My plan was to do the 10&1's strategy, try to stay within a 6:20-6:25 min/km, down a gel 1:25 minutes into the race, listen to every beat the Calgary Police Band played at the top of that Weaselhead Hill, have fun and aim for a 2:15 finish time. My plan of attack went well, it worked for me, but with a couple of klicks to go, something overtook me and I felt like I was ready to pack it in and call it a day! I was looking for a way out, I didn't want to play anymore but finally came to my senses and thought I have to get back to the parking lot one way or another, just keep running. I ended up putting a couple of very short additional walk breaks in near the end. As I rounded the last corner and headed down the home stretch, with all the people yelling I was able to muster up some energy to finish strong. Thank you Leana for that cheer of support, I really needed it!
I crossed the line in a time of 2:16:18. It's not the 2:15 I was aiming for but I am very happy with it. My average running pace was 6:25 min/km. Looking over my stats for the race, I noticed I kept that pace all the way up the Weaselhead Hill, although it felt like I was going slower. It could be that all that hiking up mountains is paying off!
This is the route we ran.
I was curious to see a clear elevation chart so plugged my 305 in and uploaded the stats to Garmin BaseCamp. This is what I got!
I think I will take a few days off and give my legs a rest before I get busy training for the Calgary Half Marathon on May 30th. I will admire my medal for a few days before I hang it on the coat rack with the other medals.
Congrats on a very well run race! We've all had those 'I don't want to play anymore' moments in longish races. Glad to see you overcame it quickly. BTW looking very lean and fit!
ReplyDeleteGreat way to finish, no matter what. You deserve a few days off! And after some of the warm and humid days we have had lately, the snow in the pic looks very inviting. Congratulations again!
ReplyDeleteGreat race, well run.
ReplyDeleteI have not had the chance to upload the profile from my garmin but the profile on your page looks about what it felt like, but does not factor in the wind for the last 4 or 5 K.
the sudden snow on Saturday night scared me and I just about dug out my trail shoes but thankfully the path was clear.
Way to hang in there and finish! And less than 90 seconds off your goal time - that's pretty darn good.
ReplyDeleteThanks for pointing me to the CTV news clip. How on earth did you know that was me?
In spite of that little dip you still managed to finish strong - congratulations!
ReplyDeleteThe time taken is near your goal time. It's a good performance considering the hard up-hill which you met along the track. hiking up mountains helps your performance. Great race :)
ReplyDeleteI've done that route lots (training, not that race) and always wondered what the elevation change really was. Thanks for posting. Great race!
ReplyDeleteI'm very glad that I was able to see you cross the line too! Congratulations on the race!
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