We had 4 Shamrocks running today -- pretty good for a Wednesday. Brian and I met Rita and Val at Val's gym to go out for a 5k run.
It all started out easily enough with lots of chat about last weekends run, both at Disney and in Lucan. But then I mentioned that my race training chart said I should be doing 3 miles at 7:06/mile separated by 1/2 mile jogs. Well, Brian and I started to pick up the pace and before long we decided to try to achieve that pace.
The first speed work mile was at just under 7:00 -- not bad for running into the wind. By the time we had started the second speed work mile, we had the wind behind us and we started off far too fast -- roughly 6:15/mile -- so we spent the next few minutes slowing down to get closer to a 7:04 finish. But it was the third speed work mile that had me working the hardest. I struggled the whole way, but particularly in the last half mile. Brian was great -- giving me a target to pass in order to stay on pace and urging me to dig deep to finish. Certainly this was the toughest running I'd done since Niagara and my coach's help allowed me to get the most out of the run.
My muscles are still feeling the effects of the run which I'm hoping means that they're working to get stronger.
I'm down to just over 8 weeks until the Shamrock Marathon in Virginia Beach, so the training is going to get tougher and longer quickly!
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Saturday, January 12, 2008
Disney World Half Marathon 2008
Its hard to believe, but I think the last time I ran before the Half was on New Years day! We had a hockey tournament last weekend, and then I played hockey Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday of this week, so there was no time (or energy) for a run!
The Disney Half was quite an experience. We registered at the All Star Sports complex yesterday, which was an impressive basketball arena -- not a hockey rink converted to one. Tons of volunteers -- and lots of lines, but generally things moved quickly. There were something like 16,000 runners registered for the half (although just over 12,000 actually finished) and there were similar numbers for the full marathon. That's a lot of people to process!
We prepared everything last night so that we would have to spend minimal time getting ready. We wanted to get up, get into our gear and warm-up clothes, grab our stuff and head out the door.
Even still, the alarm went at 3:00 am (although I slept for a few more minutes) and we were on a bus to the start at Epcot by 3:45. Karen was her normal chipper self -- but Jenny and Tori were also chipper which was nice since neither are 'morning people'. I think everyone was excited.
The number of buses was impressive -- lined up around the huge parking lot at Epcot. Too many to count. Thousands of people were streaming into the staging areas. By now it was about 4:15 am.
They had a band playing in a band shell so we found a hunk of tarmac and tried to choke down some bagels, chocolate, etc. An announcer directed people to the bag drop-off tent just before 5:00 am and after going through the tent, we were in another courtyard lined with port-a-johns, which got a healthy workout. Again, long lines but they moved quickly.
At about 5:30, we were directed to walk out to the starting line which must have been pretty close to a mile. I'm sure it took about 15 minutes to get there. We had been allocated into different corrals with the faster runners in corral A, and slower runners (progressively) into corrals B through F. I was in A and the girls were in corral D so we all did our hugs and best wishes as the girls stopped off at their corral. It was very well organized -- particularly considering the huge volume of bodies. If you want a means of managing the movement of people, leave it to Disney!
After chatting with a few runners in my corral who were looking to break 2 hours, I moved up to about 1/3 of the way back from the start. That worked out well since there were few people passing me or that I was passing, again, considering the volume of people in the race. Certainly it was no worse for congestion than any other race in which I've been.
I wasn't sure what to expect for topology or heat before arriving at Disney, and both conspired against me to ensure I wasn't going to attempt a personal best. I think it was the humidity that was the nail in the coffin for a PB. By the end of the first mile I was already sweating and could feel myself labouring with my breathing. Still I managed to knock off the first mile in about 8:06 so I set my goal at completing the race in marathon pace (8:00/mile).
The next miles came steadily -- but I'd forgotten to figure out where the backlight is for my GPS, so I had to wait until I was directly underneath street lamps to try to make out my pace. And even then, I could only see the 'instant' pace, which isn't generally accurate. Anyhow, I managed to knock of the next four miles at between a 7:48 and 7:59 pace. Overall, the 5K track put me at 24:50 or 4:58/k which equates to 7:57 per mile. The 10k split (roughly 6 miles) had me at 49:36 -- again at 4:58/k (7:57/mile). Talk about consistency!
Through miles 6 to 10, I was starting to labour a bit more. My times ranged from 8:05/mile to 8:10 per mile. So by the time I was done 10 miles (roughly 16k) I was a bit behind the pace I wanted. The 15k split had me at 1:14:43 or about 7:59/mile. With 3.1 miles to go, I was slipping.
Things didn't get any better -- now thanks to the topology. Miles 11 and 12 were at 8:12 and 8:18, mostly due to the interchanges that we were going over on the way back to Epcot. But in the last full mile, I dug deep and pushed with all of my might. I knocked off a 7:47 last full mile winding through Epcot, and then turned it up a notch higher even going into the last 0.1 mile to finish at 1:45:04 for the entire race -- 8:00:31 per mile! Double that finish time and I'm going to Boston!
But the real story wasn't my race -- it was that of my girls. Tori finished in 2:24:49 (with her pace bunny, Jenny, close behind) and Karen in 2:49:17 -- and both with smiles on their faces (eventually)! They both had lots of stories to tell -- photos of Disney characters they passed, running through the castle at the Magic Kingdom, the sprint at the finish -- and were quite pleased with finishing their first half marathon. Jenny and I are pleased and proud as well!
The Disney Half was quite an experience. We registered at the All Star Sports complex yesterday, which was an impressive basketball arena -- not a hockey rink converted to one. Tons of volunteers -- and lots of lines, but generally things moved quickly. There were something like 16,000 runners registered for the half (although just over 12,000 actually finished) and there were similar numbers for the full marathon. That's a lot of people to process!
