PYP - Pick Your Poison Race Report

Its that time of year again, Ultra Season. Thank God, time to break up that training with some really, really long runs. I like to think of it like a second Christmas. What will I get this year? Good times and fast finishes or bad times and DNFs. Will I end up with a X-Mas sock full of black toenails or just a few blisters?  Well I guess I am just going to have to run and see.

First up this year was Pick Your Poison. Usually PYP is the second race of the season but this year it came first with Seaton being moved to the middle of May. Apparently the organizers of Seaton must have decided that the water boarding that they gave us last year constituted torture after all.

Prerace
Being that I was in full training mode with a pile of races set for May I decided to do the big one day taper for the race. Who needs more than a day off anyway. I would run the 50k while Kim was going to run the 25k.

Race plan was simple, just like the last 2 years at PYP I would run semi hard but not race full out with my spring goal race being Sulphur. The course is a 12.5km loop over, under and around ski hills with lots of fast sections but also with a good deal of climbing. I am told its about 1100ft of climb per loop but I cant say for sure.

We got up early on Saturday April 29th, picked up April B. and drove up to Barrie. Weather looked near perfect for the race just above freezing at the start climbing to 7 degrees and sunny. We got to the race site with lots of time to spare and got ready.

The field was a lot bigger this year and I spent most of the time before the race chatting with lots of other runners that I hadn't seen all winter. Before long we were lining up at the start getting last minute instructions. I met up with Morgan (one of the Leadville group) and we decided to run together at least to start as both of us were using the race as training.

Loop 1
The race starts and we are off. I know there are some changes to the course but I have no idea what they are because that would require me to look at the map on the website. The early part of the course is fast and flat, first on dirt road then into single track. We end up getting caught up in the early run to hard out of the gate syndrome running around a 4:30k but both of us catch it and slow it right down. There are some running the 12.5k race and I think we might have been caught up with them. No worries after some joking about our own stupidity we slow down.

My plan for loop 1 is simple, run it at 50k pace, run all the hills and most importantly stay on my nutrition. For this race that means a gel every 30 minutes all day long. It will suck but outrunning the puke monster in my next 100 miler means getting used eating gels non stop, forever.

Soon the course is getting hilly with the first big climb up the ski hill coming around 4k in. I can see a group of around 12 runners up ahead as we work our way up the hill. They are running in a group which includes Ron G and Charlotte V. We think about pushing to catch up with them but we are not suppose to be racing so we decide to wait as we can always push in the last loop.

When we reach the top of the hill Morgan grabs some stuff from the aid station here which is being manned by Ken Moon and Scott Garrett. Weird not to see them actually racing or as I like to call it leaving me far behind but with Scott running a 100 miler a month this year I figure he is probably resting up.

Soon we are back into the woods for some double track then up the huge hill next to the golf course. This is the third time I have run PYP so I have a close relationship with this hill which I dubbed Mount Evil back in 2010. Even after all this time this hill still sucks big time.

The last part of the course is more single and double track with lots of climbing. The course is the same as previous years and familiar but very different. We end up running most of the same course as before but it is laid out in a new (and better) way with much of the race course being run in the opposite direction from previous years and with some sections being run in a different order then before.

Last year there was some confusion on the course with some runners getting off track, misdirected etc. Have to say the RD Adam Hill did I really great job with the changes this year. It was pretty hard not to stay on track even for a directionally challenged runner like me.

Before long Morgan and I were cresting the top of the ski hill and heading back down the steep downhill to the start finish line.
Loop 1 time 1:18

Loop 2
Once again it was a simple plan for loop 2, run comfortably hard and slow it down just a bit. This loop seemed to fly by as Morgan and I chatted about training for Leadville (or lack of training) and plans for going to the race. I am scared poopless about Leadville while Morgan seems more relaxed about it. He as the advantage of having run HURT and also the advantage of never running at altitude. I have been above the treeline and know just how hard it is to breath up there, scary stuff.

 Often we could still see Charlottes group a minute or so ahead of us but we once again felt no need to speed it up. The pace we were running seemed to be working well for both of us. Morgan is much faster then me normally but I am in peak condition so it works well for both of us.

