Goodlife Victoria Marathon | October 12, 2014

Chip Time - 3:11:07

Overall - 86 / 1565

45-49 - 14 / 116

M - 75 / 791
Shoes - Brooks Pure Flow (Red)

I had put pretty big expectations on myself for this race. Having run a strong PB of 3:04 in May at BMO Vancouver Marathon I was hoping to build on that and really wanted a 3:00 on the books. Mostly, I was working towards a vaunted velvet smoking jacket. Sigh. (see below)

As if on cue, the last speed training session 10 days prior to the race I managed to tweak my hamstring. Unexpectedly this was on my right leg, which had not bothered me at all. Being that last year at this time I wiped out and surfed on my ribs for a few meters, this didn’t seem like much of a setback. Fortunately some physio and taking it easy for a few days helped to settle it down.

Race morning I was feeling good. I hadn’t picked up a cold and my body felt mostly injury free other than the usual aches and pains. The weather had cleared up from the previous days’ rains, a nice temperature and not too windy.

I went out with purpose, aiming to keep a consistent 4:15 pace. I felt good to start and fell in with a few other guys that were also aiming for 3 hrs. I probably went out too fast for this course, erring on the side of a little quicker than 4:15 pace rather than slower. We ran together for a bit before breaking off at a water station.

This course is not “hilly” per se but it’s a rolling course that doesn’t let up. The climb up past the golf course was enough to start dropping my pace. I never really did settle in to a comfortable pace, other than a few sections that were probably descending a bit. By the halfway I was “just” on pace but I knew that it was going be challenging to keep it up. I had forgotten that the turnaround was a couple km’s past the halfway point and this was a little tough as there’s something about heading back that can give you that kick.

By 30k I was 2 minutes behind pace and unfortunately I didn’t have anything left in the tank. I was fueling well and drinking fortunately but to no avail. By 33k I was about 5 minutes behind pace. I knew at this point it was just becoming a rescue mission, getting to the finish. It really was a classic case of the last 10k beating me up as I desperately watched my pace per km climb. (A quote I just found from Reid Coolsaet's coach “There’s 35 km — and then there’s the second half of the race” - Dave Scott-Thomas)

It was great to see Alan and Melissa around 37k and have Alan offer to run me in but by this point I was really in the pain cave and chose to suffer it out alone. Many times in the last 7 or 8 km I had to talk myself out of walking. I really just didn’t want to see the 3:15 go by me at this point. “Just keep moving. You can salvage this if you just keep moving.”

I felt almost as bad as I did 3 years ago coming into the finish line, but fortunately this time I was 34 minutes faster! A 3:11 is my second best time so nothing to complain about. (Last year I was itching to even get near 3:15).  It was great to see my brother Colin and nephew Evan at the finish line as well as the awesome BRC crew, Emma, Jan and Greg 2.0!

Race Post-Mortem

I think the biggest thing going against me in this race was that I never did get my mileage back up after my 50 miler in July. August was busy with family visits and travelling and I didn’t even get 300 km’s in. September I missed some mileage from injuries and just barely scraped in 300 km’s. Compare that to my 3 months of near 400 km per month running leading up to Vancouver. I was likely training a bit too fast, not adhering to my zone 1 on the long runs, and maybe not enough long runs. I also fell off my daily core and strength routine a bit.

Near the finish - End the suffering!

Sums up how I felt. (w/ Colin) Photo by Emma

BRC represent! w/ nephew, Evan - Photo by Emma

East Side 10k | September 13 | Vancouver

Chip Time - 37:58

Overall - 43 / 1461

45-49 - 3 / 71

M - 35 / 694
Shoes - Brooks Pure Connect 2 

The East Side 10k was my 2nd 10k for the year and I wasn’t expecting any revelations in my finish time. I ran a strong PB of 37:49 on the very flat MEC 10k Fast Blaster in April and this course is much hillier. I just wanted to get in another race before Victoria Marathon to test my fitness and this fell about month before.

I’d been experiencing some hip and hamstring issues but with physio they seemed to be settling down and by race morning I felt about as race ready as I could. I ran the 3k down to the start line to warm-up.  

This was the 2nd year of the race and it’s part of the Canada Running Series that draws a fast crowd. It was great to see many familiar faces including many of the Fraser Street Run Club.

My race plan was to go out hard, hang on tight and hope for the best.

