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<\/a>Don’t be fooled by those pretty blue skies!<\/p><\/div>\n
WOW! It was cold out there today!<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0 Windchill temperatures were at -39 during the race. \u00a0My guess would be it was colder than that where we were because of the wind coming off the Ottawa River. \u00a0Parts of the route were cleared but there were a lot of snowy, slippery, slushy parts too. \u00a0No matter what your distance or time, this would be a race to brag about.<\/p>\n The boys placed in 3rd and 4th in the men’s\u00a0category of the 3k, and they were 2nd and 3rd in the under 13’s. \u00a0Little brother is getting closer to big brother’s times, that could make an interesting situation in the future.<\/p>\n 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. \u00a0I had the option of turning my 10k race (a double 5k loop) into a 5k run. \u00a0You 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. \u00a0I 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. \u00a0I decided that since this was a training run and I need to maintain some mileage that I might as well go for a\u00a0second trip around. \u00a0 That good feeling lasted about 500m, at which point I seriously questioned my sanity. \u00a0It had been windy enough on the first trip out, but the second time was even worse. \u00a0Of 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. \u00a0I ran one part with my eyes closed, though come to think of it maybe they had just frozen together. \u00a0It was the first winter run where my face\u00a0warmed up for the first half\u00a0but then just got colder and colder as I went on.\u00a0 At times I had my hand up to my face trying to block the wind. \u00a0My neck\/face warmer by this time was frozen solid and certainly no providing any warmth. \u00a0That said, when you weren’t being hit by the wind it really wasn’t all that bad. \u00a0I’m not making that up, there were times when I felt pretty good out there.<\/p>\n This is also not a flat course, so there were some elevation changes to deal with. \u00a0No 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. \u00a0I unfortunately found myself walking a couple of times during the 6th and 7th kms, something I really don’t usually do in a 10k. \u00a0The 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. \u00a0I knew I would be nowhere near my PB of 53 minutes but I was hoping for a comfortable 56 minutes, maybe even a 55. \u00a0Instead 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!). \u00a0It 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.<\/p>\n Despite the disappointing time, you can’t \u00a0finish a race like this one and not feel a little special. \u00a0Most people didn’t head outside today much less go running. \u00a0I think a large number of people who had registered didn’t bother coming out this morning, which is a shame. \u00a0It 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. \u00a0As 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.<\/p>\n It crossed my mind at about the 8k mark that this race was probably harder than any half marathon I have done. \u00a0While 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). \u00a0There were also several times when I was consciously thinking about the possibility of frostbite. \u00a0I was envying my kids who wore ski goggles and full face covers\u00a0so that they had no exposed skin. \u00a0At times their distance of 3k also was worthy of some envy. \u00a0Luke said he wasn’t too cold or too hot but was “just right” during his 3k. \u00a0Evan felt good except for cold legs. \u00a0He was wishing he had used a third layer to help break the wind.<\/p>\n The kids bundled up alongside the Winterlude mascot.<\/p><\/div>\n 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. \u00a0The 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. \u00a0Needless to say, indoor washrooms were more than appreciated given the temperature. \u00a0A 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.<\/p>\n After the race we toured the museum. \u00a0My 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. \u00a0He even received a cafeteria voucher for $11, so you can guess where we had lunch after the race. \u00a0It 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. \u00a0We were all fading towards the end so decided another trip back will be needed to fully appreciate everything on display.<\/p>\n<\/a>