Before you know it we are stumbling back down the giant hill and into the start finish again.
We do the loop in 1:20, a little faster then planned but not stupid fast.

Loop 3
With the last lap being a bit faster then expected we decide to make sure we stay slow on this one.
Morgan is running 50 miles at Bear Mountain next weekend. I am running the Toronto Marathon and 50k at Seaton the week after that. We are both idiots but smart enough to not totally trash our legs.

Once again we can see Charlottes group about a minute ahead. Its beginning to break up some and over the next hour we end up passing most of them while keeping a steady pace / effort. The loop goes really well. I eat gels like there is no tomorrow and my legs are slightly tired but feel good. We pass a handful of people and only get passed twice once by another runner and once by a blur of churning legs and arms as the race leader laps us just before the end of the loop. If your keeping score that means we were only passed once because the other guy was already ahead of us to begin with.

Then it was into the start finish to get ready for one more lap. Loop 3 completed in 1:25

Loop 4
As we head out for the last loop the plan is to just take it easy. We will keep around the same effort level as the last loop but that will make it slower as by 38k your legs are beginning to feel it. We stick to this plan for the first few K. On the big ski hill climb we can see Ron and Charlotte ahead of us. There is no more group just a couple of runners but they have picked it up some and are a few minutes ahead. I toy with the idea of pushing it but try to remember the purpose of the run so I keep things to a dull roar.

Some where around 5k into the loop we hear and then see a couple runners behind us. One of them passes us and disappears up ahead. This does not sit well with me at all. Its not that we have been passed (hey I am slow and I know it). Its that we have been passed while we are running conservatively. This makes me feel like a total slacker. I know that must seem strange as we had just run around 45k but I felt like a lazy, lazy runner so I picked it up some.

Now Morgan and I didnt open it right up but I wanted to just speed up enough to drop the other guy that was still behind us. Well that was easy said then done. That guy just kept hanging on about 50 meters back. Son of a .... This guy was going to make me work.

Before long we started running faster and actually working the uphills pretty hard but to the guys credit he hung in there. At some point Morgan reminded me that we said we were going to run this easy but I told him I wanted to drop the guy behind us. According to Morgan running faster to drop some random runner that you dont know in order to finish ahead of them is called "racing".  Who knew?

Finally we seemed to have left our pursuer behind and even ended up passing a few more runners in the process. Then it was up the final climb and down the hill to the finish for a last loop done in 1:26.

Post Race
This ended up being a really great run. The course was great, the weather was great and I cant think of anything to complain about.
I ended up finishing in 5:30:54  29th/82 which was off of my PB by 4 minutes.
Kim PBed for a 25k trail race in 4:10:19

Read Morgans take on the race in his race report here

Next up my Toronto Marathon Race report

Training update, last months totals, PYP

Just a quick training update. April ended up going only okay, not great. My quad/ hamstring issue caused me to shut things down for 5 days at the start of the month. Not a fun time at all. After a few days rest it was back to running. It all went well at first but I am beginning to have a "reoccurrence". This week is a recovery week of lower mileage so I am hoping that will help. If not I may end up with a 3 week taper to Sulphur instead of my normal 2 weeks of laying around. With the Toronto Marathon this coming weekend I am going to play it by ear.

April Totals
Runs - 23
Quality runs - 6
Long runs - 7
B2B long runs - 3 times
Distance - 282 miles or 454 km
Weight workouts - 15

Yearly Mileage
1094.2 miles or 1760.9 km

Pick Your Poison went great with both Kim and I running well. Should have a race report in a day or 2.

No NYC Marathon again, PYP 50k this Saturday

New York City Marathon
Well what can I tell you. Once again I put my name in the lottery for the NYC marathon and sadly my losing at the lottery streak continues. By my count this is the 12th straight time my name has not been picked in various race lotteries. Clearly the Lotto Gods just do not like me at all. I have yet to meet a lottery that I can't get picked in.

The Good
 I am now a 3 time loser at NYC so I am in next year if I decide to go. If you were to ask me today if I still want to go I would be telling you Hell No. I know that is just the bitterness I am currently feeling about the whole process so I expect I will not think the same way about it later.

