Double Bonus: The Toronto Women's Half Race Report

I went into this race with very little expectations.  I didn't really have a solid time goal, but I did have a couple of other goals.  I wanted to beat my time from last year's race which I figured I'd do and I wanted to get on the podium in my age group.  I was 5th in my age group last year so I figured there would be a decent chance I could at least get a third place finish depending on who showed up and how well I raced. 
I got to the start with about 25 minutes to spare and noticed the insanely long line up for the porta potties.  Ugh.  Oh well, I had to pee so I got in line.  By the time I got out and checked my bag, they were calling all the blue bibs to the start line.  So much for a warm up run!  I got into the start corral and did a bit of a dynamic warm up but I didn't actually get to go out and run.  Whatevs, I'm sure I'll be fine.
As I was warming up my friend Kirsten came over to say hi.  I was glad I got to see her before the start.  She was nervous and I know she was suffering from the same thing I usually suffer from; the WonderifIdidEnough Syndrome.  Funnily enough I knew she would be just fine.  I wasn't 100% sure about myself.  I had a couple of small concerns.  One, I wasn't sure if I was fully recovered from my marathon and two, I was wearing brand new shoes.  There was nothing I could do about number one but had I been more organized number two would never have been a concern.  At this point there was no turning back so I just hoped that I get through the race injury free.
The countdown began and we all shuffled up to the timing mats.  There seemed to be a lot more keeners this year vs. last year as a lot of women jostled for position at the front.  I didn't bother.  I was close enough to the timing mat that I figured there would only be a few seconds between my gun time and chip time.  I stood a bit off to the side and actually had a fairly clear path ahead of me.  Perfect.
The gun went off and in typical fashion I started running like a mad woman, passing people left and right.  The pack thinned out fairly quickly.  By the first kilometer there were about 15 women running in a loosely knit group.  By 2km, 3 women had managed to pull away a bit.  At this point I was running about 4:12 km's and I thought to myself "Don't be stupid, you've got a long way to go, chill out."  Once we got over the bridge at Don Mills, I eased up a bit.  We were heading into one of the more desolate areas of the route, going south along the trail towards the Bayview Extension.  I didn't particularly like this part last year because I was running by myself for a large part of it.   I caught two women at about the 4km mark and decided to run with them.  They were chatting a bit so I joined in the conversation.  We were running between 4:25's and 4:35's which was a comfortable pace for me so I settled in and figured I could pick it up later if my legs felt good.  The 3 of us ran together for the next 5km.  It was nice to have the company.   By the time we turned around the next wave of women were making their way out so there was a lot of cheering and woohoos! as we made our way back from the turn around.
The 3 of us yo-yoed back and forth along the path for a bit until it was eventually just myself an another girl, Jenn.  I recognized her from some of last years races.  I think she won the 10km last year so I felt pretty good about being able to hang with her.  At about the 9km mark, I started to pull away from her a bit and I also managed to pass a couple of ladies.  I passed the fireman aid station for the second time (they still weren't shirtless to my chagrin) and headed under the DVP towards Taylor Creek Park.  I was coming up on 10km and I was feeling pretty good.  It was quite warm so I made a point of trying to stay hydrated.  The path became fairly narrow and it was tough to know how far ahead the next runner was.  I didn't see anyone for about a kilometer.  Once things opened up, I could see a couple of women spread out ahead of me.  I had really started to pick up the pace.  I was running about 4:20's.  I started to play the reel 'em in game.  Girl in the red tank, here I come.   I thought was alone but Jenn must have been right on my heels for the entire time because all of a sudden she was right there beside me again.  We chatted some more and she said we were running about a sub 1:30 pace.  Whaaatt?? I couldn't believe that.  I said I'd be happy if I could beat 1:32.  Sub 1:30 would be amazing.  We caught the girl in the red top who said she was impressed that were actually able to talk while running the pace we were running.  Ha.  Guess we weren't running hard enough?