Siskiyou Out Back (SOB) 50 Miler | July 2014 | Ashland, OR

Gun Time - 9:19:32
Overall - 32/87
Shoes - Brooks Pure Grit 2

Spoiler alert: Yes, I finished

Towards the end of 2013 I decided that 2014 would be as good at time as any to run my first 50 miler. I’d just run Squamish 50k in the summer and knew that Squamish 50 miler would probably be a brutal introduction to that distance. When I ran SOB 50k in 2012 I remembered a much more runnable course and a great destination in Ashland, so readied myself to sign-up.

With this goal in mind I came into 2014 with the goal of getting much more weekly mileage in. From most of what I had read and overheard, the best preparation for ultra distances is to get in solid mileage at an easy (zone 1) pace and to try and train on race specific terrain as much as possible. (I also still had to train for BMO Vancouver Marathon in May, but knew that extra mileage would be beneficial towards that as well).

2014 Training

The SOB 50 miler course is near Ashland, OR, just north of the California border, in late July. (In fact, the out and back course briefly crosses into California before heading back.) I knew it was going to be a hot one, and fortunately Vancouver was getting amazing sunny weather to train in in the weeks leading up to the race. I made sure I was getting runs in during the midday heat and with a backpack on as well.

Race Report: BMO Vancouver Marathon 2014

Chip Time - 3:04:17
Overall - 110/4933
M 45-49 - 9/369
M - 97/2816
Shoes - Brooks Pure Connect 2

Even though I officially BQ'd (Boston Qualified) last year, this race is a breakthrough for me. My BQ was actually somewhat anticlimactic as Greg pointed out some time after BMO last year that I would be a year older in 2014 and thus meet the 45-49 3:25 qualifying time.

I had high hopes for this race, having had some great results in other distances this year, as well as it being my home course. A couple of weeks out, just as we were heading into taper mode, I managed to strain my hamstring. This made for one of my more grumpy tapers. It wasn't terrible but enough to be uncomfortable. I got to Treloar Physio right away for a few sessions and it settled down a bit. My 16km a week out was a still little achey and sore so I took the Wednesday 10k off. By Friday I did an 8k shake out run that was hot/muggy and my leg still wasn't feeling great.

I slept in late on Saturday morning but, not surprisingly had a terrible sleep on Saturday night. To top it off I started to feel a scratchiness in my throat on the Saturday before the race, which I wrote-off to taper-hypochondria.

The weather was super clear and getting warm in the week leading up but the forecast showed it cooling with rain for race day. As nice as the weather was for last year's race, it was the hottest on record and definitely slowed everyone down.

The rain started in earnest on Saturday night and I could hear it pouring throughout my restless sleep. Careful what you wish for.

Leah dropped me off at the starting line around 7:30am in the pouring rain. I had my garbage bag over me and sought out the covered spaces near the buildings. The rain seemed to slow to a drizzle about 15 minutes before the start so I shed my garbage bag and extra t-shirt… had a gel, and as we started moving to the front in our corals again the rain came pouring down.

Not long and then we were off. My feet were wet and I was a little chilled getting moving. I saw the 3:15 pace bunny just ahead as we were heading up Cambie and kept close. He was moving much quicker than a 3:15 pace but it was good to have a group around to start as I was warming up.

I eased into my pace (a little quick) and, surprisingly, after the week of taper doldrums and worry I was starting to feel pretty good. We turned on to 49th and I tried to be aware not to get caught up in the momentum. I knew I was going to get some speed heading down 49th and held myself back as best as possible. At around 7 or 8k I overheard a guy I was following ask if those around him were aiming for 3:05 as well. hmm? Maybe.

I took my first gel at 7k shortly before Camosun and felt great as I got to the hill. I knew I had a bit of padding time from the run down 49th so pulled back a bit and didn't try to overdo the hill. (I was a little disappointed the local radio station wasn't playing Highway to Hell on repeat this year). Another bit of a climb on Imperial and left onto 16th. I decided to take another gel at 12k, 5k past the first one, and kept up a schedule of a gel every 5k for the rest of the race. (I mixed up my gels this year to keep it interesting, 2 Vega, 3 PowerGel, 2 Hammer Gel plus an extra PowerGel they gave out on course).