The Bad
Kim is in and after deferring last year she is running it this year. I am happy for her but dread the thought of going to the NYC Marathon and watching it from the sidelines. It has got to be the runners version of being water boarded, a slow torture that will seem to last forever. GRRRR

First I couldn't do Chicago with her a couple of summers ago now NYC. Maybe I am being punished for making her crew me in all those 100 milers. If she manages to crew me to a successful finish at Leadville this year I promise not to scowl the entire weekend in NYC.

PYP 50K
Tomorrow we will be heading up to Barrie to run Pick Your Poison which is the first OUSER race of the season. This is the third time I have done this race and it has been a great fun every year. I had thought about not running but I just like this race way to much to skip it.  I will be doing 50k as a training run to get ready for Sulphur  Springs while Kim is running 25k. I also figure 50k of trail on a very hilly course is perfect to run during my taper for the Toronto Marathon the following weekend. Okay that was a joke, kind of. Hey at least its a better taper then last year when I ran PYP and then 50 miles at Bear Mountain the next weekend as my "taper" for Toronto.

Originally when I signed up for Toronto I had planned to race it but a change in the OUSER race schedule caused me to change my mind. Now I will run it as a training with some race pace. My big focus for the spring is Sulphur so I am trying to remember that every time I think about doing something stupid. I have to be honest, it's only kind of working.

Oh, my hamstring / quad issue is still ongoing. That is all I am going to say about that.

Around The Bay, March Totals, A Glitch In My Training

I can't really call this a race report for Around The Bay. I was not racing at all so in the spirit of the training run I will keep this short but figure I should say something.

Once again this year we travelled in the Longboat bus down to the race. The weather was really great this year, perfect for running. Kim was racing, I was running it as a slightly quicker long run. I spent 3.5 hours on the trails running the day before so no way I was racing it.

I started way back in the field and ended having a great time. The plan was to run 5 minute kms and just enjoy the run. The first few kms were super slow as I was waayyyyyy back in the pack but by the 4km mark I got a little running room and settled into pace for the rest of the race.

I spent the next 20km constantly passing large groups of people. One of the cool things about starting way back in the field is that I must have seen and talked to more then 20 runners that I knew out on the course not including Longboat runners. I saw runners from my RR clinics, ultra runners that I knew, runners that I had met at other races or around High Park even a couple of former students. I ran along with this person and that person chatting a bit before moving along.

After my last blog entry and some of the over the top reaction (more about this in my next post) I wondered if some angry runner might find me and freak out but all went smoothly. In fact I saw and talked to many people that really liked the post.

I was able to get a solid run in but the last 10km were tough as the fatigue from my long run the day before started to catch up with my legs. Still a great experience and I crossed the finish line in 2:34 and change. Not close to my PB but that was kind of the point.

Kim ran great setting a new PB by more then 7 minutes.

March Training Totals

Runs - 30

Quality runs - 8

Long runs -6

B2B long runs - 3 times
Distance - 299.53 miles or 481.7km
Weight workouts - 16

A glitch in my Leadville training

So in the last couple of weeks I have hit a glitch in my training. I want to call it a small hiccup but really its become more of a giant beer burp. After running the Chilli Half Marathon I came away from the race with a sore left hamstring.

No problem, I did what I always do and just kept right on training. I follow the if it doesn't get worse then its fine to run on rule of training. This was fine for the first two weeks as I upped my mileage into the 90 mile range. It was actually slowly but surely getting better. Then two weeks ago I did my first long 3 hour plus run on the trails at Sulphur. I followed this with a medium hard 30k effort the next day at Around the Bay. This awesome combo of running resulted in a very sore hamstring and by the following Thursday I was forced to rest it for 2 days.

Another set of back to back long runs on trail the next weekend and again by mid week more trouble. I could run but not hard. No quality running for me which meant scrapping my first track workout of the season. Instead I took the group that I coach to the track and kept it slow. It is very hard to keep it slow on the track especially when you really want to let lose.