We could see a couple of other girls ahead of us.  I didn't think we'd catch them but Jenn figured we would.  We saw the leaders who were making their way back, still in a tight group of 3.  Jenn knew them all and figured it would be an interesting finish.  They all looked really strong.  We motored along to the turnaround at 14km where there was a lone volunteer directing traffic.  We thanked him and made our way back along the path.  At this point I figured we'd be able to get a good idea of who was behind us.  The girl in the red top was the first person we saw and she was a bit of a ways back.  Perfect.  There were a few other women that were looking strong but they had a fair bit of ground to make up if they wanted to catch us.  Still didn't want to discount anyone at this stage.  There was 7km to go, anything could happen.
As we rounded a bend I could see one of the girls ahead of us.  That was all I needed to kick it up a notch.  I started to put the hammer down.  I caught her and said good run as I passed her.  I felt like I was flying and I felt amazing no less.  I figured that wouldn't last long so I should take advantage of it while I could.  When I looked back at my splits I averaged 4:11 for km 15, 4:14 for km 16 and 4:13 for km 17.  That's a big jump from the 4:20's I had been averaging.  No wonder I felt like I was flying.  I lost Jenn at this point and I also managed to catch the other girl in front of me.  I realized that I was now in 4th place overall and I figured I was probably going to win my age group. At least that's what I hoped.
I hit the Don Mills bridge and the chute came out.  I couldn't make myself go any faster up that hill.  I knew that the girl I had just passed (Sarah) wasn't that far behind me.  Sure enough, she caught me on the hill going up to the bridge.  I got closer as we started to descent but then got caught in a log jam of bikes on the narrow path.  Luckily I didn't have to slow down too much.  The path opened up and I proceeded to try and reel Sarah in.  We had another little rise to climb where she gained a bit on me (guess I need to do some hill training!) but I managed to catch her on the downhill.  We had just passed the 18km mark and I was starting to hurt.  I figured once I hit the chocolate aid station and saw all my hubby and all my friends, the adrenaline would take over and I'd forget about the pain in my legs.  Sure enough as I came down the hill I could see Maureen.  She saw me and alerted the gang and I could hear the cheers.  As I ran through I threw my arms in the air and said "I can't hear you!!!"  So they yelled louder.  My friend Teresa had her hand out so I high fived her as I ran by.  I saw Babs with a camera so I smiled and waved.  That was just the boost I needed.  I grabbed some eload through the last aid station and sucked what I could back.  The rest ended up all over my left arm.  Oh well.  I was sucking wind at this point.  I was pretty sure the lead ladies were done so I had officially become the bunny.
Just past the 19km mark I finally noticed the race official on a bike.  Sweet!  Another bike marshal just like last year!  He rode ahead of me and cleared the way.  I was busting my ass at this point.  My breath was coming in ragged gasps.  I desperately wanted to stop.  I could see the sign for the 20km mark up ahead.  I didn't dare turn around.  I didn't want to know how close anyone was.  The path was starting to get peppered with more spectators.  I turned my shuffle down so I could hear their cheering.  I figured if they kept cheering after I passed them then someone was right behind me.  They didn't.  That didn't mean I could ease up.  This is racing, you never know who is going to have the finishing kick of the day.  Once I hit the parking lot, I knew that I could suffer through the last few meters.  Just make it under the bridge and you're golden.  I rounded the bend, into the dark under the bridge and emerged to the cheers of a whole lot of spectators.  I could see the finish line clock and it was counting down 1:32.  I didn't have anything left in my legs to go any faster.  I heard Cory announce my name as I came up to the line.  I glanced at the clock as I crossed the line:  1:32:09.


