I started running when I was 10 years old, and I've been a runner ever since. Not surprisingly, that means I've done a lot of races, and I mean A LOT. These races have ranged in distance from just the 100m sprint right the way up to 200 miles, but I've never been very good at sprinting and I found that I excelled over the longer distances, usually the longer the better. It's only the past 15 years or so where I've really become an ultra trail runner - prior to that, I always considered myself a road runner, and I used to compete regularly in 10km, half marathons, and of course the marathon. I felt confident doing those distances, I wasn't afraid of the "hurt", and I knew exactly how to pace them.
As a road runner, there is always this thing about chasing PBs - or PRs if you're from North America - and every time I toed the line, it was always about going as fast as possible on the day. I spent a good couple of years chasing times - that sub 40 minute 10k, that sub 1.20 half marathon, and that sub 3 hour marathon. As soon as I broke those barriers, I consistently ran those kind of times with felt like very little effort, but in reality, it takes a lot of hard work to maintain those kind of paces year after year if you want to remain at that same competitive level. I don't dispute that you can get quicker and faster with age, but there comes a point where age does work against you, especially when you've pushed yourself to the max for many years already, and anything else you can squeeze out of your body is minimal - you're just grateful to still be running after so many years, and times and placings are no longer important.
Last weekend, I did the Hypothermic Half Marathon in Edmonton. It was -21 degrees celsius at the start - a little chillier when factoring in the wind - and the entire route was covered in ice, which meant those stabilising muscles were working overtime to maintain balance on the slippery surface and the more snowy sections, whilst turning corners was done far more cautiously to avoid a wipe out. I guess old habits die hard, and despite knowing that the conditions wouldn't be conducive to fast times, I still turned up at the race with expectations of running a certain time that I genuinely thought I would be capable of, but in reality I knew would be highly unlikely. I've lost count of how many official half marathons I have completed over the years, but I'm pretty sure that this was probably around number 150, and my best time for the distance is 1 hour 20 minutes - that is way beyond my capabilities nowadays, so I was hoping for around 1 hour 45 minutes, which would be around 8 minute miling.
The race was due to start at 9am and being a road race, there was a distinct absence of familiar faces that I am used to seeing when doing the trail races. There were a lot of people warming up and jogging backwards and forwards, doing high kicks and stretching - crazy to think that I used to do the exact same thing many moons ago, but today, my warm up was just the 5 minute walk to the start! I spotted coach Paul on the start line and it was good to have that bit of encouragement at the start before launching into unfamiliar territory as the race started.
I'd position myself a few rows back from the front and once we got going, this was a good decision as I didn't get held up by the slower runners, and I didn't get in anybody's way either. After the initial burst of speed from everybody at the start, I soon got into what felt like a nice and steady rhythm, and I was feeling calm, relaxed, and in control. A few gents tucked in behind me and they were chattering away about what pace they were doing and goodness knows what else, and I found that I had to speed up a little to get away so I could focus on doing my own thing without the distraction of others.
The route for the half marathon is two laps, and whilst not particularly hilly, it isn't exactly flat either. I was running well for the first 5k and my mile splits were coming in just over 8 minute miles - I was ok with that as it would still give me a sub 1 hour 50 which I would be perfectly happy with. Although I was now warming up, it was still a cold morning, and my face was starting to get frosty. I covered it up with the buff I was wearing but I was breathing heavily from the effort, so ended up moving it again so I could breathe properly. I'm inclined to say that the cold air didn't really affect my breathing too much, but the back of my throat was getting dry and I should have stopped to grab a drink from the aid station on that first lap instead of trying to run through it.
I hit the climb at around 6km and made relatively easy work of it, but when I hit the top, I started with a mild stitch and had to ease things back a little. I also noticed that my lower back, hips and glutes were starting to tighten a little - whether that was from the cold, or just a lack of flexibility that I have been working on I don't know, but I wasn't able to pick up the pace and stride out when I wanted to.
Although the race was a sell out again this year, I wasn't really running with too many people, and I was enjoying just having my own space to run. I passed a few runners, others passed me, and everybody offered words of encouragement as we passed by. The marshals out on the course were also very vocal, and it felt like we had a cheering squad for the entire 21km - something that I am definitely not used to these days when I think of all the trail miles I've ran when doing the ultras in the middle of nowhere!
I think I did the first 10km in around 50 minutes, but now I was having to work to maintain those 8 minute miles. I was a little frustrated at myself that I was finding it so difficult - crikey, I even stopped to walk a couple of times to catch my breath - but I was still hopeful that I could keep pushing and finish with around 1.45. By now though, although I was feeling ok, my body wasn't responding to my request to move more quickly and it was starting to resist. I moved my arms, I slowed to a jog and then tried to pick things up after a minute of recovery, but nope, it just wasn't having it - I'd slipped into my winter plod of just under 9 minute miles, and no matter what I did, I just could not get things to move any faster.
With just 3 miles to go, I accepted that I wasn't going to get the time I had been hoping for, but at least it would still be under 2 hours. I had jokingly said to Andy that I would be lucky to break 2 these days - I would have been horrified if it really had taken me that long! I spotted a few other friends as I ran along - Sherri, Matthew, Laura, Mike - which was really nice, and although I was still enjoying the run, I really just wanted to get to the finish. The final turnaround couldn't come soon enough, and before I knew, I was running the final straight into the finish line as the time on the clock quickly approached 1 hour 50 minutes.
In hindsight, I'm not really sure how I feel about my result. I know that I couldn't have done anymore, I know that I haven't been training specifically for half marathons, so I know I should be happy and I definitely enjoyed being out there and taking part. Yet I also feel a little bit meh about things. Disappointed that I had to walk, frustrated that I got a stitch, and maybe just a little embarrassed that this was a good half hour slower than my best - how can I have slowed down so much?! But I also know that some people would love to run a 1 hour 50 half marathon and maybe I'm just being a little bit selfish and taking things for granted. The good thing is that I now know what I need to do to improve for my next half marathon in April, which will be in Jasper. I need to get used to running hard again, learn how to pace for shorter races again, and remember how much enjoyment I used to get out of road running, even when I didn't hit those PRs! Oh, and maybe be a little easier on myself.
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| I only did it for the blanket :) |
Happy running my friends - see you at the next one! :)
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