I am trying to pretend that I learned something last year. With that in mind I shut my running down totally since then. Its 5 days and counting but I should be good to go in another day or two. I could have run again after 2 days rest I am going to do my best break the re-aggravating the injury cycle if I can.

Now is the time to deal with it. I am in decent shape already so a week of down time will not hurt too bad. I want to be ready to go as May sees me running a few 50k races as training before the 100 miler at Sulphur. I figure its better to keep this to a loud beer burp then let it become a huge fart with the potential to leave a big mess in my pants.

Marathon runners are arrogant, narcissistic, self centred babies

Hello Marathoners, hows it going? Right now many of you are preparing for Boston a race you have wasted countless hours on and or years in training to finally get that qualifying time for. Congratulations, it takes a certain type of sucker to swallow the Boston pitch hook line and sinker. I know you think you have achieved something, working so hard to get some made up arbitrary time that gives you a false sense of accomplishment. Its amazing that you can run a marathon in a time that is actually by any real standard incredible slow and still beam with pride just because some race director tells you that your awesome. Its really pathetic that you need such a thing in order to have those feelings of being better then others. But hey now you can strut like a peacock waving your Boston bib around and propping up your arrogantly swollen head. For those of you that failed to make your BQ or were so slow you didn't even try don't worry you still have many years of wasting your time jumping for the brass ring like a trained seal. Maybe someday you will make it too and be able to prance around in your Boston Jacket letting everyone know just how incredible you think you are.

So did that make you mad? No, then maybe you should go back and read it again, I will wait. How about now? Did this make your blood boil? Are you ready to track me down and lynch me, leave a nasty comment or stop following my blog. Good welcome to my world as an ultra runner.

To be clear everything you just read is a lie. I don't believe any of it but I wanted to see your reaction. I wanted you to understand that words are a powerful thing. Even though I am telling you its a lie some will still be pissed off at me but I wanted you to step into my world for a few minutes. You see according to some out there in the running community I am not a real runner. Apparently because I run trail and love ultra racing I somehow am of less value than a marathoner. I mean we all know that those guys are the real runners. Oh sorry only the marathoners that are fast. I am not talking to all you slow marathoners, in fact if some had their way you wouldn't be allowed to race at all. Oh sorry did I say race, my mistake in the view of some you are not racing. Hell you are way to slow to race.

Apparently I missed the board meeting of the Running A-Hole club which oversees the running world and decides who is a legitimate runner and who is not. I wish someone had told me earlier before I wasted my time running on average 6 days a week and more then 13,000 km in the past 3 years. If I had known I would not have punished myself with all those hill repeats, tempo intervals and track sessions. What a waste of time when I could have been warming my ass on the couch.

In the last few months I have dipped slightly back into the road world and although there is a great deal that is good about road running there is also a holier then thou ugly side that you rarely see in the trail running world. It seems that the endless pursuit of shaving seconds or minutes off of a race time causes some people to go a bit mental.

First there was a blog by Tim Tollefson crossfit vs ultrarunning. which is more nauseating, then a blog/article in Canadian Running Magazine called 5 prescriptions for saving the sport. Then most recently a blog by a runner in my club called Slow Down

For the life of me I cant understand why runners feel the need to attack other runners. Maybe they want attention or it makes them feel superior. It's even worse when the claims fall to stand up to any kind of real scrutiny. So lets try that.

Tollefson Article
This one didn't bother me much at all but it sure upset a lot of Ultra Runners. He tries to play the whole thing off as a joke and I took it as such. The only problem is that its not funny, not at all. Maybe if you found Full House or Saved by The Bell funny you laughed at this one too. I see this as funny the same way a jock bully at school finds it "funny" when he gives the smaller less athletic kid a wedgie. Its not funny its just pathetic but it sure makes him feel good.