Race Report: MEC Race Series 10k - Race Three

Chip Time - 37:49

Overall - 5 / 246

M - 5 / 124
Shoes - Brooks Pure Connect 2 

I’m not gonna lie, I’m surprised by this finish time. I knew I had a personal best in me going in to the race, and was pretty confident a sub-40 would be possible, but a sub-38 was wayyy beyond where I thought I could push myself. (My previous “official” PB being last year’s 42:36 Longest Day 10k).

Woke up to an absolutely amazing morning on Saturday, had my breakfast and ran an easy 6km down to the start line at Devonian Park (Denman & Georgia). It was nice to get there about 25 minutes early and just enjoy the sunshine. Everyone was in a good mood and lots of great energy from the mingling runners (around 300 10k racers and just over 100 5k racers).

This had to be the most “shy” race start I’ve ever taken part in. When they called the 10k runners up and asked that those looking for a competitive time come up front, I was surprised to find myself standing at the start line with Stephen Lamb and a few others tentatively wandering up. Usually, especially in self-seeding races, you can’t even get to the start line and get stuck trying to get around slower runners in the first few hundred meters. (Noticeably absent were the speedy blue VFAC shirts).

Heading for finish line - Photo by Leah

The race start was delayed by 5 minutes, but soon enough we were speeding out on to the path towards the park. I definitely went out fast, more of a 5k pace of 3:37, and could feel it. I knew I wanted to stay sub-4 minute but that was a little crazy. I made a point of pulling back, thinking a 3:50 was my best case race pace (based on my recent 5k race time).

I knew I was doing OK when at 5k I could still see Stephen in the distance.

Fortunately a couple of runners had gone out ahead of me pretty strong and I tried to keep them in sight for a target. I got past a couple more that went out quickly but started to fade just before 5k, and then worked my way up to catch up to the other two runners working in close pace to where I was. I hung on to them for the next few km’s, noting we were still holding a strong sub-4 pace.

My thought process was something like “Wow, this pace is too fast, if I can hang on until 5k I can pull back and still make a PB…”… “yep, this is tough, I’m at 6k now, if I can hang on until 7 I could just walk a PB in…” …“holy crap, I’m at 8k and pulling ahead…” “…9k, one km to go, I hope those guys behind me don’t have anything left cuz I sure don’t…”

Just before 8k I found myself able to surge ahead. At this point I wasn’t doing the math but knew I would be coming in at a really solid time. (My watch was only set to Pace and Distance, no Time Elapsed). There was the only modest hill just over the stone bridge heading to the 9k marker on the East side of the lagoon. It was a little tough that late in the race.

I pushed as hard as I could up the path along Georgia to the sharp left turn just before the finish… high-fived Leah on the sprint in and looked at the clock in amazement.

It still surprises me how much different training is from race day. I can feel like I’m giving it 110% on a tempo Wednesday, and yet come race day I can usually still find that next gear. I’m also glad that my training is teaching me to trust my instincts and not be a slave to the watch. I would’ve pulled myself way back had I gone with what I assumed I could do.

It was an excellent prep race for the fast approaching BMO Vancouver Marathon.

The MEC Race Series is well organized and inexpensive. Lots of fun. I'm sure I'll do more.
http://events.mec.ca/event/12335/mec-vancouver-race-four-5k10k-half-marathon

Race Report: St. Patrick's Day 5k | Vancouver

Garmin splits

Chip Time - 18:38

Mile Time - 05:57
Overall - 96 / 1,715
Div M45-49 - 3 / 52
Shoes - Brooks Pure Connect 2 (Green, of course)

St Patrick’s 5km was my first official 5km race. I’ve done a few 5km “time trials” along False Creek in my marathon clinics (and last year managed to get just under 20 minutes). I’ve been running well and seeing some good progress on my tempo runs but I was curious to see what I could pull off. I figured I might try a stretch goal of sub-19 and see what happens. 

Sunday started rainy as I ran the 7km’s from VCC down to the start line at Stanley Park. It was about 15 minutes from race time as I got finished up at bag check and I followed the crowd over to the start line on Pipeline Road. There was quite a crowd already but I managed to spot Jan up close to the front near the Elite corral.

It wasn’t too long until the Maserati pace car revved up and we were counting down.

