Sunday, February 22, 2009
8:30 am
Canadian War Museum, 1 Vimy Place, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
21.1 km Half Marathon
Course: 4 x 5km loops on the Ottawa River Parkway [link to course map]
Weather: -5 C, light flurries, windchill -11 C
Course Conditions: sloppy, wet, slippery patches
Race goal: ~1:45 - 1:50, depending on weather & course conditions
Race strategy: Start at a nice & steady 5min/km pace. Hold it for as long as possible. Give it all I've got with 2-3km to go, depending on how I feel.
Race Report: the short version
Results
- 1:46:08 | 5:02 pace per km | 32/221 overall | 29/115 men | 6/15 in age group men 25-29
- 7 minute personal record!
- Full results viewable at Sportstats.ca
- Great training, race strategy, execution and focus made for a great day out there.
- This is a great event, especially for a first time event. I'm sure the race organizers will receive a lot of feedback and it will be even better next year. Highly recommended.
My home made pacing wristband
I hadn't run a stand alone half marathon since February 2007, so pacing was going to be uber important. I am really bad at doing mental math while racing, so I made my own home made pacing wristband with all of projected split times using an online calculator at MarathonGuide.com. Here's what it looked like:
Morning of the race
I woke up at 5:15am, well before my alarm set for 6:00am. I took this opportunity to consume my pre-race breakfast earlier than planned, which allowed more time for digestion. My breakfast consisted of two chocolate meal replacement shakes, about 700 calories worth. Delicious.
Warm up
This was a winter half marathon raced in -5 C conditions, so I knew a proper warm up would be critical if I wanted to jump out to a 5min/km pace right off the bat. I did a 10 min warm up run with 4 x 30 sec @ max effort to get my body temperature and heart rate up. I went right back inside the museum to keep as warm as possible and did a quick 5 minute stretch routine to make sure everything was nice and limber for the start.
The start
- The start line had a fun & relaxed atmosphere to it. It takes a very laid back (read: crazy) person to sign up for a road race in the middle of February in Ottawa, so this was no surprise.
- With about 5 minutes to go before the start, I took one Clif Shot 100 calories.
- As usual, I was not nervous at all at the start, bordering on being understimulated. This is due to my extremely laid back personality, and is an ongoing issue with my racing.
- The race started on time right around 8:30am to the sound of a CANNON! It definitely caught everyone off guard and I credit the race organizers for having the guts to keep it a secret and not warn anyone. Love it!
Results
- 1:46:08 | 5:02 pace per km | 32/221 overall | 29/115 men | 6/15 in age group men 25-29
- 7 minute personal record!
- Full results viewable at Sportstats.ca
- Splits: Lap 1 24:03 | Lap 2 25:07 | Lap 3 26:18 | Lap 4 25:29 | Lap 5 1.1km 5:11
- My overall placing, gender placing and age category placing are subject to change because apparently ~40 half marathoners did not do the extra 1.1km 5th lap at the end of the race.
Check out that post-race ice beard!
Videos
What I did well
- Nutrition. My pre-race breakfast and pre-race Clif Shot worked really well. All I needed on the course was water and a few sips of Gatorade. Not carrying a fuel belt with 2.5 lbs. of fluid in it makes a HUGE difference over 21.1 km.
- Pacing strategy. I did a great job at paying attention to the pace I was running at during training run intervals done at "half marathon effort". In the weeks leading up to the race, it was looking more and more like a 1:45 half marathon was possible.
- Pacing strategy execution. Not only was my race well planned, but I executed my plan to a "T". My splits were pretty much even. I definitely "left it all out on the course" because I didn't have much left in the tank at the end.
- Focus. Blocking out the many distractions of life during a race is something I normally struggle with, but not today. My mind was wandering a bit during the first lap but after that I was in the zone, not worrying about what was happening later that day, that weekend or that month. I was living and racing "in the moment" and it made a huge difference.
What I need to improve
There wasn't much I could have done better in this race. I would have really liked to have finished in under 1:45, but I'm not going to lose any sleep over it. It looks like I faded a bit during Lap 3, which might have been the reason I finished in 1:46.
Aches, pains & recovery
I finished with a sprint at the end feeling very strong. Then within a minute or two after finishing, my legs started to cramp up and my stabilizers were really sore. I was cold, wet and exhausted. I needed to get inside and get off my feet. I started taking in fluid right away and munched on a bagel and banana to get some carbs back in me.
I took advantage of the free massage service which helped immeasurably. My masseuse did a great job. I was able to walk properly afterwards (always appreciated)!
Thank yous
- Alana. She has always has, and continues to be, supportive of my training and my #1 fan. She got out of bed at 6:30am on a Sunday to cheer me on. She was the photographer and videographer. She convinced me to get a post-race massage (all I wanted to do was go home & eat!), which spead up my recovery by several days. Can't thank her enough.
- Race organizers. This was a very well planned event. There were a few glitches here and there, but that is to be expected because it's a first time event. Great job guys and I'm sure next year will be even better.
- Coaching. I have been following a training plan I purchased from Endurance Nation. Endurance Nation has totally changed the way I approach triathlon training. Thanks to them, my training is more focused, it takes up less of my time, my fitness has never been better and I am enjoying my training more than ever. Can't say enough good things about these guys.
Definitely. This race fills a gaping void in the January-March porition of the Ottawa running/triathlon race calendar. It's great having a mid-winter event to focus on because it gets you out of bed & out training on those cold, dark winter mornings.
What's next?
I am planning on doing a self-supported epic bike weekend April 9-12. This will consist of ~450 km of cycling over 4 days. I might blog again between now and then if I have anything interesting to say.
Thanks for reading.
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