Drghfx - Leg 1
Leg Length = 17.00 km; Rating - 3.5/5.0; StartTime - 0700 hrs
CTRR Leg 1 Description - Start on the Cabot Trail, at the Gaelic College monument, 1.1 km from Exit 11 off #105 Highway,and finish after crossing the North River Bridge, at the church on the left. This is a gently rolling leg with one long, moderate hill rising from 0 to 50m. Great scenery at this time of day.
Nick's Description - Leg 1 starts to the sound of the pipes at the Gaelic College and is "Gently Undulating"
Three words to describe my run - sad, sad, sad.
Preamble
I was building up my training for this run and had an injury problem in early April, just like last year. This time, achilles tendinitis. 4 weeks off of running which included 2 + weeks for a total of 8 sessions of physiotherapy got me cured with three weeks to train before CTRR. I knew I didn't have much time to build up any endurance and couldn't push it too much or I'd just re-injure myself. So 8 runs and a mini taper was all I could do. I got up to 5 runs of 10k at about a 6:00/k pace, but I was usually fairly beat after each run and didn't want to go past that distance for fear of injury again. I switched from Leg 6, which was a 4.5 rated leg to Leg 1 which was 3.5 but still tough and fairly hilly. I knew I could do 10k but didn't know about the other 7 k and the fact that Leg 1 wasn't anywhere near the flat route I was running didn't help. For those 3 weeks I also watched my diet and lost about 5 pounds which I wouldn't have to carry with me during those 17 k. I thought I had given myself the best chance to run Leg 1 I could under the circumstances...ah, the best laid plans of mice and men...
Race Day
Up at 5:15 AM to have a little breakfast, a shower to warm the muscles including my achilles tendon and to meet up with my lovely transportation and support staff, who were Running Angel, Caro and Bruyere. (What better support staff could any runner have?)
Even though I hate walk breaks I figured I better do them at the 5 k water station, then 10k and 15 k where my support staff would be responsible for my water etc., because I didn't think I could run 17 k straight. (Ha, finally I got something right!)
I started off slow at the back of the pack and passed a couple of runners at the first uphill about 2 k in. The leg was nice and at one point I was running along the water in a beautiful forest setting with the sun breaking through the light clouds. As I ran I kept close to a couple of runners in front of me. It started to get warmer, and I remember thinking that this may not be a good thing as I was starting to get quite warm. Fortunately the clouds drifted back over and later in the leg it actually rained a little and cooled off. At the 5 k water station I took some water and walked for about 30 seconds, tied my shoe and kept on going. The runners in front of me kept running through the water station and created some distance between me and them. By 10 k my support staff was there and waiting for me with water. I was getting quite tired and took the planned walk break. Time wise I was probably at a 6:10 pace but it was a hilly course so not too bad from what I would expect from my little training. From there on out though it wasn't much fun. I had kept the other two runners within sight up to then but starting losing them. I was running slower and slower and started taking more walk breaks. My support crew was always there asking me if I needed anything and yelling encouragement to me and playing my cd song (Every runner picks a song to be put on a team CD and as you run by the support vehicle they crank up your song to get you fired up.) My song was Smokin' by Boston. It turned out to be very prophetic, not because I was smokin' fast but because I was smokin' like a slipping clutch!....I was beat and still many more k's to go. Next time I met up with the support team, I asked them to meet me at the 15 k mark where I walked again and took some water. I told the support team I was fine for the rest of the leg and I would see them at the finish line. I had another uphill and walked a couple of more times. I was struggling at this point in time and was just looking for the "1 k to go" marker. I ran and walked, and walked and shuffled and finallly thought to myself, the 1 k marker must have been here by now. Perhaps they have taken it because all the legs are based on a 6:00/k pace and then they move everything to the next leg. Yep, I round a corner and down the road I see all the cars parked from the various teams. I know there is usually about half a k left from the parked cars and I jog/shuffle in to the finish line with my last little burst of energy. All during the race, all of the other team members cheer everyone else and as I made it in the last little bit, everyone was cheering and yelling encouragement, which is one of the things that makes this relay so great!
I was exhausted and felt pretty poorly for about 4-5 hours after my run.
My final stats were:
62/65 RUNNING MANIA.COM Team # 30 1:48:07 6:22/k
Thanks to my support staff; Captain qmp and the rest of the great RM CTRR team; to the two runners who kept behind me; and to the mystery runner who also ended up behind me, I guess because he didn't start! (Hey, you take'em when you can get'em )
I'm already looking forward to next year, and somehow I will be better trained/injury-free to add some better times to the overall RM result.
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A funny thing happened on my way to the mats:
I beat Chris Stoate ; Ok, I didn't .... uh, I did but actually I didn't. It was hilarious!
In the end, I heard him say "thanks for the finishing sprint, you beat me", and I slapped him on the back to say, "thank you too- no hard feelings". You'll see below, that his time is one second faster than mine. Jeffrey took the photo below although he didn't remember taking it. That's me in yellow, about 20 feet ahead of my contender right at the mouth of the chute. But I kept going straight instead of turning left.... Actually, looking at the pic it's strange that the finishing chute should have turned left after the pylons, cos usually a chute goes straight over the mats! I was out of control baby!
39/65. 17 RUNNERS 35 chris stoate M ON 1:34:15 5:16
40/65. RUNNING MANIA.COM 30 Karen Ocana F QC 1:34:16 5:16
General summary:
The Cabot Trail relay is the most awesome team running experience: everyone has to do it at least once. It's worth every dollar, every hour, every Advil, every bit of frustration, everything! Warning: the Cabot Trail is not for wusses! If you're a wuss, you won't be after the Cabot Trail.
The Clucking Hen:
My initiation into CTRR was Leg 2, nominally a "long easy rolling leg finishing at the Clucking Hen Cafe along the North Shore, passing through a quiet remote river valley with a max. elevation of 60m." Well, after driving the length of the trail, I'm glad I got 2 and not 4 or 6 or 9 (especially not 9), or 10 or 11, or 17. (But next year I want to try something a little harder... Can you say Smokey?!) And I'm happy with my race! But..... I was totally freaked out by how hilly and difficult leg 2 felt.
Me at the start:
Me at the finish:
Details:
The leg starts on a fairly steep hill that seems to never end. Now I'm a pretty seasoned racer, and I've seen a few hills, but h*ll, this was one tough hill that soon had my little heart pounding, and had me retreating to the end of the pack after only 5 minutes, by the time we had climbed hill one of twenty or so !!! What the heck was going on?
