I am a fat runner.
That's right. Fat.
For a while, last year, after being off Seroquel for a while and on Saphris, I was normal, though as ultrarunners go, monsterous.
Right now? After tearing the ligaments in my ankle and going delusional, I gained about 20lbs. Which put me in the 'fat' thing again.
And I'm torn.
Running is easier lighter, and it's free speed. For that reason, I want to drop weight.
But I hate that there are some runners who will always look at me sideways. Who will think I'm new to running, when I might have more experience than them.
Maybe that doesn't matter. Maybe that's my own insecurities.
But I read running blogs, where people talk about butterballs.
Toby has a well-regarded ultrarunner tell him at Sulphur, after meeting me (at the high end of normal, fat for a runner) that what he 'likes about these races is no fat chicks'. And then, when a bigger woman walks by, says 'Well mostly'.
People always say triathletes are assholes. That's not true. Triathletes may be type-A, but they're honest about themselves. Trail and ultrarunners are the liars who think they're all friendly open granola crunchers...when really they're just as much about type-A douchebaggery as a triathlete.
Sometimes, I say, give me a triathlete any day. Don't get me wrong, I know lots of great trail runners, but I dislike being an outsider based on my looks.
Even if I lose the weight, to me, I'll always be a fat chick.
AND FOR THE RECORD...
...when I finished 7th woman at Haliburton 50k last year, I stood at the finish line and watched runners thinner than me (remember, thin=free speed) finish after me and it felt so good. I may be fat, but they're lacking something that can't be made up. At least I can go on a diet.
Tuesday, April 8, 2014
Monday, March 31, 2014
Worst. Pacer. Ever. Around The Bay 30k
OK, so this should be a short report. (Ha! I may have to be succinct at work, but this is my blooooog, I can ramble on as much as I’d like…poor you, reader, poor you.)
Training:
Well, as you may or may not know, I tore the ligaments in my ankle in early November. Started running again, on the DREADMILL, in late December.
My early enthusiasm quickly waned. I still went and worked out, but man is the dreadmill b-o-r-i-n-g. However, Hali 100, so. But! Then! Bipolar strikes! This had been building since December, but by mid-January-mid-February I was a big delusional mess, which does not lend itself to training. I ran maybe…once a week? Short. And not at the gym, because, crazy.
By early March I had run a couple of times, but still wasn’t up to regular running. 2 weeks out, the furthest I’d run since Hali 2013 was 12k, and that was only twice over all those months. Then I ran a couple of 11ks (plantar popped up) and a 15k (wearing orthotics, which I hadn’t worn in AGES, to help with the plantar – hello horrible blister on my arch, several layers of missing skin). So, yeah. I ran 30k the Sunday before Around the Bay – 20k in the morning, 10 at night. Then rested the world’s worst blister.
So, on that stellar training, I was ready to run. Heh.
I was going to pace Joe, a running buddy who is pacing me at Hali 100 this year, as he ran from Toronto to Hamilton overnight to get to the race. This did not go to plan.
We were at the start with K, who was planning to go for sub-3 (and she killed it!), nice to see her, but we weren’t fated to run together. We saw Rick about 2k in or so, as he was working his way through the crowd. At 3k, Joe felt the call of nature and decided to duck behind a building. I was going to stop, but he said to keep going, he’d find me. We’d been solidly on pace for a 3:15, which was faster than what Joe had been planning to do, but I figured, go with it for as long as it felt good.
He did not, however, find me. I ran slow so he could catch up, but nope. I stopped, and waited for a few minutes, scanning the crowd. Nope.
So I decided to keep running, alternating strategies of ‘run slow, in case Joe is behind you’ with ‘run normal, what if Joe is ahead’. This is a surprisingly ineffective way to run.
At 10k I was overcome with guilt – what sort of horrible pacer was I? Joe was tired, I’m supposed to be keeping him company, and here I am, running along. So I stopped, for well over 5 minutes, and watched runners go by. We were on a ramp, so I had a good vantage – still didn’t see Joe.
I did see Helen (Hali race director) run by, wondering what I was doing. After several minutes, I decided to go, and I booted it along (the 3:30 pace bunny had long since passed me, which was quite irksome). I passed people back, quickly rather than gradually, getting all pooped out and worrying in the process – what if Joe was still behind me? What if he was in front, that he’d passed me while I grabbed some water?
Eventually I settled into a slow pace, figuring this was just another training day – I estimated I’d been stopped for 8-10 minutes looking for Joe, and I just wasn’t going to make that up – and this isn’t a goal race, so hey.
Hit North Shore – I was a bit nervous, since my hill training has been zero – there is one hill to/from the waterfront, which is where I’ve been running. But I was fine on the hills.
Ambled along (wracked with ‘worst.pacer.ever’ guilt) – hit Copps Coliseum, or whatever they’re calling it now – it’s COPPS DAMMIT – finished in 3:23 (sigh), for my worst finish out of 3 ATB’s…but not that much worse than when I ran it with a stress fracture, so that’s something, I guess.
Had to call Toby, found each other and discovered Joe had finished about 10 minutes ahead of me. So, if I hadn’t stopped to look for him, we probably would’ve found each other, or finished together anyways.
Such is life – it’s a bit of a bummer, because I neither paced nor ran my own race, but it was still a good training day, beautiful weather (who knew you could get sunburnt in March). And it was fun to run with Joe for at least a bit of the way, I enjoyed the day.
See? Short-ish report!
Training:
Well, as you may or may not know, I tore the ligaments in my ankle in early November. Started running again, on the DREADMILL, in late December.
My early enthusiasm quickly waned. I still went and worked out, but man is the dreadmill b-o-r-i-n-g. However, Hali 100, so. But! Then! Bipolar strikes! This had been building since December, but by mid-January-mid-February I was a big delusional mess, which does not lend itself to training. I ran maybe…once a week? Short. And not at the gym, because, crazy.
By early March I had run a couple of times, but still wasn’t up to regular running. 2 weeks out, the furthest I’d run since Hali 2013 was 12k, and that was only twice over all those months. Then I ran a couple of 11ks (plantar popped up) and a 15k (wearing orthotics, which I hadn’t worn in AGES, to help with the plantar – hello horrible blister on my arch, several layers of missing skin). So, yeah. I ran 30k the Sunday before Around the Bay – 20k in the morning, 10 at night. Then rested the world’s worst blister.
So, on that stellar training, I was ready to run. Heh.
I was going to pace Joe, a running buddy who is pacing me at Hali 100 this year, as he ran from Toronto to Hamilton overnight to get to the race. This did not go to plan.
We were at the start with K, who was planning to go for sub-3 (and she killed it!), nice to see her, but we weren’t fated to run together. We saw Rick about 2k in or so, as he was working his way through the crowd. At 3k, Joe felt the call of nature and decided to duck behind a building. I was going to stop, but he said to keep going, he’d find me. We’d been solidly on pace for a 3:15, which was faster than what Joe had been planning to do, but I figured, go with it for as long as it felt good.
He did not, however, find me. I ran slow so he could catch up, but nope. I stopped, and waited for a few minutes, scanning the crowd. Nope.
So I decided to keep running, alternating strategies of ‘run slow, in case Joe is behind you’ with ‘run normal, what if Joe is ahead’. This is a surprisingly ineffective way to run.