Houston we have a problem. Oh and Tim you know all that crap you wrote running down the ultra elites? You are a great runner but I saw the results from the Marathon Olympic trials in Houston and you finished behind a number of crappy ultra guys. Some running times from some "crappy ultra runners" at the Houston trials:

Josh Cox (US 50k record holder) 2:13:50, Max King (2011 US Mountain Running World Champion) 2:14:36, Michael Wardian (2011 IAU 100k World Championships silver medalist) 2:21:50, Ryan Bak (Second place team at 2011 GORE-TEX TransRockies Run (with Max King)) 2:15:12, Chris Lundstrom (3rd 2009 The North Face Endurance Challenge 50 mile championships) 2:22:03.

Kind of Ironic don't you think? Oh well you will get them next time.

I am not going to comment on the Canadian Running Blog right now as I have devoted an entire blog to it. I was going to be posting that one today until Dan Ways recent blog. I will put it up in the very near future but will add that I didn't realize that the sport was in trouble and needed a cure. I was out on a run yesterday and everything seemed fine.

So then we had Dan's blog. Now I don't care to much about the barefoot running part or most of the other content. The part I care about is what was said about Ultra Running and Ultra Runners. I have included this in Italics below.

The doc also highlighted another fad in running; that being the ultra-‘running’ craze. Calling this running being a stretch. There are a number of 'real' ultras like Comrades and Two Oceans, in which people actually race and run fast for long, consecutive periods of time. Some people have come to be very good at them and I have a great deal of respect for these athletes. Then there are 'other' Ultras which involve climbing up mountains, through forests, across deserts, the Arctic, or the Amazon. These events don't really emphasize running at all and are really just a combination of walking, hiking, jogging, mountaineering, and orienteering at a slightly faster pace than most normal people would do them and an excuse to eat and drink as much as one desires. They are unnecessary and unnatural acts of attrition that feature elevated egos, delusional self-discovery, masochism and melodramatics. And they too are growing in popularity.

So clearly a lot here to get even the most stoic Ultra runner fuming. Relax there ain't nothing in this opinion that a little bit of factual deconstruction cant expose. Maybe you think this opinion is brilliant or maybe you think its moronic but I leave that up to you.

Ultra Running is a Fad - Sure it is just like marathoning. The Western States 100 was first run in 1977. The NYC marathon was first run in 1970. Boston was first run in 1897 but was not open to be run by the general public. Boston allowed women to run in 1972. Are we to argue that womens marathoning is also a fad? I would not call anything with a 35 year history a fad but hey to each his own. Comrades was first run in 1921 but for some reason thats a "real ultra".

Two Oceans and Comrades are "real ultras". So I guess that's because they are run on road? Or is it the distance? If someone walks in Comrades are they disqualified? What about if they walk in Boston? What exactly defines these as real? As far as I can tell these are only real because road runners tend to run them. I guess for some that makes them more legitimate then Leadville or UTMB. IF you think that some don't run fast and long at Western States well that is just a product of ignorance. Also fast is relative someone running a marathon in 2:10 would not see a 3 hour marathoner as fast at all. Oh and just for the record one of the best Canadian road runners out there M. Leduc ran Comrades and was reduced to walking at 45km although he still finished in 8 hours. He walked some, my god what is wrong with that guy. I don't know how he looks at himself in the mirror in the morning.

Other "ultras" - These don't emphasis running. According to who? Just because you say it and you don't get it doesn't make it true. Almost everyone in these races runs as fast as they can in order to complete the distance. If you think they do it slightly faster pace then most normal people would then well I got no reply for that one (except that all runners are normal people). If you want to ignore what happens to ones body in these events thats fine but it leaves me with a simple question.

If I can run a 15 minute 5k then I can run a 1:03 HM right? I mean I just have to run the same pace. If I can run a 1:03 HM then obviously I can run a 2:06 marathon right? No? Why not? Why is it that the marathon crowd can understand that physiologically a runner is not able to run their 5k pace for 42.2k. Its widely excepted and we all understand that this is because physically the way our bodies work make this impossible. Yet the same people seem to not understand the same biological rules when it comes to ultras. They are run at a slower pace because they have to be. You could run them faster at the start, tearing up and down every hill but you will crash and burn. Just like you could race out of the gate at 5k pace in your next marathon, I say give it a try and see how that works out for you. Why is pacing in a marathon (read going slower then you can run) totally alright but having to do the same thing in an ultra something different?

