Four weeks ago yesterday was Boston, which means that four weeks ago today DH and I were on our way home. It was a tough ride as my legs were very stiff and getting in and out of the car was...challenging. My leg muscles were frozen pretty badly after screeching to a halt at the end of the Ottawa Marathon last year, but I think after Boston they were the worst ever. Still, I'm amazed at how quickly they were back to normal - took a few days but I was able to do the Kingston 5 K on the Sunday after.
And therein lies a tale, of sorts. DH and F1 were signed up to do the Half Marathon, which I was missing for the first time since 2001. Not wanting to let our traditional annual event go by and do nothing, I had signed up for the 5 K, figuring that I should be able to at least jog it by then. Right up until race day I could have changed to the Half, and there was a part of me that wanted to, but sanity prevailed.
It was a beautiful day - sunny, almost a little too warm but not for 5 K - and I was feeling good. Not particularly stiff or sore, pretty relaxed, no expectations. So I decided that rather than jog the distance, I would run it hard and see how it went. F1 and I lined up together, his pace was not easy for me but I stuck with him for the first km, then he turned on the jets and was gone. No way I could match that, and I didn't want to. But I did keep on at the pace he'd set, or probably a little slower, and it was an interesting experience. I did want to slow down and take it easy, but this little voice inside was saying things like "It's only 5 km, not the half marathon, you can run hard for 5 km", and in the end I did, finishing in 22:59. Is that a superb time for 5 km? No, but it's pretty darn good. Is it faster than I'd expected? Yes. Was it good enough for third place in my age group? Yes!
The first woman finisher overall was also in my age group, with a smoking 18:15 (now that's a superb time!), and since you can only get one medal, that moved me up to the second place award. A big surprise, all of it, and a great way to experience my first 5 K race. Since I have Boston on the agenda for 2009, Kingston next year may be my second 5 K race. It was a fun experience, but I don't envision myself signing up for any similar short distances without a bunch of surrounding circumstances (like DH again running a different distance in the same event). Too much effort and travel time as compared to the time actually spent running.
It was a good day all round in Kingston. F1 had his best time - around 1:33 - in several years, and DH had his all time personal best, by about seven minutes, with 2:11. What an accomplishment! Especially considering that his previous PB was at Scotiabank, which is almost flat, and Kingston is a tougher course with, IIRC, four significant hills. So it was a pretty happy group having the traditional lunch at the Brew Pub after. Only problem was that I was driving (DH being pretty stiff after pushing that hard) so couldn't actually have a beer, just a few tastes of DH's.
Obviously there is no direct comparison between the Kingston 5 K and the Boston Marathon, but at the same time Kingston was a confidence booster. I never did post about ATB, but the short(ish) story is:
Was feeling good, weather was nice (sunny, not too hot or cold, a little windy but not bad), and went out faster than planned. I was running alone since F1 had a much better feel for the distance and took off, finishing with a final time around 2:18. My average pace was a little less than 5:00/km (about 48:30 at 10 km, 1:14 at 15 km) and I was making an effort to slow down but with limited success. Then at about 16 km my hamstrings and glutes started to tighten up. Uh oh. Tried water and a gel but what I really needed was a salt tablet or two. Unfortunately, I hadn't brought any along, and the gel by itself wasn't enough. By the 20 km point my pace was slowing down, and of course that's about the point the hills start. 20 - 25 km necessitated some walk and stretch breaks, and I finally grabbed some Gatorade from an aid station. Should have done that sooner, and should have had more, because it did provide an electrolyte boost. Should have, would have, could have... The real blessing of this race was that P. met me at the bottom of the big hill (she ran the 5 K earlier) and ran with me almost to the finish. Which was a big help to keep going. It was a long slow climb up that hill, but at least I didn't walk. And some more Gatorade had me doing better, if not great, for a final time of 2:32 and change. Slower than last year, but faster than my plan, and faster than expected once the hamstrings acted up. The cramps did disappear very quickly with food and water, so it was an electrolyte thing. I have now become quite paranoid, take a salt tablet before each run, and usually one or more along the way, depending on the distance and whether I feel that creeping cramping sensation.
