Hallow's Eve - Half-marathon

October 24, 2010

This race is part of the Run the North Shore series in the Vancouver area (trail races).  Every once in a while, I try to seek out races in other cities, to add some variety to the standard fare of races we get on the Island.  While we have a number of excellent races to choose from, it's nice to check out some different venues and trails.  Shane and I also picked this race, as a way to visit friends on the mainland.

The original forecast for the weekend looked ugly - rain and potentially high winds. It looked like it could be a sopping wet day out there.  Luckily race morning we woke up to an overcast sky, but no rain - at least yet.  I went into this race with more calm than many other races.  I felt like there was less pressure, partly because it was a different city and because I didn't know my competition, so I didn't know who I was 'supposed to' be ahead of or behind.  Also, having completed the marathon only two weeks prior, I knew there was the potential that my legs were not quite recovered.

The week prior to the race, my hamstring had still been bugging me -- and I was concerned that it would impair my race.  I could have opted to do the 10 km, but deep down I really wanted to do the half-marathon.  After a wonderful trail run at Thetis Lake the week prior to the race, my stubborness held fast, and I registered for the half-marathon.

As this was a 'Halloween' race, there were a number of people dressed up.  My favorites would have to be the group of men and women dressed up as playboy bunnies, men with wigs and everyone with huge breasts plastered on.  I wondered how comfortable their get-up would be to race in- and if the fake breasts would actually stay on the entire race.

Back to the race -- We lined up at the start line, and soon enough I knew it would be a competitive race.  Tamsin Anstey, a very fast and accomplished trail runner, and Jen Segger, another strong trail runner were both lined up at the start, in addition to Katrina Driver, who held the course record for females. The race director gave us the 10 second countdown and we were off.  Shane and I had previewed the course map so we knew to expect 1 main large climb near the beginning of the race, another secondary steep climb, a long downhill and a final shorter climb near the end. I'd also read that there is a long stair section. Other than that, I didn't know what to expect.


The first kilometre or so was on the road, and then we soon made our way onto the trail.  My main objective in this race was not to get beaten by any woman who was dressed up.  I really didn't know how fast most of these women were, and there very likely could have been a fast woman who'd decided to don an outfit, but it gave me something to strive for.  It ended up that within the first few kilometres I had managed to pass all women who had donned outfits.

At about the 2 km mark, there was a steep descent, that while not very long (about 100 meters), I knew that this was the last climb that we'd need to ascend at the end of the race.  I evaluated it as I went down, knowing that if I'd be able to run it at the end of the race, it would be a fantastic day.  At the top of the climb, the race organizers had littered fake body parts and RIP signs - it was a nice mood lightener.

The trail that we were running on was littered with boardwalks, and it changed between muddy sections and potentially slippery wooden boardwalks.  The boardwalks made the race more treacherous, as I would slow my speed somewhat on them to avoid a nasty fall.  Soon enough, after only a few kilometres we hit the nasty set of stairs.  The stairs were very narrow and were quite long.  I started running them, but soon I slowed to a hike - definitely the longest flight of stairs I've ever experienced in a race. But, unbeknowest to me there was another set of stairs to come just a little ways off.  Around this time, I saw a woman just ahead of me, who I was gaining on.  I put on some speed to try and pass her, and just as I got past I noticed that it actually wasn't a woman, but a man wearing a wig -- it was one of the Playboy Bunnies! It was slightly disappointing, as I thought I'd caught up to another woman, but put a smile on my face at the same time.

Before hitting the main climb, we had a short section of relatively flat trail.  Over the last couple kilometres or so, I'd been running with a group of women.  This was a very odd experience for me, because I'm not used to running with so many women so close together.  At one point, I think there were 4 or 5 of us running in a row.  I passed a number of them on the flattish section, but as the climb began, I was passed back.  Climbs are definitely not my strength, and given that I hadn't done many hills in the past few months, my abilities were even less.  Nonetheless I tromped on, as I watched a number of the women climb on ahead of me.

