tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20825310889267992672024-03-13T05:42:30.821-06:00Racing/Training ReportTraining and race reports of an endurance junkie. Former competitive road cyclist, turned road runner, turned trail and ultra runner and coach at We Run The World CoachingReinier Paauwehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08420729024236698930noreply@blogger.comBlogger105125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2082531088926799267.post-29957305459118770732023-07-10T12:09:00.003-06:002023-07-11T09:06:06.571-06:00Sinister 7 - Prologue<p>Splitting the report into pre-race (boring, nerdy stats for my own logging), and race day. Skip all this to go straight <a href="https://canadutchracing.blogspot.com/2023/07/sinister-7-ultra-100-miler.html" target="">here </a>for the race itself.</p><p><br /></p><h4 style="text-align: left;">Why sign up for a 100 miler? </h4><p>Probably the question I've been asked the most. To be honest, after running the<a href="https://canadutchracing.blogspot.com/2021/07/sinister-7-50-miler-my-first-not-last.html" target="_blank"> 50 miler in 2021</a>, I had no desire to double the distance, let alone on the same course!<br />Then, after racing a few more trail races (<a href="https://www.strava.com/activities/7671463073" target="_blank">Moose Mountain Marathon</a> and <a href="https://www.strava.com/activities/7824689932" target="_blank">Freaky Creeky 50k</a>), and more generally becoming a fan of the sport, I got it in my head that I was ready to tackle the 100 mile beast. It had to meet some criteria, though:</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Had to be a legitimate course put on by a trusted race director. I wasn't interested in running 153k, or 176k. I didn't want to end up lost in the mountains because of poor flagging or lack of volunteers and support staff.</li><li>Wanted it to count as a qualifier for UTMB or Western States. This would both bring more depth of talent, as well as give me a chance in one of those lotteries!</li><li>Did not want multiple loops of the same 10k. Ideally it would be one big loop, with zero chance of an easy out to abandon. </li></ul><p></p><p>As I weighted through the options, I settled on Leadville 100. With no qualifying races necessary, I could just sign up through the lottery. There is so much history in that race, it would be impossible to take it for granted while out on course, I figured!<br />Well, that dream would have to wait, as I received my lottery rejection letter on January 9th, at 10:04 AM. However with that mental hurdle overcome, by 1:53PM, I was on the start list for Sinister 7 100 miler. I had 6 months to figure it out from there!</p><p><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><b>Learnings from 2021</b><br />First thing I had to do was remember my learnings from the 50 miler:</span></p><ol start="1" style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="1">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; vertical-align: middle;"><b><span lang="EN-US">Course Specificity: </span></b><span lang="EN-US">Steep hills.
In 2021, my training consisted of long trail runs, with low-moderate
amount of climbing. While Sinister is mostly runnable and running fitness
is most needed, there are some steeper sections, in particular the Seven
Sisters Mountain climb. This appeared at kilometer 50 and hit me like a
brick wall. Not only was I physically at my limit from running and the
heat, but the sudden steepness knocked the wind out of my sails. I
struggled to recover, ended up tripping myself and damaging my toes quite
badly (see @rens_toes). <b><o:p></o:p></b></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; vertical-align: middle;"><b><span lang="EN-US">Nutrition/hydration:</span></b><span lang="EN-US"> Being
our first ultra, both Mel and I were not prepared for the excessive heat
(~38C at its peak). I had no ice, and thus nothing cold at my aid
stations. My interest in dry, warm food and drink waned as the day rolled
on, and to combat this I spent more time dunking in creeks and refilling
water at intermediate aid stations. <b><o:p></o:p></b></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; vertical-align: middle;"><b><span lang="EN-US">Gear/Shoes</span></b><span lang="EN-US">: Upon receiving my award
for "Worst Feet", a friend asked why I didn't just use the
Heel-Lock method to tie my shoes. A quick Google later, as well as some
solicitation with my other trail running friends, and I started wondering
how come nobody every told me about this secret magic trick before! The
sliding of my feet in my shoes, combined with aforementioned fatigue
resulted in a rather debilitating bludgeoning of my toes on leg 6, right
before the long descent I had been yearning for during the entire climb.
The pain was so severe that I was forced to walk/shuffle downhill;
contrary to my racing goal of capitalizing on the favorable gradient.
Furthermore, I had decided to employ poles for leg 6. That might have been
a good decision if I had practiced more, and had a quiver to stash them
when not needed, but instead they felt burdensome. I regretted bringing
them as they made drinking and eating even more challenging. I considered
tossing them into a creek. <b><o:p></o:p></b></span></li>
</ol><h4 style="text-align: left;"><span lang="EN-US"> <br /></span><b><span lang="EN-US">The Strategy</span></b></h4><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><u>Strength</u><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">For Christmas 2022, Mel hired strength coach Bre
"Brevil" Gustafson for me. We recognized that long ultras are not necessarily won
by those with just the highest VO2 max, but by those having the overall
muscular strength and endurance to persevere for up to 24 hours! This
accountability was exciting, and I eagerly and diligently followed her plan
each week and felt strong and robust. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><u>Nutrition/Supplements</u><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Creatine Monohydrate (see <a href="https://www.instagram.com/scott_forbes_phd/?hl=en" target="_blank">"Dr Creatine" Scott Forbes</a>),
increased Protein intake, Vitamin B, daily multi-vitamin. Cut back alcohol to 1
or 2 per night, generally only on weekends. Was mindful to eat ENOUGH during
the day, especially in the final 6 weeks of training, as the volume increased.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><u>Training</u><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Goal was to build road speed early for Mesa Half (see
<a href="https://www.weruntheworldcoaching.com/post/every-second-counts" target="_blank">Every Second Counts</a>), then maintain that speed but extend duration during the
spring with a marathon (<a href="https://www.strava.com/activities/8907842697" target="_blank">Boston</a>) and a road 50k (<a href="https://www.strava.com/activities/9158302806" target="_blank">Calgary</a>).<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">To address the identified limiter from last Sin7, each
week would have prescribed elevation goals, often with maximum distance put in
forcing me to find some steep, repeatable terrain.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">To keep the body and mind happy during a 6 month
training cycle, I wanted to include the bike more. One day per week minimum on
the saddle would help me meet the training hours, while taking the edge off the
feet.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">To put it all together, we would be shifting the
weekly training goals away from mileage, and focus on total hours. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><u>Heat</u><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Infrared Sauna Protocol would be designed and
documented, in particular during the final 3 weeks. Even if it wasn't going to be a hot day for the race, the adaptations would still provide a tremendous benefit.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><u>Mental</u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Overarching motivator for the entire training would be my desire to accomplish this daunting feat. The distance and duration seemed unfathomable, but I was going to put everything I had into the training, and on race day. In training I focused on chunking; breaking long runs and workouts into smaller bite-sized chunks. I repeatedly reminded myself to be grateful, through it all. <br />I knew as the race drew closer that I would start obsessing over ultra documentation and youtube videos, so I decided to get a head start on another passion I'd been brewing, and registered and certified myself in Trail and Ultrarunning Coaching, and a specialization in Sports Psychology, through UESCA. <br />This training helped me frame up the impossible into a manageable and calculated project, and gave me an extra motivator to rise up for race day!</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span lang="EN-US">Key Workouts</span></b><span lang="EN-US"><o:p></o:p></span></p><ul style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; vertical-align: middle;"><span lang="EN-US"><a href="https://www.strava.com/activities/9091413465" target="_blank">Prairie Mtn</a>. More climbs up Prairie this year
