So, as I was saying last night, much to be happy about.
Looking back on both Ottawa and Scotiabank, for both races more went right than went wrong. I will always have a special place in my heart for Ottawa, because it was the first marathon, because it was the place/time where I learned that I really could do it. But Scotiabank went so much more right, or at least it feels like it went so much more right.
One of the differences is super easy to identify - no sudden seizing up at 32 km! It is almost impossible to convey how much of a relief that was. Not a huge surprise, or at least not a huge surprise in the moment, but I was definitely feeling rather mentally tense and somewhat afraid that it, or something just as unexpected and painful, was going to hit. So that's part of it.
And I was very pleased with my pacing. Not an even split, never mind a negative split, but consistent enough that I didn't burn it all up early on sub-5:00 kms and then have to do 7:00 kms at the end just to finish. The last few were very tough - no question - but at anywhere from 5:27 to 5:39 they really weren't bad. Of course, I don't really know if Ottawa would have been the same, had I not been in so much muscle pain, but the point is that it wasn't.
Hydration and carb strategies were different for the two races, and Scotiabank wins because it had no potty breaks. The anxiety factor was about the same for both, though, sigh... I shouldn't complain too hard. In the six months since ATB I have made huge improvements in being able to consume water without cramping, and have learned to consume carbs for the first time in all my years of running. But it's still an area of intense nervousness, not just before races but also before long runs. Nothing to do but keep track of what works, try new things as appropriate, and never forget that managing the whole digestive system for a race starts a few days out, not the day before.
Undoubtedly the extra months of training and the experience factor made a difference. Knowing that I had covered the distance once before produced a certain confidence that I could do it again, even though in some ways I was more nervous the second time around (see the prior post about expectations and caring.) And the flat course was a definite bonus.
But one of the main differences, and a high point, was the Scotiabank finish. It's not that the spectators were any more enthusiastic - the stretch to the finish line was packed for Ottawa too - or that the last part of the course was any better. It's a combination of not being in such pain, and being able to finish without dodging people and without immediately getting swallowed up in a crowd. As already documented, I was digging pretty deep to finish at a good pace, counting off 100 m stretches and holding on for the next one. But at the same time I had confidence that I could do it and had a tremendously excited feeling knowing that it was a PB and it was in the bag. And then it was exhilarating to cross, and to keep moving, and to be able to take a deep breath and really savour the feeling of having done it. Unlike Ottawa, where I was happy but also tense and trapped, this finish felt like a race finish should feel.
Having said all that, what went wrong?
The start was not great, did not feel right, and perhaps that's my own fault for not being sufficiently paranoid about getting there really early. In the end it worked out okay but it would have been a much better feeling to start the race running closer to the pace of the people in the immediate area.
Then there was the somewhat faster than planned pace through the first half. That may not have actually been a problem since it feels like I lost less time in my slower finish than I would have lost running slightly slower throughout. Can't claim to have done the math on that, though. So although I put overall pacing as something that went well, at the same time I could definitely use some improvement in running a more consistent pace over a long distance.
The mechanics of hydration and carbs are something of a concern, and I'm still trying to get my head around the best approach. To date, I simply have not learned to drink while running - not pinching the cup, not holding the bottle above my mouth, not drinking it normally, etc. If I want to drink, I have to walk. Part of me doesn't think that's a problem, since it's quite possible that the short walk breaks are helping my overall run. However, it also means that I will put off hydrating early in a race because it's just getting going and I don't want to interrupt the rhythm by stopping to drink.
Ditto on actually getting to gels, the sport beans, the salt pills, the tissues for my perpetually stuffed-up nose... I have reluctantly resigned myself to wearing my single bottle fuel belt during races, at least until the magic day that I can take larger amounts of water at the aid stations, grab whatever drink they're giving out (usually Gatorade, shudder) and possibly get their gels as well. But in the foreseeable future it's safer to travel with the stuff that's already been shown to work. However, as with the drinking, I have not yet managed to get to where these things are stowed without slowing to a walk. And consuming them while walking. Again, maybe that's not a problem and the walk breaks are a good strategy. But I am so envious of those people who go flitting by, ripping open a gel and downing it without breaking stride.