They are unnecessary and unnatural acts of attrition that feature elevated egos, delusional self-discovery, masochism and melodramatics
Kettle meet pot, pot meet kettle.

And they too are growing in popularity. - Yes they are and its making it really hard to get into Western States. The reason they are growing is many Marathoners eventually come to a place in their running lives where the importance and or obsession of clocking a slightly faster time holds no value for them. They are actually more interested in running to run instead of clock watching and there is no where more natural to do that then on a trail.

So if you are one of those out there that seem to think that you are somehow superior to those that choose to run other races, other distances, different terrain or happen to be slower due to age, injury or genetics I would suggest that you reread the title of this blog. Its actually meant for you.

Free Gu, Leadville training week 3, Slainte 5k?

Free GU
You read it right. Free GU. All you have to do go to www.strava.com and join the GU challenge.



Its free and easy. For the next month you log your miles (it downloads from your garmin or Iphone) and depending on mileage you get free GU. Just go there and check it out. God do I have to hold your hand all the time!

Leadville Training Week 3
Another good week of training but with tired legs from the Chilli HM it was a challenge. Managed to get in 130k including a good hill workout and took my long run up to +40k for the first time this spring. I also ran the Slainte 5k on Saturday. I managed to put in 5 days of strength training at the gym and 40 min on the bike.

In what I call kind of training on Saturday Kim and I went out for dinner with a number of fellow Ultra Runners. Food, beer and a pretty good time, it's always nice to see people after the winter hibernation. I got some really great advice from Stephen, Kinga M.and Charlotte V. on their training and some things that I could add to mine. Thanks Guys and Girls. I know girls should be implied under guys but I am trying to become a more sensitive, metrosexual man. I am guessing you didn't buy that crap at all did you? Well don't feel bad, I threw up in my mouth just typing it.

Slainte 5k
So no real race report from the Slainte as I was not racing it. It became clear after only 1k that my legs were totally shot which was not unexpected after a HM 6 days earlier and a 90k week up to that point. If I had it in me I was going to run it hard and if not then just take it as a quick run. Well not having it in me was an understatement. My legs were so fried that the 3rd km was actually as slow as my slowest km during the HM .... Yikes.

Then there was the extra 500 meters that we had to run. Supposedly the lead motorcycle officer took a wrong route making this 5k into a 5.53k race. I am sorry but extra mileage in a race is not giving me " more bang for my buck". However I did enjoy the beer, chilli and great company of other Longboaters at the end of the race so it was all worth it. Thanks for including me George, thought I would put that in to see if you are reading this thing or not.

Chilli Half Marathon Report ... Leadville training week 2

Chilli Half Marathon Race Report

So last week I mentioned that I would be running the Chilli Half Marathon on Sunday and that I planned to most likely not race it. This claim was met with some amount of scepticism from most of my running friends. In fact JD left a comment that he didnt believe I would not race the HM. Turns out the guy was right. No he does not have the power of Kreskin he just knows me too well.



That means this is an actual race report but lets just try and stick to the facts and not ramble on. Quite JD I know what you are thinking.

Fellow Longboater Tony picked Kim and I up early Sunday morning and in no time we were at the race site in Burlington. Weather was sunny but cold, not stupid cold, just cold with 20km winds. Had a coffee, did the thing you need to do before racing (I like to call it my own fibre challenge) and then Tony and I did a decent warm up.

We managed to get into the coral without much trouble and were in the right pace area for the race. It was about this time that I realized that I actually haven't run a Half Marathon in 2 years. Seriously how did that happen? I also realized that the race course had been radically changed from the last time I ran this race. Facing the opposite direction at the start line was a dead giveaway. I should have really looked at the course map before hand but what can you do.

Then we were off with 3000 other people. The plan was simple enough I would run the first few Kms at what I figured was my HM pace and see how I felt. If I felt good I would keep racing but if not I would drop down to a hard but slightly slower pace and keep it as a good training run.

Things went well right from the start. Once I got out on the course I didnt have to do too much weaving around people to find a bit of an open space to run in so I fell right into pace. I wanted to keep my HR just a little below my threshold and my pace between 4:30 and 4:41.