At 10k I was overcome with guilt – what sort of horrible pacer was I? Joe was tired, I’m supposed to be keeping him company, and here I am, running along. So I stopped, for well over 5 minutes, and watched runners go by. We were on a ramp, so I had a good vantage – still didn’t see Joe.
I did see Helen (Hali race director) run by, wondering what I was doing. After several minutes, I decided to go, and I booted it along (the 3:30 pace bunny had long since passed me, which was quite irksome). I passed people back, quickly rather than gradually, getting all pooped out and worrying in the process – what if Joe was still behind me? What if he was in front, that he’d passed me while I grabbed some water?
Eventually I settled into a slow pace, figuring this was just another training day – I estimated I’d been stopped for 8-10 minutes looking for Joe, and I just wasn’t going to make that up – and this isn’t a goal race, so hey.
Hit North Shore – I was a bit nervous, since my hill training has been zero – there is one hill to/from the waterfront, which is where I’ve been running. But I was fine on the hills.
Ambled along (wracked with ‘worst.pacer.ever’ guilt) – hit Copps Coliseum, or whatever they’re calling it now – it’s COPPS DAMMIT – finished in 3:23 (sigh), for my worst finish out of 3 ATB’s…but not that much worse than when I ran it with a stress fracture, so that’s something, I guess.
Had to call Toby, found each other and discovered Joe had finished about 10 minutes ahead of me. So, if I hadn’t stopped to look for him, we probably would’ve found each other, or finished together anyways.
Such is life – it’s a bit of a bummer, because I neither paced nor ran my own race, but it was still a good training day, beautiful weather (who knew you could get sunburnt in March). And it was fun to run with Joe for at least a bit of the way, I enjoyed the day.
See? Short-ish report!
Wednesday, January 1, 2014
A New Year, Start to 100 Miler Training
For anyone who reads my blog who doesn't know me in real life or on Facebook (which is probably nobody), on November 11th, while running with Neb the over-enthusiastically-pulling trail dawg, I went down while running over some uneven ground at a moment Neb was pulling with all his might.
I'm happy to report my first instinct was to stop my Garmin.
I had a highly uncomfortable walk off the trails and to a spot where Toby could come pick me up. We dropped off Neb, and then went to the hospital:
Looks good, right?
It wasn't broken, but weight bearing was very difficult and painful. I was scheduled in to see the Fracture Clinic the next morning. The orthopedic surgeon said that it was too swollen to do a proper exam, but that you don't see swelling like that without a tear. They sent me home with an Aircast, in addition to the crutches I already had.
The next day, I booked in to see Andrew, who was great for ultrasound sessions to bring down the swelling and for cool tape jobs:
I saw the orthopedic surgeon two weeks later, and sports medicine doctors. Partial tears, which means no surgery (yay). I was still in the Aircast, but off crutches. I stayed in the air cast another week and then moved to a sports brace - the Aircast shortened my achilles and it was more and more uncomfortable. Even now, at the start of 2014, after stretching and rehab, my achilles is still sore. But much improved.
I rode a wee little bit, but not much.
On December 24th, I got approved to run inside. I went for a 5k run on the treadmill - 30:23. Not setting any speed records but soooo nice. I joined a gym so that I have a treadmill to run on through the winter, as me and Andrew agree no trails until the snow and ice are gone, and sidewalks are icy right now in any event.
I haven't run every day, but it's getting better. I'm icing post-runs, as otherwise the ankle gets a bit stiff. I do exercises for the ankle every other day.
Today - January 1st - I started official Haliburton 100 miler training - with an 8k tempo run in 44:04. It's not fast - treadmill running is easy - but I wasn't running much after Haliburton, and then the ankle. So I'll get there. I'm not sure what I'll do for long runs - I may have to do shorter runs followed by bike rides. We'll see how the ankle holds up. It felt great today.
So, frustrating, but this will get better. I never thought I'd enjoy running on the treadmill, but to run at all again is so delightful I'm coping. Treadmill running is better than no running at all!
Now to lose the weight I gained and build back up my run fitness and ankle strength so I can do long runs - I have the fitness to do them slow, just not sure if the ankle is yet there.
I'm happy to report my first instinct was to stop my Garmin.
I had a highly uncomfortable walk off the trails and to a spot where Toby could come pick me up. We dropped off Neb, and then went to the hospital:
Looks good, right?
It wasn't broken, but weight bearing was very difficult and painful. I was scheduled in to see the Fracture Clinic the next morning. The orthopedic surgeon said that it was too swollen to do a proper exam, but that you don't see swelling like that without a tear. They sent me home with an Aircast, in addition to the crutches I already had.
The next day, I booked in to see Andrew, who was great for ultrasound sessions to bring down the swelling and for cool tape jobs:
I saw the orthopedic surgeon two weeks later, and sports medicine doctors. Partial tears, which means no surgery (yay). I was still in the Aircast, but off crutches. I stayed in the air cast another week and then moved to a sports brace - the Aircast shortened my achilles and it was more and more uncomfortable. Even now, at the start of 2014, after stretching and rehab, my achilles is still sore. But much improved.
I rode a wee little bit, but not much.
On December 24th, I got approved to run inside. I went for a 5k run on the treadmill - 30:23. Not setting any speed records but soooo nice. I joined a gym so that I have a treadmill to run on through the winter, as me and Andrew agree no trails until the snow and ice are gone, and sidewalks are icy right now in any event.
I haven't run every day, but it's getting better. I'm icing post-runs, as otherwise the ankle gets a bit stiff. I do exercises for the ankle every other day.
Today - January 1st - I started official Haliburton 100 miler training - with an 8k tempo run in 44:04. It's not fast - treadmill running is easy - but I wasn't running much after Haliburton, and then the ankle. So I'll get there. I'm not sure what I'll do for long runs - I may have to do shorter runs followed by bike rides. We'll see how the ankle holds up. It felt great today.
So, frustrating, but this will get better. I never thought I'd enjoy running on the treadmill, but to run at all again is so delightful I'm coping. Treadmill running is better than no running at all!
Now to lose the weight I gained and build back up my run fitness and ankle strength so I can do long runs - I have the fitness to do them slow, just not sure if the ankle is yet there.
Monday, September 23, 2013
Pain cave
I've been very uninspired with running lately. Not getting out as much as I'd like.
But, I am. And I'm getting back into the swing of things. It doesn't help that I am training for the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront half - I should be able to easily PB - and knowing that, and knowing that - well, duh, it's easy to run 21.1k - I have been lazy.
But no more! Yesterday there was a new addition to the pain cave, courtesy of Joe:
The leg machine. Andrew, our RMT, is mixed on leg extensions, but I can do leg extensions and hamstring curls with this machine. Extra strength is extra strength. I'm really pleased Joe is lending this to me for the year.
Used it yesterday and today - my hamstrings are already sore! Though I feel like I have shockingly weak hamstrings. I will improve them, bit by bit.
So for strength, I have started working on my core again - the whole shebang - and really targeting strength in my legs. I'm putting living in a high rise to good use, loading up a backpack with weights and doing stairs. It's good work!
In other news, as an extra motivation for Haliburton, I've reached out to Centre for Addiction and Mental Health to see if I can fundraise for them for the run. We need to talk, but they are interested.