So close.  I missed a PB by 13 seconds.


I got my finishers necklace and turned around to see Jenn cross the line a few seconds behind me.  I went over to congratulate her and she asked if I got a PB.   Nope but I was close.  Shortly after, Sarah crossed the line and we both congratulated her on a great race.   I grabbed some e-load and water and thanked the volunteers.  I wanted to go back out to the 19km mark and wait for Kirsten so I turned around and ran back out, cheering runners all the way back.
I got to the chocolate aid station and got a big hug from my hubby and Babs.  Gary was surprised that I didn't beat my PB.  He said I looked like I was flying.  I explained my "doggin' it" between 4km and 9km set me back a bit.  I hadn't really thought about setting a PB here, nor did I really expect to as it's a somewhat challenging course.  All I wanted was a podium in my age group which I figured I had.  Turns out I managed to land 1st place in my age group and 4th place over all.  A nice little double bonus given that last year I was 5th in my age group and 22nd overall.  
I chatted with my friends and cheered the rest of the ladies on.  It was so awesome to see their faces light up when they realized they were at the chocolate aid station.  I spotted Kirsten coming in a bit later than I had hoped.  She looked tired.  She managed a smile as she saw me and happily grabbed a chocolate bar.  I joined her as she slowed down to walk through the 19km aid station.  She wasn't feeling great.  Her legs were hurting and her ankle was staring to bug her.  The uneven footing on some of the paths was less than ideal.  Still she seemed to be in good spirits.  She finished her chocolate bar and we started moving.  She was moving at a pretty good pace as we seemed to be passing a lot of women.  I kept my babble to a minimum.  I know when I'm hurting the last thing I want to hear is someone chirping away incessantly.  I offered up the occasional word of encouragement.  Just as we passed the 20km mark I said less than 1km to go.  Maybe 5-6 minutes?  You can do anything for 5 minutes!  She nodded.  I said that once she got to the parking lot, she only had a few hundred meters.  I know that she has a pretty good finishing kick so I said that once she hit that parking lot, to just lay it all on the line and give 'er.  Sure enough as we got into the lot, she started to pick up the pace.  As we approached the bridge I told her as soon as she came out she'd be able to see the finish line.  As soon as she could see the line she took off.  I jumped on to the grass yelling Go Kirsten and she took off, saying she'd see me on the other side.  When we met up outside the finishing chute, she checked her watch:  2:20:11.  She had missed her PB by only 25 seconds, which on a course like this was impressive.  I was happy for her.   With some more speed work, I think she'll definitely get to a 2:15 half at her A-race in October.  I may join her there as well in my quest to run a sub 1:30 half.  Hopefully next time I'll be organized enough that I won't be racing in brand new shoes.

Happy Finishers!

 This years race seemed to be a little more chaotic than last years for some reason.  Perhaps it was because I got there late-ish, I don't know.  There just seemed to be a lot more people milling about an it was a bit more difficult to get myself sorted.  I didn't have any issues on the path this year like I did last year, other than the little back up at the Don Mills Bridge.  The volunteers were great as usual, my only complaint (and it's a shallow one) was that the firefighters never managed to get their shirts off while I was out on the course.  No matter, there's always the 10km in August.  Race director Cory Freedman has definitely put together a great race series and I think it's safe to say that as long as she's putting these races on, I'll do them. 

(Race photo courtesy of Barbara Goss)

Breaking the Rules

I'm usually a bit of a stickler for rules or guidelines, especially when it comes to running.  One of the golden rules of running is not to experiment with anything new on race day.  Which is something that I've followed fairly religiously.  Until now.

Tomorrow I'm breaking that rule.  Well maybe not totally breaking it but close enough.

I'm going to be wearing a brand new pair of running shoes to race in.  Granted they are the same model I've been wearing for the last year, they are just the newer version.  Apparently there has been very little change to the shoe other than the colour and the fabric.   But, they are still brand spanking new shoes with zero miles on them.  I'm just about to rectify that and take them for a spin around the block to get them a little dirty.  They are a bit on the obnoxiously bright side.

I'm a little apprehensive about wearing new shoes but my other ones are completely shot and I can't imagine running a half marathon in them let alone another 5km.  So tomorrow morning I'll be lacing these babies up and going for broke.

Get 'Er Done!

