Dinosaur Valley

Two weeks after what felt like a set back of a race in Edmonton, I was in route to run a 10k race in Drumheller. This is one of the shortest races I have run, but I figured it would be a nice way to test out my knee while pushing race pace a little bit.

My training runs after the Edmonton Marathon weekend had gone well. I was stiff for a few days, as was expected, but my knee didn't seize up like it had previously. I considered this a good step in the right direction. To ease the impact my body was under while pushing to get my long runs back into the 20-30km range, I decided I would once again tackle a Galloway running technique.

Galloway's method is an extremely popular running method in the United States. I do know a number of Canadian's that swear by it but I have to admit, I wasn't a huge fan in the beginning. I didn't like running a race to have someone in front of me stop dead in their tracks for their slow interval. It drove me nuts. I was of the mentality that if you could run a distance solid, don't run it at all because it is obviously too much for you to handle.

When I tested out a few different run/walk intervals earlier this spring I found I would cramp instantly after the walk interval which would make me struggle for that entire interval and kill my time and technique. Three different time intervals later....well... I wasn't enjoying myself and went back to my solid runs at a consistent speed.

Having done more reading and research while out injured I decided I would give the sucker a try again. Ha. Go figure. It worked!

After Edmonton, I adopted a 4:1 run:walk ratio in my training. I decided to test it out with a quick 5km to see what would happen - if anything.  I was fine. Not only was I fine, but I was also running my run intervals at my usual race pace of 5:10min/km. With a quick walk I had an average pace just over 6mins/km. Thinking it was a fluke, I tried it again on my next training run, 8km, thinking that the slightly longer distance would have me winded as I neared the end while running the run intervals at a fairly quick pace. Sure enough, I ran at 5mins/km, even faster than the last time and I finished the 8km feeling comfortable and only slightly tired. My next mid-week 8km run was the same, and again it was slightly faster than the previous.... so maybe this thing really was worth a try after all!

Race morning my mom, dog and I left for Drumheller at 3am. A quick stop at the local addiction centre (a.k.a. Tim Hortons) for coffee and we were set. We arrived in the Ditch (it's nick name) shortly before 6am and settled in at the race venue. Impressively we had another vehicle pull up shortly after we arrived. If you know me at all, you know I like to arrive for things... really early. If you know my mom at all, you know she likes to arrive for everything really, REALLY early! Seeing another vehicle pull up shortly after us was pretty darn impressive! I must say I was a little bit surprised! Okay, I was really surprised!

I checked in at packet pick up around 6:30, collected my swag and awesome running shirt. The fact that it was blue AND had a dinosaur on it meant that I absolutely had to wear it for the race. I don't usually wear a race shirt on race day because it isn't something I have trained in or with. Usually the fabric isn't the same as what I run in and you can never really tell what is going to happen with it until you try it out or have a similar shirt. The last thing I'd want to do was to discover that the shirt wasn't as breathable as I thought and to then overheat as a result. WELL, this shirt also happened to be a material very similar to my typical run shirt, it was a match made in heaven! I HAD to wear it! Dinosaurs... I still love my dinosaurs even though I haven't worked on them in a few years!

*the swag and bag were also awesome by the way - best one yet this year for me*

The half marathon slow start was small and uneventful. There were probably about 15 or so runners that took advantage of the start an hour before the official race time. The race director counted down to the start of their race and the dozen or so individuals made their way out of the starting gates and around the corner of the first city block and out of sight. As the 'slow pokes' (no disrespect meant, I started my first race with slow start and made some pretty awesome friends there too) began their official races, the crowds of runners preparing for the half, 10k and 5k races were growing exponentially.

The parking lot for the Community Facility was now overflowing with vehicles and bodies and the lines for the toilets were goring by the minute. As every runner knows and knows very well - there can never be enough bathrooms at the start line of a race! Well, I would just like to say the race organizers for this race know that REALLY well! We had the indoor facilities and probably 2 dozen portable bathrooms for our use. Line ups were actually quite short given the number of runners! It was quite impressive to be honest! I was extremely pleased with this aspect after standing in line for 15 minutes prior to the race in Edmonton only a few weeks earlier.

