After two years of races being cancelled, things are finally back to normal and the racing season here in Alberta has recommenced. I'd been cautious about entering too many races this year simply because nobody really knew how things were going to pan out, but I'm happy to report that since I last wrote, I have managed to squeeze in three good races, a couple of parkruns, and numerous decent training sessions, including a 5k time trial where I ran 21.20 - an age PB for me, having not ran that quick for a couple of years now.
Since I registered for the Red Deer Marathon in October last year, this race has been my main focus during the winter months and leading into the spring. Most of my longer training runs have been at marathon pace, and up until the beginning of March, I was confident that I could hold that 7.30 miling which would give me a finishing time of around 3.15. But then I caught Covid, I missed a good month of marathon prep, and I knew that my initial goal was going to be far too ambitious.
I wasn't really sure what I would be capable so decided to just continue with the training plan, and made a decision on how to tackle things closer to race day.
In my marathon hay day, I always tried to do a couple of races leading into a marathon that would make me "race sharp" and also give a true indication as to how training is going. I hadn't really got anything planned, but when I saw the St Albert 10 mile road race about four weeks out, I thought this would be a great opportunity to put things to the test and see how I cope running fast on the roads again.
It was a great day for racing in St Albert - a cool start with a gentle breeze which was perfect for running. I had heard that the course was quite hilly and having not really done any hill work (I haven't been on the trails for ages now with training for a road marathon!), I had a feeling I was going to struggle on the climbs which would ultimately slow me down. I was hoping to run close to 75 minutes even with the hills, but that felt terribly quick for me, especially when I saw the mile long climb right at the start of the race. I tried not to dwell on things too much though, and as soon as the gun went, I set off running the race by feel, trying not to look at my watch but rather keeping things hard but controlled.
The long, drawn out uphill was followed by a lovely downhill, and then the course became rolling with a few ups and downs. I had no idea what position I was in, I didn't really know what pace I was running, but by 10k I had to take a quick look, and I could see that I was on track for a sub 75 minutes - I was ecstatic! Of course, I still had another 6k to go, and having weaved between the 10k runners that had started later but shared the same course, I was still running strongly with both the breathing and the legs feeling in synch with eachother.
The final mile through town seemed to go on forever, but I eventually saw the finish line, crossing it in around 73 minutes - mission accomplished!
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| St Albert 10 mile Road Race |
Having had a good race in St Albert, I was even more motivated with my training sessions, and I ended up running the parkrun in Edmonton one Saturday morning, where I finally dipped under 22 minutes for the first time on that course (21.46). I was starting to grow in confidence and not fear running hard and fast again, so much so that a 5k time trial on the track saw me run an even quicker time of 21.20.
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| Track 5km time trail - 21.20 :) |
I had another race planned before the marathon - this time it was the first of the 5 Peaks trail races at Terwillegar in Edmonton. I was really looking forward to racing on the trails again as it really has been such a long time, and having entered the Enduro event, this was going to be a good 10 mile tempo run. Without a doubt, I knew I was going to struggle on those climbs and maybe even the more technical trails - you do lose your trail legs if you don't run them often enough! - but I wasn't interested in trying to win anything on the day, I just wanted a good, solid run that would boost my confidence for Red Deer.
The course really suited me with a good couple of miles at the start of each loop being flat and fast, and I could really tell that I had been doing speed sessions as I felt like I was floating along. I was passing lots of people and a couple of folks even commented at the end how fast I was (speed is relative, but still). Ireally did feel good stretching out the legs, and I could see a couple of ladies ahead that kept looking behind to see if I was catching them, but I knew that the mid section was hilly and that any gains I made on the flats would be lost on the hills.
The course turned out to be just over 10 miles, and I averaged out at around 8.38 minute miling- the fastest paced trail race I have done in a very long time, and I was very, very happy with the effort. I had felt strong and I was now feeling ready for the marathon.
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| 5Peaks Terwillegar PC: 5 Peaks |
We had decided to spend the weekend in Red Deer and being a long weekend anyway, we booked three nights at the Lions Campground on the outskirts of town. It's in a really nice location alongside the river, but unfortunately it is next to a road that was extremely noisy with boy racers until the early hours, we were awoken by chainsawing at 5am on the Sunday morning, whilst our camping neighbours were up partying until 1am, despite "quiet time" being from 10pm onwards. In saying that, I slept ok and didn't real feel too bad on race day morning.
The campground was only 5 minutes drive to the start so I didn't have to get up at a ridiculous hour, although the race did start at 8am which is early for me! Parking was good, and it felt so good to experience that race day apprehension again, those pre-race nerves, the vibes off all the other runners, and actually being at an event!