There was a good crowd to start but fortunately the road was wide enough and it thinned out pretty quickly. The downhill section to start really gets you moving quickly and I did a 3:39 first km.  I’m not used to seeing a mile marker but snuck in under 6 minutes. Second kilometer I knocked down another 3:39 and still feeling pretty good, though the course started to undulate a bit more. 3^rd kilometer was still a respectable 3:45. I think I could’ve pushed the 4^th kilometer a bit more but there was a downhill section that I found almost as tough as the climbing section, especially at that speed. Just heading into the 5^th km I actually spotted Jan ahead and tried mightily to find more in my legs to chase him down. Unfortunately the last km is mostly climbing and it was a tough slog.

I crossed the finish line, chip time, in 18:38, which was much better than I expected. I definitely think the extra mileage I’m running, with the challenging Wednesday tempos and hill work are all adding up well.  

All in all a really fun race with lots of great costumes and energy! Unfortunately I couldn’t stick around for the green beer afterwards.

[update] Check out James' race report here: http://james.wanless.info/2014/03/24/2014-st-patricks-day-5k

Elevation

Race Report: First Half Half Marathon 2014

Chip Time - 1:28:15 [PB]
Overall - 143 / 1,927
Div M45-49 - 19 / 126

Men - 121 / 875
Shoes - Brooks Pure Flow 2

Unexpected entry. Unexpected weather. Unexpected result.

I missed the original sign-up when First Half Half Marathon sold out (as usual) in the fall so wasn’t even sure I was going to run it. Fortunately I’ve been feeling good and Andrea’s entry came available for me to buy a couple weeks prior.

Leading up to the race weather reports were not looking good for Sunday morning. Wind and rain were being called for and I was psychologically preparing for a chilly start, if not a stormy race, especially near the water. (Fortunately I had just purchased my Mizuno sleeves when I picked up my race package from Forerunners!)

Last year I ran my PB of 1:33:45 at the First Half. With my decent Seattle Marathon finish in December and some playing about on the McMillan Calculator I figured I could beat that time, maybe by a couple of minutes. I printed off a visualization I keep at my desk and I had a 4:15/km (1:30 finish) pace as best case scenario and a 4:21/km (1:32 finish) as a more realistic goal. Training had been going great, getting lots of miles and speed was definitely improving.

I ran from my place about 4k to the Roundhouse for my warm-up and was feeling ready to roll. A few minutes visiting with all the running buds, warming-up, last-minute gel and water and we were out to the start line.

Turns out race morning wasn’t raining, and by race start it was actually starting to clear a bit. Only concern now seemed to be how windy it would be around the park.

Unlike last year, I made sure I was in the crowd and up closer to the front by race time. I figured I would go out fairly strong and moderate once I got a feel for it. A 4:06 on the first km and I was a little concerned, quicker than even my best case 4:15/km race pace. Ah well, see how I feel at 2km, a 4:09…   reign it in a bit, Dawg. There’s a small incline leading up into KM3 which brought me down to a 4:24 which seemed reasonable at the time.

I kept clicking off the sub-4:15 km’s and, feeling great, and throwing caution to the wind, decided to see if I could hold on to it. Hell, this wasn’t my goal race so if it fell apart at least I gave it a shot!

Nice to see Rob volunteering around the 8km mark and he snapped this “way too happy” photo.

At 10k I had a quick look at my watch and realized I’d just PB’d my 10k race time by about 12 seconds (42:24). Hmm? How will the second half of this race play out?

At halfway I was still feeling great and holding on to my pace. It was good to even start dropping a few runners as we headed around the West side of the sea wall. I managed to find a couple groups along the way that I would draft behind to avoid the wind and then get past and find the next group.

2nd Beach Pool and Greg 2.0’s smiling face and high-five kept me going heading in to the gravel path around Lost Lagoon. I was surprised to find myself knocking down a 4:02, 4:04 and 4:01(19k) this late in the race and still feeling good.

The last few km’s have the only significant hills but their pretty short. I dropped down to a 4:18 for that last km, before hitting the really enjoyable downhill along David Lam Park to the finish line. I knew I was racing well and in the last few km figured I could hit the 1:30 mark but I was genuinely surprised to come in at a 1:28!

Nice to see so many friends out running and get a chance to visit while chowing down on the plentiful post-race food that First Half puts out every year.

All in all, a really great day for a fun race. Kudos to the volunteers, organizers and sponsors who make it possible!