I moved ahead on the first long downhill, making up some distance, picking off a few runners, getting my heartrate under control. Did the same on the next few hills. Got some water at 5K, started to feel better. Had a wizz at 7K, felt a whole lot better. Then, settled into a challenging pace, one that felt hard, but not too hard, because I wanted to pick off a few more runners by the end of the race.
My support teams were amazing!! Jeffrey was the unofficial main support car (no # and no dingle-dangle but he was there for me). Heather, Ang and Dennis (and maybe someone else?) were in the Toyota and were supporting too! Just awesome. And Brendan and Trish & Co. in the van were also there. I was not expecting so much support. Brendan took a few pics as well. The great thing is we all met up at the Clucking Hen for breakfast. Yum!!! Cinnamon buns. Oh yeah, Barbara and Alex turned up there too. We plotted ways to turn the Cabot Trail into an IronMan.
The finish:
I settled in behind a couple of guys in blue, and vowed to overtake them, and maybe the lady in front of them too. I inched ahead and finally about 1 Km out, I overtook no. 1. He was none too happy about this. I could hear it: he started to rev up the engine and deepen his breathing, so I put my foot down on the pedal and pulled away, and he cranked up the volume and the speed, but I changed to full speed ahead and follwed the pink flag towards the pylons, but I was going so fast, my vision blurred and somehow, I ended up swerving to the right instead of to the left. What a drag!! Oh well, Chris S. was happy and the rest is history.
The other legs, and the other teams:
Absolutely wonderful. I loved the teams in costume: the Shoehorns in green capes and manties! Chicks Running Clicks: in chicken hats. The Repeat Offenders: in striped inmates suits. My favourites; The Road Hags! in some sort of greenish insecty gauze. The kings of the road: THE VIKINGS!
My one regret: not hauling my butt out of bed at 5 am on Sunday after three hours sleep, to make it to Sanders' second leg & the waterstand, with Ang & Heather. But I did make it to the race finish, at least. That was a blast!!
PS--Coincidentally, I unexpectedly bumped into three people I knew from other places who ran for three other teams : Nadine Fox (Repeat Offenders) whom I'd last seen in the early 1990s; Steve Beatty (Cardio ARrest) last seen in T.O. in 2003 maybe; and a guy from Bombardier who I see almost every morning on the bus, who runs for the Shoehorns!
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Leg 3 - Running Angel
Short story:
59 (out of 65) RUNNING MANIA.COM 30 Angela Keddy 1:29:59 Pace 6:42
Longer story:
I considered dropping out of CTRR due to 2 muscle strains. I planned Bluenose as my "A" race, and therefore asked for an easy leg (thank goodness). I had to bail on Bluenose, but after 2 months of almost no running and lots of ART, I got out for 2 longer runs just before CTRR and knew I'd at least be able to complete my leg.
CTRR was more about the fun team event for me. It was only a week after I got home from Asia, and hours after my graduation from the MBA, so it was time to have some fun.
Thanks to Nick for a nice pre-run hug! That and the sight of Ed Whitlock lined up was enough to get me in a better mood. (I was cranky about the thought of racing when I wasn't ready).
The gun went and I was surprised by my pace, I was running under 6 min km's. But, I was walking all hills (minor as they were) to conserve energy since the 2 runs I had the week before (10km, and 14km killed me). I was under the false illusion that I would have a good finish time anyway since my running pace was higher than normal... Nope. All the walking killed that.
I kept passing an older gentleman when I ran, then he'd catch me on the hills when I walked. Eventually, I left him far behind, and couldn't see anyone else on the course. This gentleman's teammate was supporting him a lot and was giving me updates on the course though (since I told my team to leave me alone). On one walk break, he told me there was only 1km to go, and pointed to the marker. False hope set in.... I thought maybe my garmin was off since I had 1.5km or so left, I thought. So I ran .... I thought I was doing my finishing kick, and that I might still have a hope of hitting the mat. I was so wrong. lol.
1.4km later, and 2 short walk breaks later (since I attempted to speed up to finish), I finally saw the finish and booted it as much as I could. I finished. No major hamstring pain, so that was good. I checked my garmin and saw my pace and was a little ticked at myself. I just did not have the self-motivation to skip those walk breaks. I could have done better. Oh well, it gives me something to work on.
Overall, the weekend was a great time. It was fun, and I got to spend time with my friends in beautiful surroundings.
2 thumbs up
ETA - Oh ya, AND I won a watch!
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Leg 4 - Kristi
I’ve been getting a few pms congratulating me on smoking Smokey – but to be completely honest – I’m pretty sure that I’m the one that got smoked. It took me a while to get to a place where I could write this report, because I was pretty disappointed with myself and I needed to process that and come to a place where I could still be proud of my accomplishment.
Back up to Saturday. I was very very scared. I’ve seen Smokey and I know that it’s big and I know that I’m still coming off of a marathon that had left me with very sore calves. But I didn’t want to back down! Darren and I left the party early on Friday because I was about to become bad company very soon! With the crew ready to go on Saturday morning, we headed to the race where we got to offer congrats to Karen on a job well done! I was still terrified. Not just a little bit, but an “I’m going to throw up all over everyone” kind of scared (just for the record – I didn’t). I was afraid of letting down the team and afraid of embarrassing myself and afraid of not being able to do it. Somewhere on the way to the start of leg 4, my brain clicked in and I said “I’m ready”. Seeing everyone else out there running got me excited and seeing that everyone from the front of the pack to the back was getting cheered on encouraged me. With the encouragement of my amazing support crew, I was ready to go. At the sound of the horn, we all took off. Some of us faster than others. Or should I say, all of THEM faster than ME!
My garmin beeped at the first km to show me a 5:24 km. Just for some reference – this is faster than my 5k race pace. And just to give you some context of the field that I was running with, I was completely alone and I couldn’t even see the next person ahead of me. There was one person behind me. I knew, with a sinking feeling, that it was going to be a long lonely trip! Knowing that I started way too fast, I tried to reel it in a little bit. My legs took that a little bit too seriously as no one had let them know that we were racing that day and they decided to go on holiday. I had really painful shinsplints and my legs just wouldn’t cooperate.
Do you ever have that feeling where they aren’t really attached correctly and they kind of send you weaving all over the place? That’s what they were doing to me. Then the calf pain set in and it was a struggle just to move. I got lots of honks and cheers from my own team members and everyone else’s. But it wasn’t going well. Nothing felt good and then the mental troubles started as well as that voice telling me that I wasn’t good enough to even try this and I was going to be a big disappointment to my team came in loud and clear. This is all before I had to climb the mountain.
