I think it is safe to say my coach Fiona knows that I am not too fond of running…After finishing my second Ironman at Mont Tremblant in August and now officially in the off season, I decided yet again to work on one of my triathlon weaknesses: running! I initially asked about running a full marathon which she quickly replied: No Way…so I settled on training for a half marathon in Hamilton. Hamilton Road 2hope marathon is advertised as a fast run, downhill and the best way to qualify for Boston, I chose it because itâs close to home. Â I eased in into the new training regimen, long runs, mixed with easy run as well as hard interval and tempo run and surprised myself (and Fiona) into enjoying it. I was however still dreading race day, I did not do so well at my last half marathon this year and I was worried about a repeat poor performance. Fiona had emailed a race plan aiming for a finish between 1:50 to 1:55 which seemed to me a bit unrealistic considering my 1:59 at the Chilly Half in March!!! Â I was also worried about the cooler temperature, I have been known to overdress and overheat in cold weather.
Race day came on November 4, it was dark and cold and I almost stayed home but kicked myself into gear and arrived early in Hamilton for a 20 min warmup of light jogging and A&Bâs. At the start line I was fiddling with my newly acquired iPod ( I know I should not try out something new on race day not even an iPod), that got me a bit distracted and I did not realize that people were moving ahead of me so I was stuck almost at the end of the line. I started way too fast of course, running on the packed gravel by the side of the road trying to get around slower runners and walkers; first mile was below 8 min/mile. I settled into a good pace then at the 5 to 6 km mark the long downhill starts, I just went for holding my HR at 168, peaking at a speed of 16.8 km/h according to Garmin, going through those miles quickly at a pace faster than 8 min/mile which I was not supposed to do (sorry Fiona) but I just had to take advantage of that free speed (and it was so much fun!!). By the 11th KM I was still feeling great and going steady, the course flattens out with a short section on a trail with a couple of short steep hills then we cross a bridge over the QEW to get to the final 10 km of the race on a trail by the lake. The first half of that section was harder, flat and against the wind and I really had to talk to myself to keep holding the pace but after the turn around with only 4 km left on that trail section and the wind in my back I realized I could make it…I tried to increase the pace but as soon as my HR went up above 172-174 calf cramps hit which forced me to hold steady and not sprint to the finish line. Finish time was 1h:50:40. I was relieved and very happy, goal achieved, PB by 4 min…Now ready for more running races with the Chilly Half and ATB next spring and hopefully more PB’s under the guidance of my great coach Fiona! But first recovery, who knew a half marathon, could be so painful? I can hardly walk because of calf pain whereas I had only 2 days of mild aching in August after a full ironman!! Â Elaine
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