than all other years combined. <o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; vertical-align: middle;"><span lang="EN-US"><a href="https://www.strava.com/activities/9203857199" target="_blank">Up and over Sulphur</a>: 2.5 hours turned to 4.5
hours, and I did not fuel adequately. About 30 minutes post-run, I felt
nauseous and nearly blacked out. I had a stabbing pain in my kidney and
had to get Mel to drive us home from Banff. A hot bath, advil, and 4 hours
later I came back to life. This would have been DNF during a race, and was
a major wake up call to take the fueling more seriously!<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; vertical-align: middle;"><span lang="EN-US"><a href="https://www.strava.com/activities/9241606409" target="_blank">60k up Moose Mountain</a>: Eat everything! Mashed sweet potatoes,
oreos, etc. Felt incredible. Longest training run ever, and 2nd longest
run next to Sin7 50 miler. <o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; vertical-align: middle;"><span lang="EN-US">B2B mountain marathons: Saturday, <a href="https://www.strava.com/activities/9284874527" target="_blank">4 x Sulphur Mountain</a>. Felt comfortable on each lap, even making the final one, solo,
the fastest. Sunday we did <a href="https://www.strava.com/activities/9291401044" target="_blank">Elbow Loop</a>, which is nice and runnable. Felt
comfortable, but ready to call Peak Week done!<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; vertical-align: middle;"><span lang="EN-US"><a href="https://www.strava.com/activities/9370844472" target="_blank">Taper Tempo</a>, July 1st. After hosting the Canada
Day 5k at the track, standing and yelling, then going home and having
coffee and lunch, I went to WBC by myself and ran the Kestrel loop with a
fun workout Mel had prescribed. My legs felt incredibly good, and set some
PRs on several segments that I've ran a lot. Confidence for race day legs!<o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ul><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6MhKjEbexdWTzgTYR37RZppD6mNfOMqueMyOBhgr_4NBSxPnvMS0HHuR9w5RoN7h2Aqz58WAju_9MPvZ0Fqgb0nZsA4kWSU5XZZeanjHmg29miiwTaYV9MolN8qSDzekHp5q-tTrfhltX9bUGlH9fnt7lZ5FxxHf304MtsJSX84bR8fbQz9kb7UJuA3Eg/s1024/IMG-20230617-WA0004.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6MhKjEbexdWTzgTYR37RZppD6mNfOMqueMyOBhgr_4NBSxPnvMS0HHuR9w5RoN7h2Aqz58WAju_9MPvZ0Fqgb0nZsA4kWSU5XZZeanjHmg29miiwTaYV9MolN8qSDzekHp5q-tTrfhltX9bUGlH9fnt7lZ5FxxHf304MtsJSX84bR8fbQz9kb7UJuA3Eg/w400-h300/IMG-20230617-WA0004.jpg" title="Photo from Chris McNamara, one of many Sulphur repeats!" width="400" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span lang="EN-US">2023 H1 Stats</span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><b><br /></b><span lang="EN-US"><o:p></o:p></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Total Runs: 184</span><span lang="EN-US"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Total meters climbed:
37,650 m</span><span lang="EN-US"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Total kilometers running: 2,368 km </span><span lang="EN-US"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Total hours running: 214 h</span><span lang="EN-US"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Total hours strength: 31.5 h</span><span lang="EN-US"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Total hours bike: 26 h</span><span lang="EN-US"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p>
</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p><p><br /><br /></p>Reinier Paauwehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08420729024236698930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2082531088926799267.post-79116293340562371792023-07-10T12:08:00.739-06:002023-07-11T11:08:18.550-06:00Sinister 7 Ultra - 100 Miler!<p style="text-align: left;">"This too shall pass"</p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><p style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiETD0XgNRyjWDPtx6Z0hUP8YavtUNmOL6ezgA10MQf1fd9NimL-9KVdOqigkXin1TbS65Z7Oywtmv3xrrcGa2YVP18IbOm61PmA2NvyBhXx1q8ecc8Aq1QWpYU1ODH-kJx9pVUQTLZWDfB0e14Xm2NSuFIYXjrpaMfrJZBs8YGTURc7rszf5Cn_rejJHnI/s2048/5554c17c-558b-4984-9d38-a2b7a4ebc304-45703-00001071b477d741.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1152" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiETD0XgNRyjWDPtx6Z0hUP8YavtUNmOL6ezgA10MQf1fd9NimL-9KVdOqigkXin1TbS65Z7Oywtmv3xrrcGa2YVP18IbOm61PmA2NvyBhXx1q8ecc8Aq1QWpYU1ODH-kJx9pVUQTLZWDfB0e14Xm2NSuFIYXjrpaMfrJZBs8YGTURc7rszf5Cn_rejJHnI/w225-h400/5554c17c-558b-4984-9d38-a2b7a4ebc304-45703-00001071b477d741.jpg" width="225" /></a><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">If interested in how the build-up went, you can find the boring details </span><a href="https://canadutchracing.blogspot.com/2023/07/sinister-7-prologue.html" style="font-weight: normal;">here</a><span style="font-weight: normal;">.</span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></p></div><p style="text-align: left;"></p><p style="text-align: left;">The more I race, the more I'm convinced this adage was written by an Ultra runner. Variations of this saying have come and go over the past few years, and all of them would find a way into my consciousness during course of 100 miles. <br /></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">The forecast leading into the week was for a mild 16-20C, overcast with 60% chance of showers throughout the day, thunderstorms overnight.<br /></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">The forecast lied.</span></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;">The Course</h3><p>Distance: 161 km / 100 miles<br />Elevation: 6,363 m / 20,875 ft<br />Time cutoff: 30 hrs to complete the course<br />Description: The race features 7 legs, starting in Blairmore, AB, and finishing in Coleman, AB. Official website <a href="https://www.sinistersports.ca/sinister7/course" target="_blank">here</a>. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgc88dB6oP5tLAiXr5SDpuBGurwgHr4u87h8QiPEk3afudmoiK0SH6pvISwFNmWL00Tn49IRtWGjQaZ8bUA4h6G7xlEYEzq0VrxIQnAZtV9TMmL3Ieuk_NUNQLU9lTrL7wPYMt4sYwWZ-qHfGU6ZuFvkN11dRDMZtnrmadM-eCv-TapOgpSbKOQ5aSLq3sL" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img data-original-height="531" data-original-width="642" height="331" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgc88dB6oP5tLAiXr5SDpuBGurwgHr4u87h8QiPEk3afudmoiK0SH6pvISwFNmWL00Tn49IRtWGjQaZ8bUA4h6G7xlEYEzq0VrxIQnAZtV9TMmL3Ieuk_NUNQLU9lTrL7wPYMt4sYwWZ-qHfGU6ZuFvkN11dRDMZtnrmadM-eCv-TapOgpSbKOQ5aSLq3sL=w400-h331" title="100 miler map" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgsL0e0WDf-1uN3dwYOQoA-nLs5tSF0GZ-qONRQ0nK2MBwWWconyljZq2am6Yh2Yh1Qr-xq_rNMLvr6fDiQGLUdrDJNK8KJqHpfbU1qErMeuCaniqLQaH1f5ovWtN94CxlmgjGYHHMq-6UfJJJiRYVB3RoTTyLPw7PVCKliILXgESGuSlpYkNvo-s1ENJAA" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img data-original-height="487" data-original-width="1872" height="104" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgsL0e0WDf-1uN3dwYOQoA-nLs5tSF0GZ-qONRQ0nK2MBwWWconyljZq2am6Yh2Yh1Qr-xq_rNMLvr6fDiQGLUdrDJNK8KJqHpfbU1qErMeuCaniqLQaH1f5ovWtN94CxlmgjGYHHMq-6UfJJJiRYVB3RoTTyLPw7PVCKliILXgESGuSlpYkNvo-s1ENJAA=w400-h104" title="Elevation profile" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br /><p></p><p><u>Leg 1: 18.3km (535m elevation)</u></p><p>100 mile soloists and relay runners start at 7:00, and with Mel running leg 1 on a relay team, it was nice to line up together. And that's the last I seen of her, as the gun went off and she was gone!</p><p>Meanwhile, I had my own race to worry about, and got to share some early miles with Scott Cooper and a few other soloists I hadn't met before. <br />Kept the pace in check on the early roads, then eased in to the hills in the 2nd half, with plenty of runners passing me as I switched to power hiking on the steeper parts.<br />Pretty uneventful first leg. Entered transition area in 1hr 42mins, refilled a bottle, and off I went.</p><p><u>Leg 2: 16.7km (772m elevation)</u></p><p>Leg starts with a long, beautiful climb, and I settled in comfortably while taking in the sights, and making sure not to go off course. Passed by or caught a couple of relayers, which is always nice to exchange a few words.<br />There is a second climb on this leg that is barely a blip on the map, but it's very steep and connects with the 50k route, so the rest of this leg I passed a lof the 50k'ers.<br />Leg 2 and 3 finish in the same place; a big school field back in town, and it's the first time since the start that you really see civilization again.