Just before 8am all 10k and half marathon runners were called to the race area for a pre-run warm aerobic warm-up. I don't do these kinds of things because I don't change anything on race day. I had a good time chasing the guys running in a pack around the Community Facility building in their Boston Marathon shirts and compression socks and sleeves. With my sleeves on, I fit right in! Hahaha, this was probably the only time I'd be able to keep up with these guys. After the gun went off I'd be miles behind them! After our jog, I then did my usual warm up and bounced up and down behind all of the people doing their aerobics.

Just before the aerobics finished I made my way to the front of the starting gates. I knew, having looked at the placements and times for the previous few years this race had run, that I stood a really good chance of placing in my age division and the race overall. Even being in less than peak shape, I knew that my times would still put me in a really good position for a top notch finish.

I was the furthest runner to the left and had the shortest tangent line out of the start gate to the first corner. I really couldn't have planned it better in all honesty. I was also next to one of the fastest runners in the race (anyone shooting for a 40 minute 10k is a good one to be next to in my books), I definitely couldn't complain. We sang the anthem, the radio station dude said a few words and then our race count down began. I had 800 people behind me fighting for my spot, I knew my start was destined to be a good one and a fast one.

5.... 4.... 3.... 2.... 1.... GO

5...4...3...2...1...GO! And we're off!

Ha! Fast was an understatement! I made it through the first kilometer in under four minutes! I have NEVER done that before, not even in training. I was happy but knew I'd never sustain it. After my Garmin 310XT beeped at me to tell me I reached the 1km marker I decided to go with what I had done in training. Run and walk. So here we are crossing main street and about 100 people pass me as I'm speed walking and waving to the cars and saying thank you to the police officer holding traffic. I'm more than certain all of these people running with me must have wondered what in the name of wahoo I was on to be walking so early...!

My minute was up and then it was time to go again. That is how my race went. Run for four like you've never run before and walk for one. Run for four, walk for one. It was simple really. I had my eyes glued to my iPhone's RunKeeper app and on my Garmin. I could hardly believe what either device was telling me outside of the time. I just ran.... and then walked.... and then ran and walked some more!

The rest of the race in a nut shell. The course was awesome! One small downhill that allowed me to fly past a few people. Three great water stations and cheering sections in the residential areas west of down town. I got to wave to my friends and their cat watching from their living room - twice! I passed almost everyone in my race.... oh yeah... that hundred that passed me early on.... pay back... well, at least to those that were running the 10k race, the 10k race and the half marathon race courses split around the 4km mark. But anyone that was doing the ten kilometer race and passed me, I made up for it by kilometer 5 and 6. Easily!

By kilometer seven I was running pretty much alone with one other person in my sights. The fastest runners were around a bend in the road but I had my sights set on the girl in front of me. At first she was about 400m away, then 200m... and then I passed her. My walk interval allowed her to catch up every now and then and going into the final kilometer we were almost shoulder to shoulder.

Looking at the girl next to me as we leap-frogged one another, I could tell she was undoubtedly in my age group. There was no way she was over 30 and she was definitely not younger than me. Anyways, whatever possessed me to do the math to determine her age in my head also said 'when you hit the underpass for main street, book it.' Long story short, I booked it!

My last kilometer was my fastest. I managed to catch up with another runner who also looked like they were in my age division in the last 300m of the course. We turned the final corner shoulder to shoulder, she had the inside and subsequently tighter turn. I could hear her foot falls getting quicker but she hadn't yet put a gap between us. Without even glancing to the side my feet kicked into high gear. I ran the previous 9700m with my typical forefoot stride, landing square on the balls of my feet and my toes. I finished the last 300m of the race pounding it out like I had in my spring sprint training. Holy heel strike, but it paid off. I left the girl in my dust and finished a good 10m ahead of her.

I should also mention I am more than certain I didn't breath on the home stretch until I hit the finish line. It is definitely safe to say I was winded to the max and more than thankful for the water that was tossed my direction after what was, quite probably, my strongest race and best race finish EVER!

I was not about to let anyone get in front of me. Zoom Zoom!

I was pretty much on a high just from the final few hundred meters alone... you should have heard the screams when I got my race time!