I could see Smokey ahead of me and that certainly didn’t contribute to my confidence! That is a sight that I will never forget! There was one woman behind me and she was running at a very nice steady pace. She was behind me until about 1/3 of the way up Smokey where she overtook me. We chatted for a few minutes, but I told her to go ahead if she could and wished her luck. I had planned from the beginning to walk up the hill as I figured that my walking and running pace would be about the same. At this point, all I could see was the other runner up ahead, what seemed like miles still to climb and an amazing vista. It truly is one of the most beautiful places that I’ve ever seen. I was also very aware of the ambulance that follows the last runner as it was just to my right, crawling up the hill at my speed. Nothing like an ambulance following you to boost your confidence!
The rest of the trip up Smokey felt like a death march, it got hotter and hotter as I continued towards the top and I was getting a little light-headed. One of the things that I was so looking forward to was hearing the banging of the rocks on the guardrail – which is one of the CTRR traditions. As I got closer, I came to the realization that since I was the only one out here, no one would be left to still be banging for me. I felt even more lonely and sad and disappointed. Imagine my surprise when I could begin to hear some noise, just a little bit…and then my delight when I rounded the corner to see my RM team mates sitting on the guardrail – banging and yelling – just for me. I probably didn’t respond well at the time, but I hope that you all know just how much that meant to me. I’m a little teary now just thinking about it. Thank you.
I continued my march up the hill where I was joined by Trish who was one of the reasons why I didn’t turn around and march back down the hill in defeat. She marched along beside me and listened to my whining! We approached the van on the side of the road and the evil little voice told me to just get in. Give up and just get in the van. It was only a few feet away and it would have been so easy. I am ashamed to admit that I was so close to doing it. So very close. Then Ian played a piece of his song that just repeated “never give up”. And I could see Darren up the hill just a little bit, waiting for me to keep on marching. So I did. I didn’t give up and I just kept going. With Trish’s encouragement, I finally FINALLY reached the top and then I started running – because that’s what I came to do. The downhill on the other side of Smokey was the most wonderful thing ever. I didn’t do any work, I just pointed my legs in the right direction and let gravity do its work. The air got cooler and started to gain a little bit of confidence back. The support crews drove by me with honks and cheers! Not far from the top of the hill, I passed the woman who had passed me on the way up. I chatted for a moment or two, but wasn’t going to slow down for anything!! Her support crew was amazing. They stopped just ahead of me to wait for her and I know that my support crew did the same thing. We were in good company!
There are two more short uphills to the finish and I was forced to walk up each one – my legs didn’t have an ounce of uphill left in them. My calves were screaming but I was so close! About 1k from the end I felt a “twang” in my left calf and the tightness became even more pronounced. I marched my way up the last hill to be greeted by some smiling faces in orange. Never have I been so happy to finish a run.
Overall, it was the hardest and most humbling 20k that I’ve ever run. I’m still in pain and I’m hopeful that within the next few days I’ll be able to go down the stairs forward again! However, I’m proud of myself. I wasn’t until I started writing this, but I am now. I did it.
As for next year, I know that there are a few others who want to try Leg 4, but I’m also interested. I have some unfinished business there. For now, I think that I need a mental and physical break from running. Just for a few weeks until I’m ready to just enjoy it again.
Big thanks to my amazing support crew and the RM team. You guys didn't doubt me once!!
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Leg 5 - Lonerunner
Short Version: I had an incredible weekend. Super happy with my Leg 5 run.
VERY Long Version:
This is a “run” report since after a very disappointing 2006 of not meeting any time/race goals I decided I didn’t want to race anymore. More than a few times I considered dropping out of CTRR but couldn’t give up the chance to spend the weekend with Maniacs. I had a very conservative time goal. On a good day I was pretty sure I could do it, a mediocre or bad day who knows what will happen.
Saturday morning I was awake by 5 but got to be lazy while Heather, Ang and Carolyn got ready to head out to the Trail to get Dennis to leg 1. I watched a bit of Kona 2006 (good omen) before meeting Brendan and Stephan at 8.
After grabbing breakfast we headed to the trail. We saw Dennis after his leg looking happy, caught Karen on Leg 2 looking awesome, and saw Angela cruise along on Leg 3. Had a chance to see Kristi before her leg and then just before she headed up the mountain, looking like Kristi does, cheerful and happy.
Then it was time for me to get to my start area. This is usually the time I start to freak out, get really stressed and things fall apart. But the best decision I made about CTRR was chosing to go in the 2nd vehicle heading to the trail in the morning. Brendan and Stephan were hilarious, so entertaining I forgot where I was heading. When they dropped me off and while I was waiting with BJH I was very relaxed.
The Run:
Carla (Plod-along) posted this great quote late last week and this was how I was going to run my 17.5k.
'I tell our runners to divide the race into thirds. Run the first part with your head, the middle part with your personality, and the last part with your heart.'
Run the first part with your head
I started exactly how I never do, slow. By the 1k mark I had passed 2 people. I was going faster than the plan but it felt ok so I went with it, knowing I was going to lose time on the big hill coming up. 5k came and went, big hill done, didn’t walk and I caught “pink shirt” at the water station. All was good in the world. Then my Garmin lost it’s signal, this is one of those things that ruins a perfectly good day for me. Fortunately, I’m still in the run with your head phase so I think about how to save this good run. The solution: move to running with personality phase. I have a fun personality so have fun.
the middle part with your personality
Normally I get in a zone and don’t take in my surroundings during a race but this was just a run. So I waved at people, said hi to a lot more than normally but obviously I was still in the zone since I almost ran right past Angela standing on the side of the road with water for me. Sorry Ang. BJH and Mr.BJH were out there with water for me also but since I don’t drink much on a run, I doubt I was much fun to support. Not having the Garmin pacing me was annoying because I’m horrible at pacing but I surprised myself and didn’t get freaked out, just kept cruisin’. I think I asked Ang and then BJH how much I had left not because I was tired but curious when to move to running with my heart.
the last part with your heart.'
“I want those red shorts” is what I kept repeating to myself in this phase. There was a girl in front of me that I wanted to catch, she was faster but I was better on the hills as she was walking parts of them. Finally, I past her on a hill and tried to put some distance between us before we hit the next flat or down hill.
Then I was told 1k to go, 6mins left no problem. I did it, things went wrong and I sucked it up. I’m thinking about what I'll have when I’m done, a beer? my cinnamon roll from the Clucking Hen? Who appears on the side of the road cheering for me but BJH and Mr. BJH eating ice cream! My reaction……I screamed “You B#tch!” Sorry BJH but I wanted ice cream.
Back to the last downhill, red shorts passes me and I push the last 100m to pass her again, only to be passed in the last few steps again. She beat me but 2 seconds.