I am a bit torn - I'd love to fundraise - but it also means to some extent being 'out' about my story, and well - I am a very high functioning bipolar, but there is still a lot of prejudice - I don't really worry about it personally, but professionally. I am out to my immediate colleagues at work, but if I ever left my job - would it impact me searching for another? I don't know. I think my work speaks for itself, but it is a consideration.
On the otherhand, I think a lot of times people don't expect people as mentally ill as I am to be high functioning, so it's nice to model that and show that it is possible. I dunno.
But, I am. And I'm getting back into the swing of things. It doesn't help that I am training for the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront half - I should be able to easily PB - and knowing that, and knowing that - well, duh, it's easy to run 21.1k - I have been lazy.
But no more! Yesterday there was a new addition to the pain cave, courtesy of Joe:
The leg machine. Andrew, our RMT, is mixed on leg extensions, but I can do leg extensions and hamstring curls with this machine. Extra strength is extra strength. I'm really pleased Joe is lending this to me for the year.
Used it yesterday and today - my hamstrings are already sore! Though I feel like I have shockingly weak hamstrings. I will improve them, bit by bit.
So for strength, I have started working on my core again - the whole shebang - and really targeting strength in my legs. I'm putting living in a high rise to good use, loading up a backpack with weights and doing stairs. It's good work!
In other news, as an extra motivation for Haliburton, I've reached out to Centre for Addiction and Mental Health to see if I can fundraise for them for the run. We need to talk, but they are interested.
I am a bit torn - I'd love to fundraise - but it also means to some extent being 'out' about my story, and well - I am a very high functioning bipolar, but there is still a lot of prejudice - I don't really worry about it personally, but professionally. I am out to my immediate colleagues at work, but if I ever left my job - would it impact me searching for another? I don't know. I think my work speaks for itself, but it is a consideration.
On the otherhand, I think a lot of times people don't expect people as mentally ill as I am to be high functioning, so it's nice to model that and show that it is possible. I dunno.
Wednesday, September 11, 2013
Haliburton Forest 50k Race Report
I was originally supposed to run my second 50 miler at Haliburton Forest, which was my 'A' race this season.
Things were going well - I ran the 50 miler at Sulphur Springs, then after my IT band calmed back down, was back into running.
Then I got sick. I had a terrible migraine, for a week and a half, and as a result missed Limberlost 42k and the Haliburton training run the next day. What followed was a bout of intense depression (though I've since learnt there is possibly a link between migraines and depression/bipolar). It was terrible. They say running is supposed to help your mood, but running just made me feel like I was suffocating, drowning, and short easy runs became more difficult than the 50 miler at Sulphur. The pain I experienced from the depression was worse than the pain of an extremely inflammed IT band for 57k. It was awful.
So I missed a lot of running. I just couldn't face getting out there. And when I did get out, the runs were short. I needed them to be over quickly, to end the pain, though usually I just ended up curled up on the couch in a ball or crying.
Toby became exasperated. He was worried. I know it's frustrating to watch someone you love hurt and not be able to help them.
Luckily I recognized quickly that this would be a bad depressive episode, and got in to see my pdoc quickly. We started on an anti-depressant, which was a bit nerve-wracking - being on an anti-depressant was how I was first diagnosed bipolar, but at the time that was all I was on and I'm now on other medications, plus I was put on an anti-depressant which is not as bad for triggering mania.
While it made me nauseous, eventually I started to come around. And run again.
But I didn't feel like my training was there for 50 miles at Haliburton. I firmly believe Haliburton is a far more difficult course than Sulphur - I'm not sure how different the elevation gain/loss is, but Haliburton is far, far more technical.
So I dropped down to the 50k. I knew I had the fitness to PB (my previous best, in 2012, was a 7:49, and that was in a rain/mud fest and with serious gut issues that had me stopping to go to the bathroom constantly. (Regular readers of my blog may notice I have gut issues when I run - NINE bathroom breaks at Sulphur, oh yeah.)
It pissed me off. A lot.
As we got closer to the race, runs started to go better. I toyed with the idea of asking Helen if I could switch back up to the 50 miler. But I truly believed my long runs hadn't been there. I knew I could complete the 50 miles, but I wanted to run it strong, and I wasn't sure I could do that. Most importantly, my head wasn't there.
So 50k it was.
This year we stayed at the Forest and brought the dogs, which was really nice. One day I'll convince Toby to camp (okay, maybe that will never happen), but the cabins were nice. Kind of like apartments. We had an easy drive up, stopping at Webers for a veggie burger (me), a hot dog (Toby) and a free hamburger courtesy of Cottage Life (Luc and Neb). Personally I think Webers is overpriced for what it is, but the veggie burger and hamburger were both free, and we could eat at the picnic tables with the dogs, which is worth something.
We got to the Forest, picked up my race kit and chatted with Helen a bit. Went to check in for the cabin - we were a bit early, but since we were staying in smaller accomodations they were ready so we got unpacked (travelling with dogs means taking a whackload of stuff!).
Then we took the dogs for a walk to Aid Station 2 (well just past it actually). Originally the plan was for Toby and the dogs to drive out to Aid Station 5, which is near the turnaround, to see me on course, but heavy flooding in the spring meant some of the Forest roads were in bad shape and there was no crew access to Aid Station 5.
Since you go through Aid Station 2 twice on the way back (you go through it, then loop around on Normac Trail around a lake, to road, back to Aid Station 2 again), I thought it would make sense for Toby to walk out with the dogs there and he could watch the racers come through and see me - since the loop around the lake is at least 10k, he'd have plenty of time to walk the ~2k back to the finish line to see me finish.
Race day dawned early (too early to be bright). I've been basically a walking bar of fibre in an attempt to regulate my gut issues - you should see how much fibre I eat, plus I take supplements - but I got up at 3:30 to eat to give plenty of time for digestion, then went back to bed. In the past I would've had oatmeal, but I decided to eat a regular breakfast - greek yogurt and blueberries. I was going to eat a banana but felt too sleepy. Was back in bed 5 minutes later, and rested until 4:45, when I got up to walk the dogs quickly and start putting stuff together and relaxing. It was nice, since we were basically at the start line.
I took a preventative Immodium at the start of the race, and just after the turnaround, and not a single stirring. YEAH!!!! I'm not even sure the Immodium was necessary, as my stomach has been pretty good lately, but I wasn't taking any chances.
The race starts in the dark, on forest road. Some people don't use headlamps, but they are crazy IMO. Headlamps weigh next to nothing and just make things easier. Plus if it is still a bit dark when you get to Normac you can give yourself some extra light to see rocks and roots.
I had a plan for my PB - move at a decent clip on the road section, at a slower but decent effort for the trail section, and then pick it up again for the road section on the way back.
The road section on the way out was a bit faster than I'd planned, but I was running easy and chatting with people, so it worked. I was pleased with my pace as well on Normac, and on the trails at first.
Eventually, what with the drizzle and cloud cover and wet leaves, my Garmin Fenix started cutting in and out. It's the first time it's done that, but it was annoying, because some kilometers were faster and some were long (one k was measured as 29 minutes LOL). The real problem is when it eventually cut out and didn't immediately pick up again, the screen just read that the satellite signal had been lost, and I wasn't sure how to turn that off so I could see the time and get my reminders to drink. I was flying blind, for a bit, until I figured it out. I was too busy running to problem solve, I guess, but I got there eventually. I was cursing it though and wishing I'd used the 310xt.