So, when most people run a personal best they do it by a few second here or a few second there in a fast race. In the big picture, a 10k is considered a fast race! I smashed my personal best by a solid 5 minutes and some change. I was elated. Not only did I have a great finish, I had a new personal record and quite probably placed in the race!

Results were posted about thirty minutes after I finished my race. I got my race metal (also amazingly awesome with a dinosaur :D :D :D), some munchies and changed into some warmer clothes as the sun had yet to break through the clouds.

My mom and I strolled through the outdoor expo - which was impressively large for such a small race! It was bigger than the expo in Edmonton! By the time we made it through all the booths and by the time our dog said 'hi' to all of the other dogs out for race day, the race results were being posted.

I finished one out of the money. Darn! BUT, I had a top 5 finish in my age division and placed 17th overall. Heck, no complaints there! My first top 10 and top 20 finish respectively. I was THRILLED! I couldn't have asked for a better day! I was also really happy my mom and dog were able to come out for the race! This was the first race I have done where I have had someone there to cheer me on at the start/finish line. It was pretty awesome and was made even more awesome because I was able to share a really great racing accomplishment with them.

My mom and I stuck around for the awards as some of the people I had met before the race had placed. Runners are an awesome group like that - really supportive and happy to share in the fun and festivities of a race... they are also really quick to make friends! Of the 4 other women I started with at the front of the start line, we all placed and placed 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 respectively. What a special moment to share with some really great people!

Race Recap: awesome course(s). I will definitely be back to this one! Extremely well organized down to every last detail. I wouldn't hesitate in the least in recommending this race to anyone of any ability for any of the distances being run. The organizers and volunteers should all be extremely proud. I don't think they could have done anything better!

The Edmonton Marathon

I'm a bit behind on my blogging as a result of preparing for exams. As soon as I get the rest of my schooling out of the way (almost there! YAY), my posts will become significantly more regular.

Anyways, on August 25th I ran the Edmonton Marathon - well, the half marathon. Below you can find my account of the event, my trials tribulations while overcoming an injury and about all of the cool people I got to meet.

I registered for the half marathon in Edmonton in early spring. I wanted to run a race later in the season that would allow me to get a better time than my earlier half marathon and subsequently a better corral placement for Disney in January. Well, that was the plan at least!

I arrived in Edmonton early on Saturday morning for packet pick-up. I drove. Driving in the city centre of Edmonton, to me, is like trying to find ones way around a different planet. I had my GPS yelling at me to turn this way and that way and constantly came up against one way streets, construction blocking the most obvious paths and a farmers market in the heart of down town. Had I not been pressed to arrive at 9:30 to meet with a fellow runner, I would have ditched the truck and walked to the host hotel and convention centre instead of fighting my way through the city. After three different loops around the downtown core and two trips out of the city on the various one-way express ways, I did eventually find the place I was looking for. I did have to go in the exit ramp of the parking garage to turn myself around so I was facing the right way to get on to the entry ramp... but that's another adventure in and of itself!

The expo was small, very small. The bulk of the expo consisted of a running room 'booth' with gear and event shirts for sale. There were other, significantly smaller booths as well, most were promoting other races (i.e., the Vancouver marathon), travel packages (i.e., run the ING New York Marathon - guaranteed spots if you travel with us) and 'run food' samples (i.e., power bar pieces).

Anyways, I grabbed my race bag, bib and shirt and sat down to chat with a few fellow runners - some of whom I had met online through various run groups but not in person to date. What better place to meet fellow run geeks than at an expo right?!?  We had a lovely time chatting before parting ways for the day to begin our pre-race day rituals.

Sunday morning started bright and early - 4am. Well, I guess it is safe to say it definitely wasn't bright, but it was still pretty darn early! I was packed up and ready to check out of my hotel and head down to the Northlands for race morning. A pre-race oatmeal and water and I was set to go! I made it down to the race grounds shortly after 5am and was one of the first ones there. The early start marathon was beginning at 6:30 so a few of the slower runners were also beginning to show up. I had no idea what to expect in terms of parking and figured it was better safe than sorry. I do wish someone had told me there was no need to rush... but whatever... I was there, and I was ready and, I was definitely staying camped out in my truck to avoid turning into mosquito bait!

