Well Chuffed and Very Surprised :o)

So, in brief, last weekend’s 10km race went far better than planned. I expected to run a time and pace similar to previous races in recent weeks and had even penciled in a target time of around 41.00 to 41.30. Needless to say, I was absolutely gob smacked to finish in 40.13 and win the ladies race again, although I’m pretty certain that Anne and Joanna were both hot on my heels throughout the run!

A flatter course along the river was in my favour and with the first 6-7km feeling  comfortable at around 3.55km pace, I honestly believed that maybe, just maybe, I could dip under 40 minutes for the first time in about 4 or 5 years.

For some reason, I’d felt quite relaxed and fairly confident about this race, and yet I struggled mentally whilst racing and the kilometer markers that usually came swift and fast seemed to go on forever. The legs started to feel heavy in the last 3k – probably a result of the recent marathon training - and I found my pace slowing to around 4.10 pace with the sub 40 finish becoming extremely tight. I managed to keep a decent pace going but with about 400m to go, I only had around a minute to spare - even when racing on the track and doing a flat out 400m sprint, I only ever managed 64 seconds PB - so it really was going to be tight, and I missed out by a mere 14 seconds. I never expected to run that quick so I certainly wasn’t disappointed, and to win once again and to be 2^nd overall was an added bonus.

Top 3 ladies - Del, Anne and Joanna :o)

All in all, this was another superb race organized by Calgary MEC, and with the glorious sunshine and warmer temperatures (it was a balmy +10 degrees when we started at 9am!), 230+ people turned out to race.

I really enjoy these MEC races and although I may miss the next one due to other racing plans, I’ll certainly be out there again as soon as possible, and I WILL go sub 40 at some point this year – come hell or high water!

Three Weeks and Counting.......

With just 3 weeks remaining until I take part in my second Calgary Marathon, I’m really pleased with how things have gone. I’ve managed to get in more long runs compared to last year, and with a few good cross country races during the winter months, followed by a couple of 10k road races, a half marathon and a 50km race since January, I am starting to feel much fitter and stronger.

Whilst I would like to do well in the marathon and intend to target a 3 to 3.10 marathon time, I also have my 100km trail race in Edmonton just a couple of weeks later, so I need to make sure I don’t drain the batteries too much so that I can recover quickly from the marathon and ensure I’m feeling strong for the 100km too.

With competing in such a variety of distances over different terrain, my training has to be quite varied, and so I’ve been mixing rep sessions and 10k tempo runs on the flat, with runs of up to 40km on hillier terrain, as well as trying to do a bit of off-roading to prepare my legs for the battering they will no doubt take in my trail races over the next few months. With a mountain race and a 100 miler coming up later in the year, I’m trying to build up gradually so that I’m in optimum shape for each race.

Last weekend I headed over to the mountains in Kananaski Country with some friends for a bit of trail running. It was a friend’s birthday and to celebrate, we were hoping to do an “Anton Krupicka Tribute Run” who is renowned for running in as little clothing as possible as well as being on the speedy side. It was suggested that we replicate this by running up a mountain in as little as we dared. Unfortunately, birthday girl Kim has been suffering from a running injury which decided to flare up early on in the run, so she ended up missing out and spent the next couple of hours doing some gentle walking, and then drinking coffee in a café with her hubby, Adam, instead.

The remaining 4 of us continued up the Jewell Pass trail which was a fair old climb but still runnable thanks to a number of switchbacks, although there was a bit of scrambling over the final 100m or so to get to the summit which stood at around 5000’.

Fun on the way.... :o)

With doing a mountain race in August, I need to start getting used to this sort of terrain, and so I was determined to run up as much as possible. I surprised myself by not stopping as much as anticipated, and although I was slow (Alan and Joanna flew up!), I only walked where the snow turned slushy or a little icy and I couldn’t quite get a proper grip.

We’d been promised sunshine and temperatures of 16+ but we were greeted by overcast skies and a battering wind, but thankfully it was still warm. The views from the summit were spectacular even on a cloudy day and certainly somewhere I wouldn’t mind going back to at some point.

The run back down the trail was single track with some parts still covered in deeper snow, but it was still runnable and I absolutely loved it. We did spot some pretty hefty bear prints – a reminder to me of where we were actually running and another one of those surreal moments that I still get occasionally – and also a reminder that with bears now coming out of hibernation, spring MUST be on its way! 

Fantastic views from the summit



The next day, I ran with another group of friends but my legs felt quite stiff and heavy from the previous day so I only managed 25km, figuring that if I carried on, I would just be slow and banking junk mileage that would bring absolutely no benefit to my long term plans. By midweek, although there was still some muscle soreness, I did have a couple of good runs, clocking my fastest run home from work for 18km, and also a good rep session which I’m hoping bodes well for my 10k race again this coming Saturday.

I’ve said before how impressed I am with the MEC races and I absolutely love them. They are a great speed session and a great bargain at just $15 to enter. I’ve been steadily getting quicker and have won the ladies race at the past 2 events, but their popularity is rising and I’m pretty certain that the next few races are going to be far more competitive as word gets around via the runners grapevine. They really are very well organized events with a great friendly atmosphere so I’m hoping that they don’t become too elitist as that could take the edge off their unique qualities they currently have. I guess only time will tell how they pan out! Either way, I’m looking forward to racing this Saturday, and as things stand, I’m feeling fairly confident that I’ll have a decent run and should be pretty consistent with the previous races – dependent on course and weather conditions of course!

So, with 3 weeks to go, I guess my marathon taper starts soon and I really hope I’ve done enough to beat last year’s time. The ladies field looks strong for 2013, with several ladies expecting to break 3 hours and hoping to win the $3000 prize. I’d love to be a main challenger for a top 3 position, but I’m realistic these days about my goals – if I can run 3.10 or less, I’ll be very happy, but at the end of the day, I’m just going to run hard and do my best – there is no expectation, no pressure – I’m going to just get out there and enjoy running the streets of this wonderful city that I now call home.