The first 3 km are out west along the lake and then a 180 and you head back the same way that you came from. I stayed right on pace and by 5km we where headed east with the wind behind us and not much of a factor. I felt good so decided that I would try and hold this pace and see how it went. I could see another Longboater about 100 meters ahead of me but wasnt sure who it was. I just tried to stay disciplined at this point and keep the pace.

I managed to catch up to fellow club member Christine eventually, it only took about 4km to close the gap on her. I took this as a good omen for me as it meant I was running a consistent pace so far and because Christine is around the same speed as I am although she is probably a little quicker to be honest.

Soon I am at the halfway point. We are still headed East along the Lakeshore and my Garmin tells me I am just slightly ahead of my PB. The course is an out and back and soon I begin to see runners on the way back in. I see a lot of Longboaters in the front area of the pack (6 guys go sub 1:20 on the day).

So far so good but its been a long time since I have run this hard for this long and by the time I hit 13km I am beginning to feel it. Nothing major, still on pace, but I know its going to get tougher from here on in.

Around 14km we make another 180 degree turn and head back west right into the wind. Oh goody the hardest part of the race is into the wind how thoughtful. It's not horrible but it is strong enough to play a little bit of a factor. My pace starts to drop slightly so I begin to push a little harder.

Its 16k into the race and I am now suffering the inevitable as I am wearing down. I have slowed some as the HR has begun to creep up with each new KM. I remember this now its what we like to call the painful part of the race where I attempt to hang onto pace. I do an okay job of pushing as hard as I can but am still slowing down slightly. At 18k I am just where I expected to be hanging on for dear life.

As I approach the 19km sign I see a bunch of the faster Longboaters. They are running their cool downs having already finished. Rob Campbell sees me and jumps in to help pace me (push me) to the finish. He keeps me working hard the whole way in when I am struggling the most. Thanks Rob! Although I didnt know it at the time Rob had won his age category and set a new club record all before he came by help scrap me up off the pavement when I was doing my best impression of road kill.

Finally after what feels like an eternity I make the final turn towards the finish. I can see the big arch of the finish so I start my finishing sprint quickly passing 4 people. I am almost there, oh crap. I realize that my oxygen deprived brain had me looking at the wrong archway and after sprinting like a madman I still have another couple hundred meters to go. Wow way to go dummy. I try to keep up the pace as best I can but the next 30 or 40 seconds are the most painful of the race. Only one of the people I passed catches me so that ends up being okay.

I am finished and I am done as well. I resist the growing urge to puke which if you have read any of my road race reports before you know that this is how I measure a successful hard effort. If I feel like I might puke at the end then I feel pretty sure that I have given it everything and left nothing on the course. I lean over the coral fencing just in case which attracts the attention of an EMS guy. He asks me if I am all right and I tell yeah I just dont want to puke on anyone which gets a good laugh. I think once he got close to me he saw that I was just a guy trying to figure out why there is no oxygen in downtown Burlington and not someone in actual trouble. Christine is right there as well having finished 14 seconds ahead of me.

After catching my breath I waited for Tony who finished his first HM in just over 1:45 and then grabbed my jacket to keep warm as I waited for Kim to come in. She ran really well and ended up PBing by more then 7 minutes. Way to go Kim!!! Then it was off to get some food and beer.

I am really happy with my race. It ends up being my second fastest HM and less then 30 seconds off my PB. It looks like my speed is almost back to where it was a few years ago. I was also happy with how I ran staying disciplined early and working really hard at the end. I dont think I could have run it much faster or better at this point in my training and with no taper.
Final finishing time 1:39:17.


Leadville Training Week 2
Training went well again for week 2. It was a recovery week so it was time to drop the mileage some. I got in my scheduled 80k (50 miles) and that included a day of hill sprint repeats and a tempo day. No long run but made up for it by running the Half Marathon hard.



This week its back to higher mileage with a 5k race on saturday thrown in just for fun. It ends at a pub ..... sweet. Sorry JD but it looks like I will be drinking even more beer without you.