We hit the highest point just before the 8km mark, then we were into some fun downhill.  My comfort with downhill technical varies - although it often improves in races.  This particular day I was feeling relatively comfortable - unfortunately, it was a narrow trail and I got stuck behind a couple of slower people that I was unable to pass right away.  However, once I got past, I felt like I was able to pick up some good speed on the way down. At this point, I was running right next to Allison Ezzat, from Vancouver.  She knew the trails well and gave me a few tips about what was to come. 

Once we got to the bottom of this hill, there was about a 2 km section of slight uphill on a wider non-technical trail.  This part of the trail was next to a gushing river, and I was able to catch a quick glimpse of the view - but that's all I saw, as I was so engrossed in concentrating on the race and catching my competition, who were just ahead of me.  I was slowly catching up to a few women who were running together on this section, and almost caught up to them, just as we hit the second major climb.

But - I was reduced to a hike as the climb started.  I didn't have it in me to run it -- and let the other women get away.  At this point, Allison passed me, and I was determined to not let her get too far away.  I was able to stay pretty close to her as we made our way up the climb.  It wasn't long, but it was a steep bugger, and I knew that I had to keep pushing it, as there was another woman close behind me.  I felt that as long as I could beat her up the climb, then I could beat her overall, as I was better at the technical downhill.

I got to the top and then there was another fun downhill section - where Allison and I stayed close together.  At this point, I couldn't remember the race course exactly and thought that we were closer to the finish than we were.  As the descent levelled out and we headed onto flatish trail, I started to push my pace, as I figured we were almost at the finish.  However, in reality we still had about 5 kms to go.  As I started to think that the race was over, I really started to hope that the race would soon end.  The last kilometres were back on the trail with lots of boardwalks and muddy sections, and during this section, I couldn't wait for it to end.

For this race, I'd decided to carry a 500 ml handbottle - which added extra weight to my arms.  It was a bit of an annoyance during the race, and after about 15 kilometres, I got tired of carrying around the extra weight and dumped out most of the water.  I thougth I only  had a few kilometres to go, so wouldn't need to water anyway.  However, I had more distance to cover than I thought, and soon thereafter I started feeling dehydrated and wished I'd left more water in my bottle...

After one final major descent, including the mega set of stairs we'd ascended earlier in the race, we hit the final climb of the race.  Allison had pulled away from me a bit by this point and made up even more time on this climb.  I didn't have the climb in me - and felt like the race had taken it out of me.  As predicted I ended up hiking this climb - there was definitely no running for me at that point.  I was soo happy to make it to the top, as I knew that was it.  Now, just a few kilometres of flat and downhill and the race would be done.  Only a few more boardwalks and muddy sections to go!

During these last kilometres I got a horrible pain in my left shoulder.  The pain caused me to slow, as I tried to make it go away.  I tried relaxing my shoulders, massaging it with my right hand - but the pain persisted.  Contrary to what I would have thought, it actually felt better when I hunched my shoulders up.  Luckily, by the time I was spit out onto the last stretch of road, the pain had gone away, and I was able to finish the last bit strong.  Although, I actually did have a moment of confusion near the finish.  I passed a course marshal, who directed me onto a very short trail, and then I popped out on the other side - but I saw two roads in front of me, and I didn't know which one to take.  In actuality both roads led to the same spot, and they were only separated for maybe 100 meters.  But I stopped and yelled: "Where do I go -- I don't know where I am going!"  I didn't get any response, so I headed on, and then realized my confusion was naught.  Oh well - it only cost me a few seconds.

By this time I could smell the finish line -- I put on my speed and blasted down the last hill and was happy to have a downhill finish.  I crossed the line at 2:06:49 (chip time).  Allison had ended up putting a full minute on me in just a few kilometres.  After seeing the results, I felt like I should have pushed more, but was nonetheless happy with my result.  Especially since it was simply a race I threw in last minute, without any specific training for.  I ended up being 8th woman overall (6th in my age category).  Tamsin Anstey took the female win in 1:48:36, 6th overall, beating Katrina Driver by 2.5 minutes.  Blazing fast times. 

Shane had a fantastic race and ended up winning the race - first overall!  He had been battling it out during the entire race with Simon Driver, who holds the course record, but Shane outclimbed him in the last 2 kilometres and ended up beating him by 1 minute.  Shane finished in 1:36:04 -- which is close to my best road half-marathon time! What a crazy fast time!  I was happy to hear he'd won and had such a fantastic race. Race results here.