I hit the 50k turnaround in around 2:57. I hadn't stopped at any aid stations on the way out, but stopped on the way back for some straight water (was drinking Infinit) and orange slices.
I was running a bit slower, and walking a bit more. It felt like the hills on the way back were longer, while the ones on the way out were steeper, so it meant more walking. I suspect that this may not be the case and that was simply a function of me being tired, but we'll go with that.
There is about 10k between Aid Stations 4 and 5. It seemed to go on forever. And it's hilly and technical. Came through it fine - one poor soul managed to break either his ankle or lower leg in there though, and had to be extracted to the nearest road. Yikes. It happened after I'd gone through though. Poor guy.
Anyways, eventually I got to Aid Station 4 - yay! I'd been seeing some of the 26k runners heading out, but none caught me on the way back.
I saw Toby and the dogs at Aid Station 2 (you go through it twice, as I mentioned, so you actually hit it on the way back before Aid Station 3). The dogs seemed totally unexcited to see me, which was a bit insulting - yeah thanks guys, see if I care about seeing you next time I come home from work! Geez!
I was stopped for longer at Aid Station 2, as I wanted to fill my handheld that had Infinit powder in it up with water - I had to get Toby to open it since my hands were sweaty - and then - yikes - there must've been water in the handheld when I filled it that morning, just enough damp to congeal the powder at the mouth so that I had to push it all in and then have gross sticky fingers. I was highly dubious about shaking up the congealed powder - I think it was fine, but as it turned out my bladder lasted me the race.
I did a good job running up the long hill to Normac, and ran well on Normac. After Normac on the road section I wasn't quite as fast as I'd hoped, though I also slowed down and gave directions to two 26k runners who had gone the wrong way - they were both really pissed off. Whatever. No thanks, oh well.
I finished so-so. I didn't really run up the long hill - I figured I wasn't going to get 6:15, so why bother (nice mental toughness there me) but at the top I was like 'Oh man I gotta boot it to hit 6:20' so I started running again, 'fast'.
Crossed the finish line with a time of 6:18:31 (preliminary results just posted to OUSer).
OMG! PB by over an hour and a half! YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
And even better, I was 20th overall and 7th woman.
I know, I know, big deal, but I'm usually BOP. I worked hard this year dammit! Set a new (non-race) 5k PB (smashed it, actually), did my first 50 miler, set a new 50k PB....
(Plus an unsupported 50k that was at the time a 50k PB and a marathon the weekend after which sadly was not a PB, but hey.)
Only one 50k runner passed me from the turnaround, and he was a guy (he was actually the only person period; none of the 26k runners caught me either).
It was really nice to be able to hang around the finish line and cheer in other runners, and cheer out friends and other people doing the 100 miles going back out for their second lap. And have a beer or two or three :) (Though no public drinking!) We hung out with Derrick for a bit, and lent our shower to Sara when she finished - 4th woman in the 50 miler, whoo hoo! - and then we all hung out to cheer Kelly over the line for her first 50 miler - Kelly did awesome!
Then Kelly, Toby and I went for dinner in town.
When we got back, I was pretty tired - but it was good to have eaten. I hadn't eaten much all day and was quite cold, until I had some pasta, when suddenly I became toasty warm. Duh.
The next morning we got updates on Joe, a friend who was running the 100 miles, and had breakfast - we just missed Stephen, another friend, finishing his 100 miler by 10 minutes - way to go Stephen! We had a great time chatting to people and watching as the dogs got lots of attention, and Joe came in for a strong finish at the 100 miles - YAY!!!!!! Way to go Joe! Was so cool to see him finish.
Very inspired by the race. I knew after Sulphur that I would do 100 miles in 2014, but it's definitely going to be Hali and I'm already putting together a team - Joe is in to help and to have someone with that 100 mile experience - totally invaluable.
All in all, a great weekend. The dogs were great, the race was great, the weather was pretty good - light rain off and on on race day, nice on Friday and Sunday. I love Haliburton - it's the best trail race in Ontario, I think - all the volunteers are AWESOME, the race organization is AWESOME, and the runners are AWESOME. It really is something special.
Gear:
-compression shorts. Forget the brand and am too lazy to go look.
-k tape on my IT bands and hip bursitis (thanks Andrew!)
-lucky socks (I'm a terrible atheist) - PYP finisher's socks
-MEC merino t-shirt - bad choice, last year it fit tighter b/c I was bigger, now it's looser and I chafed like a mofo on my arms and armpits.
-Inov-8 shoes - only half a size up, I debated whether to wear these or the Salomon Speedcross 3 which are a full size up but the Salomon's I don't like in slippery weather on rocks and logs and it was calling for rain. My toes felt a bit banged though. Some tiny blisters on the ends of my long toes.
-Wet Platinum personal lubricant on my feet. Body Glide is for suckers.
-Moving Comfort bra. Worked well, but chafed around armpits. Must lose fat to combat this.
-UltrAspire Surge pack with 2L hydration bladder and Nathan handheld attached to the pack for most of the run empty save Infinit powder
-Sugoi hat
-headlamp
-running gaiters to keep stuff out
Nutrition
-S!Caps (electrolytes) every hour, roughly, except at 6hrs I didn't bother
-Infinit - ~330 cal/600mL, took in just under 2L. Not a lot of calories, but nervous about my tummy. 5 sips every 15 minutes, compared to 10 sips every 15 minutes for the 50 miler at Sulphur
-Water from course
-3 orange slices
Monday, May 27, 2013
Sulphur Springs Race Report - 50 Miler
Where to start, where to start....
This will be a long entry, but I'm at a loss for where to begin. Well, I guess, in the lead up - I was SO nervous! My first 50 miler! Damn that's far! Not 100 miles far, but still - far!
I wasn't sure how to pace, or if I should even worry about pacing, and I'd read every race report known to man about Sulphur Springs, pretty well every distance that is run there - read and reread the participants guide - I mean, it was kind of sad.
A few weeks out, I had a shake down massage, which appeared to have exposed an underlying imbalance, because I developed a groin pain that took a week to go away and which freaked me out completely. But then it went away - however, I believe it played a role on race day - stay tuned!
A little more than a week out, I started rolling my IT bands. I don't think I've had IT band issues for at least a year and a half, but an ounce of preventation and all that, I wanted them to be as loose as possible. Ha.
Race day we woke up at 3:20 - got dressed, got the water jug filled, final packing, took the dogs out (they stayed at home and Steve came to take them out in the afternoon), had breakfast - left the house about 4 am to get to the race start for about 5, so that we'd get a prime set up spot for crewing. And parking. Both were accomplished. It was a cold morning - about 5C maybe? The car thermometer dropped to 4C at one point. I wore tights over my shorts and a down jacket while waiting for the race start.
Picked up my race kit - great swag! T-shirt - women's specific! - a hat, and a handheld bottle - and set up the crew station just in front of the timing mats.
Before the race, we saw Helen (race director of the best race ever, Haliburton, and an all-round great lady!) and Joe, who stayed at the same bed and breakfast for Haliburton as us last year - Joe was running the 50k today as he had a family thing to go to afterwards - he introduced me to Scott, who is going to the Adirondacks on the same running trip in June, so it was nice to put a face to the name. Mom came - wow, early wake up for her - awesome. I had some Clif Shot Bloks and G2, and before I knew it I was lubing up my feet and pulling on my wind jacket for the start.