What's next? The Ottawa Half Marathon. A subject for a different post.
And therein lies a tale, of sorts. DH and F1 were signed up to do the Half Marathon, which I was missing for the first time since 2001. Not wanting to let our traditional annual event go by and do nothing, I had signed up for the 5 K, figuring that I should be able to at least jog it by then. Right up until race day I could have changed to the Half, and there was a part of me that wanted to, but sanity prevailed.
It was a beautiful day - sunny, almost a little too warm but not for 5 K - and I was feeling good. Not particularly stiff or sore, pretty relaxed, no expectations. So I decided that rather than jog the distance, I would run it hard and see how it went. F1 and I lined up together, his pace was not easy for me but I stuck with him for the first km, then he turned on the jets and was gone. No way I could match that, and I didn't want to. But I did keep on at the pace he'd set, or probably a little slower, and it was an interesting experience. I did want to slow down and take it easy, but this little voice inside was saying things like "It's only 5 km, not the half marathon, you can run hard for 5 km", and in the end I did, finishing in 22:59. Is that a superb time for 5 km? No, but it's pretty darn good. Is it faster than I'd expected? Yes. Was it good enough for third place in my age group? Yes!
The first woman finisher overall was also in my age group, with a smoking 18:15 (now that's a superb time!), and since you can only get one medal, that moved me up to the second place award. A big surprise, all of it, and a great way to experience my first 5 K race. Since I have Boston on the agenda for 2009, Kingston next year may be my second 5 K race. It was a fun experience, but I don't envision myself signing up for any similar short distances without a bunch of surrounding circumstances (like DH again running a different distance in the same event). Too much effort and travel time as compared to the time actually spent running.
It was a good day all round in Kingston. F1 had his best time - around 1:33 - in several years, and DH had his all time personal best, by about seven minutes, with 2:11. What an accomplishment! Especially considering that his previous PB was at Scotiabank, which is almost flat, and Kingston is a tougher course with, IIRC, four significant hills. So it was a pretty happy group having the traditional lunch at the Brew Pub after. Only problem was that I was driving (DH being pretty stiff after pushing that hard) so couldn't actually have a beer, just a few tastes of DH's.
Obviously there is no direct comparison between the Kingston 5 K and the Boston Marathon, but at the same time Kingston was a confidence booster. I never did post about ATB, but the short(ish) story is:
Was feeling good, weather was nice (sunny, not too hot or cold, a little windy but not bad), and went out faster than planned. I was running alone since F1 had a much better feel for the distance and took off, finishing with a final time around 2:18. My average pace was a little less than 5:00/km (about 48:30 at 10 km, 1:14 at 15 km) and I was making an effort to slow down but with limited success. Then at about 16 km my hamstrings and glutes started to tighten up. Uh oh. Tried water and a gel but what I really needed was a salt tablet or two. Unfortunately, I hadn't brought any along, and the gel by itself wasn't enough. By the 20 km point my pace was slowing down, and of course that's about the point the hills start. 20 - 25 km necessitated some walk and stretch breaks, and I finally grabbed some Gatorade from an aid station. Should have done that sooner, and should have had more, because it did provide an electrolyte boost. Should have, would have, could have... The real blessing of this race was that P. met me at the bottom of the big hill (she ran the 5 K earlier) and ran with me almost to the finish. Which was a big help to keep going. It was a long slow climb up that hill, but at least I didn't walk. And some more Gatorade had me doing better, if not great, for a final time of 2:32 and change. Slower than last year, but faster than my plan, and faster than expected once the hamstrings acted up. The cramps did disappear very quickly with food and water, so it was an electrolyte thing. I have now become quite paranoid, take a salt tablet before each run, and usually one or more along the way, depending on the distance and whether I feel that creeping cramping sensation.
What's next? The Ottawa Half Marathon. A subject for a different post.
posted by Jogger Barbie | 7:56 PM
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