Over the next few months I'll look into other options for carrying stuff. I have thought about a camel pack (is that the term? DH loves his) but its pockets are less accessible than the pouch on my fuel belt, and at least the belt slides around easily. It doesn't help that I'm relatively small - both in height and around - so "storage space" is kind of limited. Not that I'm complaining - have no desire to put on any weight. But on the very long training runs this summer, when I had my big water bottle at the back and then two smaller ones in detachable holders on the front, it seemed awfully crowded and not very comfortable. One option might be a compression shirt and gels pinned to my shorts underneath. With luck it won't be much of an issue for ATB in March, because it will be cold enough to wear a jacket with pockets. Amazing how much stuff you can stash in pockets and how accessible they are.
Aches, pains, general fatigue. Are these avoidable or are they just part of racing? Back when I did my first few half marathons, I had this idea that if you were really tired after a race (didn't even call them races, still have to make an effort since in my mind they are runs), and had really had to push to finish, then you simply hadn't trained enough. I have since gathered that "leaving it all on the course" is in fact quite common and quite deliberate. So my own personal jury is out on this one. It ties right in to the whole issue of "runner or racer", a big topic all by itself.
At this very moment (while being much distracted by cats and little jobs that need to be done) I can't think of more negatives, or at least not ones that I had any control over!
I really should spend some time writing about personal bests. Maybe next entry.
Quick note here on post-race recovery: it is going very well. My quads are a little touchy on stairs but otherwise seem normal. My left ankle feels a little inflamed but that's also lessened over the last 24 hours. In any event, no running on the schedule until Tuesday. Maybe that's overkill but with two marathons in four months, not to mention some awfully long training runs, a whole week of no running is probably a good thing. And certainly not a bad one.
Looking back on both Ottawa and Scotiabank, for both races more went right than went wrong. I will always have a special place in my heart for Ottawa, because it was the first marathon, because it was the place/time where I learned that I really could do it. But Scotiabank went so much more right, or at least it feels like it went so much more right.
One of the differences is super easy to identify - no sudden seizing up at 32 km! It is almost impossible to convey how much of a relief that was. Not a huge surprise, or at least not a huge surprise in the moment, but I was definitely feeling rather mentally tense and somewhat afraid that it, or something just as unexpected and painful, was going to hit. So that's part of it.
And I was very pleased with my pacing. Not an even split, never mind a negative split, but consistent enough that I didn't burn it all up early on sub-5:00 kms and then have to do 7:00 kms at the end just to finish. The last few were very tough - no question - but at anywhere from 5:27 to 5:39 they really weren't bad. Of course, I don't really know if Ottawa would have been the same, had I not been in so much muscle pain, but the point is that it wasn't.
Hydration and carb strategies were different for the two races, and Scotiabank wins because it had no potty breaks. The anxiety factor was about the same for both, though, sigh... I shouldn't complain too hard. In the six months since ATB I have made huge improvements in being able to consume water without cramping, and have learned to consume carbs for the first time in all my years of running. But it's still an area of intense nervousness, not just before races but also before long runs. Nothing to do but keep track of what works, try new things as appropriate, and never forget that managing the whole digestive system for a race starts a few days out, not the day before.
Undoubtedly the extra months of training and the experience factor made a difference. Knowing that I had covered the distance once before produced a certain confidence that I could do it again, even though in some ways I was more nervous the second time around (see the prior post about expectations and caring.) And the flat course was a definite bonus.
