It wasn’t pretty, it wasn’t enjoyable, but the last long run before Prague is done. It probably should have been longer but I was exhausted and decided 17 slow kms were enough. It was cold, damp, slushy and windy but it is done. My next run will be in Nice, France, where we will spend a few days before moving on to Prague. This is where that next run will be:
photo from Wiki
That kind of scenery has to make for a better run!
This weekend I will do my last long run for the Prague Half Marathon. I have been training for this race since January, right through consistently frigid temperatures. I’m not sure how to measure this training session. In 2014 I completed a little more mileage by this time of year but I feel like I increased the quality of my runs this time around. Most notably I saw significant improvement in my hill work and speed intervals. Well, to be honest, i have never really tried speed intervals before, but I am doing them better than I thought I would. I once again, however, managed to almost completely avoid tempo runs 🙁
A very brief look at my training tells me this:
I admit I had hoped my monthly totals would be more but somehow it just didn’t happen. In April and May I would like to work my way back up to 160 or 170 km each month.
While all my speed, hill and LSR work has gone quite well, I am still not feeling confident that I can run 21 km at a sub 2 hour pace like I did last year (three times…still excited about that accomplishment). It is definitely possible but I think I will need a perfect day. Certainly the elevation of the course is ideal. Check it out:
It is hard to see but the vertical scale is only from 184m to 209m. That is not much of an elevation change!
The temperature might work to my advantage as well. Forecasts have ranged anywhere from 7C to 14C in Prague on the 28th. Of course with two weeks to go anything could happen. If it gets hotter than 14 degrees I simply won’t have adapted yet to that kind of temperature. One big weather consideration will be wind. Virtually all of the course runs along the Vltava River. That should make for a scenic run, but the potential of having to fight wind in an open area is a significant possibility.
So what is my plan for this race? First priority – ENJOY IT! Realistically, I won’t run this race again. Who knows if I will ever even get to Prague again? I have to make sure I soak in the day. That is a promise I have made to myself each time I have run in a new city. It is not that there have been that many, but I have been fortunate enough to have raced in NYC, Vancouver and Philadelphia. All three of those races have given me lasting memories. Of course I have also run in Toronto and Hamilton, but they don’t really count. I’ve been to Toronto more times than I can count, so nothing new to see there and as for Hamilton… well, they put on a great race but you don’t really go to Hamilton for the scenery.
As for my goal times, I very much hope to be between 1:58 and 2:02. Short of injury, not feeling well, or wicked weather, this should not be an unrealistic goal. If I could come in under 1:58, I would be thrilled. I did it in Vancouver, but that race offered some great downhill in the first half of the course, not to mention no wind or humidity. It was truly a perfect day. I also did it in last fall’s Mission Possible race, but it was not a certified course and my Garmin showed under the 21.1 km. As a result, I don’t count that 1:56 time as a personal best, though I was damn proud of it given the difficulty of the course and the fact that my previous best time at that race was 2:06.
Taking in the scenery of a city I once lived in for 5 months will truly be the highlight of the race. How can I not enjoy a city that looks like this:
Photo montage from http://www.hotels-in-czech.com/news/Hervis-Prague-1-2Marathon.html
If you are interested in some of the other views to be seen during the Prague Half Marathon, check out the following helicopter video:
http://www.hotels-in-czech.com/news/Hervis-Prague-1-2Marathon.html
Prague, here I come!
On many of my outdoor runs I have run past gyms. When I am fighting rain, wind or snow I understand why I see so many people running on treadmills indoors. But when it is nice out I always wonder why on earth someone would choose treadmill running over the great outdoors. What is with those people I always wonder?
Well, today I was one of those people. The temperature actually went above 0C today. We have been waiting for that for months. And there I was heading to the local rec centre to work out on a treadmill. I actually purposely took out all of my outdoor running gear from my gym bag before heading to work today because I knew that if I had a choice I would be heading outdoors. So why rob myself of a fun run outside? I need to make sure I can run in warmer temperatures. At the moment the predicted temperature in Prague on race day is 12 C. In many ways I consider that to be an ideal temperature. But it is worth considering that 12 degrees is 20, if not 30 degrees warmer than what I am currently used to! I’m not even used to drinking water on my runs – really there hasn’t been any point in carrying it since it would just freeze solid. So treadmill it was. I may even hit it one more time this week. My hope is that running in the stagnant, still, warm air of the gym will make a spring day in Prague feel perfect.