Sulphur is loops of just over 20k, so I was doing 4 loops for a distance of 80.5k. The race started at 6 am.
Lap 1 - 2:20:06
I tried to keep this lap easy, and pay attention to the course, which was harder to do than you would think, because people were still grouped together and it was easy to just watch the runner ahead. However, the course was well marked so I didn't need to worry, and I was fairly familiar with the course anyways. I settled into running the flats and downhills and walking the ups, a common strategy in long races to preserve energy. I stopped to pee at the 9k aid station, but that was my only stop for the lap - I'd been running with Leanne, a lovely lady who is one of the race directors of Creemore, but from that break ran mostly by myself. I came in to the 'transition' (Toby and Mom) with 2:16 on the clock (all lap times above include time in transition), went to the washroom (thank you inconsistent gut!), changed my bladder for one with more Infinit, quickly chatted, and headed out. I clearly remember mentioning that my left leg (the same leg with the groin pain that was gone this day, but previously had been bothering me) was a bit sore.
Lap 2 - 2:30:20
By 3k in, my 'left leg feels a bit sore' had changed to 'holy shit my left IT band is going fucking nuts'. Not a good sign. Ever run 57.5k on an IT band screaming at you? Well, until Saturday I hadn't, but I wasn't sure how possible it was. I had exactly two extra strength Advils, and I hadn't planned on breaking them out that early in the race, if at all, but by 3 hours I decided it was necessary. I have no idea whether the Advil helped - the pain didn't get better, but maybe it would've been even worse if I hadn't taken it? Either way, I knew I was fucked. Completely fucked. I tried not to slow down, I felt great aside from the IT band (and why was my IT band bothering me? I don't even REMEMBER the last time I had IT band problems, and I preventative rolled to make sure it was loose). All bathroom breaks from this point on were thanks to my gut, and I had another stop at 9k, and when I rolled into the transition area. I also had a piece of ginger at this point - I wouldn't say I felt nauseous, but I thought why not. Switched my bladder for some more Infinit, had half a package of Clif Shot Blocks, some G2, and went on my way.
Oh yes, and I was taking S!Caps (electrolytes) at every hour, religiously.
Lap 3 - 2:43:39
I was very worried about my IT band at this point - I was trying to stretch it - but I knew Gary was coming to pace me, and I was damned if I was going to waste his time. I had been a lot faster through laps 1 and 2 then I had expected, but I knew I would start to slow down. Toby was worried about me finishing lap 3 before Gary got there, but I knew there was no way that was going to happen, even if natural slow down and the IT band hadn't been an issue. A lot of this lap was running in pain. At this point, I was starting to see more 50k runners, who would say they were 'only' doing the 50k - there's no only about it, 50k is far! When it comes to that, I was 'only' doing the 50 miler! Not the 100 miler! But 50 miles is still damn far, so.
I saw a few deer this loop, and a baby raccoon crying - I stopped for a bit to watch it, worried - another runner passed me, I don't know what they thought I was doing - but eventually I realized I couldn't do anything for it and I was just wasting time staring at it and potentially keeping Momma away. It wasn't there on the 4th lap so either Momma came back for it or a hawk or coyote got it. I rolled into the 9k aid station, stopping for my bathroom break (sigh). Saw some people I'd been running around during the first lap, but with the IT band pain, was concentrated on feeling miserable and didn't say anything. We passed each other a few times, but nothing from them either so I assume we were all feeling about the same at that point.
Aside from the IT band pain, I was starting to get more tired, but still feeling pretty good and strong. I did 50k in under 6:30 (I'm not sure exactly what it was but I know it was under that, I wasn't paying a lot of attention at the time but at 6:30 I looked down and realized I was over 50k), smashing my PB (okay, it wasn't a 50k race, so it doesn't count, but still. Sulphur isn't technical and it shows in the times, I think, though it is quite hilly - there are some brutal hills there to trash your legs!).
I took my second Advil at 7 hrs. Didn't make any difference that I could see.
Rolled into 'transition' and while Mom had to go to party, Gill (Toby's mom) was there - an awesome surprise - and Gary waiting to pace me. Went to the bathroom (again). Was very happy to see Gary!
Lap 4 - 3:07:27
Started off feeling good, aside from the IT band, which was going completely fucking crazy. I'd been stretching it through loop 3, and stretched it in transition, but holy. Still, was running - albeit slowly - for the first part of the loop. Gary was a great pacer, nice easy conversation and a great cheerleader. Just before the 3k aid station, we caught a girl I'd been trading places with during the race, and she was running with a pacer too, and then at the 3k aid station I stopped to - you guessed it - go to the bathroom! WTH!!!!! We caught the girl and her pacer again shortly after the aid station, and ran with them for a while, chatting about adventure racing and triathlons. She wanted to walk for awhile, and while I was in pain, and not going fast, we left them. Back into the 9k aid station, and yes, a bathroom break - Gary got some chips, and we headed out. My IT band started to lock up more, and I would cry out and have to stop, but I think I kept it fairly under control. Still, I was starting to walk more, and it wasn't all the IT band, though it wasn't helping. I was starting to get excited to see a hill because it was an excuse to walk. At the start of the loop, I said to Gary, I think sub-11 is possible, even if we are really slow, but I was really hoping that maybe we could hit 10:30. However, sometime around the 9k aid station and my second bathroom break of the loop I doubted that would happen, particularly as I could tell I was slowing down.
I was slowing down a lot. Walking all over the place. Gary kept saying '80k! That's AMAZING!' and at one point noted he was more excited than I was :) I was too tired to be excited! I was, but. I was tired. We got to the 12k (72k in) aid station and I decided to stop for another bathroom break. Gary was eying the cookies - we went back through this aid station at around 79k, so he promised himself a cookie then.
We headed out on the I guess western part of the course, though Hamilton always screws me up directionally because the lake is on the wrong side - but towards the infamous 3 Sisters (3 hills, duh! Big ones!). I had taken some ginger ale at the aid station - I'd finally had some immodium at the 9k aid station, but thought the ginger ale might settle things some more, though that's not really for that kind of stomach upset - but anyways. It was quite carbonated, and I'm not sure it really went down right, because shortly after we saw Helen heading towards the finish of her race, I said to Gary, 'I think I'm going to throw up' and I puked, and puked, and puked some more. Toby always says there's nobody who pukes more loudly than me, and I think Gary would back him up. I don't just puke, I heave and I retch. There was a lot of fluid in me. I don't think this was an electrolyte issue, as the Infinit has some electrolytes and I was taking the S!Caps every hour, and it wasn't that hot. Once I was done puking I didn't immediately take in more nutrition, for probably obvious reasons, and we started walking - I was really tired, and also wanted to settle my stomach and wasn't sure about running for that. Eventually we were joined by a lovely man, who was super chatty, which was nice at first but after awhile I wanted to scream - which I feel bad about, he was super nice, but it just seemed like so much effort to listen to him talk. I don't know why, I mean, Gary and I were talking, but this guy just talked and talked and talked. He was interesting, I think it was me, not him. Anyways, we started running again, but he was a bit faster and we were in a long downhill section and my quads were screaming at this point, so we walked a bit again. I was taking nutrition again at this point, but not quite as much - still, every 15 minutes I was sipping on Infinit, so I wasn't bonking or anything. We got to the last aid station, I had some water, Gary had a cookie (he joke he gained weight on the run), and we started walking up the road towards the monster evil hill and the finish line. Once at the top of Mount Doom I ran it in, for a 10:41:32 finish.
