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ORW: Hotter then Hell

Posted: Thu Jun 09, 2016 1:39 pm
by IronGoddess
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.

Re: ORW: Hotter then Hell

Posted: Thu Jun 09, 2016 2:03 pm
by newbie
Great job considering the heat, I couldn't image starting at 8:45. You must have pasted us entering into Gatineau when the full and half merged. The 2hr bunny past us then and it was chaos, way too many people in the area.

Re: ORW: Hotter then Hell

Posted: Thu Jun 09, 2016 2:32 pm
by Spirit Unleashed
Nice report!

Re: ORW: Hotter then Hell

Posted: Thu Jun 09, 2016 3:36 pm
by Stampie
Congrats on getting another race done under not so favourable conditions and a great report!

IronGoddess wrote:Am I disappointed in my run, no way I was strong the whole time!!!
Don't beat yourself up over how strong you felt for the duration of the race. You were thrown some crazy weather that is way out of your control, so to finish with your 're-evaluated' goal is an accomplishment in itself. Proof is in your pacing and your heart rate that you posted earlier. There is always the Scotia Half in YVR in two weeks or the Rock n Roll in late October (there is still a groupon for the RnR that ends on the 16th :wink: ) if you are looking for a race to meet your 'A' goal.

Re: ORW: Hotter then Hell

Posted: Thu Jun 09, 2016 4:43 pm
by Habs4ever
Great running considering the weather that was thrown at you. Re-evaluating was the right thing to do.

Re: ORW: Hotter then Hell

Posted: Thu Jun 09, 2016 7:42 pm
by scrumhalfgirl
congratulations on a solid performance under very tough conditions! sorry we didn't get to meet - so glad you enjoyed our city!

Re: ORW: Hotter then Hell

Posted: Thu Jun 09, 2016 7:58 pm
by Miss*Smiles
Congratulations :D

Re: ORW: Hotter then Hell

Posted: Thu Jun 09, 2016 8:53 pm
by HCcD
So :( that we were not able to hook up on the weekend, Kendra :(

I had Andrea's race bib and was waiting for her at the Lord Elgin area and we finally located one another around 7:50am or so, and by that time just had to hustle to the corral ....

As for souvenirs etc, on your race shirt is a $5.00 discount that can be used on online purchases for whatever is left over from the expo ... Usually, whatever stock remains will eventually go in further clear out prices, assuming they still have your size and colour etc available ??

And, yes, congratulations on a solid performance in those conditions you had to race in ...

Re: ORW: Hotter then Hell

Posted: Fri Jun 10, 2016 7:14 am
by RA.
Sounds like you made the best of the conditions and had a mostly enjoyable race and good race weekend! I call that a win! Congrats!

Re: ORW: Hotter then Hell

Posted: Fri Jun 10, 2016 7:21 am
by La
Loved the sweaty hug!! Great to "meet" you, even if only for a few seconds.

More importantly, tell me about this pizza you had... :drool:

Re: ORW: Hotter then Hell

Posted: Sat Jun 11, 2016 6:21 pm
by Jwolf
Sounds like a great weekend overall! Congratulations.

Re: ORW: Hotter then Hell

Posted: Sat Jun 11, 2016 9:07 pm
by Stampie
Stampie wrote:Congrats on getting another race done under not so favourable conditions and a great report!

IronGoddess wrote:Am I disappointed in my run, no way I was strong the whole time!!!
Don't beat yourself up over how strong you felt for the duration of the race. You were thrown some crazy weather that is way out of your control, so to finish with your 're-evaluated' goal is an accomplishment in itself. Proof is in your pacing and your heart rate that you posted earlier. There is always the Scotia Half in YVR in two weeks or the Rock n Roll in late October (there is still a groupon for the RnR that ends on the 16th :wink: ) if you are looking for a race to meet your 'A' goal.

Re-visiting this post and i realize that I misread what you posted. Sorry about that! To run strong in not so favorable conditions is outstanding and a testament of your training cycle. Congrats!

Re: ORW: Hotter then Hell

Posted: Tue Jun 14, 2016 10:01 am
by Robinandamelia
Congrats on getting it done on such a tough weekend! It was crazy hot and that early in the season especially, makes it hard!

Re: ORW: Hotter then Hell

Posted: Sun Jun 26, 2016 1:26 pm
by Ken B
Congratulations! Great report! :)