On a different note, my Nike Tempos passed the long run test, completing 19 km last weekend. I have now run in them 4 times and no blisters to be found. I think I might be a little stiffer in my calves with them, but I am putting that down to just adjusting to the lower drop and change of shoe style. I am going to switch back and forth between them and the heavier Nimbus, again with the idea that running with a heavier shoe for some runs will make the lighter shoe feel like nothing. I’ll take every slight advantage I can get!
Charlie and my glowing shoes!
I have raced most of my half marathons and both marathons in Asics Gel Nimbus 14’s. Of course the 14’s are three models back in Nimbus history, but when I tried to move to the 15’s the shoes had changed shape so much they no longer fit me properly. As a result I never even tried the 16’s and instead opted to keep ordering the 14’s online.
My favourite pair of Asics Gel Nimbus
This winter I have done much of my running in Salomon trail shoes and was amazed not only at the traction they offer but how light they are. Lately, I have gone back to my Asics, knowing that I would not be using the Salomons with their serious treads for the Prague Half Marathon. I didn’t realize though that I had become accustomed to the light weight and flexibility of my trail shoes. Suddenly my Nimbus shoes felt a little stiff and bulky. They are still comfortable shoes, but I started dreaming of something lighter.
One of my pair of Salomons.
My Salomon Speedcross 3’s with Climate Shield.
I have a pair of Asic Gel Lytes that I have used for a couple of 8k and10k races. I have always loved them but unfortunately bought them about a half size too small. They are just tight enough that I have never gone past 10k in them, nor have I used them regularly for training, for fear they might become uncomfortable. I have tried for a while to get another pair but they seem hard to come by around here and with the new models out now I didn’t want to go through the hassle of buying them online only to find they didn’t fit properly.
When it comes to brands outside of Salomon and Asics, I have had little luck. I’ve tried Brooks, New Balance and Mizuno, but nothing has given me the comfortable fit I was looking for. Nike was a brand I had yet to try. After reading Karla Bruning’s review over at RunKarlaRun of the new Nike Tempos, I decided I should head to a local sports store and try them on.
The salesperson actually gave me two other Nike shoes to try first, saying they would be better for distance. He seemed to be of the opinion that only heavier, more structured shoes could be used beyond the 10k race. One style of Nike didn’t fit at all, the other was o.k but little more. Then I tried the Tempos. First of all I was impressed with how incredibly light these shoes are. Compared to the Nimbus these shoes feel like they are made of air. I’m pretty sure my summer sandals weigh more than these shoes. Somehow though this shoe still has comfortable cushioning, easing my worries that I would feel like I was running barefoot – a movement I have had no interest in joining. The upper hugs my foot perfectly, I am guessing this is due to a combination of the lacing style and the flexible, lightweight mesh. But of course it is rare to find the “perfect” shoe and I found the toe box felt a little tight at first, even with me going up a half size.
Knowing that I loved the feel of the shoe, but slightly concerned about the toe box, I decided to buy a pair and try them out on a treadmill. I will say having these new shoes in my gym bag actually made me feel a little excited about a treadmill run, an unusual feeling for me. I tested them for 6.5k at various paces and I knew by the end that the Tempos would become my 5 to 10k racing shoes, even if I decided against them for the half marathon distance. I was also reminded once again how much I hate the treadmill, even flashy new shoes could only keep me keen for so long.
This picture doesn’t quite capture the true “Volt” colour of the shoes. My kids did ask if they would glow in the dark!