The rain also mainly held off for us.  The rain started to pick up mid-way through the race, but it didn't bother me too much, as we were under the trees, so it was not a full onslaught.  However, not too long after I finished, it started to completely dump rain -- and many of the competitors got quite wet.  One of the last finishers who I saw come in was completely drenched and was covered in mud from head to toe.  Despite it all, he still had a smile on his face, and had apparently enjoyed the race - rain, mud and all.

I quite enjoyed this race, and was glad that Shane and I decided to head over to try it out.  It was a very well organized event (except for running out of fruit post-race -- but they did go purchase more to please the crowds).  The trails were a joy to run on  -- although I could have done with a few less boardwalks -just to minimize the slip factor.  But overall - huge kudos to the race organizers for a fantastic and fun event!

Victoria Marathon

October 10, 2010

My journey to the marathon really began much earlier this year.  Since I began racing, I knew that I wanted to tackle a marathon at some point - but I just didn't know when.  I had decided that I didn't want to tackle the marathon until I felt I could finish it under 3hrs 30mins. When I first set this goal, it seemed very challenging, but after having a fantastic racing season, in the Spring of this year, I felt that I could be ready and I decided it was time to take on the challenge.  I began training in late June -- which essentially meant just adding in longer runs on the weekends.  Later I also added in mid-week longer tempo runs, and was running 6 days a week consistently.

By the end of my training I couldn't wait for taper week, to scroll down the kms, take it a bit easier, and leave it all for race-day. About 1 month before the race, I started having pain and tightness in my hamstring.  During one of my last long runs, I ended up walk-running the last 35 minutes or so, as I was in so much pain.  A dreadful scenario of my marathon ending the same way flashed before my eyes... To try and avoid this conclusion, I had a few massage therapy sessions that loosened up my hamstrings, and they started to feel better.

The night before, I was doing some exercises that were intended to strengthen my gluteus muscles (and help my hamstrings).  However, as I was finishing up one of my sets, I pulled something in my lower back, and searing  pain shot through my back.  I could barely walk, and bending down and twisting my body in certain directions hurt like crazy.  I grabbed the ice-pack, hoping that it would be short-lived.  Was this the end to my marathon?

The pain did not subside, and as I laid down to sleep, I was praying that in the morning all would be better.  In the middle of the night, I ended up massaging out a few kinks, and my back felt somewhat improved the next day.  I woke up early to have breakfast, then dressed and headed on my way - hoping that once I started running, I would forget the back pain.

Arriving downtown, I saw Shane who had already finished his 8km race (which had started at 7:15!).  He had ran a pretty good race - earning a few second PB - and 6th overall.

Just prior to heading to the start line, I popped a vitamin I (Ibuprofen), hoping it would take the edge off of my back.  Soon enough, the countdown was on, and we were off. Within the first kilometer, I saw my training partner, Julie van Veelan. Unfortunately, she had been battling some injuries, and wasn't sure how she'd be able to do.  We ran together for the first km, then I inched ahead for a few hundred meters, and soon she passed me.  I kept right behind her, as the first few kms passed. At this point, I was running too fast, but mentally I wanted to keep with Julie, I didn't want her to get too far ahead. Although, I knew I should just run my own race, and that it's too early to tell what will happen later on.  I ended up passing her around the 5km mark, and didn't see her again that day.  The ibuprofen seemed to work, as by this point, I didn't feel my back at all - and was running comfortably.

I'd started off too fast - doing about 4:30kms (when I should have been doing ~4:45).  I knew this, but figured the first few kms would be fast, and that I'd be able to rail it in soon thereafter, without causing too much trouble for later on.  The first part of the course, looped around downtown and into Beacon Hill Park, where we did a few loops, before exiting at around the 8km mark.  By this point, I'd clocked one km at 4:08 (downhill) and most were still around 4:30 -- 'too fast' I kept telling myself, but it was soo hard to slow down. I felt like every kilometer had a sizeable downhill.