After
Holy damn. Running 50ks does not prepare you for how sore you will feel after a 50 miler. Not even close. Toby helped stretch me, and then of course I went to the bathroom. (HA!)
But I was thrilled - I figured I would be 11 or 12 hours on the course, so to do it in 10:41:32 - I rock!!!!!! So happy! Yeah, I'm a slow runner, but who gives a fuck! I'm not the slowest (not that there's anything wrong with that either).
Gary was an awesome pacer. I'm so glad he was able to come out, he was the perfect friend to talk me through the loop, cheerlead me along, and not freak out about me puking (he has a baby at home and joked that normally he gets puked ON). Toby was an awesome crew, and my number one supporter! Derrick did a great job getting me prepared, and friends and family supporting me on the day of both there and from afar were huge.
There's really no words to explain how bad and inflammed my IT band was. None. We headed home, and honestly I ate two bites and couldn't even finish my post-race beer. I have trouble taking in food after long efforts, but the beer??!!!! That's just wrong!
Everything hurt - my quads, holy shit, sitting down, getting up, walking - Toby called me the old crone through Sunday - and my IT band. Hot damn. Not to mention my upper arms and my rib cage from breathing heavily for that long - I've never had THAT get sore before - anyways, nothing prepared me for how sore I was. It was a real shock. Did the ice bath, warm bath, by the next day Toby was massaging my quads ('masses of knots') - my left leg (IT band leg) was worse and I cried a bit though tried to act like I wasn't. Toby was a huge help though, despite calling me an old crone.
Two days after the race (today), I went for an official massage - I'm getting around a lot better already, and had rolled out my IT bands and quads as well - the quads feel way better too post-massage, and I got some ultrasound on my IT band and kinesio tape but on. so hopefully that does the trick.
Moral of the story - I don't recommend running 57k on a really fucked up IT band. But sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do. And, I rock! I need to work out the gut stuff - which may be med related - but I am going to play around with nutrition strategies too, though I've been through several already. We'll see. Maybe I just need to take immodium at the start, before things get upset, instead of waiting until they've been upset for awhile.
But 50 miles! 10:41:32! Now that I am not so tired, I am SO happy! When the pics get posted I will try to add some here!
This will be a long entry, but I'm at a loss for where to begin. Well, I guess, in the lead up - I was SO nervous! My first 50 miler! Damn that's far! Not 100 miles far, but still - far!
I wasn't sure how to pace, or if I should even worry about pacing, and I'd read every race report known to man about Sulphur Springs, pretty well every distance that is run there - read and reread the participants guide - I mean, it was kind of sad.
A few weeks out, I had a shake down massage, which appeared to have exposed an underlying imbalance, because I developed a groin pain that took a week to go away and which freaked me out completely. But then it went away - however, I believe it played a role on race day - stay tuned!
A little more than a week out, I started rolling my IT bands. I don't think I've had IT band issues for at least a year and a half, but an ounce of preventation and all that, I wanted them to be as loose as possible. Ha.
Race day we woke up at 3:20 - got dressed, got the water jug filled, final packing, took the dogs out (they stayed at home and Steve came to take them out in the afternoon), had breakfast - left the house about 4 am to get to the race start for about 5, so that we'd get a prime set up spot for crewing. And parking. Both were accomplished. It was a cold morning - about 5C maybe? The car thermometer dropped to 4C at one point. I wore tights over my shorts and a down jacket while waiting for the race start.
Picked up my race kit - great swag! T-shirt - women's specific! - a hat, and a handheld bottle - and set up the crew station just in front of the timing mats.
Before the race, we saw Helen (race director of the best race ever, Haliburton, and an all-round great lady!) and Joe, who stayed at the same bed and breakfast for Haliburton as us last year - Joe was running the 50k today as he had a family thing to go to afterwards - he introduced me to Scott, who is going to the Adirondacks on the same running trip in June, so it was nice to put a face to the name. Mom came - wow, early wake up for her - awesome. I had some Clif Shot Bloks and G2, and before I knew it I was lubing up my feet and pulling on my wind jacket for the start.
Sulphur is loops of just over 20k, so I was doing 4 loops for a distance of 80.5k. The race started at 6 am.
Lap 1 - 2:20:06
I tried to keep this lap easy, and pay attention to the course, which was harder to do than you would think, because people were still grouped together and it was easy to just watch the runner ahead. However, the course was well marked so I didn't need to worry, and I was fairly familiar with the course anyways. I settled into running the flats and downhills and walking the ups, a common strategy in long races to preserve energy. I stopped to pee at the 9k aid station, but that was my only stop for the lap - I'd been running with Leanne, a lovely lady who is one of the race directors of Creemore, but from that break ran mostly by myself. I came in to the 'transition' (Toby and Mom) with 2:16 on the clock (all lap times above include time in transition), went to the washroom (thank you inconsistent gut!), changed my bladder for one with more Infinit, quickly chatted, and headed out. I clearly remember mentioning that my left leg (the same leg with the groin pain that was gone this day, but previously had been bothering me) was a bit sore.
Lap 2 - 2:30:20
By 3k in, my 'left leg feels a bit sore' had changed to 'holy shit my left IT band is going fucking nuts'. Not a good sign. Ever run 57.5k on an IT band screaming at you? Well, until Saturday I hadn't, but I wasn't sure how possible it was. I had exactly two extra strength Advils, and I hadn't planned on breaking them out that early in the race, if at all, but by 3 hours I decided it was necessary. I have no idea whether the Advil helped - the pain didn't get better, but maybe it would've been even worse if I hadn't taken it? Either way, I knew I was fucked. Completely fucked. I tried not to slow down, I felt great aside from the IT band (and why was my IT band bothering me? I don't even REMEMBER the last time I had IT band problems, and I preventative rolled to make sure it was loose). All bathroom breaks from this point on were thanks to my gut, and I had another stop at 9k, and when I rolled into the transition area. I also had a piece of ginger at this point - I wouldn't say I felt nauseous, but I thought why not. Switched my bladder for some more Infinit, had half a package of Clif Shot Blocks, some G2, and went on my way.
Oh yes, and I was taking S!Caps (electrolytes) at every hour, religiously.
Lap 3 - 2:43:39
I was very worried about my IT band at this point - I was trying to stretch it - but I knew Gary was coming to pace me, and I was damned if I was going to waste his time. I had been a lot faster through laps 1 and 2 then I had expected, but I knew I would start to slow down. Toby was worried about me finishing lap 3 before Gary got there, but I knew there was no way that was going to happen, even if natural slow down and the IT band hadn't been an issue. A lot of this lap was running in pain. At this point, I was starting to see more 50k runners, who would say they were 'only' doing the 50k - there's no only about it, 50k is far! When it comes to that, I was 'only' doing the 50 miler! Not the 100 miler! But 50 miles is still damn far, so.