Yesterday I took my Tempos out for a run on pavement and they didn’t disappoint. The only downside – these lightweight, airy shoes are definitely not made for -20 C! Even when wearing my wool socks I was feeling a bit of a breeze on my feet! Of course I anticipated this when I went out, but knew that if I waited until the temperature went above 0 I could be waiting until April, so out I went. My plan was to run at a tempo pace, which according to my Running Room book would be around 5:40 min/km. Being honest, I have not actually been doing official tempo runs, just hills, steady runs and long slow runs, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. I ended up running 6 km at a comfortable 5:28, which would be my race pace if I wanted a 1:55 half marathon – which I do but am not anticipating that time in Prague. Whether my faster than anticipated pace was due to recent hill and interval work, the cold temperature that made me want to keep moving, or these light as air shoes, I guess I will never know, but it was a good run.
The last test left? My long slow run this weekend. I am planning to run 18 to 20 km tomorrow so I will have a chance to see how these shoes feel when going the distance. I am very hopeful that they will rise to the challenge, as I would love to wear them in Prague.
Of course we all know that the function of the shoe is the most important factor when choosing a pair of runners to race and train in. But I think most of us agree that it is pretty nice when the shoes we pick come in a colour we like. I love the neon yellow, or “Volt” colour of these simply styled shoes. And if my Tempos work, out I have to admit I already have my eye on this colour too:
Follow me on Twitter @AverageRunnerK
Training sometimes can drag you down. We can get wrapped up in paces and distances and weekly kms. It can be easy to forget that as hard as running is it can also be fun. Throw in training in what is now officially the coldest February in Ottawa in 115 years (and not like we are warm at the best of times), and training can become something to simply endure and get done. This winter people’s pipes are freezing solid, the plastic parts on cars are shattering with the slightest bump and school children have been kept in for enough indoor recesses that playing on the schoolyard is something of a distant memory. The canal skateway, the longest skating rink in the world, has been open a record number of days, though many of those days saw few skaters due to the bone chilling cold.
Last Friday though Mother Nature gave us a bit of a break. By mid afternoon the temperature was around -10 and there was virtually no wind. Minus 10 may not sound particularly warm but when day after day after day has been well into the -20’s and often in the -30’s with the never ending wind factored in, Friday seemed like a little bit of heaven. The best part was for the first time it was possible to actually feel a little warmth from the sun. You had to concentrate a little, but it was there.
With this weather break I went out with the idea of simply running for enjoyment. I didn’t care what pace or distance I achieved, though I admit I am still a little too anal to go without my GPS watch – no matter what I do I like to record it. My plan was to run until I didn’t want to run anymore, maybe 5 or 8 km, or if I really felt good go for 10k. I headed out on one of my favourite routes, one I have been avoiding because of its tendency to act as a wind tunnel. From memory I was pretty sure that the turnaround point I wanted to get to was about 6k from work. Only when I got to that point did I realize it was actually around 7.5. Happily I realized that I was going to do a minimum of 15 km. By the end I threw in a little more and finished up at 16.4k, and every km was truly enjoyable. What a treat to not be fighting the wind, struggling through sand-like snow, or watching for oncoming traffic because of the impossibility of running on unsafe sidewalks. If fact the only things I had to watch out for were these little bodies of water…I think they are called puddles! Wow, water outside in its liquid form!
Today the temperatures stayed warm (relatively speaking) but it was a grey, damp day. Once again I really didn’t have a plan. It should have been my long run day, but since I had already done that 16.4, it didn’t seem necessary. So, despite only being one month away from the Prague Half Marathon, I once again went out with no goal in mind and once again was pleasantly surprised. I split the run into two parts. The first 7k was a steady tempo run (actually a little faster than needed). A five minute break was followed by a slower recovery run for 6.6 km. This run was based almost entirely on what my body felt like doing. Running at a strong pace felt great until the 7 km mark, when I knew I was tired. The recovery run also felt right, though I was a little surprised to find that I actually sped up in the last 2 km.
Sometimes it is just good to run 🙂
That said, if you are having troubles motivating yourself, you have to check out this:
http://www.theonion.com/video/new-nike-running-app-tells-you-what-youre-really-r,36669/
Let’s just put this out there right now – I kind of suck at snowshoe running. There are specific stages I went through during last Saturday’s 5k race to come to this realization. Here is a more or less accurate account of my rambling thought process while doing the race:
Denial:
“I’m a half decent half marathon runner, I can definitely snowshoe 5k. Sure there are a lot of hills, but I’ve been doing hill training. Yes the race starts on a hill that just seems to keep going up. But look, the 4 people ahead of me on this single track are walking now up the hill. I could totally run it but since I am behind them I will just have to walk too.”