I hit the 10 km mark at around 45 minutes.  In 2007, I'd ran that time in a 10km race - and now it felt easy.  It was nice to have those kinds of improvements.  These first 10 kms went by quickly and felt pretty relaxed -- if only the last 10 kms could feel like that!  Next, we meandered into a residential area, leaving the ocean to the wayside.  I knew we were heading towards Oak Bay, where we'd do a jaunt before heading back towards the ocean.  We'd stay in Oak Bay until around the 16.5 km mark.
  
As this was an out and back course (mostly), I tried to remember where the hills were, as I'd be tackling them on the way back. I remember being told that this was a flat course-- while not hilly, it still definitely had its share of hills, and I cringed each time we headed downhill, as I knew that meant an uphill on the way back.

It was nice to have so many people out cheering on the racers.  I saw many familiar faces out on the course, and it was of course always great to hear your name called out.  My parents had come out to watch my race too, and I ended up seeing them several times throughout the race.  It felt like they were everywhere, and for while I saw them every few kms!!

I had my first gel around the 1 hour mark, and was picking up water at every aid station I passed.  As we got onto Beach Drive, I overheard other racers nearby talking -- at this point, I was running close to a 3:15 pace -- I just hoped that the fast start wouldn't result in a disastrously slow finish.

The wind started to pick up, as we got closer to Uplands.  It was even fierce at times -- at one point I was running downhill, and had to work pretty hard to keep up my pace due to the wind.  I don't know if the wind slowed me down too much at the time, but it definitely sucked extra energy out of me, which I would need later on.

At the half-way mark, I was still feeling great - I felt as though I could run like this for awhile.... or so I thought!  About 2 kms after the half-way mark, soon after passing Cattle Point and Uplands Park, I hit the turn-around.  Although, I'd already passed the mid-way point in the race, mentally it felt so much better to be going back towards the finish - only 19 kms to go at this point.

This is where I first started feeling the effects of the race.  The course through the Uplands area, while not hilly, definitely is rolling and has a few inclines throughout.  On the way out, I didn't feel them too much, but on the way back, they started to hurt.  None are too long, but there are a few that feel pretty steep, when you've run over 20 kms already. While, many of the kms blur together, I distinctly remember getting to the 29km point.  Just before the km marker, there was a celebration station (there were several littered throughout the course where music was playing, and people cheering) - however, coming up to this particular one, I was dying for water.  I heard the music before I saw the station, and was hoping for water -- however, there were no refreshments to be had, only a guy singing and playing his guitar, and another guy cheering on the racers. Despite the jovial mood, I was disappointed. Luckily, it was only 1 more km until another water station, but I had to ascend a climb - what felt like a very steep hill to get there.

Next, the course headed back into Oak Bay.  I remember many people telling me that this feels like the hardest part of the course, as you still feel so far from the finish line, and your body is starting to breakdown somewhat.  It was definitely around this point 30-32km, that I started to hurt. Every hill was hard, no matter how small.  Somewhere around the 33km marker, I saw my parents again, and my dad tried to run up ahead of me to get a picture.  However, every time he'd get a bit ahead, he'd turn around, just get his camera set up and I'd be passing him.  He did this a few times -- and I'm not sure if he got a picture of me at all.  (Although it's likely for the better, as I'm sure I was starting to look fatigued at this point).

Finally, I got out of Oak Bay, and was back near the water's edge - the finish was starting to feel near.  The best part of the course at this point was the couple handing out water and licorice at their doorstep (35 km).  I headed towards them seeking water, and as they'd run out of water cups, they instead handed me a partially full ice-cold water bottle. Aaahhh -- it was fantastic!  I enjoyed that water for the next few kms, and boy was it refreshing.

While there's refreshment stops located throughout the course, every ~4km or so, some people living along the race-course get into the spirit and also hand out goodies.  The Hash House Harriers get into the spirit every year and even hand out beer -- definitely not for my taste, but some do enjoy it.