I saw a few deer this loop, and a baby raccoon crying - I stopped for a bit to watch it, worried - another runner passed me, I don't know what they thought I was doing - but eventually I realized I couldn't do anything for it and I was just wasting time staring at it and potentially keeping Momma away. It wasn't there on the 4th lap so either Momma came back for it or a hawk or coyote got it. I rolled into the 9k aid station, stopping for my bathroom break (sigh). Saw some people I'd been running around during the first lap, but with the IT band pain, was concentrated on feeling miserable and didn't say anything. We passed each other a few times, but nothing from them either so I assume we were all feeling about the same at that point.
Aside from the IT band pain, I was starting to get more tired, but still feeling pretty good and strong. I did 50k in under 6:30 (I'm not sure exactly what it was but I know it was under that, I wasn't paying a lot of attention at the time but at 6:30 I looked down and realized I was over 50k), smashing my PB (okay, it wasn't a 50k race, so it doesn't count, but still. Sulphur isn't technical and it shows in the times, I think, though it is quite hilly - there are some brutal hills there to trash your legs!).
I took my second Advil at 7 hrs. Didn't make any difference that I could see.
Rolled into 'transition' and while Mom had to go to party, Gill (Toby's mom) was there - an awesome surprise - and Gary waiting to pace me. Went to the bathroom (again). Was very happy to see Gary!
Lap 4 - 3:07:27
Started off feeling good, aside from the IT band, which was going completely fucking crazy. I'd been stretching it through loop 3, and stretched it in transition, but holy. Still, was running - albeit slowly - for the first part of the loop. Gary was a great pacer, nice easy conversation and a great cheerleader. Just before the 3k aid station, we caught a girl I'd been trading places with during the race, and she was running with a pacer too, and then at the 3k aid station I stopped to - you guessed it - go to the bathroom! WTH!!!!! We caught the girl and her pacer again shortly after the aid station, and ran with them for a while, chatting about adventure racing and triathlons. She wanted to walk for awhile, and while I was in pain, and not going fast, we left them. Back into the 9k aid station, and yes, a bathroom break - Gary got some chips, and we headed out. My IT band started to lock up more, and I would cry out and have to stop, but I think I kept it fairly under control. Still, I was starting to walk more, and it wasn't all the IT band, though it wasn't helping. I was starting to get excited to see a hill because it was an excuse to walk. At the start of the loop, I said to Gary, I think sub-11 is possible, even if we are really slow, but I was really hoping that maybe we could hit 10:30. However, sometime around the 9k aid station and my second bathroom break of the loop I doubted that would happen, particularly as I could tell I was slowing down.
I was slowing down a lot. Walking all over the place. Gary kept saying '80k! That's AMAZING!' and at one point noted he was more excited than I was :) I was too tired to be excited! I was, but. I was tired. We got to the 12k (72k in) aid station and I decided to stop for another bathroom break. Gary was eying the cookies - we went back through this aid station at around 79k, so he promised himself a cookie then.
We headed out on the I guess western part of the course, though Hamilton always screws me up directionally because the lake is on the wrong side - but towards the infamous 3 Sisters (3 hills, duh! Big ones!). I had taken some ginger ale at the aid station - I'd finally had some immodium at the 9k aid station, but thought the ginger ale might settle things some more, though that's not really for that kind of stomach upset - but anyways. It was quite carbonated, and I'm not sure it really went down right, because shortly after we saw Helen heading towards the finish of her race, I said to Gary, 'I think I'm going to throw up' and I puked, and puked, and puked some more. Toby always says there's nobody who pukes more loudly than me, and I think Gary would back him up. I don't just puke, I heave and I retch. There was a lot of fluid in me. I don't think this was an electrolyte issue, as the Infinit has some electrolytes and I was taking the S!Caps every hour, and it wasn't that hot. Once I was done puking I didn't immediately take in more nutrition, for probably obvious reasons, and we started walking - I was really tired, and also wanted to settle my stomach and wasn't sure about running for that. Eventually we were joined by a lovely man, who was super chatty, which was nice at first but after awhile I wanted to scream - which I feel bad about, he was super nice, but it just seemed like so much effort to listen to him talk. I don't know why, I mean, Gary and I were talking, but this guy just talked and talked and talked. He was interesting, I think it was me, not him. Anyways, we started running again, but he was a bit faster and we were in a long downhill section and my quads were screaming at this point, so we walked a bit again. I was taking nutrition again at this point, but not quite as much - still, every 15 minutes I was sipping on Infinit, so I wasn't bonking or anything. We got to the last aid station, I had some water, Gary had a cookie (he joke he gained weight on the run), and we started walking up the road towards the monster evil hill and the finish line. Once at the top of Mount Doom I ran it in, for a 10:41:32 finish.
After
Holy damn. Running 50ks does not prepare you for how sore you will feel after a 50 miler. Not even close. Toby helped stretch me, and then of course I went to the bathroom. (HA!)
But I was thrilled - I figured I would be 11 or 12 hours on the course, so to do it in 10:41:32 - I rock!!!!!! So happy! Yeah, I'm a slow runner, but who gives a fuck! I'm not the slowest (not that there's anything wrong with that either).
Gary was an awesome pacer. I'm so glad he was able to come out, he was the perfect friend to talk me through the loop, cheerlead me along, and not freak out about me puking (he has a baby at home and joked that normally he gets puked ON). Toby was an awesome crew, and my number one supporter! Derrick did a great job getting me prepared, and friends and family supporting me on the day of both there and from afar were huge.
There's really no words to explain how bad and inflammed my IT band was. None. We headed home, and honestly I ate two bites and couldn't even finish my post-race beer. I have trouble taking in food after long efforts, but the beer??!!!! That's just wrong!
Everything hurt - my quads, holy shit, sitting down, getting up, walking - Toby called me the old crone through Sunday - and my IT band. Hot damn. Not to mention my upper arms and my rib cage from breathing heavily for that long - I've never had THAT get sore before - anyways, nothing prepared me for how sore I was. It was a real shock. Did the ice bath, warm bath, by the next day Toby was massaging my quads ('masses of knots') - my left leg (IT band leg) was worse and I cried a bit though tried to act like I wasn't. Toby was a huge help though, despite calling me an old crone.
Two days after the race (today), I went for an official massage - I'm getting around a lot better already, and had rolled out my IT bands and quads as well - the quads feel way better too post-massage, and I got some ultrasound on my IT band and kinesio tape but on. so hopefully that does the trick.
Moral of the story - I don't recommend running 57k on a really fucked up IT band. But sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do. And, I rock! I need to work out the gut stuff - which may be med related - but I am going to play around with nutrition strategies too, though I've been through several already. We'll see. Maybe I just need to take immodium at the start, before things get upset, instead of waiting until they've been upset for awhile.
But 50 miles! 10:41:32! Now that I am not so tired, I am SO happy! When the pics get posted I will try to add some here!
Monday, May 6, 2013
Toronto Marathon - May 5, 2013
This will be a quick race report I think.
I wasn't sure what to expect going into this - it's been a long time since I've done any major run on a road! Some mid-length runs, but nothing that long. I wasn't sure what I could expect, pace-wise, and I failed to factor in my 50k (Derrick says he's measured the Frontenac Perimeter closer to 50k than 47k) the weekend before the race.
I have been having some digestive issues, as I think I've alluded to, so I decided to drink my nutrition pre-race. I woke up at 4:45 am to drink a bottle of Infinit (~330cal), to give me time to pee it out before the race start - as I joked to Toby, my A goal for this race was to do the distance without stopping to use the bathroom.