I checked my Garmin, hey I was around my goal time so all was good. Not bad for not knowing my pace. I was beyond happy to be happy at the end and no disappointment. I really didn’t care about my time or placing. I was ready to run another. Brendan told me the van was far away so he would come pick me up. No way, I wanted to walk, in fact I ran a bit of after I stopped to apologize to BJH.
When I got in the van, I was so pumped I think I was probably annoying. Sorry team. I wanted to run another leg. In fact after having supper and calming down a bit I offered to run Leg 16 the next morning for Jeffrey but he was feeling good after his leg so he ran it.
We took in Ian’s, Trish’s and Carolyn’s legs before heading to Cheticamp to try to sleep but that didn’t happen. I was just too wired, so I spent the night doing support for Brendan’s Leg 12 and 14 and Darren on Leg 13 with Stephan. After seeing Nick off we headed back to Baddeck for a much needed one hour sleep then off to see Heather finish for our team.
Leg 5 - 17.5k
Rating: 3.5/5
Time 1:50:02 (goal 1:50)
Avg Pace: 6:18/km (goal 6:17)
Standing: 60/65
I had a great weekend with all the maniacs. (tried to recruit a few new ones.) Everyone was fabulous, fun, energetic, supportive, just a great team. Can’t wait for next year. Spent most of the weekend with Brendan and Stephan and their comedy routine. See this thread for a taste of it:
viewtopic.php?t=18009 Around 2am I believe, I actually started talking like them and participating in the routine. Thanks guys!
How many days until CTRR 2008?
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Leg 6 - Bicycle Boy
Holy crap I'm glad I'm not running up Smokey! Damn it got cold, why did I put on shorts? Cripes it's hot, I need to ditch this extra shirt! Ow, my shoulders hurts. And my lower back. And my foot. This sucks, I can't do this. Wait, yes I can! Wait, my knee hurts! What do you mean this is only 13k?!? Oh look, the end: give 'er!
Distance: 17.5 km
Rating: 4.5/5.0
Place: 37/65
Time: 1:29:16
Pace: 5:07
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Leg 7 - Cotr
Leg 7: "A rolling leg but the first 8 km climbs steadily 90m and then falls quickly to finish 0.2 km past the Dingwall garage."
Leg description, in Nick's words
"There are no "flat" stages, there are only ones that are "gently undulating" (GU) but that's OK.
Leg 7 & 8 are GU"
Leg 7 starts partway up a "little" hill on the Trail. It was a long gradual climb, and not a great way to warm-up. I knew I should warm-up before hand as my heart-rate likely shot through the roof as soon as I started, but for whatever reason, didn't. So, 5K of steady climbing, at a pace slightly slower than I'd hoped for. I did manage to pass a couple of runners on the hill. Then the hills started rolling down, and up (not just climbing) a little. I was running 10:30 to 30sec walking intervals, and began picking up pace steadily after my first walk past the water station. I gained a few minutes and was back on track for my goal time within 3K.
Team 51, who's runner finished 2 ahead of me, was providing incredible support all the way. I made a point of finding them (coincidentally they were seated next to us at the banquet) to thank them. I didn't know who their runner was, until later, but I had her in my sights for a long time, after I made really good ground and passed about 5 people in the second half of my leg. I just couldn't quite catch her. During the steepest decline my ankles started twinging. I worried about my pace, but decided to go with it and see what happened. Not only did the ankles hold up, but eventually stopped aching again.
One of the runners I'd passed caught up and passed me again in the last km... I wanted to kick it up and keep her behind me, but my right calf was tightening up and felt like it'd give if I picked up my pace any. I heard the finish line and nearly jumped for joy thinking I'd made my *real* goal time, of hitting the mats. Much to my disappointment when I turned the corner to discover I'd JUST missed it!!! I should have realized when I noted that the 1K marker was already gone. As I cooled down, I had the frustration of watching the truck pull away with "my" mats inside. My support team knew how badly I wanted to hit the mats. In fact when I realized I'd gained as much time as I had, I told Darren as he followed along side me while I hydrated, that if I missed the mats *now* I'd be pissed. And was I EVER! I honestly think I was about to cry while I watched that truck roll away. Silly, I know, but there you have it. A 6:11 pace doesn't quite cut it.
Regardless of missing the mat, I am happy with my time, especially considering the month of un-training I did. Thanks to a great support crew, and to the rest of the team for the cheers!
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Leg 8 - Caro
Leg 8 An easier leg with a gorgeous view of the Sunrise Valley on the right. There is a slow steady 3 km climb in the beginning. After this you are rewarded by a flat stretch and afterwards finish just before the picnic park at Big Interval.
So my biggest stress about my run this weekend wasn’t the run, but knowing I owed a race report at the end.
I got to the beginning of leg 8, and went directly to find a bathroom (my leg even had flush toilets—bonus!). As I was waiting in line, a woman dressed as a pirate asked if I was part of the internet group (gotta love the orange). Her friend Carla (Plod along) had told her to watch for us.
It was as quoted, an easier leg and an enjoyable one. I love starting on an uphill and passed a few runners during the first 2 km. When the downhill started, I really started to have fun and let gravity help me out. This relay has a water station at the 5k mark and then your team is allowed to give you water after 10 km. Since my leg was only 12.36 km, and I like to drink when I want, I carried my own water and told my team that I didn’t need support. I’m glad I did because the water station was on the downhill, and I decided not to break my momentum and stop.
Although I didn’t want the support, I was definitely encouraged when Kristy, Darren, Lisa and Stephane drove by to get Stephane to his start and also Nick cheering me as he drove by.
I discovered that I am, perhaps, a bit more competitive than I thought. Passing runners at the beginning made me determined that none of them would pass me on the run so I raced this leg. I wanted to slow down, but didn’t. I like this race adrenaline. As I crested the last hill, I could see someone in the road, flagging traffic through. I knew that this meant that the next leg was starting soon—meaning the mat would be disappearing. It seemed so far away even though I had passed the 1 km to go sign. For those last 700 m my mantra was “Make the mat”. I finished strong and did it!
Final results: Leg 8 12.36 km:1:12:06 average 5:50/km 38/65
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Leg 9 - Stephan
Nick's Description:
Leg 9 is the killer: 6K up a mountain, 1.5K across the top and 6K screaming down the other side with 5K of "bumps' after that. You finish in the dark. I ended up puking in the bushes.
LEG 9
17.84 km
Difficulty Level: 5/5
Time: 1:46:09
Avg Pace: 5:57 /km
Standing: 52/65
This report will only cover the actual running part of the weekend. I will post another report outlining the "experience" of the CTRR.
