2010 Run to End MS - Half Marathon Report

Balls to the Wall was the plan. But I didn't really know what that meant. I was going to try and run fast... but just how fast was fast?

I was pre-occupied with pre-race chatter and had to make a sprint to the bathroom, only to arrive at the start line with about 30 seconds to spare. I nestled in the middle. Jen S was there - "What are you aiming for today?" - "Under 1:42" - That sounded perfect to me, and a plan was hatched: Stick to Jen like glue.

Queue the Rocky music, and boom, off we went. SWIFTLY. The Garmin chirped 4:34 at 1K. I was either going to shatter 1:42 or blow up at 5K. Kilometer 2 @ 4:32. Jeezus. Well, we've got time in the bank! We slowed to 4:45s and I held on for as long as I could.

Kilometer 13 was slightly downhill, but too fast for me to stick with Jen. I walked through the water station at this point, and dropped into a "jog". I tried to keep it under 5:00 pace. KM 20 was pretty tough, and I let up a little mentally, I could have "pushed" it a little more here, and gone sub 1:42. Oh well.

From about 50 feet away, I saw the finish line clock roll over 1:42, and I had a momentary depression. But that was extremely short lived, as what seemed like the entire LTR class cheered me in to the finish line.

It was a great day for racing. Really, I would have been happy with 1:45. Beating my previous best (by 20 seconds) was pretty sweet too. Although I "blew up", it was kind of a controlled "blow up", and it didn't bother me in the least.

Official Time: 1:42:11.7 (4:51 Pace); 20/54 Overall; 6/10 Men 30 - 39; 17/32 Men




The finish line is 100 meters away; I'm running my fastest here.

This was a good confidence booster for the marathon. Before this race, I was Definitely doubting my ability to hold 5:20 pace for 42K. Now, I'm pretty sure, I can hold it until I meet Mr. Wall.

Always willing to try something new on Race Day, I discovered that Gu Chomps are probably not great for running with. Little Zingy remnants were constantly tickling the back of my throat, but at least they tasted better than the 3 bugs that I (not intentionally) ate along the canal.

I -ACCEPT- the challenge.

Tomorrow = Half Marathon.

Choice 1: (smart choice), run at anticipated marathon pace.
Choice 2: (conservative), run at comfortable pace.
Choice 3: (accepted), run at Balls to the Wall

If I blow up on the Marathon, at least maybe I'll have something to show for it with tomorrow's run.

Brooks Ghost 2.2

Brooks Ghost2

I was starting to get a wee bit stressed about my shoes. They're a great fit, light weight, and I really like them; but, my first pair of Brooks Ghost shoes were obviously starting to wear down after 400km. My current pair (of Ghost2s) are at 300 and will certainly be close to 500k after the next couple of weeks of peak training. Forever on my quest for the "ultimate" pair of shoes, I truly thought I found it last year with Brooks - They were cheap ($99) and readily available (Sports Experts). Surely, I would be able to get them at any mall.

Nope. This year, the new version is $149 and NOT available anywhere locally. Crap.

I was in Ottawa yesterday a block and half from the running room. So - I grabbed a new pair. That should last me through the Marathon and the rest of the year.

Next year, the quest begins again.

The longest run keeps getting longer!

Beer n Tacos: the reward (photo gratuitously lifted off Google Images)

It turned out to be the perfect morning for a run: cool, but not cold; slightly overcast, but not windy. Current and past members of the Joanne Crescent Runners joined a friendly South Stormont crew for an assault on Upper Canada Village. There were 9 or 10 of us in total, with 5 electing for the 30K+ route.

It was 31K and change when it was all said and done. All at a comfortable 6:00 ish average pace, which included a few water breaks, and one stop to water the flowers.
I was pretty pleased with myself. Every step I took after 27K broke my previous distance record.

Nutrition and hydration went well: 3 fuel belt bottles of fruit juice, 1 fuel belt bottle of water, 2 bags of Fruit Chews and 1 Lemon Sublime Gu (note to self, don't buy this one again!).

The best part -- no residual leg soreness on Monday!

Oh, my aching butt

With the marathon training, I have consciously dropped cycling.

Until Sunday, I hadn't been on my bike since mid-January. That's nearly a four month drought. The longest drought in over 6 years. On Sunday, I mounted my bike, in the Fish Bowl atmosphere of the local mall, to help my buddy Dale, raise money and awareness for Cancer Research.

Dale is embarking on a 17-hour, 400 km trip across the Rocky Mountains in June. Dale was "spinning" for 4 hours. I signed up for 2 hours. Oh, my aching butt! 2 hours after not biking for 4 months is quite the sensation.

Local newspaper coverage.

Because of the spin, Sunday's 29K run didn't happen. I tripled up on Saturday, going 10K, 3K (with LTR group) and another 10K afterward for 23 total instead of 13. This week is a "step-back" week - I only have 21 on Sunday. I'm going to mess up next week's scheduled 32K by racing a half marathon instead. I have 32 on May 9; which I definitely don't want to miss. Maybe I'll even bump it up to 36 after many recommendations. We'll see.

Looking forward for the training to be finished!

Children's Treatment Center 5K/10K

There's a new race in town:

The Children's Treatment Centre 5K and 10K runs have been re-energized this year, and feature SportStats electronic timing and accurate distance measurements. The best part: $20 entry fee, $40 for families and FREE with equivalent (or more) pledges. More information and registration: http://www.ctcrun.com.

This could very well be the best deal for running events in Eastern Ontario, Ottawa, Montreal and Northern New York.

27 K ... check

Cumulative Pace Calculator

The longest run, keeps getting longer

It almost didn't happen. Saturday afternoon looked like Sunday morning, and most of Sunday afternoon would be nursing a hang-over; but I persevered, behaved a little on Saturday night, and went running Sunday morning anyways.

It was tough. I did a long straight run. I needed to get myself 13.5K away from home for sure, in order to make 27 for the day. Before turning around, I teased with going 15 - making it 30K for the day. But as the Garmin turned over 13.5, that thought quickly evaporated.

I walked more during this run, than I have before. Especially at 26K. I walked for a good minute. My lower legs had been feeling pretty heavy for a couple of kms. I was feeling pretty fed up. I'm starting to wonder if my shoes are good enough for marathon distance.

This was a bit of a character run: a) Longest distance b) Longest distance alone c) return trip into a fairly constant wind d) bright sun with the temperature hovering in the high-teens. 3:45 is almost certainly not in the cards anymore. 4 hours looks like a tough nut to crack. Especially given the fact that I have yet to experience "THE WALL".

After every long run, I definitely affirm that this will be the one and only marathon. Marathons would be whole lot easier if not for the damned training.