Wednesday, February 26, 2014

Last Chance at the Last Chance Half!



Race Recap – Last Chance Half – Nov 10th, 2013
With the odd burst of winter weather heading our way intermittently since mid October, it was no surprise that on the morning of the last Half Marathon of the year we were blessed with a winter storm. Until now however, the weather had been pretty reasonable. We hadn’t had any significant influxes of arctic are and hadn’t yet reached temperatures in the -20C range (-4F).
The forecast going into race weekend was not looking favourable. On race morning we woke up to the first big blizzard of the year. It was blowing snow and the temperature was sitting at -18C. Granted, our position next to the Rocky Mountains means that we can be running in snow even in July and August, but this was the first really cold, cold snap we had seen weather wise since April. Come on, -10C (14F) is shots weather here after all!
The cold burst took a lot of us by surprise. It had been some time since the last time I ran at -20C that I wasn’t even sure what to wear for race day. Thankfully, the weekend before I had picked up some Sugoi run pants. I guess today was the day to give them a test drive! I’m not usually one to test new gear on race day… but with the temperature as cold as it was, the snow blowing sideways and the prospect of an unmanned course, I was willing to give it a go! Boy I am glad that I did!
Packet Pick Up:

The race itself was run through Gord’s Running store. Packet pick up took place the day before the race (Saturday) at Gord’s store. Dozens of us were lined up at the 10am opening vying for position in the small parking lot and side streets. At sign in we were issued our chipped bibs, a race shirt and a small bag of goodies. Little did any of us know how suitable the design on the front of the race shirt would be by race morning, the next day. 

Foreshadowing of things to come.... hahaha.... if only we knew!!!



Race Morning:
New run pants with tags still attached, it was time to prepare for race morning. Normally I prepare for races the night before. With the weather so unpredictable this time of year, it really is hard to gauge exactly what it is you will need to run in on race day. I had a stack of run attire perched on the bathroom counter ready to sort through after a quick dash outside to test the weather. HOLY BATMAN! My ‘quick dash’ was just that! Usually I stay out for a few minutes and jump around or run up and down the drive way to see how quickly I warm up…. Not this morning! I made it to the bottom of our front steps in my PJ’s and runners. Hahaha…. It was cold!
A quick glance at the morning news reaffirmed just how cold it was. For the first time this fall we had a winter storm. Driving conditions were dismal at best and motorists were warned to stay off the roads for any unnecessary travel. The roaring wind had the temperature sitting at about -24C (-11.2F) at 7am. Awesome! Heat wave! … wait, what is the opposite of a heat wave? Icicle?  

So, what to wear? Hahaha… a little bit of everything! I pulled on a pair of ProCompression calf sleeves to keep my lower legs warm and then proceeded to sift through my pile of run gear to pick out a few layers. I always run with Injinji toe socks, so they would be my base layer on my feet. Nothing beat not having to worry about blisters when you can’t feel your toes in the cold! On top of them I threw on a pair of hiking weight Icebreaker merino wool socks. That was it for the feet! Anything more and my feet wouldn’t fit in my shoes! My new Sugoi pants with a windproof front panel were my only pants layer. On top I opted for a long sleeve Salomon compression shirt, my new race shirt (I’m not superstitious – I will always finish a run I have started!) as the image on the front was just too good to pass up on this cold and blustery day, and an Under Armor, base layer pullover with hood (not on my base but still warm!). I topped off my already stylish and grossly mismatched albeit colourful look with my florescent orange Saucony run jacket (with LED lights!!!), a fleece and cotton dual layer Buff, a baseball hat, fleece headband and my 40-below snowboard mittens. Somewhere under the three long sleeved layers my Garmin 310XT was hiding…. And my heart rate monitor! One day, some day, I will remember to get my heart rate monitor on before I finish tucking in all of my shirt layers….! I hope..!
After a few last minute gear checks and collecting some dry clothes for after the race, it was off to the races! Hahaha… slowly, and very, very carefully!
The Race

