Sniffles and Colds

My first race of 2013 actually went pretty well – certainly better than I’d imagined it would. During the preceding week, I’d been suffering from intense headaches, a bunged up nose and a chest infection, probably not helped by the small matter of a 37km training run on the previous Sunday as preparation for next month’s ultra! But as those of you that are runners will know, we’re a hardy bunch and we seldom let the “sniffles” get the better of us - neither do we let trivial things such as sub zero temperatures and heavy snow stop us from doing our regular runs, which is probably a good thing as that’s exactly what Calgary encountered prior to race day, making any running exceptionally difficult in the deep snow. 

Needless to say, turning up to race at a cold, snowy and barren Nose Creek on a Saturday lunch time probably isn't the most intelligent thing I've ever done.

It was race 6 in the Calgary Road Runners Cross Country Grand Prix and whilst I've never actually placed any higher than 3rd lady in the individual races, had Saturday been the final race, I would actually have won overall. However, I knew that with the start of a new year, the stronger ladies would be back out in force and so long as they still managed to get in their 6 races, they would easily push me out of the prizes.

Nose Creek is located in the north of the City and really does look like a barren wasteland, made even more desolate due to the blanket of snow. It covers a large area but lacks the picturesque appeal of the other cross country races I’d done so far. Saying that though, it was still a good 2 lap course that included a couple of small sharp hills that added a bit of variety. It was also quite a cold day again too with temperatures around -10 degrees even at midday, and along with the wind chill and lack of sun shine, it really was on the nippy side.

Nose Creek and a cold -10 degrees just before start of race

Having felt pretty rough for the best part of the week, I started the race cautiously as I didn't know how a faster paced run would affect me. For the the first km or so, I was about 6th lady but I could see a couple of ladies just ahead. I didn't want to get  too close  to them and end up getting dragged into a proper race this early on as I knew I would likely burn up, so I just tried to keep them in sights and run my own race.

Surprisingly, thanks to a flatter course, I was feeling OK for the most part although as  I started to ascend the first of the small hills, reality hit home and I realised how bad my chest really was. I wouldn't have minded, but it wasn't even a proper hill, yet I gasped and wheezed my way up, unable to get enough oxygen in my lungs to power the legs and struggling to gain any momentum thanks to several centimeters of snow. The rest of the lap was pretty much the same - a couple of ups and downs with relatively deep snow, and it was just a case of hanging in there, keeping it going and trying to control the breathing.

Gasping for air and grateful for a bit of downhill!

The benefits of a two lap course is that you know what to expect next time round, so as I started lap 2, I tried to speed up and started to pass a few people, eventually catching and overtaking a couple of ladies. I was to pay the price for the sudden burst of speed though and as we hit the inclines for a second time, one of the ladies passed me again. I had absolutely nothing to respond with and could only watch her gradually pulling away from me. Shortly afterwards, and with about 1km remaining, another lady went past and I noticed that it was Kim who's a friend of a friend. Kim had been running exceptionally well in the cross country and was usually a good minute or two ahead of me, and having spotted her at the start, I’d just assumed that she was already a good way ahead of me in this race. I was very surprised that she had actually been behind me up until that point, but she soon started to open up a gap and made it look effortless. 

About 5 minutes later, I crossed the finish line. I'd completed the 7km course in around about 33 minutes and had once again 5th lady although I was only 20 seconds off 3rd and just 7 seconds behind 4th. I was really pleased with the result all things considered, but the exertion had done me no favours as I had a coughing fit and ended up with a very dry and sore throat. The deep snow had also taken its toll – my legs had gone, and I was well and truly shattered!

A snowy run with Wilson around Fish Creek

The following day, I was meant to have been meeting up with the "Dawn and Don Gang",  but for once common sense prevailed and I gave it a miss. I'm sure another long run would have put my plans to run an ultra next month in jeopardy, so I ended up doing a short half hour run with Wilson around a snowy Fish Creek Park instead. He loved it, I loved his company, but I really wasn’t in the mood for going too much further or too much quicker.

Lovely views at Fish Creek
 but in not really feeling the love!

I’m still struggling with a chesty cough but with 4 weeks to go until the Frozen Ass 50km, I’m hoping that things will clear up and I’ll be feeling a lot stronger and ready for a good race. I still have time to get a couple more long runs under my belt before then, and I already have a good base of mileage in my legs from recent weeks, so fingers crossed, all will come good. Before that though, I do have another cross country race in a fortnight and this time I’m taking no prisoners ;o)