<br />Reached this aid station around 10:40AM, with leg taking 1hr 50 mins. It was starting to get warm, and I knew it was going to be a slower day than I anticipated, but was very happy to see crewmaster Mel, as well as Deb and Sarah Hall, who drove down for the day just to help (including bringing sunscreen!), and Liyang, who's ninja photog skills were amazing! Spent less than 4 and half minutes restocking my gels, flasks, and grabbing a sweet potato bottle (a delicious concoction that I no longer want to think about or describe... talk to me in a week), and in good spirits, off I went!</p><p><u>Leg 3: 30.8km (988m elevation)</u></p><p>Affectionately referred to as "Satan's Sack." It's hot, exposed, dry, and features some unrelenting climbs. A friend of mine and multiple time Sin7 finisher, Majo, told me that to do well at Sin7, try feeling great coming out of leg 3. Easier said than done, as the heat and elevation start taxing your energy, digestion, muscles, and your will. Thermometer spiked into the mid 30's and not a single cloud in the sky! <br />Just kept cruising along slow and steady, up and down each of the climbs, finally reaching the mid point and cracking a mini coke per the sage recommendation from Scott.<br />Having reconned this leg a few years ago in training, I knew what to expect, and braced myself for a long grind. Food consumption was getting harder, but took in what I can. Of note was checkpoint 3b, where a volunteer had watermelon and sprinkling salt on it. Amazing.<br />Otherwise nothing eventful in leg, though I was more than a bit relieved to return to the aid station!<br />Arrival time ~2:45pm (66k in 7.75hrs), leg 3 time: 4hr 3 mins. <br />This time I wasn't in such a hurry to leave the transition area.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAQ-5kU1WnOlyPhgR2jJMv0XGTj2J4268v0Bh-cck0csN_BsBMUEPw_3No6oHpqwlbrXX_oEMEPoeh5L-OdMZERW0re5P7JJPXYo_tWPxt1BvdlfiZc8OkeqXogTqFIb-q5F1k_NAqqUFEpH9Mp8ilEz2asTkL-RyQkoJLScCudmLrkQO5u4zBbTWE6VN3/s1600/IMG-20230709-WA0007.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1600" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAQ-5kU1WnOlyPhgR2jJMv0XGTj2J4268v0Bh-cck0csN_BsBMUEPw_3No6oHpqwlbrXX_oEMEPoeh5L-OdMZERW0re5P7JJPXYo_tWPxt1BvdlfiZc8OkeqXogTqFIb-q5F1k_NAqqUFEpH9Mp8ilEz2asTkL-RyQkoJLScCudmLrkQO5u4zBbTWE6VN3/w320-h144/IMG-20230709-WA0007.jpg" title="Mel tending to my toes!" width="320" /></a></div><br />The 50k trail squad was all done and showered, and came in to help Mel crew. Ailsa (who would remain right till the bitter end), Brad, Brandon and Emilie (each of whom placed top 3 in the 50k), each jumped in to help provide shade, ice, popsicles, pickles, gatorade, Boost protein shake, bug spray, more ice, and who knows what else. I truly appreciated it as I sat there for about 11 mins. Mel even took my shoe and sock off, put a couple of blister bandaids on my toe, and redressed me! No longer concerned with any time goal, and starting to question whether I could still endure this. Having all that support was incredible, but I also felt guilty for being slower, and part of me was considering the benefits of an early exit for everyone... but, off I went. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHeq3P-heRUlhmzm1bu0PXLtGH2D2NaAXHIO4X88xCiuuMJ42NHND32B8DWnt5d0AvYJSw6l25hHH2EINu1Gt2K46LFeIcmkDZ0F4Dpn41TvwnFd63xY2goJRGzaZPjE5VujZLUTKMgRLofqj81_TMz0zWqgJtVRsD491f7TxtRuo9LYCzYorgwqR1qHMG/s2048/IMG-20230709-WA0004.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHeq3P-heRUlhmzm1bu0PXLtGH2D2NaAXHIO4X88xCiuuMJ42NHND32B8DWnt5d0AvYJSw6l25hHH2EINu1Gt2K46LFeIcmkDZ0F4Dpn41TvwnFd63xY2goJRGzaZPjE5VujZLUTKMgRLofqj81_TMz0zWqgJtVRsD491f7TxtRuo9LYCzYorgwqR1qHMG/w320-h180/IMG-20230709-WA0004.jpg" title="M and I laughing, about a pickle?" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p><u>Leg 4: 23.8km (988m elevation)</u></p><p> The next few hours were my darkest. I left transition with a heavy pack, and a full belly, and the climb out was a slow, torturous death march. I was starting to feel nauseous and on the verge of throwing up, and all I could do to keep it in was walk. Slowly. Pretty frustrating to be waltzing along flat, clean, runnable trails that ordinarily I would be bombing! The trails there are quite stunning, and Saddle Mountain that you climb in Leg 4 offers beautiful sights. <br />As I neared the summit, my nausea started to clear (thanks to ginger gravol), however replacing it was full lower body cramps. Hamstrings and calves on the ups. Quads on the downs. Every step was followed by a spasm. I slammed back a bunch of salt tabs and a gel, but they wouldn't go away. Anytime I would stop running, by legs would start to contort and I nearly fell over at several check points while trying to refill my water flasks.<br /><br />My watch was telling me that I was 7km from the halfway point of the race, but that 7k took forever. Each time I looked down, it seems only 100m had passed. I decided to have my halfway point celebration coke around km 75 instead of 80. Sat down on a log and watched some relayers pass me, while getting bit by flies and nibbling on a dry, day-old quesadilla. Hobbled away and down to the halfway point, when I came across fellow 100 mile soloist, Justin (he and I had crossed paths several times already in the race).<br />Unfortunately, he had just fallen and rolled his ankle, his leg all dirty and in some noticeable discomfort. I reached into my medicine bag and gave him some Tylenol, gravol, and salt tabs. Bit of a trail runner's shit mix, but we got him up and running again. <br />This encounter had a profound effect on me, as I turned my focus away from my own self-deprecation, to that of helping a fellow runner. My mood changed, and with it came my energy. The end of leg 4 features a dirt road about 4kms long, and I found a really good rhythm with my gait. The sun wasn't quite as hot, I had crossed the half way barrier, and was finally nearing the end of this leg.<br />In my haste to reach my crew, I followed a relayer a little ways past the turn and although it wasn't more than 100m extra, it reminded me to keep my eyes on the path!<br />Finished leg 4 in 3hrs 48 mins, arriving around 6:30pm.<br />As I sat in transition I was very nervous to overdo it like last time, but also found myself WAY too comfortable sitting there. Between ice, restocking, and port-a-potty break, that transition took 24 minutes.</p><p><u>Leg 5: 27.4km (962m elevation)</u></p><p>Many say this is one of the most difficult legs because it's still warm out, and you run on a dirt road and exposed gutter/trail for the first 10k, and after my last transition I was worried the nausea would return, but instead I found a calm stomach and strong will, and I resumed my steady jogging that I finished leg 4 with. The miles ticked by, and as I passed the first checkpoint, I laughed that a big milestone, kilometer 100, had come and gone without me realizing it! The sun had started to dampen, and the thought of running in the night was so appealing, after a long day in the sun.<br />I trudged through the forest, comfortably power hiking and "granny gear" running. Reaching the 2nd checkpoint, I caught another 100 mile soloist, Brennan. We ran together for most of the way through the last part of this leg, and he'd mentioned he thought we were in top 10 position. <br />I felt really strong at this point. Kilometers 105 to 115 were amazing. I couldn't believe that I was actually running comfortably again, even passing 50 milers and relayers. The leg cramps had all gone away!<br />In the final kms, the sun went down. I reached into my pack and grabbed my a headlamp. This section was pretty technical and dusty, so I took it pretty easy. No need to take any undue risks now. <br />Came into transition and found Mel, lit up with her Vizzy vest, and Ailsa. <br />Time was 11pm, and leg 5 took me 3hr 37 mins.<br />At this point, I was feeling really positive. Mel asked if I wanted to know my position in the results (I told her before the race to NOT tell me until the end of leg 5) and I said sure. It wasn't my focus but thought it'd be good to know, just in case I find myself dawdling and squandering time. She said I was sitting in 3rd or 4th, along with Brennan. Well that was a nice surprise, and it was also enough to get me in & out of transition. But not before preparing for a long over-night journey up highest point of the race, so I had a bit of stew and restocked all my lighting gear, and off I went, 11 mins later. </p><p><u>Leg 6: 31.9km (1400m elevation)</u></p><p>The queen stage! This is rated as the most difficult leg due to the elevation and technical nature of the climbs and descents.<br />I may have been a bit too overzealous as I darted out of the transition. My stomach immediately flipped, and I ducked off the side of the road for an emergency bathroom stop!<br />Caught Brennan shortly after, and waved me through. I was climbing faster, but I wondered if the downhill and flat running strength he showed earlier would still be there. <br />I pressed on. The first 8k to the the check point are a long, gradual climb on a mountain road. The road had some massive puddles that were unavoidable, and I slipped and trounced through or around whatever I could. Really hard to maneuver through mud bogs in the dark, even with a headlamp.