I was a bit cocky when I picked this leg, I am literally not trained at all over the winter and the last time I ran was in Sudbury (marathon) 3 weeks ago. Thursday night was a sleepless night, Friday Night was ......well.....pretty much sleepless with a little bit of coma thrown in for good measure. I was well hydrated, ......in a matter of speaking.
Not making excuses at all, the weekend happened exactly like I planned it and it was a much needed escape for a few days.
Anywho, I started the leg feeling humbled (after I saw the snow on the peaks of the mountain) I was expecting a large hill,......seems there is a major difference between a large hill and a freakin mountain. 15 minutes into the run I felt the life draining from me, my heart rate jumped threw the roof and my legs started vibrating with a burning sense of fire!! I new right away I was in for a very long long run. The road snaked it's way up the mountain back and forth, back and forth, it seemed never ending. I had decided to run the race without a watch and just go by feel, I had to start walking to bring my HR down, the walk breaks became more and more frequent on the way up and I was down to 2 and 1's I think, it seemed like the runners in front of me were all walking too. Finally reached the top and I focused on the runner in front of me who was about 300m ahead....I settled in a bit and started increasing my pace. The support crew drove by a few times, I barely had enough energy to acknowledge them but it felt good inside to see them. Once The downhill started I was amazed at how steep the grade was, gravity took over and I just leaned into it and told my legs to follow, I was probably doing a 3:30 - 3:45 pace at that point, my stride was 3 times what it normally is. I really enjoyed the downhill part of the course, then it flattened out and I had another 5K of rolling hills to go. That is when I noticed the damage inflicted on my battered quads, I was down to a shuffle and all I could think of was reeling in the guy in front of me....inch by inch he got closer and then he took a walk break at 16K, I approached him, told him I had been chasing him for 8K and he said..."go ahead...I'm done" I charged ahead and went for the finish, in the last K some guy passed me and I had not the energy to chase him.
Finally got to the end and missed the mat by a minute or so. I was devastated. But here's what I know......North Mountain is not getting any bigger but I am only getting stronger and faster. We will meet again!!!
This run goes down as one of my favorite races ever!!!! I learned a LOT about myself on that freakin "hill"
Thanks to all who supported along the way!!!!!
...my respects go out to anyone who ever ran that leg....it truelly is a killer.
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Leg 10 - Sanders
Leg 10
I don’t recall ever being as anxious about a race as I was about doing Leg 10 at CTRR. I am not good at running up hills fast. Leg 10 has 3km of flat followed by almost 12km of uphill, climbing 385 metres up MacKenzie Mountain.
I trained for it by running up the hill that we call a mountain in Montreal. I only was able to start training about four weeks in advance, as I had been recovering from a marathon and bronchitis. When I first tried the hills I was running up at a 7:00/km pace and struggling. As I got closer in I could feel myself getting stronger but knew I needed about another month to really be able to do my best.
BJH and Mr.BJH picked up Hermes and I at Benjie’s Lake (where we really did see a moose) to drive to the start. We descended MacKenzie in the sunset looking out at the sea and the beautiful mountains and I exclaimed that I was so pleased that Brendan had assigned this leg to me. (Actually, I said “I love Brendan!”) By that point I was genuinely happy to be running this leg, all anxiety had faded.
The start was at 21:35. I did a few hundred metres with one of Brian Doan’s teammates from last year, but she was setting out too fast for me so I just said “see you at the finish” and the other runners chuckled. First 3k passed quickly, running along with glow stick in hand. Then we hit the switch-backs, one after another. The crowd thinned out such that I could only see one runner ahead of me. I followed the advice that Nick had given me, “just keep a steady rhythm.” The water stand at 5k was very well animated with the Shoehorn team creating light arches to welcome the runners. Hermes had told me that the Shoehorns were from Montreal so I shouted that I love the Shoehorns and that got them even more animated. I was genuinely glad to get a drink of water after 2km of steep ascent.
I started telling myself that this was a piece of cake. I really wasn’t hurting. At the 10k water stand I looked at my watch and thought there was a chance I could finish in 1:20, so I pushed it a bit but don’t think I gained any speed. Towards the end I found myself singing an old song from the late 60s or early 70s (that Google didn’t find for me) “Carry me, home to Birmingham, to Sarah’s homemade jam" etc. because of two lines: one that says “and that old wind it blows so quickly, why can’t it take me along” (I had wonderful conditions including the wind at my back) and another that goes “I’m tired of this old war, I just wish it would end.” Well end it did. I finished the 14.7 km in 1:21:32 at 5:33/km pace, 45th out of 65 runners.
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Leg 11 - BJH
Description:
This leg is for the runner who likes to run downhill. The first 5.8 km climbs steadily to an elevation of 460m. Relax and coast down the next stretch to sea level but be on the alert for the Northern Lights. But beware, there are two very steep hills before the finish.
I picked this leg because it is on my favourite part of the Cabot Trail – in the park, in view of the ocean, away from everything. I live in the city, I don’t get much chance to run in the dark, so I checked the moon phase (65%) and asked qmp to arrange for the Northern Lights. Those didn’t happen, but fortunately clear skies did.
MrBJH and I slept in a bit on Saturday morning, then got in the car to catch up to the race. We stopped for a coffee at the Clucking Hen where we ran into Sanders and Hermes. We stopped to cheer for the leg 4 runners, but had to leave before Kristi got to Smokey. We stopped to support lonerunner on her leg, including a break for some ice cream. Then we headed off to Cheticamp for a nap to prep for the night legs, driving my leg along the way.
We got up to meet Sanders at Benjies Lake to take him to the start of his leg, saw Stephan just as he came in and picked up drghfx. We cheered for Sanders, then headed back to Benjies Lake for the start of my leg.
I was a bit nervous getting close to race time, worried about footing, but it wasn’t too bad. The road was a bit rough at first, but there was a lot of car traffic, so the road was lit up well. By the time the cars thinned out the road was in better shape. The first section is very slightly uphill. I had my Garmin on and I could hear it beep every once in a while, but I didn’t look at it. I ran the uphill so I could hear my breathing. My official green glowstick slipped from my hand near the start, but I was also carrying the orange team glowstick. I passed the first water station and I was vaguely aware that MrBJH and drghfx were probably looking for me along the way, but it was hard to pick out spectators.
As I descended the mountain in the moonlight, I could see the ocean and the landscape in front of me. It was beautiful. I slowed my pace a bit. I really, really didn’t want this run to end. I think I heard my song at one point. I saw MrBJH at one point and heard drghfx cheering. I passed a rock with about six glowsticks on it, so I took one to replace the one I had dropped. I chatted to a couple of runners, I could see a glow stick in the distance, but mostly I was alone. I passed the ambulance that had stopped to assist a woman with a leg cramp. I didn’t push it, I just ran at a pace where I was comfortable. Every once in a while my Garmin beeped.