Given how crappy I'm feeling, perhaps this post should have been entitled "How Not to Taper".  Obviously I won't know until Sunday if my 5 days in a different time zone will have negatively affected my race.  As of right now, I'm feeling like a sack of hammers.  I'm feeling very lethargic (maybe because I haven't worked out in 3 days??) and I can't seem to shake the congestion in my nose (potentially allergies but claritin isn't really helping, might need something stronger). 
So, I don't have high hopes for Sunday but, I will go out and do what I always do:  give it 110%.  I did contemplate bailing on it...for about a second but then I figured that would be a waste of $85 and the loss of another cool finishers medal.  I'd also miss out on all my friends and my hubby manning the chocolate aid station which would be a real bummer.   And most importantly, I wouldn't be there to cheer on my friend Kirsten who enlisted my help in developing a training plan to help her get faster.  She has had PB's in the 2 races she's done so far this year so I have high hopes for her this time around.  I want to be there to see her cross the line.  If I have to run her in to provide that extra kick in the pants, I'll do it.

Sometimes the races or runs that you have the least interest in doing end up being the best ones if you just go out and get 'er done.   Here's hoping that's the case this weekend! 

I Left My Heart In San Francisco

I've just come back from the recreational athlete's equivalent of Nirvana and I have to say, I'm feeling a little blue.  I thought it might be jet lag but I really do think I'm missing the ocean and the mountains. Where did I jet off to this time you ask (as if the title of this post didn't give it away already)?  The beautiful state of California, specifically San Francisco.  We have friends that moved out there last year so we figured it was high time that we paid them a visit.  What better time than the first long weekend of the summer?  We headed out early on Wednesday morning and with the time change, we were in San Fran by 9:30 PST so we had a full day.  Our first day was spent hanging out in the sun at our friends place, which is in Tiburon about 25 minutes north of downtown San Francisco, in a beautiful spot called Paradise Cay.  They have a yacht club at their door step and Robin Williams lives around the corner so to say it was nice was a bit of an understatement.  No complaints about the view, that's for sure!

Morning View from the U.S. branch of Cabana Cadman

I couldn't wait to get out and run so Thursday morning Gary and I drove over to a little waterfront trail called Blackies Pasture.  The trail was short but I didn't care.  It ran right along the water and it was packed dirt and gravel.  Bliss!!  Out and back was just over 8km.  8km of pure joy.  The air was fresh and the breeze was cool.  I was completely energized by the time we were done.  And it was great to run with Gary.  We don't get a chance to do that very often.

 

Gary running through Blackies Pasture

Friday was spent shopping in Union Square in downtown San Francisco.  So many stores I thought my head was going to explode.  We lunched al fresco and wandered through various shops and department stores.  I scored an amazing pair of shoes (surprisingly not the running kind!) at 50% off.  Gary finally bought himself a non-baseball hat (this is a big deal!).  It was a lovely day.  We covered a lot of ground, some of it incredibly hilly.  Like almost straight up and down hilly.  I couldn't believe the sheer angle of the roads.  With roads like this, these folks are darn lucky they don't get snow.  They'd be screwed.

This is not an optical illusion.

Saturday morning was a lazy one.  The boys went riding and I went for a short run around the Cay and then hung out with Sue.  Saturday afternoon she introduced me to the shopping wonder that is T.J. Maxx.  Oh my.  It's like Winners on steroids.  We spent 4 hours in there.  4 HOURS.  I tried on no less than 30 pieces of clothing.  I kid you not.  I guess my love of endurance events carries over to shopping as well.  It was well worth it as I scored a bunch of great things, my favourite being a dress that just so happened to match the awesome shoes I bought the day before. 

Sunday was our busiest day.  We got up very early so the boys could hit the road for a ride and I could get a long-ish run in before G & I headed off to Alcatraz and Pier 39.  Gary dropped me off at a rec centre in the middle of a gorgeous town called Mill Valley.  The boys were going to climb up to the Headlands and I was going to run the trail into Sausalito.  It was a very warm morning, even at 7:30 am and I was wishing I wore my tank top.  The run was lovely.  I kept seeing a blimp circling the bay in the distance and I figured it was aerial coverage for the 100th annual Bay To Breakers race, which is something that I've always wanted to do.  Had I been thinking I would have actually checked to see if the race was sold out before we left.  But alas, I wasn't thinking and as I found out later on that morning, it wasn't sold out so I could very well have run it.  It would have been the perfect taper run.  Running 12km across the bottom of San Francisco in a sea of 50,000 runners, most of which are dressed in costume.  How much fun would that have been?  It just means we'll have to go back again.  I'm sure I won't have a problem convincing Gary to do that.  There is still so much left to explore there!