My mom decided to come along with me on race day. Well, that and I got her a brunch ticket – anything for food! I rode shot gun in her little tractor of a car, attempting to pin my race bib to my pants without stabbing myself en route. I had my great big winter boots on to keep my feet warm and race shoes dry until the start of the race. Oh what a morning!
It took us nearly an hour to do the usual 20 minute drive into the heart of the city. The race was being run out of Eau Claire. Our initial plan was to park at her office tower but we scrapped that idea and opted for the parking garage below the mall. $2 for parking… it was a good deal and saved us a four block walk in the ‘blah’ for lack of a better word!
I threw my race shoes over my shoulder and off we went to find the runner check in.
The facility was already crawling with runners. Tens of people were standing in the doorways with their arms held up towards the sky in an attempt to find satellites through the snow and dense clouds… and building without the need to go outside. Dozens more were doing their warm ups in the large pavilion and still more were arriving every minute.
I soon joined the group of runners in the doorways in an attempt to locate my satellites on my Garmin. Apparently I had some issues though. Five minutes later and I still had nothing. I gave in and threw my parka back on and had to go stand in the court yard with my arm up in the air for a few minutes before my satellites locked in. I don’t know if clouds are a common issue for other runners, but for some reason I have a really hard time picking up satellites on the 310XT on really cloudy and REALLY cold days (as in -40C cold!). If you have the same problems, give me a shout, I’m curious!!!

Anyways, after finding my satellites I decided to put my shoes on and get warmed up. I opted to do the early start which left twenty minutes before the main crowd. I hadn’t run a lot in the snow for long-ish distances and didn’t know what to expect of my performance. Donning my new trail runners (yes, another new item, what a day! I got them after package pick up!), Mizuno Wave Ascend 8’s, I was good to go! I did my usual warm up routine to get my legs primed and then headed off to the start area. My mom followed me out so I was able to keep my parka on until the very last seconds before the countdown began. What a relief that was! There is nothing like being turned into a runner-sicle before the race even starts!
 
Being a goof and trying to keep warm. I think I scared a few people with my awesomeness! :D
3…2…1…GO!

The countdown was on. I tossed my winter jacket to my mom and scrambled to find my GPS under my multitude of layers. I found it just as I stepped over the starting mat. What a relief that was. The early start had about three dozen or so runners. The bulk of the pack would be behind us shortly. I started somewhere in the middle and stayed that way for the first three or so kilometers as my body and lungs adjusted to running into the headwind as we headed west along the banks of the Bow River.
Waiting for the final count.

Off we go!
Shortly after Prince’s Island Park I took the lead of the pack. I was way out in front with only the lead cyclist in front of me. At this point I was feeling really good but also a bit nervous and I hadn’t studied the route map as well as I normally do. I hoped that the cyclist stayed near by, or at least in sight for a while!  As we headed towards our crossover at Crowchild Trail (the pedestrian underpass), I passed the course marshal who was shouting out directions as we had beaten her to her post. Cross at the bridge and go right. Easy!
The signage on route as actually quite good! I was pleasantly surprised to be able to see anything! There were kilometer markers almost every kilometer and arrows at all of the turning points! Woohoo! Amazingly, the paths until the bridge at Crowchild were also clear or in the process of being cleared. I had to pass a ride on snow blower on a narrow section on the pathway and had to slow to a walk and all but climb on the fence to get by. The blasting of the snow at this stage was actually quite welcomed as I was definitely starting to warm up. 

As I passed over the Bow River I was able to get a glance at where the rest of the filed was. The next closest person to me had yet to make it to the bridge. Also in bright orange, she was nice and easy to spot! There were the odd few people that I could make out amongst the trees making their way to the river crossing but they were a good 500-700m back. I was definitely way out in front! 