Photo by Greg Herringer on flickr

Immortalized - Forerunners fridge magnet

What’s Up for 2014? (or Six Loose Plans Masquerading as Goals for 2014)

It's the second week of January and I’m still not 100% sure what my goals are for 2014. I’ve had several ideas swirling around my brain but I’ve not taken the time to catalog and prioritize them. There are no shortage of blogs posts this time of year extolling the latest productivity techniques and ways to accomplish goals, but one theme runs throughout and that is that you need to be clear about your intentions, write them down, and make a plan.

So with that in mind, here are some thoughts and loose plans for 2014.

1. Training – Trials of Miles 
Most of my non-running friends probably think I run too much already, but truly, in order to run faster you do need to consistently run more. I’ll be doing 5 – 6 days a week, primarily Zone 1 with hills, fartleks and track work thrown in. I’m also going to work on more core and strength.

2. Leading another marathon clinic out of Running Room
Starting January 16th I’ll be heading up my third Marathon Clinic out of the Running Room. A 16 week training program leading up to Vancouver International Marathon (for newbies and experienced alike). Join us!

3. Ultras - Run My First 50 Miler 
I was tossing this one around for a 2014 goal since last summer. It’s a little bit bigger time commitment and I’ll need to find myself on more trails. I’d like to find one that’s not overly technical for my first. The Siskiyou Out Back in Oregon (July) might fit the bill. Their 50km was my first ultra distance trail race in 2012 and it was beautiful country and mostly well-groomed trails. There’s also the Meet Your Maker 50 in Whistler (September) which is closer to home but, from what I understand, much more technical.  I should probably run at least one more 50k prior to attempting the 50 miler but I’m still not sure where and when I’ll fit that in. Chuckanut appears to be sold out in March but I’ll keep myself on the waiting list.

2013 Running Re-cap

Overall mileage: 2525 kms 

(compared to 1983 kms in 2012)

Hard to believe another year has passed. Last year at this time I hadn’t even lead a marathon clinic and now I’m heading into leading my third. Looking back on my previous year-end posts feels like a lifetime away. I feel really good about the year that was. I’m starting to hit my stride and, I think, finally have a good base to improve upon now. 

I started 2013 with a personalized training plan from Jason at StrengthRunning.com, and this was definitely a big factor in my running progress for the year. His plan included active stretching and strength exercises that I (mostly) incorporated into my daily routines and as such I was able to avoid losing training time to any serious injuries. It also got me in the habit of adding more miles in general, at easy pace. 

Leading the marathon clinic out of the Broadway Running Room in 2013 was a first, and a lot of fun. It’s a fair bit of prep work but overall once you get the routes planned, speakers booked and pace leaders sorted you can show up and enjoy the ride. It’s really exciting and satisfying working with so many motivated people and watching everyone’s progress. 

In 2011 I ran 6 races [2 marathons]

In 2012 I had 9 races booked and ran 8 [2 marathons, 1 50k]

In 2013 I had 10 races booked and ran 9 [3 marathons, 1 50k]

In 2013 I set 3 personal bests (marathon, half marathon and 10k), setting a marathon PB in May, and then besting that again in December.

Race Report: Seattle Marathon 2013

Garmin Splits

Chip Time - 3:19:09 [PB]
Overall - 126 / 2,124
Div M40-44 - 22 / 168
Shoes - Brooks Pure Flow 2

All things considered, Seattle was a pretty good race and I’m really happy that I beat my primary goal time of 3:20 going in to the race. That being said, after debriefing and gathering my info, I basically hit the wall pretty hard shortly after the Madison Hill at 34k. So even though it was a great result, it wasn’t necessarily my best race.

A week before the race Barry (having run a crazy 5 marathons, a 50k ultra AND an IronMan this year already) kindly offered to pace me for Seattle.  He wasn’t feeling recovered enough to push a sub-3 and was going to be in town with the family anyway, so I lucked into a top-notch pacer at the last minute. I knew I had pretty high expectations of myself in this race having missed Victoria Marathon as my goal autumn race but this actually made a little nervous, knowing I absolutely had to be accountable now.

I ran what I felt was a strong 3:24 at Vancouver Marathon in the spring, even with the hot weather, and after having my V02 Max and lactate threshold test done by PEAK Centre had a great summer session of solid Zone 1 training. I also ran the Dingle Marathon in early September, as a fun race where I held myself back to enjoy the views, with the intention of it being a lead up to Victoria a month later. I did better than expected, a 3:27, without suffering much, even with a 2km climb at the 34k mark.