We prepared everything last night so that we would have to spend minimal time getting ready. We wanted to get up, get into our gear and warm-up clothes, grab our stuff and head out the door.
Even still, the alarm went at 3:00 am (although I slept for a few more minutes) and we were on a bus to the start at Epcot by 3:45. Karen was her normal chipper self -- but Jenny and Tori were also chipper which was nice since neither are 'morning people'. I think everyone was excited.
The number of buses was impressive -- lined up around the huge parking lot at Epcot. Too many to count. Thousands of people were streaming into the staging areas. By now it was about 4:15 am.
They had a band playing in a band shell so we found a hunk of tarmac and tried to choke down some bagels, chocolate, etc. An announcer directed people to the bag drop-off tent just before 5:00 am and after going through the tent, we were in another courtyard lined with port-a-johns, which got a healthy workout. Again, long lines but they moved quickly.
At about 5:30, we were directed to walk out to the starting line which must have been pretty close to a mile. I'm sure it took about 15 minutes to get there. We had been allocated into different corrals with the faster runners in corral A, and slower runners (progressively) into corrals B through F. I was in A and the girls were in corral D so we all did our hugs and best wishes as the girls stopped off at their corral. It was very well organized -- particularly considering the huge volume of bodies. If you want a means of managing the movement of people, leave it to Disney!
After chatting with a few runners in my corral who were looking to break 2 hours, I moved up to about 1/3 of the way back from the start. That worked out well since there were few people passing me or that I was passing, again, considering the volume of people in the race. Certainly it was no worse for congestion than any other race in which I've been.
I wasn't sure what to expect for topology or heat before arriving at Disney, and both conspired against me to ensure I wasn't going to attempt a personal best. I think it was the humidity that was the nail in the coffin for a PB. By the end of the first mile I was already sweating and could feel myself labouring with my breathing. Still I managed to knock off the first mile in about 8:06 so I set my goal at completing the race in marathon pace (8:00/mile).
The next miles came steadily -- but I'd forgotten to figure out where the backlight is for my GPS, so I had to wait until I was directly underneath street lamps to try to make out my pace. And even then, I could only see the 'instant' pace, which isn't generally accurate. Anyhow, I managed to knock of the next four miles at between a 7:48 and 7:59 pace. Overall, the 5K track put me at 24:50 or 4:58/k which equates to 7:57 per mile. The 10k split (roughly 6 miles) had me at 49:36 -- again at 4:58/k (7:57/mile). Talk about consistency!
Through miles 6 to 10, I was starting to labour a bit more. My times ranged from 8:05/mile to 8:10 per mile. So by the time I was done 10 miles (roughly 16k) I was a bit behind the pace I wanted. The 15k split had me at 1:14:43 or about 7:59/mile. With 3.1 miles to go, I was slipping.
Things didn't get any better -- now thanks to the topology. Miles 11 and 12 were at 8:12 and 8:18, mostly due to the interchanges that we were going over on the way back to Epcot. But in the last full mile, I dug deep and pushed with all of my might. I knocked off a 7:47 last full mile winding through Epcot, and then turned it up a notch higher even going into the last 0.1 mile to finish at 1:45:04 for the entire race -- 8:00:31 per mile! Double that finish time and I'm going to Boston!
But the real story wasn't my race -- it was that of my girls. Tori finished in 2:24:49 (with her pace bunny, Jenny, close behind) and Karen in 2:49:17 -- and both with smiles on their faces (eventually)! They both had lots of stories to tell -- photos of Disney characters they passed, running through the castle at the Magic Kingdom, the sprint at the finish -- and were quite pleased with finishing their first half marathon. Jenny and I are pleased and proud as well!
Tuesday, January 1, 2008
New Year's Eve run...
For the second year in a row, a bunch of Shamrocks did an easy run from Lucan to our house, leaving Tim Horton's at 9:05 pm and pulling into our driveway about 9:55 pm.
It was an absolutely beautiful night -- perfect for running -- and perhaps a wintery example of how nice it can be during the Shore-To-Shore night-time runs.
Paula's husband, John, paced with us as did Heather Marr's boyfriend, Leigh, so we had plenty of light on the road and identification for oncoming traffic. The escort by John and Leigh was definitely appreciated.
All told there were 7 runners -- Paula, Heather, Jed De Jong, Jenny, Karen, Tori and me -- so with all of our headlamps and reflective gear, I think we looked fairly impressive out there.
Jed's wife, Cathy, and my mother and her friend, Annie, joined us after the run and we sipped champagne (and beer), chatted, and toasted the new year at midnight.
In the morning, seeing as I didn't have a hangover (!), I ran back into Lucan to get our Jeep. We'd had about 5 inches of snow overnight, so I think some drivers thought I was nuts (as per usual). Again, very similar to the Shore to Shore! :-)
Hopefully an annual event!
It was an absolutely beautiful night -- perfect for running -- and perhaps a wintery example of how nice it can be during the Shore-To-Shore night-time runs.
Paula's husband, John, paced with us as did Heather Marr's boyfriend, Leigh, so we had plenty of light on the road and identification for oncoming traffic. The escort by John and Leigh was definitely appreciated.
All told there were 7 runners -- Paula, Heather, Jed De Jong, Jenny, Karen, Tori and me -- so with all of our headlamps and reflective gear, I think we looked fairly impressive out there.
Jed's wife, Cathy, and my mother and her friend, Annie, joined us after the run and we sipped champagne (and beer), chatted, and toasted the new year at midnight.
In the morning, seeing as I didn't have a hangover (!), I ran back into Lucan to get our Jeep. We'd had about 5 inches of snow overnight, so I think some drivers thought I was nuts (as per usual). Again, very similar to the Shore to Shore! :-)
Hopefully an annual event!
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