impressed by a couple
people I saw with massive quads. I would have liked to see them run.
I also saw lots of ladies with zero body fat running in those little running
bikini's. Made me a little jealous. However, we each do what we can
with what we have.
Race Report: Scotiabank Half Marathon, May 9th, 1999
The races this weekend attracted 9700 entrants and were great fun. Weather was great - overcast, slight drizzle, temps in the 70's. Final chip time for my first half marathon was 2:38:27 which is pretty speedy for this penguin.
A number of people I know came to spectate at the race which really helped. I almost missed two of my friends (Ann and Jane) when I passed them. They, angels that they are, waited on the other side of the course for us to loop around to them. When I saw them again I briefly stopped, thanked them for coming and then headed down the course. I also saw some people from work and, near the end of the course some folks from my running club. It was the first time I had friends around as spectators and they really helped boost my spirits. I am a lucky gal.
The run was great. My running partner Howard and I ran the whole race together. (We didn't find each other till the gun went off because he was in the potty line so it was a miracle that we ran together.) Just before the race start I burst into tears, grabbed a hug from my hubby and got on the course. I was pretty emotional. I looked forward and felt very small in this huge crowd. Then Howard appeared next to me and we headed out. Howard and I were in awe when we turned the corner and headed up the first hill. Seeing thousands of runners in front of you is an awe inspiring sight.
We stopped at all the water stops and I even doused myself with a wet sponge to cool off. We were really lucky with the weather as the rain and overcast conditions were helpful. We also stopped a couple of times to visit porta potties or, in Howards case, the bushes. We thanked all the volunteers and clapped for the musicians along the course. At one water stop an angel of mercy even ran ahead of me to refill my water bottle for me. The course support was great. One oddity was the sponge stations. There was no drinking water at the sponge stations which placed water breaks about 3-4 miles apart. That's too far apart for me!
I got a little emotional after the 2/3 point. This was when I realized that I was going to finish. Of course the emotions forced me to walk and reset my breathing. Howard never complained about the walking breaks and we struggled on together. (He is in better shape than I and could have run a faster race. Many times he slowed down for me.) We basically did 10/1's with some impromptu stops after some BIG hills and for the occasional potty break.
We were lapped by the lead men at 2:07 clock time. The two leaders were side by side and we cheered for them. As we were occasionally passed by the marathoners I tried to cheer them on. At about mile 11 we saw my friends Ann and Jane again. We did our next walking break and then Howard started trying to convince me to run the rest of the way to the finish without anymore breaks. I was getting tired though and so we snuck one extra break in and he didn't complain.
I was getting tired. Basically I was at the point where I was trying to convince myself that there were less than 10 minutes left and that I could do anything for 10 more minutes. It was around this point (about 1 mile from the finish) that we saw Jane one of the leaders from our running club. Jane was dressed in her Canadian National Team gear and she jumped onto the course and ran with us for a few minutes. She really pumped us up with her comments about how well we were doing and our form, etc. It really helped. While she was running with us the lead woman racer passed us. The poor woman was all alone which would make it pretty tough going. I also heard a spectator comment on the fact that we had an 'elite' pacer with us. Said spectator didn't sound too impressed.
We came around the corner and saw the finish line ahead. It still looked pretty far to me. I tried to get Howard to go ahead but he said "We started this together, we're going to finish this together." So we struggled on. I saw my husband and he snapped a quick photo and, when I looked ahead again the finish line seemed doable. I turned to Howard and said "Let's go." My brain told my body to sprint. My body said, "Sprint? Are you insane?" I ignored my body, pumped my arms and found my legs followed. We DOUBLED our pace and started dashing to the finish. The spectators cheered for our burst of speed and we crossed the line. The race was over and our clock time was 2:4X which we were more than happy with since our goal was to finish in under 3 hours. (The chip time was 2:38:27.) We hugged our family and headed down the chute to turn in our chip and claim our medal. Unfortunately they were out of medals :( but we put our names on the list and they should mail us one.
So... I finished and I feel really proud of myself. I did more Sunday before noon than I have ever done and any other day of my life. Now I get to sit back and relax.
Carlene
Smiling in Kanata
Postscript:
I just checked the internet and our official times are:
2:38:26 Howard Rosenblum
2:38:27 Carlene Paquette
I am so pleased! (Of course the results also show that we were nearly last in our age groups but I don't care!)
Ya know, for the first time in my adult life I feel like an athlete.
It is a really cool feeling and I'm a lucky gal.