For now, this little jet-setter is done traveling for a while.  At least until November when we head to New York.  I think I've gotten over my jet lag so I'll lace up my shoes tonight and go for a run.  The view won't be the same but that's ok, I think I'll live.

Setting Goals

As excited as I was for this year to start, I have to admit, I am still kinda hanging on to last year.  I want to move forward but I think I'm a little scared to.  I had such an amazing year last year.  I think it's only natural to wonder if this year could be any better.   I set such high expectations for myself by the end of last year.   They haven't gone anywhere but, knowing I'm going to be tackling a much more challenging distance, there is some doubt.  What if I fail?  I suppose that doesn't really matter to anyone but myself in the grand scheme of things.  I have to go out and try.   So that means taking off my rose coloured holiday glasses and taking a good look at my upcoming race season.

It's time for some goal setting and it's time for me to put it all out there once again so I can remain accountable.  So far I've actually registered for 3 races between now and the end of May.  The goal is 4 races but I also need to budget accordingly.  Race entries ain't cheap!

First up:  The Chilly Half Marathon, March 4th, 2012.  The day after my birthday.  So, no big night out for my birthday.  That will have to happen the weekend after, ha ha.  I ran that race last year in 1:47:49 on a snowy day.  Considering the snowless winter we're having now, I'm really hoping that we have a nice cold snowless day this year for the race.  It is just under 8 weeks away.  Given my current lack of top speed, I think I will have my work cut out for me.  One of the insane girls in my run group said that we're going to aim to break 1:30.  I think that's nuts for this early in the season.  I think I'm capable of a 1:40:00 with my current level of fitness.  I may re-evaluate that when I get closer to race day.

Next up is Around the Bay, 30km on March 25th.  The last time I did this race was 2006 when I was training for Ironman.  I pulled off a 2:40:15 which included a 2+ minute stop at an aid station to tape down a toenail.  So I could have broken 2:40:00.  I am much faster than that now.  My ultimate goal at this race has always been to break 2:30:00.  I'm more than sure I'm capable of that, even though it is a hilly course.  So I'll put a goal of 2:20:00 out there.   That puts me at 4:40/km's which will be tough but I think it's doable, especially given that I'll have a few more weeks of mileage and speed work under my belt.  Again there may be a re-evaluation of that when I get closer to race day.

My BIG race this year is the Mississauga Marathon on Sunday May 6th.  The goal here, which has been set by my friend Kiki is to break 3:20:00.  THIS will be a challenge.  My marathon PB is 3:34:07.  I know I'm faster than that now.  The question is by how much over that distance.  I have upped my mental game big time in the last year and the marathon distance is 50% training and 50% mental.  So I think when the going gets tough, I'll be able to suck it up and keep going.  I'm also hoping to re-qualify for Boston, which with a 3:20, will be no problem.

The 4th race I've registered for is the Toronto Women's Half on Sunday May 27th.  It's only 3 weeks after the marathon but I think if I'm smart with my recovery, I'll be able to go out and rock that course.  I ran it last year and ran a 1:41:37.  If I'm fully recovered, I expect to be sub 1:35 here and hopefully better my age group placing (I was 5th in my AG last year).  Which would be awesome given that this race is usually stacked with very fast ladies.  I'm also coaching a friend of mine who will be running this race so either way, I was planning on being there. 

I am going to have to learn to use my Garmin as well.  I think that will really help me with my pacing.  I guess I should actually finish reading the manual.

Making it all official:

Chilly Half Marathon:  1:40:00
Around the Bay:  2:20:00 or faster
Mississauga Marathon:  3:20 or faster
Toronto Women's Half:  1:35 or faster

It's going to be a fun and challenging season of racing!

Varying Degrees of Insanity

Last week I caught myself looking ahead to next years goals.  Being a very goal oriented person and a supreme planner, this seems to be what I do when I have some down time.  I have been tossing around the idea of tackling the 26.2 mile monster again.  Especially now that I have this new found speed and strength.  I was thinking of a spring marathon, potentially Mississauga as I'm very familiar with the course and it's not too far from home.  Mississauga usually takes place mid-May.  However there was also the fact that I wanted to do the Toronto Women's Half again and that takes place at the end of May.