But one of the main differences, and a high point, was the Scotiabank finish. It's not that the spectators were any more enthusiastic - the stretch to the finish line was packed for Ottawa too - or that the last part of the course was any better. It's a combination of not being in such pain, and being able to finish without dodging people and without immediately getting swallowed up in a crowd. As already documented, I was digging pretty deep to finish at a good pace, counting off 100 m stretches and holding on for the next one. But at the same time I had confidence that I could do it and had a tremendously excited feeling knowing that it was a PB and it was in the bag. And then it was exhilarating to cross, and to keep moving, and to be able to take a deep breath and really savour the feeling of having done it. Unlike Ottawa, where I was happy but also tense and trapped, this finish felt like a race finish should feel.
Having said all that, what went wrong?
The start was not great, did not feel right, and perhaps that's my own fault for not being sufficiently paranoid about getting there really early. In the end it worked out okay but it would have been a much better feeling to start the race running closer to the pace of the people in the immediate area.
Then there was the somewhat faster than planned pace through the first half. That may not have actually been a problem since it feels like I lost less time in my slower finish than I would have lost running slightly slower throughout. Can't claim to have done the math on that, though. So although I put overall pacing as something that went well, at the same time I could definitely use some improvement in running a more consistent pace over a long distance.
The mechanics of hydration and carbs are something of a concern, and I'm still trying to get my head around the best approach. To date, I simply have not learned to drink while running - not pinching the cup, not holding the bottle above my mouth, not drinking it normally, etc. If I want to drink, I have to walk. Part of me doesn't think that's a problem, since it's quite possible that the short walk breaks are helping my overall run. However, it also means that I will put off hydrating early in a race because it's just getting going and I don't want to interrupt the rhythm by stopping to drink.
Ditto on actually getting to gels, the sport beans, the salt pills, the tissues for my perpetually stuffed-up nose... I have reluctantly resigned myself to wearing my single bottle fuel belt during races, at least until the magic day that I can take larger amounts of water at the aid stations, grab whatever drink they're giving out (usually Gatorade, shudder) and possibly get their gels as well. But in the foreseeable future it's safer to travel with the stuff that's already been shown to work. However, as with the drinking, I have not yet managed to get to where these things are stowed without slowing to a walk. And consuming them while walking. Again, maybe that's not a problem and the walk breaks are a good strategy. But I am so envious of those people who go flitting by, ripping open a gel and downing it without breaking stride.
Over the next few months I'll look into other options for carrying stuff. I have thought about a camel pack (is that the term? DH loves his) but its pockets are less accessible than the pouch on my fuel belt, and at least the belt slides around easily. It doesn't help that I'm relatively small - both in height and around - so "storage space" is kind of limited. Not that I'm complaining - have no desire to put on any weight. But on the very long training runs this summer, when I had my big water bottle at the back and then two smaller ones in detachable holders on the front, it seemed awfully crowded and not very comfortable. One option might be a compression shirt and gels pinned to my shorts underneath. With luck it won't be much of an issue for ATB in March, because it will be cold enough to wear a jacket with pockets. Amazing how much stuff you can stash in pockets and how accessible they are.
Aches, pains, general fatigue. Are these avoidable or are they just part of racing? Back when I did my first few half marathons, I had this idea that if you were really tired after a race (didn't even call them races, still have to make an effort since in my mind they are runs), and had really had to push to finish, then you simply hadn't trained enough. I have since gathered that "leaving it all on the course" is in fact quite common and quite deliberate. So my own personal jury is out on this one. It ties right in to the whole issue of "runner or racer", a big topic all by itself.
At this very moment (while being much distracted by cats and little jobs that need to be done) I can't think of more negatives, or at least not ones that I had any control over!
I really should spend some time writing about personal bests. Maybe next entry.
Quick note here on post-race recovery: it is going very well. My quads are a little touchy on stairs but otherwise seem normal. My left ankle feels a little inflamed but that's also lessened over the last 24 hours. In any event, no running on the schedule until Tuesday. Maybe that's overkill but with two marathons in four months, not to mention some awfully long training runs, a whole week of no running is probably a good thing. And certainly not a bad one.
posted by Jogger Barbie | 8:16 PM
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