Hi Folks
On Sunday January 31st I ran in my first 10K race. Since I just started running last spring I don’t know much about the local running scene and I had never heard anything about this race before registering. I just saw it on the local race calendar and naively signed up. The people from my local race club were supportive of my goal to do a 10K race especially since I told them I had been regularly doing 9.5K long runs before Christmas. So I registered.
Race day arrived and the weather looked good. It was a clear and sunny minus 17 degrees when I left the house with the morning high predicted at minus 14 degrees Celsius. Luckily there was very little wind and the temperature didn’t actually feel too bad. Unfortunately, my GI was misbehaving and I was suffering from mild diarrhea. UGH! This was not a good sign. I drove the 30 minutes to Richmond, Ontario and located the highschool where the race started and finished. After picking up my race packet and shirt (my first coolmax garment!) I looked through the materials they handed out I wandered around but didn’t see anyone I knew. Most folks there were the skinny well dressed real runners. I didn’t see a single runner who was near my size. Sigh! Since the start was over an hour away I settled down to read my book for a while. Eventually I saw some folks from my running club and we chatted and studied the race map. Jane, one of the leaders from my club told me that she had notified the race organizer that someone from the club was planning on running the 10K with an approximate finish time of 1.5 hours. She wanted to let me know that they were expecting me and wouldn’t close everything down without me. This was a relief. The race start was approaching and I spent more than my share of time in the ladies room. I also did some stretching, a brief warm-up and then more stretches. I was worried. My legs felt like LEAD. What was going on with me today?
The start time was approaching so I wandered outside to line up. I chatted with another member of the running club and told her I’d see her at the finish. I knew she was much faster then I, so I was prepared to make no attempt to keep up with her. They counted down, the gun went off and we were starting. I started shuffling and then running as the pack took off. I was trying to start with an easy pace and hoping that at least somebody would be running near my speed. Of course I was hoping in vain. Within the first 10 minutes of the race I was completely alone. I reached the 1 mile point with a split of 11:20. The nearest stragglers were mere specks in the distance. My calves were screaming at me and my legs still felt like lead. Just after the 1 Mile mark I took my first walking break even though I hadn’t planned for one at that point. I stripped off my ear muffs, gloves and scarf and stowed them away - I was boiling and uncomfortable. I was also being trailed by a Police car which I found to be unnerving. Eventually I decided that I should consider the Police officer in that car to be my guardian angel. After all, if I fell or injured myself I had instant assistance available. This change in mindset helped.
I rounded the first corner and then the second. The kilometers slowly ticked by. (Thank goodness they had each kilometer marked!) I had walked twice by this point and was slowly starting to feel better. In general I have to admit that my overall mindset was pretty negative. But I kept reminding myself that I could do this, reviewing all my recent successes and re-reading in my mind all the Penguin and Fatloss support list email I received prior to the race as encouragement. I was approaching the 5K mark and wondering how things were going. I had calculated before the race that the fastest time I could hope for was 70 minutes. With that in mind I was aiming for 7 minutes kilometers but I wasn’t going to stress if it didn’t happen. After all, I was out here to finish and in the end that was all that mattered. I got to the 5K mark at 38:20 which was slower than I had hoped for but I was still on schedule to finish under the 1.5 hour mark and I was pleased. I thanked the volunteers as I passed and they encouraged me to hop along to the water station which was just a tad farther down the road. At the water station I stopped and thanked the folks for staying open for me. I downed ½ cup of water, thanked them again and headed off down the road. Just past this point I realized that I was going to finish. Despite all the doubts and aches I was over halfway done and feeling happy. My emotions started to bubble over and I realized that if I didn’t get control I would be sobbing and crying all the way down the road. Since I was already having vision problems with my foggy glasses I concentrated on my gait and taking deep breaths to calm down.
In the second half of the race I eliminated my walking breaks. I was getting eager to finish and felt pretty comfortable although I was getting tired. I thanked each volunteer for pointing the way and waved at them as they drove past me towards the finish. Somewhere between kilometers 7 and 8 I began to have serious doubts about EVER doing a longer race. The 10K seemed to be taking forever and causing too much pain for anything longer to be contemplated. Again I started thinking about my Internet friends which helped immensely. Eventually I turned the final corner and headed into the home stretch. The footing was greatly improved (dry pavement instead of an ice/snow covered road) and off in the distance was the finish line. As I neared the finish a kind volunteer jogged out to accompany me in. After I greeted him he earnestly asked me if I needed mittens. I was shocked and told him that I was boiling and my hands felt quite warm. We jogged along to the finish and chatted a bit. This was the best part of the race. This volunteer and the others nearby were being very encouraging and the end was in sight. Dina, one of the leaders of my running club had even pried herself out of the warm school to cheer me in. I did my best to kick in with a Bryant Burst but I’m not really sure I sped up much at all as I was quite tired at this point. I finished in 1:17:20 and I was quite pleased. I promptly thanked everyone and then burst into tears. Once I composed myself I wandered over to the constable who had shadowed me during the race and thanked her for watching over me. As I was talking to her I started to cry again (sigh!). Since finishing I have learned that this 10K is a very emotional experience for me and is as likely to make me cry as boast proudly that I finished. It’s quite embarrassing really.