The pathway along Memorial Trail was beautiful. It was hard to fathom that only a few short months ago most of it was under water in the worst flooding the city has seen for hundreds of years. Here we are, mid-November amidst a blizzard where only six months ago the water would have been over my head at this same point. I took in the sights and sounds along the river. There were lots of geese and ducks floating by on the still un-frozen river. Traffic hummed by on my left. A few houses that had flooded were gaited and workers were working away, dumping materials into industrial sized waste bins, hammering, shouting. The world seemed quite relaxed for 9am on a Sunday. No hurry. 

The lead cyclist and I began to talked with one another for some time. Given the snow, I was definitely not pushing myself so talking was a nice way to break up the run. I was running comfortably just over six minutes a kilometer on the still cleared pathway. We talked about various races, past and future. He was a multi-time ironman and all around amazing! He had run the Grizzly Ultra as a soloist, the same race that I had tackled with a team a month earlier. What a nice guy! I enjoyed chatting with him for another three or four kilometers. Every now and then he would ride ahead but we would chat again as I caught up with him. 

As we neared the Zoo the pathways were no longer cleared. I was nearing the 11km mark of the course and knew the faster pack would be catching up to me in no time. I was the first to make it through the aid station – YAY, how exciting is that? On the menu was slush water and slush orange Gatorade. Hahaha, it was quite funny! I tried to take a quick drink but ended up having to stop and take off my mitten and fish out the slush with my finger so I could get a bit of fluid! I was not running with a hydration belt knowing my water would just freeze. Why carry the extra weight right? I was amazed that we even had a water station. The conditions were definitely less than stellar and the volunteers were quite clearly frozen. Kudos to them for sticking it out to support us! They truly were amazing! 

I got a pat on the back and some more cheers as I headed off from the aid station. Solo. Still!
Shortly after the aid station we rounded the zoo. Here the course got slightly more hilly and more snow laden. JUST as I was rounding a corner (on a hill… go figure) the elite men caught up to me and passed me in a flash. I recognised our local run hero Benard Onsare fly by with two others hot on his heels. After that, I was on my on again for a few minutes. From then on, the odd body trickled past. 

The course was getting tough! It was a luxury to run on cleared pathways for the first 10k of the race, but from then until the end of the race, the rest of the course was a mine field. You knew there was ice under the powdery snow, but where was the question. I continued, carefully onward. One foot in front of the other. My pace started to slow on the unbroken snow covered path. The snow was a good six or so inches deep, fluffy but at the same time, quite heavy. Our early season snowfalls tend to be quite heavy with moisture. This was no exception. The flakes landing on my face were a good indication of that. At times I felt like I was crying with the amount of water I had running off of my face from the snow. 

We continued on our course around the Zoo. We could see guests inside the Canadian Wilds section. I even heard a little boy ask his mom why all of the people were moving so fast on the other side of the fence. How cute? As I rounded the final, big corner by the zoo I could hear the wolves howling. It made my hair stand on end and my heart skip a beat. What an incredible sound, and no one around to share it with! On they sang until I was out of ear shot. The final large corner of the zoo brought us onto the Nose Creek Pathway system. We were no heading north by the Deerfoot Trail with the freeway on our right and the Zoo and Science Centre on our left hand side. We continued heading north until our turn around point a kilometer or so after the science centre. 

This section was really difficult. I could tell by the foot marks in the snow that had kicked up significant amounts of snow that there was a LOT of ice in hiding. Running cautiously, I expected to land on my rear at any moment. As I neared the science centre, I thought for sure the lead pack should have hit the turn around and I should see them coming over the rise any moment. But I didn’t. I guess it was a lot further to the turn around that I thought! Either that or they couldn’t get back up the little hill because of all of the ice? Who knows? I almost made it to the little downhill section before I caught sight of my cyclist friend with Benard hot on his tail. A quick wave of recognition from my buddy, I guesstimated that I was about a kilometer from the turnaround point. Maybe less. I think they may have extended this section of the course as I know on our maps that we hardly passed the Science Centre before turning. Not the case on race day!