Eventually the downhill ended and I had to go up. The two hills a the end (according to the Garmin measurements) were equivalent to two ATB Valley Inn hills, over the same distance, down one Valley Inn hill, then back up again. On the Garmin elevation chart they look like a couple of pimples compared to the downhill.
As I approached the finish on the second uphill I was disappointed, not in my run (I missed the mat), but that the run was over.
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Leg 12 - Brendan
"I'm not going to race this leg". Yeah, that is what I said at Cheticamp, and in the mini-van, and at the sign in.
I was covered in glow stuff, RED. pink, green, blue, which I laced into Nick's vest (Boy, I'm glad you had that!) anyway they would fit. And then I felt a little chill. I was unfocused, really, I wasn't able to get my mental on at all. So, I kept saying to everyone, "I'm not going to race this one. I have another leg to run later."
So, I line up at the back of the pack. The longhorn blows. We're off. I decide to enjoy this first downhill. The voice inside my head says after one minute "Heck, this downhill is awesome! I AM GOING TO RACE THIS LEG! It will probably mean a death march later, but yes, I'm going to RACE this one!"
So off I go like a maniac. Leaning forward and huge strides on the downhill. All my glow stuff making a thump thump thump thump as I ran downhill. Two major hills later (not mountains! But they were hills) the 5K water station pops up out off the darkness. A quick check of the watch 20:3? "holy Heck, I messed up the math." Some long uphill parts and a few people pass me. I let them go, we are only halfway yet. The 10K Water station pops up out of the darkness. 43:07!!!!! A 10K pb for me, by over 4 ~ 5 minutes I thought, but I must have done the math wrong I believe. Oh well. Right about then a tall guy passes me and says "I think we're almost done" I thought, see you later, there is still 5K to go. But I did keep him in my sights. I pass the Tim's and think "1 mile to go". I pass by Merry's and think "How can the Maniacs be sleeping as I am FLYING right by them". I pass the Chaisson Brother garage and think "Hey, that's supposed to be the finish line." Then I see the flags way the heck down at the Co-op parking lot. I can still see the big guy, barreling in for the finish. I try my best to catch him, but he finishes 5 seconds ahead of me. Then the vest is stripped off me, and I throw on some dry clothes. A quick trip through the drive-thru for sugar doughnuts and a large DD. I then INSISTED Lisa use the car to see how long the leg was.
Slightly over 700 meters! Sigh. If I had only known I might had taken the "I think we are almost done guy."
29/65, Quinn McPatrick, 1:17:55 15.78K (for a 4:57 per K) But when measured by our mini-van it was 16.5K (for a 4:43 pace).
Which would be the fastest average race pace, of any race I have ever run.
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Leg 13 - Darren
Cabot Trail - Leg 13
Hey everybody.
The weekend started off in an interesting way. When Kristi and I checked in at the airport on Friday morning we found our flight was cancelled and we were moved to an earlier flight. This is all Kristi! She insists we go early so for the second time we were really lucky and caught an earlier flight when our initial flight was cancelled.
Once in Halifax Trish and Ian picked us up and we drove to Baddeck. I was born in Cape Breton but hadn't been back since 1994. It was really cool to be back.
Upon arrival we met our team members. Some were new faces but I had met Barbara, Angela, Stephan, Nick and Heather prior to going to NS. We all gathered for a team meeting and then buffet dinner. Kristi and I left the party early as she was running in the morning and we were both really tired.
Saturday morning was all about Kristi running Smokey. That was great. I have had far more fun talking about her climbing the mountain than I have had talking about my leg. As my family is from Cape Breton they are very familiar with Smokey and are in shock that someone would actually run up the hill! Most of them don't even like to drive it. It was so much fun to watch her do it. I can't wait to see the pictures.
I ran at 2:00am on a fairly easy portion of the course. I had a good run. Passed lots of people on the way in. Came 37th out of 65 and had a time of 1:29 and change. My pace was 5:30ish. I was happy with the run. Loved the fact that I had a couple of hours sleep prior to the run, woke up, went to Tim Horton's with Kristi and Trish, rushed to the start, grabbed my vest from Brendan and ran. This all took place over the course of 20 minutes! Small races in small towns are by far more appealing to me than the big marathon.
The finish of the event was great. The whole town was out to see the end and as Kristi and I were heading back to the hotel we ran into my aunt, uncle and cousin. Only in Cape Breton!
This was a really fun weekend, however tiring it may have been, and it was great to go back to the home land!
It was also great to meet so many new faces! This is an event that you don't want to miss.
Hopefully Kristi and I will be back next year!
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Leg 14 - Brendan
Well, I was tired, really tired. My calves were not feeling quite right either. It hurt to get out of the mini-van and go to the port-a-potty line up actually. My energy level was good to ok. So, I tried to stretch out a bit. That didn't really help too much. I had a hard time getting my mental on, as I was worried about not having a reflective vest.
So, I started off ok. It is nice to run all those rollers in the dark, you really don't see them coming. Well, then twilight came, and around 8K, the support team said "Looking strong" I replied "Nah, I'm loosing steam" I felt my energy being drained. So I used a gel. And tried to keep up with a guy who passed me. I stayed with him for at least 2K, but I took a walk break at a water station, which was at the base of one of the hills. I could already feel the blister on my toe, which added to my aching quads, but surprisingly my calves were happy when I was running.
Anyhow, I was still losing steam at around 16K and decided I would use another gel. This one didn't sit well with me, and I felt pretty bad. I would note a large tree in the distance and think, yeah, puke behind that one right there. And when I made it to that tree, I picked another one in the distance and so on.
I got quite a few mileage updates in the final stages of the leg from team 38. That was great. I really, really, really wanted to make the mats. In fact I quite upset that I wouldn't. As I was approaching the "1 K to go" sign a marshall removed it from the side of the road. I said "Please tell, me that's not early." As I ran by hit putting it in his mini-van. "No, it was dead on, you now have under a K to go" I looked at my watch The next leg starts in 6 minutes. This is going to be close!
