This weekend was a lot of fun, I got to visit Victoria, run through all of my old neighborhoods, and relive some of the memories from my four years of life on the Island.
I miss Vancouver Island sometimes, I have a lot f memories there. Late nights a Alzus after partying on the town, and oh o many nights of Karaoke at Sopranos. I don't regret any of the time I lived there though I am glad I don't live there anymore.
This last weekend I was registered to run the Goodlife Fitness Victoria Marathon. Ironman drives people to do crazy things, so a Marathon 5 weeks after IMC does not seem too far out there.
The weekend started early, really early.I am from the sunshine coast, and am used to taking the ferry to get around. There is something distasteful about paying a reservation fee to get on the ferry for me, so I have never done it to this day. So we got up at 4:30 am to get to the 6:20 am ferry to Naniamo. The plan was to drive down the island and have an easy afternoon around town. We got to the ferry at 5:50 am, as the ferry was about 80% full for the sailing. 10 minutes later that sailing was full (I may have to re-examine my reservation....reservations at some point if I am ever in a hurry) and we settled in for a trip across the water. The weather sucked...like rally sucked, rain and wind. I just had to have faith that he weather report for the next day was right and we were not to be drowned. Race package pickup was cool, I always see things that I want, but of course never buy and a great evening before turning in for the night.
Race Day:
The thing about a race like a Marathon is that you have to plan how you want to run it a long way out, you can ave great performances on race day, but even those come down to training. If you train for a 4:40 Marathon it is entirely possible to run a 4:25 Marathon by pushing harder and feeling little more pain but not a 4:00 Marathon. My training this summer was all geared to a slow, easy pace marathon because I was planning to Swim 2.4 Miles, and Bike 113 mils before my marathon. My body is conditioned to run that easy pace, the problem with that is I can still run much faster, and with fast runners al around it is easy to get egged on, even if I am making a conscious effort to watch my pace.
The morning started easy, I walked down and watched the early start, then the Half Marathon and 8 k starts as well. I walked around the inner Harbour and soaked in everything, there is such a buzz at the start line. Everyone should see it once. Eventually I lined up in my area, I had been telling myself since Ironman that the plan was to recreate the run from IMC, 4:30 Marathon, with no issues feeling good the whole way. I don't think I ever believed it though, I had my gels, Water, electrolyte Tabs...
Gun went off and I began my shuffle to the start line, from there it all becomes a blur. I followed my plan again, Gel, and Electrolyte alternating every 15 minutes. The run started off really good, Lookingat my pace I was running 5:40-6:00 per Km. Right on my target pace (But I decided not to stop for walk breaks...) I held my easy pace all the way to Becon Hill Park, and through to Dallas Rd. The packs started to break up and by 10 k there was lots of room, the fast guys were being fast, and the slower runners were doing there thing. At 10k I looked t the watch, and realized that I may be going a little fast, 10k #1 ook me about 55 minutes, which is about 7 or 8 minutes faster than plan. I was feeling good so I eased up the pace just a little (or thought I did and continued on. the next thing I remember I am out in Oak Bay coming up on the half way mark, and I realize that my right Hamstring, and Glute (Butt) are getting tight. I finished he first half in 1:57 which is 15 minutes faster than goal pace Feels good, but I have been here before in a different race but I stay positive and see what happens.
Within another 5 k I know something is not right, my leg is seizing up slowly and my heart rate which I had been monitoring (Unsuccessfully) was high..Too High.. at 28k I had to face reality, I am not going for a pb, and this is not the run I planned, this was becoming the Marathon that I fear, the one where all movement becomes a pain, and everything is a struggle. I stopped and walked, I switched over to 10 & 1's to see if I could save any endurance for the finish line. Eventually I started playing Tag, Marathon Style. That is where I run to catch up to a slower runner then walk or a bit. Soon Nik from the Running Room caught up with me. He was in pain too, so we got to commiserate about that, I would run ahead, then he would catch up while I was walking That proved a great way to finish the last 12k Walk...Run.......Walk...........Run.... It went on this way for a while with lots of positive motivation going both ways.
The finish line is the part of the race that we all dream about. The finish line is what I visualize while I train, then it is the training I visualize while I race. The two feed each other I incorporate lessons from racing in my training, and vice versa. I realized that this finish line was not like most lines for me, this i my Third Victoria Marathon, I have cracked 4 hours on this course, and I had nothing to prove, This one was for the experience, all for me.
The next thing I know I am looking at the finish line, I am close, do I run???....No, I stop 100 feet from the line, looked for my friends then promptly danced my way to the finish line.