<br />That checkpoint always takes longer than you think because the "real" climb starts right after it.<br />A quick flask refill and up I went. The next section features a climb up 7 sisters mountain, and it's a serious grind. There are several parts that are over 40% grade, and you quickly lose any momentum on tired legs. The moon was dark orange, but not much else for visibility. This was a positive, however, because you can't really see the top of the mountain as you're climbing, you really have to focus on each step at a time!<br />Upon reaching the summit, you soon begin a series of long, steep, rocky descents. The same section that damaged <a href="https://www.instagram.com/rens.toes/" target="_blank">my toes</a> in the 50 miler in 2021 proceeded to wreak the same havoc on my feet this time. Headlamp pointed straight down to my feet, but my eyes struggling to focus, I slammed my toes and ankles into so many rocks. Each time it hurt more than the previous. My downhill running again became my vise. As I closed with the rollers on leg 6 I was strong but in a lot of pain in my feet. Was questioning whether or not I should have changed shoes before this leg... too late now.</p><p>Finished around 4:30 AM, with taking around 5.5 hours to run leg 6. No sign of my pursuer, and I felt confident I'd put enough time on him during the climbs, but I didn't want to spend any time in transition. 4 minutes later, another kiss from Mel and a high five from Ailsa. Sub 24 hrs was going to happen! "Let's finish this!" I said and off I went. </p><p><u>Leg 7: 10.9k (321m elevation)</u> </p><p>Considered the easiest leg of the race, but not by me. You start with 2 km climb at 10% grade, which actually I didn't mind this time as I was still climbing well. But then, you have a descent on a narrow trail with sharp rocks, and, just like last time, caused me to go slower than on the climb. Sun was starting to come out and offer more visibility, but the damage to my feet was done.<br />Reached the checkpoint, who confirmed I was 3rd soloist. Final 5k are nice, soft trail, quite runnable, and although tender all over, I enjoyed this run in to the finish. <br />With 1 mile to go, you exit the forest and re-emerge into civilization, for the last time. It's a gentle downhill, and as much as I wanted to sprint my feet wouldn't allow it. I glanced back, just in case. Nobody. Ok, just jog it in then. Savour it. Last leg of only 11km took me 1hr 37min, my slowest leg if you consider check point rest stops. <br /><br />Crossed the finish line in 23:08:18. Good for 3rd overall, and 1st Master. I started running on Saturday morning, and I didn't finish running until Sunday! I still struggle to wrap my head around that and the ludicrous distance that is 100 miles.</p><p>Exhausted and physically destroyed, but filled with gratitude. I'm grateful for my amazing wife/coach/crew chief/etc Melissa for all the sacrifices. Grateful for all the friends that helped at the race, trained with me before the race, expressed their support after the race. For all the advice I received from experienced 100 milers like Scott, Ailsa, Chris, Majo. Grateful for the team of experts that got me to the start line strong and healthy (Bre "Bre-vil", Tyson, and Carson).<br />Grateful and proud of my determination and resilience on this day. I practiced mental fortitude in training and employed deliberate methods that resulted in high confidence of completing this adventure. On a day where 71% of the field did not finish, I'm proud to be one of those that did.<br />I spent 1.5 hours NOT moving. That includes sitting in the transition areas for a total of 55 minutes, and over half an hour of stops at checkpoints along the way. But that's what I needed early on this day. To calm myself down, and approach this as an accomplishment, not as a race against time or an opponent. <br /><br />Also grateful to surround myself with other strong people. Teammate Claudia finishing first female, Harry redeeming himself from missing the time cut off last year and finishing with an hour and a half to spare, and Melissa M for coming top 6 female in the 50 mile race. <br />And grateful for my kids, both of whom were following along at home all day, and hopefully glean a bit of inspiration that we are indeed not limited in our abilities. </p><p>So, what's next? Will I race another 100 miler? Well I did enjoy this race more than I thought I would, though until my toe nails finish recycling I won't be thinking of anything besides getting a little fatter and enjoying some good summer patio beers. Talk to me in a week! While right now it feels like my feet will forever cause me agony, I know that this, too, shall pass.</p><p><br /></p><p>Strava link <a href="https://www.strava.com/activities/9417978741/overview" target="_blank">here</a>.</p><p>Official results <a href="https://zone4.ca/race/2023-07-08/15ce9dc4/results" target="_blank">here</a>.</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4-Uc9kyH3EicoHQ7QHlE7uPx4nxRUIcHMyjVEYjHkLjv0TOSAsZn5c4dQP-nH3atSQrDzc5_8J1QLnEwv2uwDQgrx43zLO4YrjLFCA1PCkjOVK6nz_eN3ESQwuk_BgApLBkJ0slTRhh2YMU96llQO7w10Ib4bvAb5a5Ak11sCIDA1vslpOEQCq3Urn5rI/s4000/20230709_134817.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4-Uc9kyH3EicoHQ7QHlE7uPx4nxRUIcHMyjVEYjHkLjv0TOSAsZn5c4dQP-nH3atSQrDzc5_8J1QLnEwv2uwDQgrx43zLO4YrjLFCA1PCkjOVK6nz_eN3ESQwuk_BgApLBkJ0slTRhh2YMU96llQO7w10Ib4bvAb5a5Ak11sCIDA1vslpOEQCq3Urn5rI/w640-h480/20230709_134817.jpg" title="Always an honor to share a podium with Scott Cooper" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p><br /></p><br /><p></p>Reinier Paauwehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08420729024236698930noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2082531088926799267.post-15000891156906951432023-02-06T10:26:00.003-07:002023-02-07T10:17:49.582-07:00Every second counts. Mesa Half Marathon, and road to recovery<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">1:13:55…1:13:56…1:13:57…1:13:58…1:13:59. STOP.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">1 second UNDER 74 minutes.<br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp2caplthWMuacknwiOCdOXlbRP8-_npfXlRXs3D9_Dn3nNeDshPg1XJSXx19OX_lYM5DWEnrjCigh2CXoQ-DbftcwZiOiq1WVAcs4mgUYXsvf9usZVmluTCwEcUdP39nV3pYrWbK_Ko-6UoL8A95hYUCBGRSSxkLK31nqElFkpkK6nBltT_AYMX3XGQ/s3696/mesa1.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3696" data-original-width="2448" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp2caplthWMuacknwiOCdOXlbRP8-_npfXlRXs3D9_Dn3nNeDshPg1XJSXx19OX_lYM5DWEnrjCigh2CXoQ-DbftcwZiOiq1WVAcs4mgUYXsvf9usZVmluTCwEcUdP39nV3pYrWbK_Ko-6UoL8A95hYUCBGRSSxkLK31nqElFkpkK6nBltT_AYMX3XGQ/w133-h200/mesa1.jpg" width="133" /></a></div><br />The beauty of racing is that you come face to face with a reality that is hard to appreciate, but most definitely exists in the "real world"; every second counts. <br />Whether it's vying for that Boston Marathon qualifying time, Olympic trials qualifier, elite qualifier for Calgary Marathon, or just trying to get under some arbitrary whole number of minutes, you make little pace adjustments all race that ultimately result in you coming face to face with a chance to sneak under or slip over some minute barrier.<br />This time, this race, I landed on the right side.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />But let me rewind a bit. <br />California International Marathon, December 2021. <br />Absolute top lifetime fitness achieved, but after a long season I felt completely drained. I jumped in to Vancouver's First Half Marathon, and ran well but felt rough, ultimately not able to maintain my goal pace. I felt burnt out. <br />Sun Run 10k 2 months later. I'd salvaged some fitness and put my energy into the shorter distance, and walked away very happy with a big 10k PB.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">But when I got back home to Calgary something was off. My breathing was labored, heart rate erratic. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I really struggled during my workouts, and in Calgary Marathon in May, I ended up having to stop for 2 walk breaks to catch my breath and let me HR come back down to earth. This scared the heck out of me.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">In the months after, I kept my running to easy trails, and went to see cardiac and pulmonary specialists to figure out what was going on.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">They did find I had developed mild asthma, and using the inhaler once in a while helped, but I would still suffer some occasional bouts where my body was just not having it. Cardiac testing proved to be a bit more dramatic, as my stress test recorded heart rate spikes over 300 beats per minute! Considering I consistently wear HR monitors (watch and chest strap) and never seen any spikes over 200 even, I was dubious. Instant response was to prescribe beta blockers for me and queue follow up appointments with more specialists (I rejected the prescription, and am still waiting for a call back from the specialists, 8 months later - I guess 300 bpm isn't that concerning).