Carlene & Jacquie’s Excellent Half-Marathon Adventure Web Site!
Nov 7/01 — Carlene: Cross-country hardware!
Training summary (November 5th, 2001)
Oct 15 - Off (Massage)
Oct 16 - Off
Oct 17 - Club run - 4.5 K
Oct 18 - Spinning - intervals
Oct 19 - Fun run - 6.4 K
Oct 20 - Off (Walk 2+ hours downtown)
Oct 21 - Off (Sick with cold)
Oct 22 - Spinning - intervals with hills
Oct 23 - Tempo run - 6.4 K
Oct 24 - Club run - 6.75 K - Hit 1000 K mark in log
Oct 25 - Spinning - strength
Oct 26 - Off
Oct 27 - Speed run - 3 x 30 second strides, 1-2-3-2-1
ladder, 7 K
Oct 28 - Run - 5 K
Oct 29 - Spinning - endurance
Oct 30 - Swim 2400 m
Oct 31 - Club run - 5.75 K
Nov 1 - Spinning - strength
Nov 2 - Off
Nov 3 - Off (was supposed to run 15 minutes but I
wimped out)
Nov 4 - Race - 5K Cross Country*********************************************
When I last reported I had just raced the Canadian International Half Marathon October 14th. This current report shows my recovery, attempt to get over my second cold this fall and my taper leading to my latest race.
As you can see, I am doing a lot of cross training. I know some people really don't like cross training but I am loving it. The change of gears as well as the opportunity to train indoors several days a week is really nice. Unfortunately, most good things have a bad side. My return to swimming resulted in a return of a full body rash. Luckily the pool people have been helping me to figure out what chemical is most likely the culprit and identify what pools nearby don't use that chemical so I can try swimming somewhere else and hopefully swim rash free. Please keep your fingers crossed for me. I would really like to keep swimming and see if I can manage a triathlon or two next year.
Yesterday there was a 5K/10K cross country race to commemorate the life of Dr. Jim Howe, a local sports medicine practitioner and runner who passed away in 1996. We had a pretty wet week leading up to the event with some snow (that later melted) and lots of rain. The race location is called the Hornet's Nest and the course description indicated that the
conditions would be highly weather dependent. Saturday, the OFSSA (provincial level highschool track and field) competition was held on the same course with 1500 kids running 3, 4 and 5K races. I have been told that one highschool coach described the course as a mud-bowl. Those kids certainly prepped the course nicely for us :(I had been talked into this race by my coach Jane as a "fun way to end the season." Jane was unable to run due to a slight ankle injury and was the dedicated cheering section for our running club. Many of our club members were there and running the 10K. Having not done any cross country racing since early grade school I wasn't really sure what to expect.
Luckily for us the rain Sunday held off till afternoon so we were spared racing in a downpour. I was prepared to get muddy and wet and I did. There were some screaming downhills followed immediately by steep uphills including one cruel trek down a nice
tobogganing hill, around the bottom and back up same hill (to an even higher level) before getting back on the trail. Trail conditions ranged from muddy grass to muddy track to muddy gravel (added to the trail). Water crossings ranged from bridges to logs. I never had any idea where I was on the course and just dilligently followed the volunteers promptings and the little white flags.I was dying mid-race and wanted to walk but I resisted the temptation and simply used my HR monitor to reign in my pace slightly to a more manageable level. (HR ranged between 175-188 for most of the race.) The race felt a little long and one
runner projected that we may have run 5.5K instead of just 5K. I can tell you that I was HEARTILY glad Jane talked me into the 5K. Running that course twice would have killed me. During the race I vowed to NEVER do a cross country race again. This made me feel slightly better. Of course at this point my shoes were caked in mud, felt like they weighed a ton and I had this shoulder/side stitch thing going on.This race certainly felt harder than anything I have done recently which surprised me because I felt like I really worked quite hard at my last half marathon. I guess road racing and cross country are two completely different things. One runner remarked upon finishing the 10K: "That was the hardest half marathon I have
ever run!" which garnered a few laughs and totally echoed how I felt about the course.End result was a finish of 29:15 (watch time) which apparently was good enough to win the womens 30-39 age group. I can tell you I was quite surprised to hear my name called, particularly in first place. The medal is quite nice and Jane was thrilled for me. Unfortunately the results haven't been posted on the web yet so I can't obsess over, oops... I mean analyze them, properly.
So... Sunday's short jaunt felt like the hardest race of my entire life, it seemed like a slow time, but this race ended up to be the best placing I have ever achieved. Weird how life is sometimes eh?
Carlene
Still surprised and slightly sore in Kanata-30-
Postscript:
My placings were 7th/26 women, 36/66 total finishers. The very next finisher about 40 seconds behind me was in my age group. The overall female winners were all younger than 30. I really was the first person in my age group. What a thrill.Race photo available at:
www.paquettefamily.ca/carlene/Reports.html#JimHowe2001Previous Carlene journal: CIM half-marathon, Oct 24
Next Carlene journal: Rollercoaster, Nov 21
C&J Journal Index C&J Vital Stats PWC4 Site Last updated: Dec 3/01