Hmmmm......

First of all, I am shocked that I even actually contemplated running a full and then running a half 2 weeks later.  Goes to show you how much I've changed mentally as an athlete.

Secondly, I am even more shocked that I was actually somewhat excited by the prospect!

What the hell has happened to me?  I think I have almost reached that degree of insanity that I never thought I'd see.  That of a die hard runner.

To make this prospect even MORE appealing, when I googled the dates for the 2012 Mississauga Marathon, I found, to my absolute delight, that it had now been moved to the FIRST WEEK of May!  That would give me 3 whole weeks to recover AND to reap the fitness benefits from the marathon just in time for the half.

OH yes.  Could this get any better.....??

Somebody get me a straight jacket, I think I need to be committed.

Expect The Unexpected - Toronto Women's Half Race Report

As a producer I live by this.  I don't normally take it account into my personal life though.  I suppose I probably should given the way things have been happening as of late.

This past weekend I ran The Toronto Women's Half.  I have never run a race that was just geared towards women.  I have to say that race director Cory Freedman is definitely on to something.  From the wonderfully designed race t-shirt (shout out to my talented friend Natalie Serkin for that), the amazing swag bag, the fantastic Fireman Aid station and the awesome finishers medal, Cory has managed to create a wonderful event that really is geared to a womans sensibility.  I have to say this is the first finishers medal that I've been able to wear the day AFTER the race and not feel like a geek for wearing it!  I can see why the race sells out early.  This was only the 3rd year and I think it was sold out by February.  There are 2 other races in the series, a 10km in August and an 8km in October, both of which I plan on doing.   The vibe of the race is incredibly laid back.  Lots of really good energy.  Even amongst the fast ladies at the front.   As we lined up in the starting corral, I noticed a lot of chatting and laughing.  I don't ever really recall seeing that at larger mixed gender races. It was a nice way to start a tough 21.1km journey.

The race course is a challenging one.  They had to make a few last minute adjustments to construction on Pottery Road so I'm not sure if those changes made it even tougher or easier.  There were false flats and a couple of nasty climbs, especially the one at about 18km coming back over the bridge at Don Mills.  That was just plain EVIL.  The race took place on the bike path through Sunnybrook and Taylor Creek Park.  I'm not generally a fan of racing on paths but this was really nice.  It was almost like trail running without the trail because there were trees everywhere.  There were some points where it seemed pretty desolate (i.e no one around cheering) but the same could be said for any smaller road race.  The volunteers were amazing as were the race marshalls and the random spectators that dotted the bike paths. 

I was incredibly nervous leading up to this race.  Mainly due to the fact that I felt like I hadn't really trained enough.  Which was absolutely ridiculous but even after all my years of running, I have yet to be able to really quell this completely illogical fear no matter how much I have trained.  My training was somewhat spotty but I did a few over distance runs during this round of training as well as a whole lot of racing in a 2 month period (8km, a 10 miler and a 10km).  So realistically I was well equipped to run 21.1km.  My goal was to go sub 1:45.  I figured I had that in me at least.  I ran a 1:47 at the Chilly Half in March on less training and in crappy conditions.  I figured shaving 2 minutes off shouldn't be an issue as long as I tapered well and rested up before the race.  Well, I think I nailed one of those 2 things.  The taper went very well.  The resting up before the race, not so much.  I spent the Saturday before the race running around the city.  I made sure I packed some food with me but realistically it wasn't enough.  By the time I finally got home and sat down, it was about 4:30 pm and I could have eaten a horse.  Instead I had a burger and then another burger patty, both with cheese, and a salad.  Probably not the best pre-race food but it was quick and easy.  I slept surprisingly well and got up early.  We made it to the park in plenty of time.  I did a short warm up jog (in restrospect this should have been MUCH longer than the 500m I ran) and then stood in line for the porta potty.  I wandered around the race site with hubby, saw a couple of friends and tried to relax.  I eventually made my way into the starting corral and saw a few other Team RF athletes from the Newmarket store.  Chatted with them for a bit and then got ready to race.  I got up towards the front, behind the really fast looking ladies, as I figured it would be nice to have the space.  I figured I'd get passed by some faster women but hopefully not a lot.