</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">As the summer went on my fall racing calendar unfolded. I raced Moose Mountain Marathon in August, feeling good at the lower intensity and finished 2nd. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Though originally signed up to race the Canadian 80k National Championships in Vernon, I made the decision to drop down to the 50k and relieve some of the demand on my body. Paced it nice and evenly, finishing feeling good and took 1st and the course record.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">As the weather got colder, my conditions worsened again. Anytime I'd run intervals at track I'd suffer, tight chest, rapid HR, G.I. meltdowns, and often had to cut my workouts short due to anxiety.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Got more blood tests done, but nothing was showing up.<br />Reduced my running mileage further, and added some bike back in. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">2023, new year, new goals. After getting my Leadville 100 rejection letter on January 9th, I started to formalize my race year.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">First up, Mesa Half Marathon in February. This would be my only true focus road race of the year.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">After that, Boston Marathon in April, and Calgary 50k in May. Both of those will be en route to my 2nd "A" race of the year, and my first 100 miler, Sinister7 in June (wtf am I thinking?!). </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Then I'll jump in and do the Chicago 5k in October, and Austin Rattler Trail Ultra 50k in November.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Yes, quite the season, but it all has a purpose (even if that purpose is just for fun - aka mental health).</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">With that context, I committed to laying down my best possible performance for Mesa, given it to be my only road test of the year.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Enlisting strength coach Bre "Bre-evil" Gustafson for me in December, coach/wife Mel started to put together a hard couple of months to get me ready for the speed of the half marathon, combined with the distance of the longer races to come. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Though still having a few workouts bomb on the way, into January I was starting to nail more than fail, and confidence was growing. </div></div><p><br /></p><p>Race Day.</p><p>3:30 am, the Black Eyed Peas " Leeeeeet's get it started" starts jamming on my cell phone alarm. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5t7KSNwABffT0dn6oZBmMlcaThCXniGgluRlV8rjx2kLG9IoVUss8NnMjvd-EbgeyH74Vj_0_iOaL4GCIaf_0VomYDQys-Dt5qszZnsazjtmd1gxCJsxf-XeMP3ct07x1ewB_BZPq7VduZFcUsrAn0uUEB7ajk1ZsasOg3-Een-pwgYH0oLM2KzZJrg/s2340/Screenshot_20230205_194327_Clock.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2340" data-original-width="1080" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5t7KSNwABffT0dn6oZBmMlcaThCXniGgluRlV8rjx2kLG9IoVUss8NnMjvd-EbgeyH74Vj_0_iOaL4GCIaf_0VomYDQys-Dt5qszZnsazjtmd1gxCJsxf-XeMP3ct07x1ewB_BZPq7VduZFcUsrAn0uUEB7ajk1ZsasOg3-Een-pwgYH0oLM2KzZJrg/w93-h200/Screenshot_20230205_194327_Clock.jpg" width="93" /></a></div><p></p><p>Queue the preordered adrenaline shot to help get me up, out bed and ready to poop!</p><p>Half a bagel and a coffee later, and we are out the door, jogging the 2km pitch black Bass Pro Drive over to the finish line area.</p><p>Thanks to the amazing elite coordinator, I was allowed to be Mel's +1 on the VIP bus, which replaced the standard yellow school bus with a plush courtesy van, pimped out with neon lights, refreshments, snacks, and yes, 2 stripper poles.</p><p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmeJ2wR4XEHKt9uct-K5qAPbKPiCT5-7VcuAEIipXd_JA_BYDHtay5LtAvV4UDEUSR9HCabPphNLodeAISw9ybunOhR7c7ucs4kkXxEYT4kqeCREi_OBSNb1pa0H6JUCx4sB4mP19AKJE0VC_g3v7Pezd4C-D4ELG9EHVbHWPGJUiTGmbOEX5Jhg51MQ/s1600/IMG-20230206-WA0002.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmeJ2wR4XEHKt9uct-K5qAPbKPiCT5-7VcuAEIipXd_JA_BYDHtay5LtAvV4UDEUSR9HCabPphNLodeAISw9ybunOhR7c7ucs4kkXxEYT4kqeCREi_OBSNb1pa0H6JUCx4sB4mP19AKJE0VC_g3v7Pezd4C-D4ELG9EHVbHWPGJUiTGmbOEX5Jhg51MQ/w150-h200/IMG-20230206-WA0002.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br />Over to the start area, we got ushered into a private cross fit gym, complete with foam rollers, stretching bands, and actual bathrooms!<p></p><p>Had about an hour to kill, just sitting around trying not to look like the imposter old dude hanging out with all the Northern Arizona University elites + Molly Seidel. I figured I could always pretend to be Mel's coach, if anyone asked. Mens Half marathon winner Sam Chelanga would later ask me if I was "a masters elite or something", which I took as both a compliment as much as an ageist diss. Better than being asked by a stranger if I was in the Clydesdale division, like last time!</p><p>Bit more of a warmup and strides with Mel, and make our way to the start. See all the friends, honor the Star Spangled Banner, and off we go! Let's get it started, Fergie! 💥</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfmTUru1k4bmq9zPqvP_KZoCNLI6uYQwauGCm6z84lVATbFB0dTuz15Unjiiv_08Ir_EFlBuGYRKV-0olDgqRSDohoRPA5La5bThA9Dtw2eAOJoHOBQJDG2Ph171sCQhKhQ4D-9QOqJv6XUNtBtUCGwT0GAUnZ9FH-gVsgRfSldNiyI35WflM4DCIoSQ/s4896/mesa2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="4896" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfmTUru1k4bmq9zPqvP_KZoCNLI6uYQwauGCm6z84lVATbFB0dTuz15Unjiiv_08Ir_EFlBuGYRKV-0olDgqRSDohoRPA5La5bThA9Dtw2eAOJoHOBQJDG2Ph171sCQhKhQ4D-9QOqJv6XUNtBtUCGwT0GAUnZ9FH-gVsgRfSldNiyI35WflM4DCIoSQ/s320/mesa2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Mollie and her entourage go out blazing! This race being a US Olympic Trials qualifier, it brought out a ton of really fast folks from all across the country.<p></p><p>Within about 50m there is a distinct gap to the lead pack and all the remaining 3200 half marathoners, which I am basically leading. Way too spicy to bridge up now, and I don't belong there.</p><p>I hear a couple guys to my right. Green guy asks "what are you shooting for, 1:13?"</p><p>Blue "race team" shirt guy says "yup".</p><p>Ok, these are my people.</p><p>Well, these are people that I want to be, and if I shoot for the stars I might land on the moon, or something like that.</p><p>Over the next 5 or 6 km, I tuck in nicely behind my new friends. I should note that at this point I have not spoken, nor have I moved ahead to help them, but I love them. They are calling out mile splits, which don't mean anything to me. I tried converting 5:34 into a metric pace, but the brain power caused me to lose focus and open a gap, so I'd have to surge to catch back on.</p><p>Green guy looks back occasionally, apparently surprised to find me closer to him than his own shadow.</p><p>We are averaging 3:28/km or so, but there are no km markers so I can't tell for certain.</p><p>I feel like we are flying, but my legs feel ok. My mind wanders with the monotony of duress and lack of scenery. There are exactly TWO turns in the first 10.5k, and though I'm struggling to maintain the pace, (or they a speeding up?) I vow to hang with them until the halfway point. Every second I can focus my energy on my BFFs is a second closer to the finish. A second less I will have to deal with my late race demons alone.</p><p>As we make the left turn around the 11 km mark, I release my mental leash on my pacers, satisfied with my effort thus far and knowing I have secured a sufficient bank of time against my goal.</p><p>I need to slow down for a minute to regain my composure, and I do so confidently.</p><p>The next several kms I see my average pace creep up to 3:29, and eventually 3:30 per km.</p><p>I am passed several times. It's annoying, but doesn't consume me. Each time I hear footsteps I wonder if it's my old friend Chris Schwartz (see Edmonton blog and <a href="https://canadutchracing.blogspot.com/2019/10/scotiabank-toronto-waterfront-marathon.html" target="_blank">Toronto blog</a>), as I passed him a little ways back, but it's not.</p><p>Amusingly it's like a carnie parade of fast dudes. One guy with a mullet. One guy that was about 6'8 running with a guy that was about 4'8. One guy in Hawaiian shorts. There may have been a juggler.</p><p>As the miles tick off I battle the ennui. This course is flat and fast, but with no elevation or turns, the biggest obstacle is your mind. It's like running on a treadmill, except one that might slow down a smidge every time you take your eyes off the LED screen or day dream about that post race beer.</p><p>Each time I catch myself fade, I force myself to pick up the pace. I focus on my form. Keep the cadence high, land lightly on the front of my shoe, drive my arms to accelerate back to pace, then relax them.</p><p>Wet my tongue with my Maurten gel.