“Damn, why are those people moving off the track and letting me go by??? Oh $#*! now I am the leader of this group. I don’t want to be leader, I think the people behind me might actually want to be running. Maybe I will just move off the track and let them by. But I could totally run this hill if I had to.”
Anger: (this one is directed to you Mike Caldwell!)
“Who the heck thought snowshoe racing on hills was a good idea??? What is wrong with snowshoe running on flat ground??? Why are there so many hills in Quebec anyway????
Bargaining:
“If the ground flattens out I promise to be a much better person, honest.”
This thought is interrupted by totally random thoughts to keep me going:
“Hey, five weeks from right now I’ll be getting ready to head to the start line for the Prague Half Marathon. Oh, wait, there is a time difference. Ahead or behind? Would I be at the start line or the finish line at this time in 5 weeks? Damn, not enough oxygen for my brain to do math.”
Depression:
OK, skipped this stage. The thoughts of chili, beer and brownies kept me happy enough.
Acceptance:
“I suck at snowshoe racing. Oh well! I’ll be back at the races next year regardless!”
Somebody, please make this weather go away. I admit it, today is the day I have hit my limit of cold weather. I should be more specific, I have hit my limit of stupidly cold weather. Honestly, I would be more than happy to have a series of -10 sunny winter days with little or no windchill. I really don’t need it to be spring. I am understanding of the fact that we are still in the season of winter. I don’t want to be running in a heat wave. But can’t we just have pleasant winter days? You know those days where if you dress properly you are perfectly comfortable, with the added bonus of no summer bugs or threats of heat stroke? I like those days. In fact I love those days. My fear is this is what is going to happen: we will continue to freeze our butts (and noses, and fingers and toes) off, then we will get one or two perfect days and suddenly it will be hot, humid and buggy. Could we just have some reasonable weather for a while???
Moving away from the weather rant, I found myself questioning my running strength at the beginning of this week. I was very proud of surviving that -39 C race on Sunday but oh so disappointed in my time. I in no way planned to PB at the race but I certainly thought I would be a couple of minutes faster. Of course the weather played a part, but there is only so much you can blame on weather. It was frustrating to finish in 58 minutes given the fact I have been running fairly regularly.
The only upside was the fact that the next day I did not feel like I had run a race at all, so instead of having a rest day I went out again and made myself do some faster running for 6 km. Sometimes anger and frustration can make you pick up your speed a little.
The following day though was my hill training day and I admit I wanted out of it. Now my legs were tired and I was worried they would never last for 7 hill repeats, plus a long, gradual hill warm up. I found myself hoping that my hill running partner wouldn’t be there so I wouldn’t have to work my butt off. Bill is the one who has got me to the point of running up hills at a speed I would never have tried on my own, but yesterday the thought of pushing myself to that level was not in the least appealing. If I was on my own I figured I could slowly do a couple of hills, go for an easy run and call it a day. Bill was there though, so I couldn’t bail immediately. Instead I warned him I might not make it through the whole training session. We did a warm up, which was on a different hill, then made our way to where we do our repeats. We started up and I felt OK. Then my legs started feeling a little tired, which quickly changed to them feeling very heavy. Once I was almost at top of the 475 m hill I thought there was no way I would be able to do 6 more repeats. I announced that I was done and would just go on by myself for a short – and more importantly – flat run. To which Bill replied that there was a reason I was feeling that way and then told me to look at my watch. We had run the hill at a 5:07 pace. I don’t run on flat ground at a 5:07 pace! We decided to slow it down to a 5:20 pace up the hill, and sure enough I was comfortable, or at least comfortable enough, at the slower pace. That slower pace though is still much faster than I ever thought I would do on hills. Also worthy of noting, the 7th time up was at a 5:10 pace. I may not feel any confidence in running distance at a reasonable pace right now, but at least I know I can do hills!
