Last weekend, I ran a half marathon that did not go well. I had no energy and ended up walking a lot in the second half of the race. It left me with some questions and I was concerned heading into this week, knowing that I have a pretty high kilometer week scheduled. However, I ended up having a great week!
I began the week with a pretty solid 19k trail run. I started a little later than planned due to the fact that my kids' karate went long. I was planning on meeting some friends after running the first half by myself, which meant I needed to hustle, which I welcomed given the conditions. First of all, the weather was perfect; cool with a bit of a breeze. Second, the trails were in great shape. With all of the plant growth in the past couple of weeks my favourite trails are starting to get quite narrow. I imagine that in the next week or two they will become too overgrown to run hard. Finally, after my disastrous last race, I was anxious to test out my body. I'm currently in the middle of a 10-day cycle on a medication for a nasty rash that I picked up (apparently it possibly originated from swimming in tropical waters) that is kicking my butt. It has left me feeling dizzy and anxious with bouts of nausea. With that being said, my body finally seems to be adjusting to it.
The training run went really well. I pushed the pace a bit and felt great the entire time. It was also nice to run with some friends that I haven't run with before for the final 8k. We ran the loop of our upcoming race, Tally in the Valley.
The next day, I ran the Ancaster Mill 10km race. I've participated in this event many times and I know that the course is very hilly (for a road race). The race starts with a long downhill followed by a climb- nothing major, but you certainly feel it! My plan was to run the downhill hard and then slow the pace down to something a little more sustainable. I think that I followed my plan quite well and although I was certainly pushing the pace, I felt that I was running comfortably enough to be able to hold it for the majority of the race. There were 3 notable hills in the first 5km and then we repeated the course to get to 10km. I was pleased when I hit the halfway point under my goal time, however, I knew that my pace was starting to slip a bit and the hills were really wearing me down. On my second loop of the course, I once again ran the first long downhill as fast as I could and then settled back into a more reasonable pace.
By 7km, although I was tired, I noticed that I was feeling better than I usually do by this point in a 10km race. Rather than settle into a pace that hurt a little less like I normally do, I decided to push hard until the 9km point. The final 1km is all uphill and I knew that it would be a real grind. I made the best of the final descent and then basically put my head down and hammered out the final climb the best that I could. Although it was by no means fast, I think I actually ran the big hill faster the second time than I did in my first loop and I managed to pass someone near the top of the hill. I very rarely pass people in the last few kilometers of a race since I am notorious for going out too hard and then suffering at the end.
The final hill definitely hurt but, overall, I finished feeling better than I usually do and I met my 'A Goal', which I have only managed to do a few times this year. As an added bonus, passing that runner on the final hill put me in 6th place overall and 1st place in the Masters division. I even won $75! In actual fact, I was the 3rd Masters (over 40) runner. However, the first two overall winners were both 40+. In most races, you can't "double dip", which essentially means that you can't receive prizes for being a top 3 overall runner AND an age group winner. The top 3 male/female runners do not count in any other category.
It was a fun night out with the entire family and I am very grateful that I have a partner that not only loves to run herself, but also enthusiastically supports me in all of my endeavors. Heather had the more difficult job of watching our youngest 4 kids (all of whom ran either the 1k or 5k) while I was out gallivanting on the course. Thanks Heather!
I had another solid 20k workout on Wednesday followed by really easy run days on Thursday and Friday. On Saturday, I ran the Conquer the Canuck 50k.
I woke up on Saturday morning feeling exhausted and not wanting to run at all. Knowing that the route is very runner friendly, I was originally hoping for a sub 4:45:00 race for 50k. I ended up having my best race of the year and setting a new personal best for the 50k distance. Here's how it went down:
My initial plan was to run the first 8.33km loop in 42 minutes and then add 2 minutes to each loop (42, 44, 46, 48, 50, 52 = 4:48:00). This would at least put me close to my goal. I wasn't feeling like running hard so I wasn't too concerned about being a little slower than my goal time. I ran a strong first loop; it didn't feel like I was working too hard and I walked the two biggest hills. I was surprised to come through and see the clock at 39:45. Because I was feeling good, I decided to change my goal and see if I could run the first 25k more aggressively than planned and then back off a bit in the second half. After 3 loops (25k) I still felt good so I decided to try to run one more fast (for me at least) loop. I started to tire at the end of the loop (around 30k) but felt that I was far enough under my goal time that even if my race fell apart, I would still have a decent time. I slowed down a little for loop 5 and then had to make a decision. With 8k to go, I realized that I was on pace to break my 50k personal best, which was 4:15:00ish. Should I lay off a bit, run more comfortably, and still run way under my goal time or, should I go into the pain cave and make it hurt with hopes of my fastest ever time? As I ran past the first aid station where Heather was volunteering, I gave her my handheld water bottle and said, "I'm going for it. This is going to suck!" and I went for it.
The loop was actually pretty uneventful. I ran it just as I did every other loop but a little bit slower and it hurt a little bit more. I ran with my buddy for a little while before he told me that I had to go if I wanted to hit my new goal. I think all of the runners reading this can probably relate to a time when you were running really hard at a pace that felt blistering only to check your watch or later see a video and determine that you were not moving nearly as fast as you thought. That basically explains my final loop.
In the end, I managed to finish in 4:12:48. I was very pleased and surprised with my time. Honestly, I didn't think that I would every run a new personal best in any distance.
The next day, I volunteered at the race and I was able to see all of the people that were running the marathon. Remarkably, many of the runners had run the 50k on the Saturday and were running the marathon on the Sunday for a total of 92.2k. I have a lot of respect and admiration for these runners. I woke up very stiff and sore on Sunday and the last thing that I wanted to do was run marathon!
Next weekend I will be running another 50k at the Niagara Ultra. I was planning on running it pretty hard (that is where I ran my previous 50k PB), however, after running harder than planned this weekend, I think that I will take it easy and enjoy the journey and beautiful scenery!
Once again, thanks SO MUCH for taking the time to read my ramblings and for offering encouragement at the races!