The last 10kms of the race, I played a huge mental battle with myself.  On some of the last hills, I sooo wanted to stop and walk.  My hamstring was starting to act up, and on the uphills I really suffered, as they stiffened up. All along, I knew I was slowing down, and had to do everything I could to keep my  legs going.  Everything hurt at this point - every single muscle in my legs was in pain, and yelling at me to stop -- but I wasn't listening.  I knew that it would be hard -- but I had never imagined how hard it would be.  It seemed that everyone was in a similar situation, as although I had slowed down, there weren't a ton of people passing me.  I kept thinking that someone I knew would come up behind me, but that never materialized.

Finally with about 3 km to go, Shane came riding up beside me.  He'd intended to meet me at the 32 km marker and run with me for a bit, but had just missed me.  He waited for about 15 minutes, wondering if I was having a really horrible race, before realizing that I'd probably already gone by.  When, he came up riding beside me, I was feeling horrible - there was no energy left to talk, but it was still nice to see him.  Soon, Garth Campbell came riding along as well, and both of them were encouraging me on.  This seemed to help, as I was able to pick up a bit of speed, and even started passing a few people!  Distance was no longer passing by kilometers, but by hundreds of meters.  I could taste the finish, but it also felt so far away.

Then came the final kilometer -- every hundred meter was marked, and the real countdown was on.  This last section I knew all too well - all of the twists and turns included.  My legs felt like lead, and I was totally done.  Finally - the final stretch - I could see the finish line, and my first view of the clock - 3:22:XX - I was going to make it under 3hrs 30min!  Towards the end of the course, I had stopped checking my watch, and was afraid that I had slowed down immensely.  As I saw the clock, I realized that I wasn't too far off my ultimate goal, and I was going to do okay.  I tried to pick it up in the last 200 meters, but I'm not sure I went any faster - either way I was never soo happy to cross the finish line -- time: 3:22:49 (chip time).

One hundred meters to the finish

I must have looked pretty haggard too - afterwards I was told I looked horrible, and one of the medics almost took me over to the recovery tent, but deemed I was okay to continue on.  It took a few minutes, but then it set in -- I had just completed my first marathon and in a decent time too!  It's definitely something I could be satisfied with, and I was. 

My splits were:  4:30 (7 seconds to get across the line), 4:28, 4:32, 4:47, 4:08, 4:38, 4:42, 4:23, 4:42, 4:28, 4:48, 4:42, 4:45, 4:34, 4:42, 4:41, 9:35 (2 kms), 4:33, 4:52, 4:48, 4:40, 9:35 (2 kms), 4:52, 4:52, 4:45, 4:45, 4:54, 4:50, 4:53, 5:09, 4:50, 10:18 (2 kms), 10:02 (2 kms), 5:34, 5:33, 5:10, 4:58, 5:02, 55 seconds (last 200 meters).

My nutrition: 2.5 gels + 3/4 of a fruit source bar + a few sips of gatorade, and water at every station.

It was a hard day out there for many - the wind sucked the energy out of a number of people, I'm sure.  I'd  like to thank Shane and Garth for catching up to me near the end, because if it weren't for them, I'm certain I would have posted a slower time - and not got that little extra boost, just as I was hurting the most.

Post-marathon.  I had a shake that I'd prepared that morning, and then my stomach was not able to take in any more food for another 5 hours.  You'd think your body would be dying for nutrition, after the mega-calorie burn, but instead my body went into a distinctly opposite mode!  Luckily, my recovery wasn't hampered - as amazingly I was not as sore as I had expected.  For sure my legs were sore and tired, but it wasn't the most pain I'd experienced post-race.

Next marathon for me is Boston in 2012 -- after that, I'm not sure when the next marathon will be - it feels great to accomplish it, but it's not something I'm dying to do every year.

Landsend Half-Marathon

September 12, 2010

One day after returning from a holiday in Hawaii, I was on the start-line for the Landsend Half-Marathon.  We'd come from a hot, sunny climate into cloudy, rainy weather.  It felt cold, and while it wasn't pouring rain, it was steady enough to get you wet pretty fast.  Standing on the start line,  I was feeling nervous, but at the same time calm - because I'd been telling myself all along that I was not going to 'push' it during this race.  This was intended just as a tune-up race before the marathon, and the plan had been just to run around marathon pace.  I'd planned to run ~30 km that day anyway, so it was a good 'excuse' to not worry if I didn't feel up to racing.  I saw a few of my running friends before the start of the race, and I'd explain 'Oh, I'm not really racing this one, just a tune-up before the marathon.'