It's downhill, so I give it my all. But, honestly, the whole time during the last K, I expected to hear the longhorn that would start the next leg. In the last 200 meters I got a few calf warning cramps, so no sprint kick! It is a moment of all you can do is suck it up and get it done. There was Nick, just 25 meters from the chute. That was a boost. I hit the mat. Somebody, gets my chip off, I stagger behind the building to get sick, but the next thing that happens is Nick has his arm around me and he says "How do you feel? Not good eh?" I think I mutter "yup, not good" and then they call the runners for the next leg. Lisa went and got an ice pack out of BJH's first aid kit (thank god for that) for my screaming quads, while Stephan stayed with me to make sure I was OK. Then she drove me to Baddeck where I got 90 minutes of absolutely amazing sleep.
54th out of 65 runners
19.81K in 1:56:28 (a 5:53 per k average)
A big "Thank you" to everyone on the team. But especially to Lisa and Stephan for taking so much care of me after that run.
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Leg 15 - Nick
Summary:
Leg 3 for The Dukes of Ottawa
13.46K in 1.10.57 for a pace of 4.37/k and 8th place (out of 65).
Leg 15 for RM
15.42K in 1.15.29 for a pace of 4.54/K and 16th place.
Prelude
The annual pilgrimage to the Cabot Trail was going to be a little different this year. My Ottawa-based team, The Dukes of Ottawa (named after the Duke of Somerset pub), now only goes to CTRR every two years due to the conflict with the NCM weekend. So, last year I ran and helped out with our own RM team. This year The Dukes rode again. I decided to run one stage for each team. I knew I would be doing all the race logistics and a lot of the pre-race work for The Dukes, so told Brendan that I wanted to be “just a regular runner” this year with the RM team. I picked Leg 3 for The Dukes as I wanted to hammer that stage for a top-10 finish and then cruise Leg 14, my favourite, for the RM team at around 5 min/K. Little did I know that I would re-ignite the problems with my foot and be running in pain in the weeks leading up to the race. I was very nervous about this weekend as I was afraid I would not even be able to walk the second stage so soon after racing the first one. The recovery plan was ice, Vitamin I and Vitamin G, followed by whatever speed I could muster.
Getting there
I flew down with 6 of my Ottawa team mates. We met up with a couple of earlier flyers and Karen (from our RM team last year), rented cars and were off to Baddeck. First stop was the liquor store for the Vitamin G. We checked in at the Silver Dart Lodge and ran into some maniacs for a nice chat. The rest of the evening was busy. Registration for The Dukes, a team meeting for RM, buffet dinner, an RM cone-head picture session, team captains’ meeting, team meeting for The Dukes and then it was Ceilidh time. By now I was tired and decided to stay in the room and rest up, especially as I was running an early stage the next day. Smart move, right Brendan & Stephan?
First leg
We drove out to my start in plenty of time to warm up & stretch. This leg is 13.4K of gently rolling road, no big hills. The sun was out and it threatened to be warm. Quick hug with Angela, who was doing stage 3 for RM, and we were off. I started at a good pace that was hard but comfortable. Heard some guy following on my heels for a couple of K. Then I hear “Wish you were a chick, your ass would look better”. Reply was “Tough luck, buddy”. He finally came up alongside me...OK race is on. He even passed me but I stayed on his tail and pulled alongside. Then one of the race official cars told me to stay single file. Wait until the car is gone and pull even again. Up a short slope and over the top…4K to go. Time to change gears and a gap opened up as the sound of his feet receded. One of my team-mates is cheering on the side of the road…”3K to go”. Then 1.5K later our support crew says 2.5K to go…wtf? Go around the corner and there is the 1K marker. Kick it up another notch. As I approach the finish a truck pulls across in front of me and I have to scream at some folks walking on the shoulder with their back to me. They finally move aside and I sprint past and across the line. 13.4K in 61m57s for a pace of 4:37/K and 8th place out of 65 teams. First goal accomplished.
In-between
I asked Karen to get me a bag of ice at the Wreck Cove General Store, which is where my stage ended. We have to hustle as we are doing the water station 5K into stage 4 and need to get out before they lock down the start area to traffic. So, into the back of the car and I rest my foot on the huge bag of ice. We zoom 5K up the road and help with the set up. We are doing a Senators theme. So, signs of “Be Red” and “Go, Sens, Go”, we all have Senators jerseys on and Karen brought a bunch of hockey sticks. I put on one of the shiny red pom-poms under my hat and I have hair!!! The local CBC guy interviewed one of our crew and took some footage of the activities. The next day there was a piece on the NCM weekend which included a clip of Laurie playing the Hockey Night in Canada theme on a horn in the middle of the Cabot Trail. Kristi came by looking like it was going to be a long day and we tried to fire her up.
I rode in the support vehicle for the next 4 stages, provided runner support for The Dukes and yelled encouragement for both teams (and everyone else). The driver of the car, one of my regular training buddies, asked me why I was yelling so hard for my “other” team and proceeded to call me a “race_slut”. Ian even heard some of this banter as I yelled to him out of the window on stage 6. I kept chatting to the RM crew in the start area for every stage. The showers in the high school at the end of stage 6 were open and I had a great soak. At the end of stage 8 it was time for me to officially transition to the RM team. I hitched a ride with Brendan and Lisa to the motel in Cheticamp. We had a brief stop at the bottom of North Mountain. Not to admire the landmark Lone Shieling but to let the huge cloud of acrid brake smoke disperse and for the brakes to cool down. We got to the motel and Carolyn made Brendan and me some much-needed spaghetti (and she washed up!). While we were digesting the pasta...the deal was cooked. Brendan would run stage 12 and then do 14 instead of 15. He had wanted to do 14 but had stayed quiet way back when I had said I wanted to do it. So, he got his preferred stage and I got one I had not run before and, more importantly for my foot, one that was 4K shorter. I put a couple of blankets on the floor and climbed into my sleeping bag for 3 hours of sleep. Lisa disappeared with Brendan to take him to stage 12.
Second Leg
I woke up at 3.15 to eat some bagel chunks and get ready for my 4am departure. My driver, Lisa, was not there! I woke Dennis and Carolyn who told me that Barbara & Alex were coming to get me at 4. OK, time to pack up and get ready. At 4.15 I had Dennis up & ready to drive me when the BJH’s pulled in. We had a nice drive down the night-time coast and passed Brendan as he was 2K away from finishing. I knew he would be struggling as he had run 17K followed by 20K with an hour and half break where his legs would seize up. I had time for a nice warm-up and then met him just before the finish line to “tag off” as that would be one of his main goals. A quick check on him and then I had to go line up. It was a cool morning but great for running.