</p><p>4 miles to go sign. Ooh I like the sounds of that.</p><p>That's almost 3 miles, and 3 miles is kinda like 5k. Keep focused and relaxed, and patient. 3 miles to go I can liberate yourself from that Maurten I've been clutching for the last 15 minutes.</p><p>I'm now passing an increasing amount of 10k walkers, but there is a lot of room to pass. 3 miles to go.</p><p>I toss the half empty gel defiantly and begin my grand finale.</p><p>Nearly every race I do features the classic double peak pacing tactic, and I've learned to savor and embrace it.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqZA7gPJLvnbfAR5vYhI6RQduhO8qSvYjfe3FBa_TRTqrOBIM_s3v6GoCgaNsx5ZSYAi_piAalzNn1MnzglmMY-HmXabd0CT2GSgQ-dRgb3EEQt0ST8zVvVgz6ENvPovHZzFhoTSZyHEl9MohGSUirhZCkqsrd2YcL0Q-_4DQUsdtYSbYdbhJr2arJWw/s3120/mesa4.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3120" data-original-width="2080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqZA7gPJLvnbfAR5vYhI6RQduhO8qSvYjfe3FBa_TRTqrOBIM_s3v6GoCgaNsx5ZSYAi_piAalzNn1MnzglmMY-HmXabd0CT2GSgQ-dRgb3EEQt0ST8zVvVgz6ENvPovHZzFhoTSZyHEl9MohGSUirhZCkqsrd2YcL0Q-_4DQUsdtYSbYdbhJr2arJWw/s320/mesa4.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Steadily, I begin turning up the heat. I'm starting to reel in a few of the circus freaks* that passed me before. Aw yeah... now it's getting fun. Engine is running hot, for sure, but the crazy captain in the control room is having fun.</p><p>Finally we turn onto the downhill modified finishing mile, the drag race along Rio Salado Parkway.</p><p>Throttle the pace just above, and then below, the point of internal combustion. Repeat.</p><p>I have a sinking suspicion that the new course is going to be a little longer than 21.1km, but I don't know how long.</p><p>My avg pace is back down to 3:29 now, but I have no idea what that means for a half.</p><p>I do fear that I will probably be very close to 1:14, and although my target of sub 1:15 is probably safe, I don't want to finish a few seconds over 1:14 and know I could have squeezed out a few seconds.</p><p>Last kilometer. Seriously red lining.</p><p>800m. 600m. I can see the finishing arch, around the corner. Mullet guy must not have noticed, as he keeps his pace steady.</p><p>I don't. I can smell the finish and I throw it into high gear. Full on sprint around the final bend and keep it floored right to the line as I watch the clock count from 1:13:40 all the way to 1:13:57, 1:13:58, 1:13:59. Done.</p><p>One second. There were dozens of moments on course that I gave up a second or two, only to claw them back. My final mile was 5:26, a full 12 seconds faster than my average for the whole race. One second less could have been easily lost in there.</p><p>It may not matter to anyone else. There may or may not be a race standard that requires sub 74 minutes. It might not even be my PB forever, and I know by Monday, when I go back to work, it will be but a fading memory and an arbitrary number. But I do know that I fought for every second and walk away knowing there was nothing more in the tank on this day.</p><p>This was my one road test of the year, and I did not squander the opportunity. I am proud, but also grateful for my health, my amazing wife / coach Mel, my kids Kieran & Kailyn, support of the WRTWC crew and Calgary running community, and the luck to have it all come together on race day.</p><p><br /></p><p>Strava link <a href="https://www.strava.com/activities/8504021935" target="_blank">here</a>.</p><p>Full Results <a href="https://mesamarathon.com/results?pk=7673016" target="_blank">here</a>.</p><p>Official Time: 1:13:59</p><p>Overall Rank: 41/3201</p><p>Age Division Rank: 1/177 (2nd Master over 40)</p><p><br /></p><p>* After reviewing the race photos, I can confirm there was no juggler, the tall guy and short guy weren't dramatically so either, but there was a guy with a mullet.</p>Reinier Paauwehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08420729024236698930noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2082531088926799267.post-80488582070919316872021-12-12T19:57:00.003-07:002021-12-13T08:41:32.443-07:00#TheComebackYear<p>Closing out on year 2 of the pandemic era, I wanted to jot down my notes on the final 4 months of the year.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Lost Soul 50k</b></p><p>While Sin7 was still fresh on the mind (and legs), Melissa, who trained much of the summer in the trails with me, decided she wanted to try a trail ultra, and we found a couple of race entries for <a href="https://lostsoulultra.com/" target="_blank">Lost Soul 50k</a>!</p><p>With less than 2 months but with plenty of trail mileage, we needed to optimize the remaining training to suit the terrain; steep, short coulees, and hot, open single track. Closest resemblance to that was Nose Hill Park in Calgary, so we spent a couple big days getting vertical there, as well as a day trip to Lethbridge to recon the course. <br />It was about 37C while we were there, and both of us suffered greatly with dehydration and fatigue from the heat. At one point Melissa asked if we could Uber the 10k back to the car, but alas, there's no Uber in Lethbridge! This training run did NOT inspire confidence going into the race, but thankfully 3 weeks passed and we (mostly) forgot how torturous it had been.</p><p>Race day had a different surprise for us.</p><p>Heavy rains beset the area overnight, causing organizers to stop the 100 mile race still in progress, and reroute us to an "extreme weather route" they had thankfully devised prior to such an event (only used once before in the 21 year history of the race!)</p><p>This route eliminated all the dirt climbs and descents, and replaced them with pavement, fit into a 10km loop we were to repeat 5 times.</p><p>Despite this audible, I was PUMPED to race. I woke up to a downpour, but was so excited to rock. Found several WRTWC teammates at the start, and blasted off the start when the gun went off!</p><p>Within a couple kms, I found myself at the front of the race, alongside my incredible coach/wife, and good friend Rich MacDonald. For the first 3.5 laps, we ran consistently and controlled, except when Mel bolted off the front to keep the pace honest!</p><p>Lap 4 I seized an opportunity atop a long staircase climb to put a bit of daylight into Rich, and then kept the pace going. I closed lap 4 about 30s ahead of Rich and Mel, but kept pushing. Most of us don't get too many opportunities to win a race, and I was not going to squander this chance. "I fucking want this," I kept telling myself, worried Rich would be closing in on me. </p><p>I managed to stave off him and Mel, who finished within seconds of each other, just three minutes back. </p><p>Very proud of my effort and fitness, and also very proud to have both Mel and I take top spots at the same race!</p><p><a href="https://www.strava.com/activities/5943943888" target="_blank">Strava</a></p><p><a href="https://ultrasignup.com/results_event.aspx?did=80022" target="_blank">Results</a></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Downtime</b></p><p>After Lost Soul, my interest in running went straight to zero. I struggled with short, easy dog jogs, and had zero motivation.</p><p>2 weeks later, we had a 1-week trip to Nova Scotia (first trip in a year, and first time to the maritimes), and it was a wonderful getaway. While there, we had a couple of workouts planned, including a potential 10k TT (blowup!), however every run felt laborious and uninspired. I did truly enjoy the experience and adventure, but I just wasn't running well.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>California International Marathon</b></p><p>Coming back to Calgary, I knew we had 12 weeks till race day, and I had a lot of work to do to convert my long distance trail legs into fast moving road marathon legs.<br />I also needed to set a goal for the race, and build some confidence in achieving it!</p><p>Thankfully, it came quickly. First was a tough long run with 5 by 3km intervals at marathon pace. Previous MP in 2019 was 3:47, and while that seemed like a stretch, I had Rich to run with, and was pleasantly surprised I got through it. And paces were even a couple seconds faster than 3:47. Major confidence booster!</p><p>The very next mid-week workout was tough. Really tough. But I got through it, barely. It shouldn't have felt that hard. Don't let it bring ya down, though... we still got through it.</p><p>Next up was another long run with progression. These are tough workouts, where you start at an easy warmup pace, but increase your speed steadily, up to marathon pace. I have tapped out of these kinds of workouts in previous years, and knew to take the first few blocks conservatively (you don't win a progression run in the first 3/4 steps, but you can lose it!) Ran well, and finished the MP at 3:43, similar to how the 5x3km workout finished! Hype.