Often, each of us has a list of excuses to bring up before races - as a means to take the pressure off and explain any less than desired performances.  That way, if you don't have a good race or were feeling off, you can pull out your list of reasons to explain.

On the day of the Landsend race, I needed my hat of excuses, as I'd just got back from Hawaii, was still sleep deprived, and really wasn't sure what kind of performance I would be capable of.

I lined up on the start line, and off I went.  Of course, I ended up pushing harder than I'd originally intended.  The first km went by in just over 4 minutes  -- 'Okay that's fast, I thought, that's closer to my 10km pace - slow down', I told myself - otherwise I knew I'd crash and burn.  I later learned that the first 4 kms are all short, so it wasn't quite as fast as I thought, but still faster than my usual half-marathon speed.  I consciously tried to slow down to a more manageable pace, and watched people pass me by.  It was tough, as I wanted to stay with them!

I soon got into a rhythm and the first 5 kms went by without much difficulty - then we hit the first hill.  I'd heard that this was a hilly race, but being prepared for it didn't make the hills any easier.  On the hills I really struggled.  I definitely was not feeling at my best - but the racer in me still wanted to push, and see how I could do.  The uphill was followed by a nice downhill, where I could just let my legs go - the turnover felt great.

As we approached the turnaround, I saw another hill up ahead.  'Almost half-way done' I told myself.  Just keep pushing.  This race was not about catching anyone, pushing for a PB or even aiming for a placing.  This race was just about finishing.  The middle part of the race felt very hilly.  There seemed to be no flat sections, it was either up or down.  A few people passed me on the uphill sections, as I really struggled to keep it together.  I hadn't hurt this badly in awhile (during a race).  Valerie Bell, a fellow runner (who came out to many PIH events) passed me, looking strong.  I knew she'd have a good race.  I watched her pass me by, trying to not fall too far behind, she had her race legs on, and kept inching away from me, while all I could do was watch.

During the race, my legs felt heavy and I totally thought I was going to come in around 1:40 -- I'd be happy if I could just get under 1:40.  I definitely felt slow during these middle sections.  Nonetheless, I kept pushing, and the kms slowly ticked by.  The hills faded away, and soon I was nearing the end of the race.  The course came back along itself and repeated the first 4.5 kms.  I was soo happy that it was nearly over.  A few final twists and turns, and I was on the last km -- YAY!  I tried to push it hard on this last km, but my legs were definitely fading.  One guy passed me in the last 200 or so meters, but I was able to hold off another one right behind me.  As I neared the clock I was surprised to see 1:33:--.  Seriously!  I couldn't believe it.  I was going to make it  under 1:35.  I was so ecstatic.  I crossed the finish line in 1:34:14 and had to take a few breaths before I could actually speak.  Shane greated me at the finish line, all changed from his 10km race, looking warm and cozy.  Whew, was I ever glad to have that over with.  My splits were: 4:06, 4:12, 4:19, 4:17, 4:40, 4:40, 4:06, 4:15, 4:49, 4:32, 4:19, 4:44, 4:48, 4:24, 4:49, 4:07, 4:12, 4:39, 4:40, 4:48, 4:46.

It wasn't my best race, but it also wasn't a disaster.  I ended up pushing more than I'd intended, but I'm glad I did.  I knew that I could have raced it faster, had I been feeling good - but given the conditions, I was pleased with my race.  It was a fast race overall though -- James Lander came out of nowhere and broke the course record, winning in a time of 1:08:13. The next racer was almost 8 minutes back.

After the race, I changed my shirt (which was sopping wet from the rain), and went out to run another 6 km or so, to get in my 30 km for the day.  Those 6 kms were very tough.  My legs had definitely taken a beating during the race, and were worn out.

The Landsend is one of my favorite races, particularly because they serve corn after the race.  Yummy -- it was fantastic to have the warm, sweet corn -wonderful, after a race in the cold, wet rain.