I hung around and just relaxed until the sun started to break the horizon. A truck pulled up next to me with a man preparing for the slow start (for those expecting to take longer than 6h to finish the marathon). I joined him and headed to the starting line. It was quite a nice morning. It was cool in a t-shirt and shorts but definitely comfortable. I had the wonderful pleasure of being the loudest cheerleader for the start of the early race. Along with the medical supervisors and a few race volunteers, it was a pretty small cheering section.

Photo: from the Edmonton Marathon FB page

The start was pretty uneventful with probably 20-25 people taking advantage of the early starting time. One brave individual was running the race in a gorilla suit - of which I am sure was immensely hot by 8am. A second individual, which grabbed my attention immediately, was running the race with a guide dog and a white cane - he was blind. This, to me, was nothing short of amazing! What an inspiration!

By 7am the marathon crowds were beginning to appear in droves; first in tens, then by the hundreds. I met a few really nice runners while waiting for the marathon start. One girl, Kim from just north of Edmonton, was running her first ever marathon. We chatted for quite some time. She was really excited but also extremely nervous. It was fun to see her later on during the race, while we were running ours, and to be able to cheer her on! I also met dozens of others from all over the province. Two other girls were running their first ever half marathon. It was kind of fun to be able to help answer questions and ease their fears and nerves about the race. I also saw them on the course after the switch back - it was fun to give them some high fives and check in with how they were doing. I am sure they will be back, the definitely looked to be making out okay.

At 7:30 the marathon started. Hundreds of runners dashed away from the start line and out of the gates of Northlands Park and began their course through the heart of down town Edmonton. Pace bunnies with sign posts and pink rabbit ears were scattered amongst the sea of runner, bunny ears and signs bobbing up and down like a bird floating on the water. As soon as the last of the marathon runners were out of sight, runners for the half marathon were called to the starting gates.

Our starting gates were PACKED! Even then, packed would be an understatement. I couldn't get anywhere near where I had anticipated starting. In fact, I was probably in the last 1/4 of the starting field and next to the 2:30 pace bunnies. Definitely not where I wanted to be. Oh well! After the signing of the national anthem and some casual chit-chat with those around us, the gun went off and it was time to get the legs moving. It took me a whole minute and a half from my position in the starting gates to hit the start line (I have a real hate for the use of gun time over chip time when it comes to race placement...). From the start line, it was a hard and very fast right out into the city. I was definitely starting too hard but I did want to make up a bit of ground early to get past the slower runners and run/walkers. I did catch up with the 2h pace bunnies by the end of the first kilometer so pulled back and just let things happen.

The course was great! The volunteer marshals, the police man blocking the streets and random passers-by were all very supportive and cheered everyone on.

My first 10k where pretty quick. I was on pace to set a pretty substantial PB and my knee was feeling good despite having very little in in the way of distance training since hurting it nearly a month earlier. The this part of the race, we had the elite marathon runners and half marathon runners coming back at us. It was an amazing atmosphere as runners on either side of the course were yelling words of encouragement to one another.

At this stage in the race, the suns rays were also beginning to hit the ground with their full intensity and the temperature began to rise from a balmy 10C to 20C fairly rapidly. I must say, I was thrilled to see the residential section of the course was well treed - the shade was definitely a welcomed relief. Running the entire length of the course in full sun, even mid-morning would not have been very fun!

The turnaround for the course was around the 11km marker. I turned around and felt that I was somewhere close to the the middle of the pack. Another 5 or so kilometers brought us back into the hear of the city where Sunday morning commuters were inching through gaps in the runners cautiously under the direction of police officers at every intersection. Off in the distance sirens were wailing. At one stage a group of us were stopped to let two fire trucks and an ambulance through the race course. If there is one good way to get your anxiety levels up, this would have been it!

As I neared the water station around kilometer 17 my knee began to tighten. I knew it was time to pull off the throttle and give my legs a break. Knowing that this was just the beginning of my fall race 'season' and my first race in a month and a half, I knew there was no sense in pushing too hard. While I wanted to finish with a solid race under two hours to use towards my corral placement in Disney World, finishing in one piece and being able to run all of my other races over the coming weeks was more important.