Eventually I wandered inside, dragged myself to the ladies room, washed my face and then wandered into the school cafeteria. They had waited to start the award ceremony till I was done - nice eh? So I grabbed some goomies and settled in to watch the elite collect their plaques. It was nice to sit with my running club, hear about their races and watch them collect their various awards. We took a few group photos and eventually I wandered home for a much deserved bubble bath and nap. It was a very good day.
I checked the website for the race results today to see exactly how speedy the skinny fasts were and how the other club members did. I was also interested to see how fast the next slowest person was. (It would be nice to know how much faster I have to get to run with some company next year. Yes, I am already wondering about next year - I must be crazy eh?) Unfortunately the race results for the 10K stop at 1:05 minutes and change and don’t capture my outstanding effort. I also noticed that two of my friends were also missing from the results. (One of them won first in her age group too so I’m confused about why they aren’t on the website.)
So… that’s the story of my first 10K race. I came, I plodded along
alone, I received great course support and positive Penguin vibes and I
finished in 1:17:20. How much better can it get eh?
Hi All
Sunday I ran the Santa Shuffle 6.5 K. Saturday night and early Sunday morning we had freezing rain here in Ottawa. That meant I had to thaw out the car before I could even leave for the run. I woke up, decided I was crazy but I was going anyways and got ready to leave. Drove to the race start in the thick fog.
There were about 300 people at the race. In some ways it was a Penguin friendly race and in some ways it wasn't. They waited until all runners had finished before doing the awards. However, they didn't have enough water and other beverages. As well, they only had bagels and cream cheese - no fruit. (The last race done by these folks a few weeks ago had lots of fruit.) Some enterprising soul also invited a restaurant to come and sell hamburgers and veggie burgers. YUM! However, I was a tad put out because of the overall lack of beverages. I now know that my thirst was mostly because of my sore throat.
The run was 6.5 K and it was two loops around a park. There were 2 killer hills. The first trip around wasn't too bad. The ice was melting and the trees were dripping cold water on us. There was one bridge that was icy which I think the race organizers should have put some sand on. There was no water stop which suprised me. However, I brought my water bottle so I was set. On the second time around it was hard to stay on the right route. There were many paths to navigate and I couldn't see any runners ahead of my in the fog. I thanked all the volunteers I passed for standing out there in the cold and pointing me along the correct path. I ran a nice comfortable pace and took a 1 minute walking break every 15 minutes.
Near the start there was a switchback with the first hill. Those of us running slower could see the speed demons already halfway up the hill. Somebody near me exclaimed "Look! The REAL runners are already almost up the hill!" We all dutifully looked over and noticed them tackling the hill. The person who voiced this statement seemed very dismayed by how far they had already travelled and how fast they were going. I took this as an opportunity. I jumped in with "We're all REAL runners. Those folks are just a bit faster than we are." I got a few laughs from the crowd and I know I felt a lot better when we rounded the corner and started bounding up that first hill. I like being a penguin. It is so much more fun!
As I was nearing the finish area I saw these other runners coming in ahead of me off of another path. They had taken a shortcut. It made me feel a bit annoyed because they were going to beat me and they didn't run the whole course. However, after bumping into one of these ladies I found out that they were just lost and weren't cheating which cooled my temper.
The nicest part was the run raised over $3000 plus food, clothing and gift donations for the Salvation Army.
So... I'm not certain I'd do this race again next year. Depends on whether the organization get's improved or not. It would be nice to see more water available. (You can never have too much water after all :)
Carlene
PS - When I told Jane, the lady from my running group who called to ask how the race went, about that 'real runners' comment she laughed. She also commended my attitude. I like the fact that I can go to races with the goal of finishing at my own speed and still recieve support and cheers from the race organizers and other faster runners. It makes things fun and more sociable than my regular solitary training runs.