Because of my injury a week before Victoria Marathon I ended up not running for close to 5 weeks through October. I hadn’t intended to run Seattle Marathon but I left it as a last-minute backup option depending on how training was going through November. Turns out I ran my second highest mileage month in November and was feeling pretty strong to run Seattle.

Barry found out from Jan that my stretch goal was a 3:15 and without much convincing I decided to give it a try. (I knew it would be easier to fall back off a 3:15 pace than to try and make up time from a 3:20 if I was feeling it).  (Being that I’m 44 I was really hoping I could nail a BQ in the 40-44 category before I bumped up to 45 in January).

The weather report leading up to the race was looking pretty soggy and cool so it was as bit of a surprise to have a dry, mild (12C) day but LOTS of wind on race morning.

I was a little slow dropping off my race bag so Barry and I had to rush a bit to get to the 3:15 pacer as the anthem was being sung.

We headed out along 5th Ave and settled into a comfortable pace with the 3:15 group. Feeling good, it wasn’t long before we dropped them. The writing was on the wall for the type of race it would be as we started hitting the strong headwinds climbing the overpass, and then as they continued as crosswinds along the freeway heading to the first tunnel. It felt great to get in the tunnel away from the wind for a bit and I was surprised how warm it was.

Next up was the floating bridge out-and-back and we could clearly see the whitecaps on the lake as we headed out. I used Barry as my wind block where possible but the wind was pretty unpredictable, gusting from the sides. It was even worse after the turnaround, having to hold on to my hat and hang on when the gusts felt like they were going to throw me off the bridge. :)

Once we finally got to the other side and headed down I felt so good to no longer be fighting the wind that Barry had to reign me in a bit. We headed along Lake Washington Blvd towards Seward Park. About halfway around the park we hit the halfway point of the race, about minute ahead schedule for a 3:15 pace.  The rest of the run along Lake Washington felt good and we continued to stay ahead of pace. The pace was feeling good and I wasn’t suffering.

It wasn’t until we reached 34km, the infamous Madison hill climb, that I started to struggle. Once over the top I managed a 4:26 km on the downhill but Interlaken Blvd. for the next few km’s took it’s toll as I quickly started to lose steam with the rolling end of the course. I think the 3:15 pacer passed us (alone)  at around 36km? Barry suggested another gel at this point, which I should have done, but a gel had opened in my pocket and I couldn’t fight with the other one to get it out of the sticky mess so I didn’t.

My worst kilometre was, fortunately, the last, but it was over a minute slower than my average race pace (5:46). Barry was an awesome pacer and urged me on, even to shuffle if I had to. (which I definitely was as we were heading into the last stretch towards the finish.

It felt fantastic to finally get up the small incline to the stadium and cross the field to the finish. I hadn’t been following my time so it was great to see that I would come in at a solid 3:19.

The Debrief: It definitely helped to have a pacer. I could focus on running and not be stressing on looking at my watch as much. It also helped that he could reign me in a bit at times. I probably could’ve fueled and hydrated a bit more early on. I did get water at every station but usually only a sip and I only took Gatorade once, I think. The extra energy taken to fight the wind took it’s toll throughout. Still, on a hilly course and a windy day, pretty chuffed to finish as well as I did.

Proof indeed.

Race Report - Victoria Marathon 2013 - DNS

My second ever DNS (Did Not Start). My first was last fall, I had bad case of the flu prior to the Bellingham Trail Marathon. 

One week. 

9 days prior. 

I was doing the last clinic session with my marathon clinic, doing some speed work around False Creek. Flat, flat False Creek. 

My legs had been tired all week and I really wasn't paying attention. As we went into another speed interval I clipped my toe and went chest first, sliding along the seawall. 

I don't recommend body surfing on concrete. Regardless, with badly bruised ribs, I had to drop out. 

I would've been more upset about missing the marathon if I hadn't already ran a good marathon in Dingle, and Squamish 50 before that. 

Fortunately my clinic members totally rocked the weekend and I was able to see most of them through at the finish line in Victoria! 