I had just reached the water station and watched a girl collapse hardly but a few meters in front of me. If my tight knee wasn't a good enough indication that is was time to pull back a little bit... seeing something like this definitely was! Thankfully the water station was full of volunteers and also had a medical team stationed there. The girl was definitely in good hands.

Hardly but another kilometer up the road however, I came across another girl my age who was throwing up like mad. An older man and I checked in with her to make sure she was okay. After waving off help, we decided it was best to take action and alerted a bunch of course marshals and volunteers as to her condition. While I am all for pushing yourself to your limits... I'm not a fan of the 'run so hard you puke' club or the 'run through injury to get a good time in this race and never run again' club. I have my limits, that's for sure! I'm crazy and I can push myself extremely hard, but I know when it is time to take a step back... clearly the girl throwing up and the girl that collapsed have yet to find their breaks!

The last stretch of the race for me was really tough. I knew I was falling off my pace faster than a cheetah going after its breakfast. It was really disappointing even though I knew I had made the right decision to pull back. A walk break here, and a walk break there allowed me to really pay attention to what was going on around me in the race instead of just barreling through the crowds to hit the finish line.

A few steps ahead of me I saw another girl, also my age, walking. We had run the first 7 or so kilometers almost stride for stride. She was really struggling and almost in tears. As I got closer to her I asked if she was okay. She said she was fine and I continued to explain how we started together and ran almost half the race together. She smiled and let out a bit of a laugh. When I asked if she had anything left in the tank she said yes and I suggested that because we started together, we might as well finish together. Right up until the 21km marker we stayed close to one another. On occasion I would lose her as she took a quick break but she would catch up if I slowed down, taping me on the shoulder the same way I did to her to get her to keep going. We made it. My the 21k route marker though, she was running on empty. Her boyfriend was trying to encourage her and was running beside her on the other side of the fencing. She had nothing left in her tanks. While sore and feeling the tightness of my knee (as a result of a lax hip muscle, of which I was also feeling by this time), I decided I did have enough left to book it to the finish line.

This was probably my toughest race mentally because I knew I could do significantly better. Having a bit of fuel to burn lead me into a 500m sprint to the finish line in which I passed another 50+ runners. Hearing the cheer of the crowds was definitely a nice driving force and made me want to run harder. While my finish was strong, and the last half of my race disappointing, I felt like I didn't want to disappoint the crowds waiting in masses at the finish line. That was one whopper of a sprint and it was the only time I heard my name called on the course by someone other than the announcer on the microphone (which happened to be John Stanton!). Thank you to whoever it was that tried their darnedest to say my name - man that was some seriously good motivation!

After crossing the finish line and receiving my metal and finish line photo (hahaha, I looked so winded!), it was on to the food line.

The race over all was pretty low key. The webpage was a far cry from the webages of any other marathon out there, and the information was limited... but boy was the food great! Water, juice, bananas, apples, oranges, muffins, granola bars, your choice of sandwich/wrap, chips... sheesh... I'm usually lucky to get an orange slice. I was pretty darn happy to be getting a lunch! One less stop required by this girl before hitting the road for the long drive home. Additionally, while waiting in line for food, I got to meet up with a fellow digital runner. How awesome is that? We met initially as part of our training for the 'Dopey Challenge' that we will both be running in January through a forum online. Little did either of us know that we cross paths quite frequently and had just never met! Well, now we both have someone to talk 'run geek' with. What more could a girl ask for!?!?

My thoughts on the race: I will definitely be back and would definitely consider this race to qualify for the Boston Marathon. While not totally flat, it is pretty darn close. What hills were on our course (and thus half of the marathon course) where hardly but a few meters in elevation and had a pretty generous slope. I really enjoyed the course! The volunteers were great although I feel like there could have been more water stations. We had 3 very busy stations and I feel like maybe one more would have been good.... maybe it was just from my lack of training but I ran out of water en route and felt uncomfortable with the distances between stations. I don't usually take water for anything less than a 16k run so it was odd to me that I would go through my 2 whole little bottles when I usually hardly ever take a sip (even for a half or full). Other than that, GREAT run and GREAT race!

Well done Edmonton! I am already looking forward to hitting the course for the full marathon next year! Can't wait!