The gun went off and I took off.  Far too fast of course.  5 minutes in and I felt awful.  It took me about 4km to calm down.  I ended up running with a couple of other women for about 2km or so and that helped slow me down.  At points were were running 3 abreast and I kinda felt like we were Charlies Angels.  There was a blonde, a brunette with shorter hair and then me.  Not really Kate, Farrah and Jacklyn but whatever.  We kept up a relatively decent pace (about 4:50-4:55's) and I thought ok, if this is all I've got today then so be it, it will still get me to the finish line under 1:45.   I did feel at times like I was struggling and I was a bit concerned that I was going to start to slow down as the km's ticked by.  Especially when I hit a false flat and my pace slowed to 5:00-5:05 km's and my heart rate spiked.  That didn't help the negativity that was starting to creep in.  What did help temporarily banish those thoughts were the random cheers of "WOOHOO" echoing through the trees that I'd hear every so often.   I couldn't help but smile.  There were points along the path where runners would be passing each other, one group on their way out and one group on their way back and there was a lot of cheering, woo-hooing and shouts of "you go girl".  It was pretty amazing.  I found myself smiling a lot, cheering women on, calling them by name (thank goodness for personalized race bibs!).  This in turn seemed to affect my pace.  My step became lighter and I felt like I was being pushed along by the amazing energy that was making it's way along that trail.  I eventually pulled away from my Charlies Angels pals and settled into my own pace.  I hit the Fireman's Aid station and was quite pleased with what I saw.  No one was shirtless, at least not yet, but they were a fine looking bunch of men, that's for sure. 
The aid stations seemed to be well placed, although the only ones I really used were the Firefighter one (twice, ha) and the one at the 14km mark (with the crazy wig wearing folks).  The rest of the time I relied on my own supply of water and GU Brew.  I had my fueling strategy pretty much down pat and never really experienced any sort of drop in energy which was great.  Thank goodness for Roctane.  That stuff really is liquid gold.  I finally settled into a decent groove at about the 10km mark, which I went through in 47:36.  I actually felt like I had stopped hurting and that I was running well.  Note to self, next time I need to do a solid warm up as it shouldn't take me 10km to feel "good".  This feeling continued right through to about the 18km mark when I hit the back end of the Don Mills bridge.  Oh good GOD.  It HURT going up that hill.  There was another little hill after you descended from that one that also hurt.  It was like my legs hardly had time to recover the from the nasty uphill before they had to go up again.  The lactic acid build up in my legs hurt.  I had managed to hold it off until 18km so I was pretty pleased about that at least.  I had definitely picked up the pace a bit because I was slowly reeling in 2 women that had passed me earlier.  At 19km they had a chocolate aid station.  I wasn't going to grab anything here but there was a little girl about 4 years old who was so excited to be handing out chocolate bars that I had to stop and grab one just because she was so adorable.  I didn't really have any place to put it so I hung on to it.  Just after I passed that aid station I came up on woman number one who had passed me earlier.  She had stopped and was bending over.  As I ran up I asked if she was ok and she looked at me and I thought she nodded slightly so I kept going.  A little further up the path, there was another woman who was having trouble as well.  She was running and then stopped to walk as I passed her.  Just before the 20km mark, I saw a bike marshall riding towards me.  It took me a minute to realize it was my friend Tara Norton.  She had ridden out to see where I was at.  She turned around and rode me in, blowing her whistle.  SWEET - I had my own bike marshall!!  People were trying to figure out who this chick was (me), since the winners had crossed the finish line already.  My own husband didn't even know.  He thought that maybe Tara was bringing in the Masters Leader and then he realized it was me.  He was pretty surprised.  As was I to be honest. I had been doing mental calculations from about the 16km mark based on running 5 min km's (knowing that I would be faster than that) and I figured I'd be coming in around 1:43 or just under.   Once I hit the 19km mark I knew that I was going to be way faster than 1:43.  I ran that last km as hard as I could.  It hurt like hell.  As it should I suppose.  As I approached the finish line I saw 1:41:31.  My official time was 1:41:37.  