Final finish time 4:13:58
Sometimes a best time is more than just a fast time, This was one of my most fun Marathons
Showing posts with label Questions. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Questions. Show all posts
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Race4MS-Running for my Life (Taken from Facebook)
Why am I doing this?? That is a huge question for me, The training and racing for this year has been difficult to say the least, and even more, why am I putting this out in such a public way? as an MS Patient I am still very early stages, and if you meet me on the street, there is no reason that you would think me different, except an aversion to alcohol, and coffee... Why am I telling the world that I Have MS? Multiple sclerosis is part of my life, this is a condition that has and will continue to affect every relationship I have for the rest of my life, from my career(s), to family, and friends and co-workers. There are a lot of things that go along with this condition from the self doubt, right through the instant judgments that are made when you explain what MS is, to looking an employer in the eye and telling them that you will make a productive employee, and that it is worth it to them to invest the time and money to make you a part of their team. I don't know what this will be like for me in years to come, but I know more than most, and that knowledge is going to force me to test my limits every day until I find them.
When I got into running in 2006 I was fortunate to find some great help in CMS Coaching with Tara-Lee Marshal, and Sean Clark. With their help I quickly got faster and more fit, I was training for longer and longer distances. I also found that my symptoms which were mild decreased as my training gained consistency. By August 2009 I was already determined to run Ironman Canada in 2010, and the Rona MS Bike Tour I mentioned it to one of the MS Society Staff Members that maybe I should run a small fundraiser for my racing season. Through her, I started an endMS.ca account and started talking to people more....and more. I realized very quickly as I started talking to people who were not involved or knew somebody who had MS but only a little, that the people I met knew very little about what this condition is, and the range of abilities that we maintain, variation that each of us has in the many ways that we can deal with it. The first thing that I hear when I tell someone that I have MS is "You look fine...", and the second thing I hear is "does running so much make your condition worse?...", and the third thing I hear is "I could never do anything like that..." The truth is, if you asked me four years ago, or even eight years ago, I would have said the last one myself. This journey I am on has many steps, and for me they have been a lot of little steps from the first step on a treadmill, to the first start line at a 10k race, each step I felt was a success, each step was a first, and I never imagined the next step at the time, they just seemed logical when I took them. I honestly believe that anyone can complete a 10k, Half Marathon, or Marathon...all it took for me was telling myself that I will do it, and that my best is not only good enough, but a minimum requirement.
My goal in running Ironman Canada is not to be first at anything, I want you, who is reading right now to realize that the ability to enjoy your body is one of the most precious gifts that you were born with, use it well, or one day you will wish you did. I was given fair warning, and I have changed my life because of it.
MS Stops People from Moving, I exist to prove that it will not stop me.
Please help end MS for good.
Ray
Why am I doing this?? That is a huge question for me, The training and racing for this year has been difficult to say the least, and even more, why am I putting this out in such a public way? as an MS Patient I am still very early stages, and if you meet me on the street, there is no reason that you would think me different, except an aversion to alcohol, and coffee... Why am I telling the world that I Have MS? Multiple sclerosis is part of my life, this is a condition that has and will continue to affect every relationship I have for the rest of my life, from my career(s), to family, and friends and co-workers. There are a lot of things that go along with this condition from the self doubt, right through the instant judgments that are made when you explain what MS is, to looking an employer in the eye and telling them that you will make a productive employee, and that it is worth it to them to invest the time and money to make you a part of their team. I don't know what this will be like for me in years to come, but I know more than most, and that knowledge is going to force me to test my limits every day until I find them.
When I got into running in 2006 I was fortunate to find some great help in CMS Coaching with Tara-Lee Marshal, and Sean Clark. With their help I quickly got faster and more fit, I was training for longer and longer distances. I also found that my symptoms which were mild decreased as my training gained consistency. By August 2009 I was already determined to run Ironman Canada in 2010, and the Rona MS Bike Tour I mentioned it to one of the MS Society Staff Members that maybe I should run a small fundraiser for my racing season. Through her, I started an endMS.ca account and started talking to people more....and more. I realized very quickly as I started talking to people who were not involved or knew somebody who had MS but only a little, that the people I met knew very little about what this condition is, and the range of abilities that we maintain, variation that each of us has in the many ways that we can deal with it. The first thing that I hear when I tell someone that I have MS is "You look fine...", and the second thing I hear is "does running so much make your condition worse?...", and the third thing I hear is "I could never do anything like that..." The truth is, if you asked me four years ago, or even eight years ago, I would have said the last one myself. This journey I am on has many steps, and for me they have been a lot of little steps from the first step on a treadmill, to the first start line at a 10k race, each step I felt was a success, each step was a first, and I never imagined the next step at the time, they just seemed logical when I took them. I honestly believe that anyone can complete a 10k, Half Marathon, or Marathon...all it took for me was telling myself that I will do it, and that my best is not only good enough, but a minimum requirement.
My goal in running Ironman Canada is not to be first at anything, I want you, who is reading right now to realize that the ability to enjoy your body is one of the most precious gifts that you were born with, use it well, or one day you will wish you did. I was given fair warning, and I have changed my life because of it.
MS Stops People from Moving, I exist to prove that it will not stop me.
Please help end MS for good.
Ray
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