I also had a bit of a Stinger Waffle. Not all of it, but I'm guessing I approached 400cal pre-race. We got to the race start (point to point) nice and early and chilled out before the 7:30 am start time.
I wanted to run between a 4:15-4:30, but preferably 4:15, so I lined up accordingly. The start wasn't too busy - the marathon starts an hour before the half, and it is a small race, though still huge by the standards of most trail races I do.
I kept wanting to look for ribbons blazing the trail. None. But always around tonnes of runners, and they use pylons to mark the course! Fancy! Man it has been a long time since I've done a road race!
The first 10k were a bit faster than planned, but I felt comfortable - fueling well, heart rate comfortable, running easy. I saw my mom at about 10k, which was really nice. By 20k, my legs started to HURT. I couldn't figure it out - why would my legs hurt so much, after only 20k, and I wasn't running that fast.
I started to slow.
I figured out, after a while, why my legs hurt so damn much. a)I don't have road legs, for lack of a better term; and b)I ran 50k the weekend before.
Tapers apparently do serve a purpose. Because running further than a marathon the weekend before is NOT ideal race prep. Of course, the point wasn't to race this, but to use it as a long training run and practice nutrition etc.
By the time we were getting into downtown (around St. Lawrence Market), a fire engine came blaring up and two firefighters rushed out ahead of me over to a runner on the ground with a crowd around him - I assume heat, or dehydration, because the crowd had poured water on him. As I was running past, another runner started to collapse but there were three people there catching him and firefighters 2 metres away so I didn't stop as I didn't see what I could do to help.
It was hot, but I'm not sure it was THAT hot. Maybe 22, 23C? I think though nobody is acclimatized to the heat.
I saw Toby as I hit the lakeshore path for the out and back that goes past the start, at around 27.5k. He ran with me a short distance and I told him my legs were really hurting. It didn't help that my GPS went wonky running through the downtown office towers, so it was measuring long.
Anyways, I took a few walk breaks, but mostly I just ran slow. A pain, because I'd planned to run non-stop. However, I kept going. So I suck, what are you going to do.
Around 36k, I had a resurgence of energy - an ass in a Mercedes on Lakeshore pulled into the runner's lane through the traffic cones, and started arguing with a race volunteer. He pulled back into the traffic lane, and all of us runners yelled at him as we went past and hit his car. I love being a jerk, I try not to be lately, but everyone else was so I was like 'YEAH! I DON'T LIKE YOU JERKFACE ASS!' It was just the pick-me-up I needed.
There were a few people who I'd seen throughout the race, who eventually I dropped on the final section, which was satisfying. I knew - had for a while - that 4:15 and a PB was way out the window, but I figured I'd be around 4:30.
In the end, I finished in 4:31:05. I saw Mom and Toby and a lady from work running to the finish. And then I got the world's most ridiculously large medal. Ironman medals aren't that big. It's hilarious.
Overall, this was a great race. Wonderful crowd support, pretty good aid stations (one at around 37k had run out of cups, but otherwise), and a really nice course through Toronto from the north end down to and along the lake. I'd definitely run this one again.
I need to figure out nutrition though. I took in 450-500cal throughout the race, which is fine for a marathon, but won't cut it for Sulphur and the 50 miler. I need to up my nutrition, so I am going to figure out how much I am taking in for X sips and then calculate how much I need to be sipping and how often. (I used my hydration pack again, so I can't SEE what I'm taking in.)
I wasn't sure what to expect going into this - it's been a long time since I've done any major run on a road! Some mid-length runs, but nothing that long. I wasn't sure what I could expect, pace-wise, and I failed to factor in my 50k (Derrick says he's measured the Frontenac Perimeter closer to 50k than 47k) the weekend before the race.
I have been having some digestive issues, as I think I've alluded to, so I decided to drink my nutrition pre-race. I woke up at 4:45 am to drink a bottle of Infinit (~330cal), to give me time to pee it out before the race start - as I joked to Toby, my A goal for this race was to do the distance without stopping to use the bathroom.
I also had a bit of a Stinger Waffle. Not all of it, but I'm guessing I approached 400cal pre-race. We got to the race start (point to point) nice and early and chilled out before the 7:30 am start time.
I wanted to run between a 4:15-4:30, but preferably 4:15, so I lined up accordingly. The start wasn't too busy - the marathon starts an hour before the half, and it is a small race, though still huge by the standards of most trail races I do.
I kept wanting to look for ribbons blazing the trail. None. But always around tonnes of runners, and they use pylons to mark the course! Fancy! Man it has been a long time since I've done a road race!
The first 10k were a bit faster than planned, but I felt comfortable - fueling well, heart rate comfortable, running easy. I saw my mom at about 10k, which was really nice. By 20k, my legs started to HURT. I couldn't figure it out - why would my legs hurt so much, after only 20k, and I wasn't running that fast.
I started to slow.
I figured out, after a while, why my legs hurt so damn much. a)I don't have road legs, for lack of a better term; and b)I ran 50k the weekend before.
Tapers apparently do serve a purpose. Because running further than a marathon the weekend before is NOT ideal race prep. Of course, the point wasn't to race this, but to use it as a long training run and practice nutrition etc.
By the time we were getting into downtown (around St. Lawrence Market), a fire engine came blaring up and two firefighters rushed out ahead of me over to a runner on the ground with a crowd around him - I assume heat, or dehydration, because the crowd had poured water on him. As I was running past, another runner started to collapse but there were three people there catching him and firefighters 2 metres away so I didn't stop as I didn't see what I could do to help.
It was hot, but I'm not sure it was THAT hot. Maybe 22, 23C? I think though nobody is acclimatized to the heat.
I saw Toby as I hit the lakeshore path for the out and back that goes past the start, at around 27.5k. He ran with me a short distance and I told him my legs were really hurting. It didn't help that my GPS went wonky running through the downtown office towers, so it was measuring long.
Anyways, I took a few walk breaks, but mostly I just ran slow. A pain, because I'd planned to run non-stop. However, I kept going. So I suck, what are you going to do.
Around 36k, I had a resurgence of energy - an ass in a Mercedes on Lakeshore pulled into the runner's lane through the traffic cones, and started arguing with a race volunteer. He pulled back into the traffic lane, and all of us runners yelled at him as we went past and hit his car. I love being a jerk, I try not to be lately, but everyone else was so I was like 'YEAH! I DON'T LIKE YOU JERKFACE ASS!' It was just the pick-me-up I needed.
There were a few people who I'd seen throughout the race, who eventually I dropped on the final section, which was satisfying. I knew - had for a while - that 4:15 and a PB was way out the window, but I figured I'd be around 4:30.
In the end, I finished in 4:31:05. I saw Mom and Toby and a lady from work running to the finish. And then I got the world's most ridiculously large medal. Ironman medals aren't that big. It's hilarious.
Overall, this was a great race. Wonderful crowd support, pretty good aid stations (one at around 37k had run out of cups, but otherwise), and a really nice course through Toronto from the north end down to and along the lake. I'd definitely run this one again.
I need to figure out nutrition though. I took in 450-500cal throughout the race, which is fine for a marathon, but won't cut it for Sulphur and the 50 miler. I need to up my nutrition, so I am going to figure out how much I am taking in for X sips and then calculate how much I need to be sipping and how often. (I used my hydration pack again, so I can't SEE what I'm taking in.)
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