</p><p>Now, I'm starting to think that I'm not only back to my Toronto ability, but maybe even a few seconds faster. <br />Marathon goal: PB (sub 2:39)</p><p>The next few workouts, the MP starts creeping down a bit more. Mel tells me to check my enthusiasm, make sure it's an "honest" effort. Can I imagine running 3:42/km for 42.2kms? Probably not. But, maybe? There's even a couple MP workouts that land on 3:40 or 3:39. </p><p>As the build goes on, the workouts start to get to a new level. I manage to enlist local superheroes from the Bow Valley Harriers to help, including Olympian Trevor Hofbauer, national level collegiate star Matthew Travaglini, World Abbott Major winner Blaine Penny, and several other inspiring fellows.</p><p>And Melissa is right in there with us! Holy smokes this woman is running strong, and is deadset on conquering this marathon and I have no doubt she will. It inspires me to keep pushing my limits in training.</p><p>Marathon goal: Sub 2:35</p><p>2 final, noteworthy workouts remained. The first was a 37km point to point run with 1 hr at MP, simulating CIM profile & terrain. Joined by elite trail runner Brandon Miller, Mel, Blaine, and Rich for the 19k warmup, then joined Rich for the entire effort. Felt really strong, and so great to see so many other WRTWC teammates all doing marathon prep long runs out there. MP, 3:40.</p><p><br /></p><p>The last one, just 15 days out from race day, was el diablo... the Inverse Marathon Tempo Pyramid. WU, 6k @ MP, 6 min recovery, 5k @ MP, 5 min recovery, 4k @ MP, 4 min recovery, 5k @ MP, 5 min recovery, 6k @ MP, CD.<br />Again, call out to the BVH gang, and they responded! Special props to Charly Allen, who completed the entire workout with Rich and I!</p><p>Again, crushed it, even negative splitting that sucker! Paces ranged from 3:37-3:41.</p><p>Marathon goal: 2:32-2:33</p><p> </p><p>Taper, hard! Physio twice, hot tub and Normatec pants, Theragun. Sleep, and no booze.<br />Final tuning for my mental game was re-listening to Matt Fitzgerald's audiobook, "How bad do you want it?"</p><p>Confidence was now at an all-time high. This year I have had the privilege of running with some incredible athletes, top of the sport in ultra marathons, road marathons, mountain running, other endurance epics. My "sparring" partner and good friend, Rich, was running strong, and confident, having PB'd all other distances in 2021, and I was running with him for all our workouts! </p><p><b><br />The Race</b></p><p>Great sleep, 5am alarm, bagel, poop, then hop on the bus. Within minutes of arrival we spot the Penny's, and then the Macdonald's. Brief warmup and Rich and I claw our way to the front of the self-seeded sub 3:15 corral.</p><p>Temperature is perfect, about 7C and a light drizzle. Start the race with no additional clothing except gloves.</p><p>First 5k is very controlled. Actually, it's very slow. But effort was controlled. Didn't feel very peppy, and Rich and I were content to keep the heart rate low.</p><p>The course is hilly, and each rise feels tough. Harder than last time. As advertised, the hills continue for about the first half. I'm pulling back on the climbs, and Rich pulls away a little each time. We cross the 1/2 together at 1:16:58, which is back on track. We've made up time from the first 5k, but I'm still not feeling very strong.<br />Next riser I decide to let Rich go, pulling back a little to reset my game.<br />The miles go by quickly, and no serious impediments occur. </p><p>As I cross kms 27-35, my speed fades. Nothing dramatically, but I can feel it slipping. My estimated finishing time on my watch goes from 2:32 up to 2:34:50... oof that is getting dangerously close, especially considering I've gained an extra 200m from GPS against the official course distance.</p><p>A couple of mustached runners catch me. They look legit! One of them starts to fade, and I tell him to harness the power of the mustache! He laughs. Now I wish I had a mustache. </p><p>Kms keep ticking by. I'm staying on top of my fueling, taking a Maurten gel every 10-11k, and taking a small sip of water and nuun at every station, pouring the remainder of water over my head.</p><p>At this point, despite my fade and general feeling of labour, I KNOW I can run a sub 2:35. The training has proven it to me. It seems like a given, I just need to finish this race like I finish every marathon; with a fast 5km!</p><p>I bide my time until km 37, then it's GO TIME!</p><p>First thing I need is a target up the road. Amidst a small group of generic dudes, I spy an elite female, running strong. <br />If I can pass her, then I am pulling Melissa ahead of her in the standings (I know, crazy, but that was my mantra). It takes a while, but I do catch her. Then I see another elite female. Then another. It's like PacMan now.</p><p>3km to go I catch a girl named McKale. I know this because she had her name on her bib, everyone was yelling for her, and I thought that's a weird name (who I am I to talk!)</p><p>I too yell, let's go Mckale, and she hangs on to me. Then passes me. We leap frog a couple more times, before we get to 1km left and I manage to sprint away from her.</p><p>Final finish chute eventually arrives, and I cross the line and stop my watch at 2:34:49. My GPS had clocked my marathon at 2:33:53, so I'm glad I had that extra push to sneak in under 2:35 officially!</p><p>Melissa came in at an insane 2:39, and all of the other <a href="https://www.weruntheworldcoaching.com/" target="_blank">WRTWC </a>athletes destroyed it. Was such an amazing event to share with so many good people.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhzPaEQd3HNQ1PF2_Bln05b0R5WOAGzWplVwd08EVKi5P5-hAbeK5fv2_gMmvGV0n2DWScyc2y33_gEaWr-HLeZnatTLDGI6X2FB2Wq-NvYgSVRn5aME4u7KaqcZZ5dJ8oCskLeKTuvMCFhwsGnc9P5U9sEA_ulk52PB26F3c_oH2Ihl4V26TjZgAcaeA=s4176" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4176" data-original-width="2784" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhzPaEQd3HNQ1PF2_Bln05b0R5WOAGzWplVwd08EVKi5P5-hAbeK5fv2_gMmvGV0n2DWScyc2y33_gEaWr-HLeZnatTLDGI6X2FB2Wq-NvYgSVRn5aME4u7KaqcZZ5dJ8oCskLeKTuvMCFhwsGnc9P5U9sEA_ulk52PB26F3c_oH2Ihl4V26TjZgAcaeA=s320" width="213" /></a></div>Extremely happy with my race. I didn't feel great throughout, but I had enough confidence in my training to stick to my game plan. I also know I have more in me, which is not something I've said to myself after my last 2 marathons!<p></p><p><a href="https://www.strava.com/activities/6347914188/overview" target="_blank">Strava</a></p><p><a href="https://www.athlinks.com/event/3241/results/Event/996699/Course/2160653/Bib/5948" target="_blank">Results<br /></a></p><p>Chicago 2022, I'm coming for ya!</p><p>Got some short distances to go after in the meantime, and more trail in the summer.</p><p>But first, more downtime, and cross country skiing!!</p>Reinier Paauwehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08420729024236698930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2082531088926799267.post-54447478102745533192021-07-16T18:38:00.004-06:002021-07-19T09:30:17.712-06:00Sinister 7 50 miler, my first (not last) Ultra<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XO0z8Fcgyns/YO4HM_IslCI/AAAAAAAAkX0/V8CtTVHowMcL_L396baW4My-qV-NoURTwCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/S7%2BFinish%2BTodd_0010.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XO0z8Fcgyns/YO4HM_IslCI/AAAAAAAAkX0/V8CtTVHowMcL_L396baW4My-qV-NoURTwCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h426/S7%2BFinish%2BTodd_0010.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><h1 style="text-align: left;">Sinister 7, <a href="https://www.sinistersports.ca/sinister7/" target="_blank">50 miler Ultra Marathon</a></h1><p>Date: July 10th, 2021<br />Distance: 51 miles<br />Elevation: 2,420m</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>The Prequel:</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Signed up for my first ultra-marathon in early summer, 2020, The Grizzly 50k. When it was cancelled due to COVID-19 restrictions, I signed up for a fall ultra, S3 (~60K). When it was cancelled, due to a freak snow storm blocking the pass, I signed up for the all-new 50 mile edition of Sinister 7! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Jumped into a few low-key events in the fall/winter (Sprung Trio Trail Race, Last Chance Half, St Paddy's 5k, WRTWC Virtual 50k - 'Round Rundle FKT), combined with a solid year of running volume, I was so amped to line up for a real, in-person, ultra-marathon!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">So (coach) Mel started my plan in early March, picking up from a solid winter of cross training and snow trail running. She built the mileage up steadily and consistently, kept the strength routine going, and week over week I was amazed to walk away feeling no worse for wear. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Come race day, I had amassed more cumulative distance over 4 months, most mileage in 1 week, and elevation & intensity to match race expectations as best as possible. Additionally, Arden, Brad and I did a mini-Sin camp about 3 weeks prior in Crowsnest Pass, recon'ing legs 6, 5 and 3 (just for kicks), so I had a sense of the terrain (muddy, rocky).