The best feeling though on Tuesday was doing that 7th hill and telling myself it was the last hill repeat of this training session. Technically I could do another week, but I have decided i want to get three speed sessions done prior to heading overseas. I have actually never done true speed intervals so this will be new to me. I am wondering if I will be able to do a 5 minute pace for my intervals, or at least a 5:05. I’m kind of looking forward to a new challenge, though I am guessing a few intervals into my speed session I will not be so enthusiastic. If you see someone on the roads next Tuesday afternoon clutching her knees and doing her best to keep lunch down and still gasp for air, it will probably be me.
Don’t be fooled by those pretty blue skies!
WOW! It was cold out there today! Windchill temperatures were at -39 during the race. My guess would be it was colder than that where we were because of the wind coming off the Ottawa River. Parts of the route were cleared but there were a lot of snowy, slippery, slushy parts too. No matter what your distance or time, this would be a race to brag about.
The boys placed in 3rd and 4th in the men’s category of the 3k, and they were 2nd and 3rd in the under 13’s. Little brother is getting closer to big brother’s times, that could make an interesting situation in the future.
My husband impressively placed 2nd in his age category for the 5k, leaving it down to me to complete the family lanyard collection but unfortunately it didn’t happen. I had the option of turning my 10k race (a double 5k loop) into a 5k run. You didn’t have to decide before the race, everyone was told to just cross the finish line if they felt they needed to because of the temperatures. I had managed the 5k somewhat comfortably and in fact was feeling pretty good just before I had to decide whether to go right to continue or go left to finish. I decided that since this was a training run and I need to maintain some mileage that I might as well go for a second trip around. That good feeling lasted about 500m, at which point I seriously questioned my sanity. It had been windy enough on the first trip out, but the second time was even worse. Of course now that the race had spread out and the 5k runners were finished, there were no groups of people you could hide behind to try to avoid the gusts. I ran one part with my eyes closed, though come to think of it maybe they had just frozen together. It was the first winter run where my face warmed up for the first half but then just got colder and colder as I went on. At times I had my hand up to my face trying to block the wind. My neck/face warmer by this time was frozen solid and certainly no providing any warmth. That said, when you weren’t being hit by the wind it really wasn’t all that bad. I’m not making that up, there were times when I felt pretty good out there.
This is also not a flat course, so there were some elevation changes to deal with. No major hills but when you are climbing even a relatively simple hill while fighting wind gusts (I think I heard between 40 and 60 km) it can be a little tough. I unfortunately found myself walking a couple of times during the 6th and 7th kms, something I really don’t usually do in a 10k. The breaks helped me pick up a little in the last 3k, in fact the final km was one of my fastest, but overall it was my slowest 10k race. I knew I would be nowhere near my PB of 53 minutes but I was hoping for a comfortable 56 minutes, maybe even a 55. Instead I was over 58 minutes. To be honest it was a disappointing time for me and slow enough to put me in 4th for my age group when I usually manage to place in the top three in these smaller races. (Note, I am the first to admit it is because they are smaller races that I can place!). It would have been fun for all four of us to get age group lanyards but we will have to aim for a family takeover next time.
Despite the disappointing time, you can’t finish a race like this one and not feel a little special. Most people didn’t head outside today much less go running. I think a large number of people who had registered didn’t bother coming out this morning, which is a shame. It really was pretty amazing to see a few hundred people line up outside the War Museum knowing full well they were heading into some of the worst possible running conditions and still – for the most part – have smiles on their faces. As race director Christine McKinty noted at the beginning of the race, there was to be no complaining about the cold since all of us huddled at the start line were probably creating the warmest spot in Ottawa.
It crossed my mind at about the 8k mark that this race was probably harder than any half marathon I have done. While there were times I felt good, there were other times when my legs just felt wobbly (not sure if that was from the slippery road or from the 11k I ran less than 48 hours prior to the race). There were also several times when I was consciously thinking about the possibility of frostbite. I was envying my kids who wore ski goggles and full face covers so that they had no exposed skin. At times their distance of 3k also was worthy of some envy. Luke said he wasn’t too cold or too hot but was “just right” during his 3k. Evan felt good except for cold legs. He was wishing he had used a third layer to help break the wind.