Holy Crap.  I was beside myself.   That was a new PB for me by 2 whole minutes!   I certainly didn't think I had that in me going into this race.  My goal of a 1:40 half marathon at 40 is DEFINITELY within reach.  Gary thinks that I should set myself a "hard goal" for my A-race (something like a 1:35) and see what I can do.  We shall see.  I do know one thing for sure.  1:40 will be going DOWN come October.  Of that I am absolutely certain.

Final results:  5th of out 227 women (my age group was the largest so I am quite pleased) and 22nd overall.

I'll take it.

Next up:  The Bread and Honey 15km this weekend. 

Boogity Boogity Boogity, Let's Go Racin'!

Call me crazy.  Or maybe just passionate....but I'm racing every weekend for the next three weeks!  This weekend is the Toronto Women's Half which is half marathon number two for me this year.  Stop number 2 on the Half Marathon Hat-trick Train! 

I'm looking forward to it but I am somewhat apprehensive because my training has not been up to par (at least for me).  I also changed my strength training routine.  Well more like eliminated it.  I decided to do a boot camp instead.  Not sure how much that helped me as much fun as the workouts were, I think I am better off actually lifting.  But that's ok, I'll just start back up with that again after this race.  I know I've gotten faster, the question is (once again), just how much.  I'm hoping to go sub 1:45, which I think should be doable.  If I'm feeling REALLY good, maybe a 1:43.  We shall see.

Next weekend I'll be racing the Bread and Honey 15k in Streetsville.   Not sure how wise that is but it was only $40 to enter, there are some amazing draw prizes and it's close to home.    Plus a bunch of folks from my run club are probably doing to be doing it.

The following weekend, I'll be doing my first tri in 3 years.  The Woodstock Triathlon is the season opener for the Recharge With Milk Triathlon series.    It's a 500m swim, 20km bike and 4km run.   Separately I can do all of those distances.  Together, well, we shall see.  The really tough part is going to be the run off the bike.    I have done 2 bricks so far this year and both of them were awful.  So I now need to somehow manage to get those in on a regular basis over the next 3 weeks.   Especially since there has been a bit of a throw down between me and the G-Man.  I've basically told him I think I'll beat him in the run.  Not that I'll beat him in overall time, just that I'll have a better run split that him.  Being the stubborn old goat that he is (he is a Capricorn after all) he refused to concede to that.  Ok then, it's on.  It's ON LIKE DONKEY KONG.  I only hope that I'm not eating my words. But a little friendly competition never hurts. 

After all of this, I think I'm going to take a well needed break.

A Case of the Pre-Race Nigglies.

I think that's exactly what any sports doc would diagnose me with right now.  I'm in the middle of my taper for the Toronto Women's Half on Sunday and I am feeling all sorts of aches and pains.

There is the very real pain in my neck that stemmed from sleeping weirdly on Thursday night.  That seems to be getting better.  But it's hard for me to tell.  I do know that there is a whole lotta cracking going on in my neck and shoulders.  Which means that at least things are moving now.  They weren't on Friday & Saturday so that's a plus!

There was the knee pain before, during and after my run last night.  It's miraculously gone today.

There were the horrible foot and calf cramps I had in the pool this morning.   Gone by the time I finished my set.

And there is the general tightness of my back.   It also really seems to want to go snap crackle and pop right now.    Good thing I have a massage scheduled tomorrow night!

Apparently these are all common things that occur to folks during a taper.  They are generally more prevalent in marathon tapers as those are over a longer period of time.  All those aches and pains (nigglies as I like to call them) are apparently just signs that your body is healing.  I'm chalking my nigglies up to the fact that I started my taper early.  Not by choice mind you.  It's all my neck's fault.   But perhaps that neck twinge was a good thing.  Sometimes a bit of forced rest is for the best. Sometimes, your body knows best.

I guess I'll have to wait till Sunday to find out!