SubscribeI rather foolishly forgot to turn off my Garmin immediately after the run so the time on it is off, I’m waiting on my chip time before putting up something official, but I am fairly confident it will be sub 1:52:00.
It was a double loop with the first loop being a little bit longer in a turn around. (map link here)
After the turn around there is a 4+km uphill section. It’s gentle for the most part, just a little grade the entire way. After 10km you climb up a bit more into the loop marker and then you get some flat for a bit before a nice 1km+ downhill. You actually loose all of the elevation in that one stretch.
The first loop was fine, I ran with my normal run partner through 10.5km averaging a bit under 5:20/km. At that point though I pulled ahead and pressed on and after a few km caught up to a couple of other runners from my run group. We traded being in front of each other a few times right through to the finish with me usually running behind them. Ended up that I came in between them actually.
I hit a literal wall at about 20km, wind buffeted me as I rounded the corner and it was incredibly difficult to push through as tired as I was. Every negative thought you can have on the road went through my head over the course of the next .75 or so km but a couple of runners from the Rackets & Runners group were right with me and I wanted to catch them, so I did. We pushed on together up the little hills of the speed bumps which were actually difficult and then hit a 90 degree turn into the last sharp hill and then the final downhill.
End of the race all anyone could talk about was that wind as you rounded the corner, it was extreme (or felt like it).
Hills are normally very good for me, I can power into them and then pay for it during the recovery, but that last hill was hard, even though it wasn’t all that steep and it wasn’t more than a block and a half. I pulled some energy out of nowhere and came into the downhill for the mat and the end.
I made it to the finish line in time to hug the wife and kids and give my 14 year old son the water bottle holder so that he could wear it for his run. A couple of minutes later he was in the pack and heading out on a 10km trip where he pulled in an impressive sub 52:00 (no chip time yet so we aren’t sure).
The son and I then grabbed some food (Chilli made by the chef at Le Crocodile in Vancouver, it was AMAZING) and headed out for a burger and then a hot tub. After a hot tub we put in some meters with me doing 500m and him doing 400m. That swim and I no longer have sore muscles, woo hoo.
Anyway, the run is done, I’m alive and I feel amazing.
I WILL beat my time in February at the First Half that I’ve registered for.
WOO HOOO!
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