ORW: Hotter then Hell
Posted: Thu Jun 09, 2016 1:39 pm
I have been looking forward to they weekend since the Fall when my girls and I decided to make the journey out east. The reason we choose this race was my best friend's hubby qualified to run on the Army team so if he was going so were we. We flew out on Friday morning and had an uneventful flight and journey into the city. Our hotel was a block from the start so that was perfect. We did a short run on Saturday before we went to the expo and almost melted in the heat. Almost immediately we knew race goals had to be reevelatuated. For the whole group this was our A race, with my goal time of 1:55 being dropped to 2:00 and everyone else reassessing as well. I really wanted to start the race with my goal in mind and then play it by ear and change as I needed to. I worked really hard all winter for this but I didn't want to be stupid and end up in medical. The expo was good and I bought few things but was kind of bummed out by the ugly race shirts which fit really small, I ordered a med. but should have got a large. I didn't buy a souvenir race shirt which I should have. I really liked the tank tops but got busy and felt overwhelmed by the crowds so we left. The rest of Saturday was spent sitting and hydrating, we had dinner at a great Italian bistro and I had my usual pre long run dinner of pizza but this was a whole different level of yummy wood fired pizza. We watched the 10k race start and then made a run for the hotel when the rain started.
In bed sort of early but didn't sleep much as we were still on Westcoast time and then up early to see our two marathoners off. I lined up with the 2:00 continuous bunny and looked for Andy but didn't see him. I thought that I would stay with the bunny until the half way point then evaluate how I was doing and continue from there. I wasn't carrying my own fluid so I knew I needed to drink at each aid station and gels at 7/16 km depending on my pacing. I felt great starting it was hot but the sun wasn't shining on us so it was manageable, it was very crowded, I thought it would space out fairly quickly but that didn't happen until 6 km, which was probably a good thing because it forced me to stay on track. I stayed with the pace bunny until around 7 km, he didn't even slow down for the aid stations and I had to to make sure I actually got the fluids in, I wasn't walking just slowing enough that I couldn't quite catch him again. I saw Marg and Lesley at 9k, I think, gave them sweaty hugs and continued on. Seeing and 'meeting' them gave me such a big smile and made my remember how luck I am do be able to do what I do, travelling to new cities, meeting new people and running. I took ice from strangers and ran through sprinklers and felt strong and steady. At the half way mark i was at just over an hour and felt great but I knew that I wasn't going to pick it up and have a negative split. So I continued enjoying the scenery and loving the day. The few little climbs were fine and I didn't really start to feel horrible until we entered the city and went by the race expo. That was horrible, it was hot and it felt like the race should be over, you run along the river and can see the people at the finish line, nasty. I tried to pick it up but my legs were so heavy so I continued on. I tried to pick it up again for the last couple km but nothing. All in all I ran a strong race and I ran a smart race for the heat. I averaged 5;45km, nothing to complain about and my average heart rate was 155bpm, this made the coach happy. Am I disappointed in my run, no way I was strong the whole time!!! This race was an amazing experience the crowds were fantastic and the organization was top notch. I would do it again in a heart beat.
The last two days of our trip were spend sight seeing and eating. We visited the War Museum and did the hop on hop off bus tour which was so great on a hot day. Ate a ton of yummy food and got out before the sink hole opened up. Sorry I didn't get to meet everyone else but I will be back.
In bed sort of early but didn't sleep much as we were still on Westcoast time and then up early to see our two marathoners off. I lined up with the 2:00 continuous bunny and looked for Andy but didn't see him. I thought that I would stay with the bunny until the half way point then evaluate how I was doing and continue from there. I wasn't carrying my own fluid so I knew I needed to drink at each aid station and gels at 7/16 km depending on my pacing. I felt great starting it was hot but the sun wasn't shining on us so it was manageable, it was very crowded, I thought it would space out fairly quickly but that didn't happen until 6 km, which was probably a good thing because it forced me to stay on track. I stayed with the pace bunny until around 7 km, he didn't even slow down for the aid stations and I had to to make sure I actually got the fluids in, I wasn't walking just slowing enough that I couldn't quite catch him again. I saw Marg and Lesley at 9k, I think, gave them sweaty hugs and continued on. Seeing and 'meeting' them gave me such a big smile and made my remember how luck I am do be able to do what I do, travelling to new cities, meeting new people and running. I took ice from strangers and ran through sprinklers and felt strong and steady. At the half way mark i was at just over an hour and felt great but I knew that I wasn't going to pick it up and have a negative split. So I continued enjoying the scenery and loving the day. The few little climbs were fine and I didn't really start to feel horrible until we entered the city and went by the race expo. That was horrible, it was hot and it felt like the race should be over, you run along the river and can see the people at the finish line, nasty. I tried to pick it up but my legs were so heavy so I continued on. I tried to pick it up again for the last couple km but nothing. All in all I ran a strong race and I ran a smart race for the heat. I averaged 5;45km, nothing to complain about and my average heart rate was 155bpm, this made the coach happy. Am I disappointed in my run, no way I was strong the whole time!!! This race was an amazing experience the crowds were fantastic and the organization was top notch. I would do it again in a heart beat.
The last two days of our trip were spend sight seeing and eating. We visited the War Museum and did the hop on hop off bus tour which was so great on a hot day. Ate a ton of yummy food and got out before the sink hole opened up. Sorry I didn't get to meet everyone else but I will be back.