There were probably around 200 in the marathon which started with the half marathoners, but there was still plenty of space at the start and there was no jostling for position when we got going. It was another cool start, but I knew things were going to warm up as the morning progressed, so right from the getgo, I was sure to take drinks from the aid stations to keep those cramps and dehydration at bay. I had also taken some gels with me and I took one every 10km to keep me moving. I'm not really sure they did anything for me, but if nothing else, they gave me the mental boost that I was now full of energy for another 10k!
Having reviewed recent races and training session, I figured that I could run 7.40 to 7.45 miling relatively comfortably which would bring me in somewhere around 3.20 to 3.25 if I had a good day. I would be perfectly happy with that, although I realistically thought that just under 3.30 would be more likely.
I'm surprised I remembered the course as well as I did - it had been 8 years since I last ran here, and yet I knew exactly where I was going and what was coming up. The climbs were just as I remembered and my pace slowed on the uphills, the trail loop around the island was lots of fun, and the section through the off-leash dog park had me trying to avoid tripping over dogs that were excited to run alongside me. I even remembered the forest trail that went on for around 3km, and the course really was as scenic as I remembered.
I was doing pretty well with my pacing, going through half way in around 1.43 which would give me 3.26 if I kept it going, although I knew full well that chances were I was going to slow down - the question was, by how much. It was only when I got to 32km or 20 miles when I started to slow ever so slightly. The run through the forest was a gradual climb and my legs were feeling it, so when i hit the pavement again, I couldn't seem to pick up the pace. I was still hovering around 8s so wasn't too concerned, but getting under that 3.30 was now going to be more of a challenge. Things had also started to warm up considerably, so I was walking through aid stations to be sure of taking onboard fluids which of course cost me time that soon builds up. I was also struggling a little on the smaller hills, feeling like I was crawling up them, but I kept pushing forward and working hard.
With around 3km to go, I saw another lady ahead of me and I was pretty sure that she was in third place. My competitive instinct kicked in and now I was working hard not only to break 3.30 but also to grab a place on the podium. I was reminded of my road running days and my determination to fight all the way to the finish line. Those fond memories came flooding back along with that rush of adrenalin, and as I passed the other lady, I skipped the aid station and kept focused on getting to the finish line. I knew there was a final climb just a half mile or so from the finish and I needed to get to the top of that hill without being passed if I had any hope of holding on to third place. I did it, and as I ran a 6.38 pace down the final hill to the finish line, I just missed the sub 3.30 by a mere 6 seconds. It didn't matter - I was so close, and I had sneaked third place in the ladies race.
There is no denying that I had tons of fun at the Red Deer Marathon. I was reminded all over again what a beast the marathon is, how tough they are to run, but also how much fun they can be. It's been five years since I last did a road marathon and Red Deer this weekend was marathon number fourty something - I can understand why I loved the marathon distance so much, and I have to say that I am so so tempted to do another one very soon. My time from Red Deer should get me into Boston if I so desired, and also Chicago should I wish to head there in October next year instead - one thing I do know is that I do want to do it all again!
The thing that surprised me most about Sunday's race was how I coped mentally with the distance. At no point did I think about how far I was running, at no point did I think I could not hold the pace for another x number of miles - the miles went by very quickly, I broke the course down into chunks, tackled things mile by mile, and it worked perfectly. And yet if it had been a half marathon, I would likely have struggled at 8 miles and hated every minute!
Next up on my race calendar is another 5 Peaks trail race, this time at Whitemud. I'm not expecting too much from that, but I'm still looking forward to it. Then in three weeks time, it's Survivorfest 24 hour event. I wasn't going to do the 24 hour this year but with the introduction of the track and trail option, I'm going to use it as a good training run in preparation for the Backyard Ultra in July.
Of course, aside from my running, life is still chugging along quite nicely. I was offered a permanent job in the Safety Codes section at work and I started in my new position about a month ago. This inevitably caused some stress as I tried to learn new things, and I was feeling somewhat exhausted, but I now feel like I'm settling in and enjoying things. We've also sneaked in some camping trips and released a couple of new videos - if you've not seen our Easter Feast video or the winter campout at Crimson Lake, check out my YouTube channel and get watching!
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| Winter camping videos and Easter Feasting :) |
I was hoping to get some more videos up over the coming weeks, but the husband is over in Korea and it's more difficult to find the time to storyboard, film and then edit videos when I'm on my own. I do have a couple of ideas in the pipeline and some videos still at the edit stage, but things may be a little quiet on my channel for the next month so please bear with me.
That's it for now except to say that the pups are still keeping me busy and I love them more than ever - they are certainly great company when I am home alone!
Until next time, happy running my friends and see you all again very soon :)