Race Report - Dingle Marathon - Ireland 2013

Chip Time - 3:27:52
Overall - 48/341 
Shoes - Brooks Pure Flow 2

I’m not sure where I came across the Dingle Marathon in my web-surfing travels. I think it was probably shortly before last year’s race (2012). This year was only its 5th in existence and with the scenic region and destination travel I’m sure it will grow quickly.  There are destination races all over the world that I want to run eventually but this one stuck in my head. It’s a small race, with only 350 marathoners, 1500 half marathoners and 60 ultras (50 mile).

As it turned out the holidays I booked from work this year fell perfectly when the marathon was scheduled (unintentionally, I swear!). Leah and I had been wanting to get back to Europe for years so when I mentioned it jokingly in passing it didn’t take us long to distill it into a reality.

The plan was to fly into Dublin, check out the city for a couple of days and then rent a car and drive across the country down to Dingle in Couny Kerry. We arrived in Ireland a week before the race so it gave me lots of time to acclimatize and get over any jet lag.

We stayed in a gorgeous small village “just over the hill” from Dingle, called Cloghane (clah-hayne), at the base of Mt. Brandon. The drive was about 30 minutes and we had to go over Connor Pass, the highest mountain pass in Ireland, which is (like nearly every other road in the region) a narrow, winding, single lane road. It’s a fairly long steep pass and I was nervously seeing signs for “Marathon in progress” …fortunately it was only the 50 mile Ultra runners that would see this stretch on their route.

Connor Pass

Race Report - Squamish 50 - 50km

“Oh.  My.   God.”  The first words out of my mouth after crossing the finish line.

This was the inaugural running of a 50km course added to the Squamish 50 lineup and I think RD Garry Robbins was intent on ensuring it was a memorable one. This was only my second 50km trail race and I figured it was going to be tough but to say I underestimated it is, well, an understatement.

(Ed. note: Sorry, it's long. Also, the exact order of trails and experiences are probably off as I don't know the area and I was zoned in my own little world concentrating most of the time) 

Leah had a gallery opening the night before so we got in a little later than expected but I actually managed to get a reasonable sleep considering we had to be up at 5am to get ready. We hit the road at 6am and it took an hour or so to get up to the shuttle pick-up location where we met up with Greg, Dave, Alan, Kathryn, et al. The weather was cloudy and cooler than expected which was a pleasant surprise.  

Waiting for the bus. Oh, sweet innocence.

The atmosphere up at the start line at Alice Lake had lots of positive vibes mixed with bundled, nervous energy. It was a pretty small crowd being that a lot of runners had taken advantage of the early start time (this caused some controversy as it was meant for runners who thought they would not make the 10hr cut off, not regular racers). The weather was cool and cloudy right up until the start time of 9am but then, voila,  the sky cleared and we all knew we were in for a hot afternoon.

Starting Line - Alice Lake (Photo by Emma)

My First V02 Max & Lactate Threshold Assessment

Next week I have Lewis from Peak Centre for Human Performance coming to speak to my marathon clinic and, quite by coincidence, they were offering a promotion as part of the Scotiabank Half Marathon Expo this weekend. I’ve been thinking about getting the testing done recently anyway so took up the opportunity. It also seemed a great way to share my experience with the clinic group. (Ed.note - I did some research by looking up the footage of Karl running the test during the Running Vancouver series, Episode 2).

I met Lewis at the Peak booth at the Scotia Half Marathon Expo, and he gave me a rundown of the process. I’ve never used a treadmill before so it took about 10 minutes to start feeling comfortable as I warmed up. (Fortunately no mishaps of flinging me across the room or anything). Once I did an easy 20 minute warm-up, Lewis took a baseline blood test to start from  and then we stopped and got me into the awesome head gear that holds the breathing tube and mask.

The Peak booth was set-up right next to the expo presentation stage and just as I was getting started again the Elite panel was taking the stage to share their experience. Unfortunately I was facing the other direction but at least I could listen to their combined wisdom for distraction while running faster and faster in place.

Every three minutes or so blood was taken, while still moving, and then the pace increased. It’s pretty interesting how it seems easy for quite a bit of it and then how suddenly in the last couple of tempo increases it becomes a real challenge to keep up. The Peak team was great at motivating me to keep it going but then, as I was starting to run crooked and lose my posture and breath like a beast, it was time to call it quits (after about 20 minutes or so, I think).  

I look forward to getting my results early this week and then meet up with Lewis prior to the presentation on Thursday to go over them and figure out how I can use and improve them.