Anyways, one foot in front of the other! More and more people started to catch up with me now so I knew the bulk of the main pack was near. I kept going and tried not to let the heavy foot falls of those around me change my pace or the feel I had for my run thus far. I was so relaxed. Hearing a herd of elephants (okay, so they aren’t elephants but having 50 people come up behind you, it is kind of loud!) come from behind started to make my anxiety rise a bit – the make or break moment of the race. As I hit the turnaround I had a good sense of how many other runners were around. I was definitely greeted by the bulk of the pack as I headed up hill and back toward the science centre. It didn’t take them long to catch up. 11.5k in almost solitude and then BOOM! I’d be running the final 10k with the rest of the group! It is what I planned on but still, when you hear the masses coming up from behind, it definitely gets your heart pumping a little faster! 

The turn around was hard. It seemed like the wind had changed direction. Again! Boy was it cold! Maybe I was just really sweaty at this point but WOW! At least the snow had started to subside. The remainder of the race was pretty uneventful. I saw a field mouse as I neared the final leg of the Zoo corner and high-fived some friends that were still running towards the turn around. It seemed like the race was a lot longer than the usual 21 kilometers given the conditions. Boy I couldn’t wait to finish the race. We had a pedestrian overpass to climb our way up and over the Bow one final time around kilometer 18. I remember thinking “OMG, are we there yet? 18? Seriously?!?” I was starting to get worn down from trudging through the snow. It was starting to hurt. 

The over pass and the final bridge on the home stretch were terribly ice laden. It definitely took some careful footwork to make it across the puddles that had frozen in to works of art by Jack Frost overnight. I know I slowed significantly over the final, small bridge. I didn’t feel confident in sprinting on ice as this was really our first anything of the season where the ice was unavoidable. Instead I just kept it slow and steady. 

The middle of the pack-ers filing into the finish area.
Amazingly, I finished with a PR of almost 4 minutes. In the snow… at -18C (when we finished)… after carefully shuffling over ice patches the size of small lakes. I was floored! I definitely did NOT expect that to say the least! 

A quick hug to my cyclist buddy and I was off to find my mom and some warmth. I learned that Benard had hurt himself (his hip?) on the ice but still won the race. What a day. Congratulations bud, you are amazing! 

Holy BUR! Happy to be back in the warmth! My cheeks were frozen making it really hard to smile! LOL


Post Race:

For a measly 21km race, that was almost tougher than the marathon I had run only a few weeks earlier. Ha! It’s amazing what snow and ice can do to a run!
A quick change into dry clothes and it was off to celebrate another great season of running at the Garage with my fellow Last Chance runners. What fun! Our brunch ticket numbers were checked upon entry in the bar to see if we had won any draw prizes and then we were off to collect some munchies. What great munchies! There is nothing better than finishing a long run on a cold day with warm food and fruit. Eggs, bacon, sausages, pancakes and fruit salad, orange juice, tea and coffee! What more could a girl ask for? While definitely not my usual post run food… it was warm, and I was more than happy and grateful for that! I may have chowed down more on the fruit salad than anything (see earlier post, but most of my family thinks I’m a vegetarian because I eat so much in the way of fruit and veggies!). I also don’t usually drink coffee, but today was a definite exception. I was happy to have finished my run with feeling in all of my extremities and digits but I was definitely cool. Something about coffee and hot chocolate after long cold runs – it tastes so much better when it warms you from the core!

My mom and I stuck around and mingled with other runners for about an hour before decided to head home.
A nice ending to the first real wintery blast of the year – we were blessed with a sunny and clear ride home!

Thank you again to the race organizers and all of the volunteers, timers, and everyone else that braved the cold on race day to make this event happen. It is always so hard when that first real blast of cold hits after a few months of enjoyable weather. No one really remembers how to dress to prepare for the worst – I think we are all optimists and hope for the best! I know I am grateful to those that give up their time at any given race, but a definite heartfelt thanks goes to those on races like this where the conditions are more so poor. Thank you for all of your support! Without awesome people like you willing to give up your time and brave the cold, we wouldn’t be able to do all of the crazy things we do! Thanks again!  
 

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