The horn sounded and the death march started. The quads had gone on vacation and the hams were striking in sympathy. I started at an easy pace in the middle of the pack with these 2 by 4’s attached to my feet. A couple of people passed me at 1K and I decided I didn’t like that. I picked up the pace to follow them and gradually my legs started to co-operate. The support car zoomed by at 7K and missed me. Then they found me at around 10K. They were playing my song off the team CD…”Don’t Stop” by The Stones. I started to dance on the run and play air guitar. Alex (Mr. BJH) snapped a picture that I want to see as I always have my game face on in races. I continued to accelerate and saw a sign for 1 mile to go to the restaurant where the stage finishes. The last K was the most relaxed and fluid all morning and I sprinted for the finishing cones. 15.42K in 75m29s for a pace of 4:54/K and 16th place. Second goal accomplished.
Finishing up
The next while I was with Barbara and Alex as we supported Jeffrey on his second stage. Then we watched Heather swish off on the last stage. I hopped in with Angela, Dennis and Lisa when traffic was opened up again. We drove to the 13K mark where the runners come off the dirt road. They then have two hills before they scream down the 1K hill to the finishing line in Baddeck. We cheered Heather on and drove off to meet her at the finish line.
Après-race
Now it was time for a shower, a Guinness and the post-race banquet. We did our two team pictures and it was time to say goodbye to my RM team-mates and leave for Halifax. We had two cars of Dukes going back to Karen`s place. We went out for dinner to the Irish pub…fish and chips with a few more Guinness. What else do you drink at an Irish pub (well, other than Caffrey`s)?
Five of us stayed over at Karen`s and spent the next morning checking all the NCM results on her computer. A walk downtown and then a great fish lunch (Little Fish) and it was time to head out for the airport. One more twist as our flight was delayed due to mechanical problems. All 4 of us managed to get on another flight and we were soon winging our way home. As we waited by the baggage carousel in Ottawa they had a big screen TV on the wall and everyone was cheering at the play by play. Our luggage never made it…it was delivered the next afternoon.
Wrap-up
Another fabulous CTRR weekend. The weather was great, I met a lot of old friends on the course, I shared a weekend with my Ottawa running buddies, I enjoyed the company of a bunch of maniacs, my foot held up and I ran well. As for 2008, will we do an RM ultra team or pretend to be normal again? Life is good…..
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Leg 16 - Sanders
The morning after running up MacKenzie Mountain I was running my second leg under the name of Sanders MacKenzie. I felt great when I got up, thought I was in good shape until I tried to warm up. My legs were very stiff and I didn’t feel much like running. And I was extremely thirsty even at the start with no prospect of water before the 5km mark. I told myself to run this as if it were the last 15 km of the Philadelphia Marathon that I ran last November.
Conditions were lovely and I set out with the pack. I was okay running on the flats and downhills but every rise hurt and I could not bear the cant of the road either. Still I was going along a decent clip but it took every ounce of concentration that I had. Then at around 4km a car passed me playing “Radar Love.” Hermes and I had been speaking about the song when we had heard it during bicycle.boy’s leg, how great a song it was in the context of the CTRR. For some reason hearing that song brightened my mood.
Soon after I saw our team’s water stand. It was really impressive. Even though I knew what to expect, from a distance I couldn’t help but think that it was a real road crew. They looked really convincing. In my opinion it was one of three best water stands. It was great to see familiar and friendly faces. It also gave me motivation to continue on.
The rest of the race is a bit of a blur. I know I had good support from BJH, Nick and Mr.BJH. I pushed as hard as I could but I didn’t have much of anything left.
16.35 km in 1:19:45 for an average pace of 4:53/km 30/65. As it turns out this is also a PB for the 10 mile distance, something I only realized today.
Afterword
On Friday evening I suggested an ambition for the team: that we finish one second faster than last year. Well as it turns out we finished more than 8 minutes faster. It was another great team and a fun experience. Can’t wait for next year.
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Leg 17 - Bruyere
When I was given the choice, I put leg 17 as my first option. I wanted a challenge. I got it, and I loved it. I WAS a tad unprepared for it though, in two ways.
1: I could have trained harder/more/better.
2: I knew there ere was a hill to start (150M up, over 3.5km), but I didn't realize that those other little hills that came later were as big and as numerous as they were! Heh.
I ran the first one harder than planned (I'd planned to walk a fair bit. I didn't.), but not crazy hard. Then I kinda flew down the downhills. Which made the flat feel like uphill, and the later uphills feel like... well, not fun. In the end, after realizing that I really had NO idea what I had coming around each next bend, I decided to conserve energy and walk up about a quarter to a half of each hill. As I passed Ang at one point, I mutted "I am SERIOUSLY tired"
Once we spread out, I passed 7 or 8 people, and 4 or 5 passed me. One older man and I played leapfrog for a while. He was unknowingly giving me a lesson on "slow and steady wins the race". When I ran, I was faster, but he'd pass me when I stopped to walk. In the end, I overtook him one final time when I hit that last downhill that people had told me about. WOW! I never have quite THAT much of a finishing kick! If it hadn't been for that downhill, though, he would have beaten me. So, perhaps I've a lesson to learn....
The finish line was like an international marathon. Seriously. Music, TONS of people, Maniacs... it was really, really cool.
So, the stats:
Leg: 17
Distance: 17.7.km
Difficulty: 4.5 out of 5
Time: 1:34:25
Pace: 5:21
Placing: 54 out of 6
Comment: A bit bummed with my place, feeling "below average" (yes, yes, I know, don't compare, it's not about competition, it's for fun, etc. etc. but that's how I am), but I have to realize that it WAS a leg with a LOT of fast runners. The first 8 of 65 finishers were under 4:00 KMs. On most other legs, this pace would have put me about 10 places higher.
A neat thing: Before my leg, Ang pointed out Ed Whitlock. I'd seen him at the start of her leg, but was sad that I never saw him run. I said "I want to see his hair flowing!" Well, as we waited in line at the porta-potty, she said "Hey, Heather, now you get to see his hair flowing" and pointed him out. Neat!
And the closing credits: Thanks to the team as a whole, of course. There is indeed a fun vibe about the whole thing. Everyone is so keen on supporting everyone else. And watching some of these folks tackle their hills or battle their sore knees, and finish with more intensity than I've ever seen (yes, you, Ian). Well, wow.
But I must send a special thanks to our captain, Brendan (see your Facebook wall, sir). It's crazy, the amount of work that has to go into this... then to run two legs on top of that... wow.
And a giant special thanks goes to Ang. I know many of you out there think Ang is a cool girl. But I'm not sure you know how great she is. She's really thoughtful and generous - with her home, with her stuff, her support for the weekend and the leg. She did a few small things for me that I hadn't even thought of.
And also, Lisa, for the car and the drive there, and along with Carolyn, for being great roommates for a night!
) Will you make the switch or should I?