The kids bundled up alongside the Winterlude mascot.
While I wish the course had been a little more protected from the wind, you can’t ask for a better place than the War Museum for an indoor space before and after the race. The large lobby had lots of room for runners, a small auditorium provided space for awards and massages and timing chips were picked up in a space surrounded by tanks and a fighter jet. Needless to say, indoor washrooms were more than appreciated given the temperature. A large cannon was even used for the starting gun, which I think made most runners leap to a start since we didn’t know when it was going to go off.
After the race we toured the museum. My husband’s military past means he can get three of the four of us in for free, plus a free parking voucher so we didn’t have to pay for our underground parking, and I can tell you that warm parking area was a bonus when we arrived at the race just before 7:30 this morning. He even received a cafeteria voucher for $11, so you can guess where we had lunch after the race. It was my first time seeing the exhibits, and I highly recommend visiting the War Museum, though maybe not right after running a race in Arctic like temperatures. We were all fading towards the end so decided another trip back will be needed to fully appreciate everything on display.
My2013, 2014 and 2015 Winterman medals – one of my favourite medal designs each year.
Will I sign up for Winterman next year? Absolutely. You can’t live in this city and not do a real winter race. Actually, I guess many runners do skip the winter races, but they are missing out. Finishing a race like today’s is a whole different experience than racing at any other, more sane time of year. I also love the snowflake medal made of runners. The only change I might consider for next year… maybe just the 5k!
Side note: about 15 people completed the marathon today. What can I say but “Wow!”
A family of Salomon runners. The extra traction was definitely needed today.
Tomorrow morning if you are skipping your long run because of the crazy temperature, keep all of us running at Winterman in your thoughts! Forecast has changed, for the worse. Wind is now meant to be around 40km, with gusts up to 60. Windchill temperatures will be around -35 or -36 C. My kids are running the 3k race; we have laid out the ski goggles so that they will have no exposed skin. My husband is doing the 5k, and I admit I may join him if the wind is going to be too much for a 10k run. On the positive side, at least I wasn’t looking for a PB this time around. This may just be one of those races you are happy to merely survive.
Race bibs and even more important – handwarmers!
I think I should have run the Hypothermic last weekend. The temperature was almost balmy at around -12 C. But instead i opted to race a shorter distance, 10k, at tomorrow’s Winterman. Here is what Environment Canada is predicting for tomorrow:
Mainly cloudy with 30 percent chance of snow early in the morning. Clearing in the morning. Local blowing snow in the morning. Wind northwest 30 km/h gusting to 50 becoming light late in the evening. High minus 19. Wind chill minus 31.
Of course Winterman happens to be held in an open area along the Ottawa River. This isn’t going to be pretty. The race is made up of loop repeats, so you are allowed to run a shorter distance than you signed up for and head to the finish line early. You just need to let race officials know and they will record your time based on the shorter race distance. This means I do have the option of doing only one loop and being part of the 5k race. I would really like to complete the 10, even if it is going to be slow, and if we get those wind gusts coming off the river it is going to be really slow!
Ottawa has been stupidly cold this year. We have had day after day of temperatures in the minus 20’s or worse when windchill is factored in. I think I can count on one hand the number of pleasant winter days we have experienced since we started the new year. When I got up yesterday the temperature with the windchill was -40 C, that crazy cold number where Celsius and Fahrenheit meet. I ran 11k outside yesterday and when I headed out at 2;00 in the afternoon it had only warmed up to -32. Amazingly I was able to find an area that wasn’t too windy and just kept running out and backs and small loops.
I just checked the temperatures in Moscow, Whitehorse and Anchorage. They are all hovering around -2 C. Who would have thought that in the middle of winter those cities would look like the ideal places to go to warm up?
At tomorrow’s race there will be people doing the marathon distance. Anyone hardy enough to do that will certainly have my utmost admiration!
For anyone else who has an urge to run a very Canadian, wintery race tomorrow, registration can be done first thing in the morning at the War Museum.
Nothing but ice looking through the windows of our church. The icicles are over 5 feet long.