</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>The Race:</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Sin7 50 mile jumps into the 2nd half of the full 100 mile race, is divided into 4 legs (4-7), has 3 transition areas (TA's), and 1-3 check points (CP's) in between.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">(Crew chief) Mel was to send me off at the start, scurry to each TA, all over the map, and present me with various feeding options. Think amazing race, where the race stages are short and frantic, followed by hours upon hours of waiting in the sun for the next stage!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OCrBDIinSdM/YO4HMTzqZzI/AAAAAAAAkXw/2jngTPUIm9M75Kbt7RjNq5sSBwZuLhG_gCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/S7%2B50%2BLeg%2B1%2BTodd0001.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="266" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OCrBDIinSdM/YO4HMTzqZzI/AAAAAAAAkXw/2jngTPUIm9M75Kbt7RjNq5sSBwZuLhG_gCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h266/S7%2B50%2BLeg%2B1%2BTodd0001.jpg" width="400" /></a><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The start line. Oh, the glorious start line. What a rush!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Leg 4. 12.km, 302m elevation.</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Gun goes off, and so do the ~250 racers. Pace is modest, though a small group of around 8 take the lead. Brad and I keep them close.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We hit the first single track and shortly after (eventual winner) Dave S takes off from the front group. The group hesitates on the downhill, Brad makes his way to the front, and I sneak down the inside line to join him.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">After a series of rollers, there is Dave, then 4 or 5 of us in chase. I enjoy a few kilometers chatting with some new friends, Greg P and James C.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">TA4 comes quick, and I pass through it fast. A simple exchange of my old hand bottle with a new one, and a kiss from (wife) Mel, and I'm off (2nd out of the TA).</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="266" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VJbnfERKuCg/YO4HMQSwgjI/AAAAAAAAkXs/258spJGM37Qc5WCf16Psg8bx52MNwWvnwCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h266/S7%2B50%2BLeg%2B2%2BTodd_0004.jpg" width="400" /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Leg 5. 27.4km, 962m elevation.</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Leg 5 begins with a long gravel road, where Brad joins me, and Jazmine and Greg fly past me.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I'm riding the brakes here. The sun is on point, the road is long, and there is no cloud nor tree to be found. Gotta keep it in check.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We cross the highway and head North towards the mountains. Double track along the side of the road. False flat, exposed, and a welcome headwind. Keep it slow…</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Greg gains some ground on us, and I can tell Brad is getting twitchy.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We turn West along the power line road, more rollers. Still hot. As we approach CP5a (first of 2 checkpoints on leg 5), Brad puts in a little effort on a hill and escapes, while Jazmine fades a bit and I pass her. CP doesn't seem ready for us, so I don't stop to get any more water.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Now the trail hits the forest, including steep wooded trails with a steady ascent. I've been on this trail a couple times now and enjoyed it. Near the top of the climb the trail reveals a series of large mud bogs, many of whom are completely unavoidable. Not worried about the moisture, but I don't wanna drag around a bunch of mud in my shoes all day… oh well, only one way through!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Just before CP5b there is a bridge and creek crossing. At this point, my water bottle is empty, I'm parched and dry, and I proceed to literally submerge myself in the creek that is about 12 inches deep! It felt heavenly, like a baptism maybe? This would be my new thing today… must keep hydrated and take all possible opportunities to cool off!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">CP5bCP6c is next. Named so because we hit this CP again on leg 6. Leo F, his evil clown, and his merry band of aides were amazing. They gave me ice. Didn't know what to do with it, so shoved some in my hat. They filled up my bottle, gave me a pickle, and sent me on my way!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The next 7 kms to the TA are mean. Open dirt roads, quads and dirt bikes whizzing by. Minimal shade, several large ditches to descend/ascend, including one enormous one about half-way. It did have some water crossings, however, and each time I went in as deep as I could (sometimes that meant just my feet).</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">At this point I'd been eating what I could. A Maurten gel at the startline, xact nutrition bars, chocolate cover espresso beans, and a pack of lime clif blocks. Nutrition, check!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">TA5. I enter the transition area at a campground and find (crew master) Mel waving me over. She looks stressed, having less than a minute, with little to no advanced warning, to help, but she has exactly what I need: my Salomon pack, loaded with 2 soft flasks and pockets full of food. I need my poles. Oh yeah, she goes to grab them. I caught a glimpse of another runner leaving TA as I approach, looked like Greg, and Mel confirms he is just minutes ahead. I spare her a kiss from my dirty face this time, for her benefit.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Another blazing fast transition, and it's off to leg 6!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Leg 6. 31.9km, 1400m elevation.</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">If this were the Tour de France, this would be the Queen's Stage. It's a grind from the start, up a forestry road. The pack feels like it weighs 20 pounds. I see Greg walking up the road. He sees me and starts running.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I jump in a river. Then I run again. When I catch him he looks pretty spent. The heat is beating him. I recommend he embrace the rivers. CP6a appears, and I realize the problem with carrying soft flasks in a tight pack; they are not designed to be refilled easily! I try crouching down, taking the nozzle of and refilling them. Only a little water goes in, because the pack is squeezing them against my chest. Doh. Oh well, I should have enough to get to the next CP, 8kms away.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I shuffle along until the climb really turns up. At this point, the trail is narrow, and despite my brilliant plan of grabbing poles, I find there are few clean lines to place them down. Think of a dry creek bed that you run in, with steep slopes forcing you to put each directly foot in front of the other. Up. Always up. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">My energy is dropping, quick. I can't tell if the poles are helping with balance, or exhausting me more.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I want to stop and rest so badly, but force myself to always walk, even if really, really slowly. Relentless forward progress.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The climb doesn't end. You reach the crest and turn right, and see it go up another few hundred meters. You get there and turn left, and again it goes up. It felt like fucking Jack & the beanstalk!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Just when I think, ok, I'm on to you mountain, what else you got… The route makes a surprising, and wonderful turn AWAY from the climb! Really?? Is this right? The flags lead along the ridge, not up… am I seeing things? Maybe, but it's too appealing to ignore, and sure enough, my walk turns into a shuffle, and even into a jog, as I prance along the top of the ridge, at the highest point of the race!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Down the rocky backside and over to CP6b. This time, I have zero fluid in either flask, haven't seen a creek in days, so have no choice but to take the flasks out to fully refill them. Now the problem is putting them back in my pack, as the front pockets are too tight! Doodle around here for a while, grab a handful of jellies from the nice volunteers, and off I go.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">One last motha of a climb right after the CP, and then it's downhill all the way home! This is what I've been waiting for!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Just one problem… I stub my toes hard on one of the earlier slopes, nearly going down. Instant searing pain in my right foot. Aw shit… it's bad. I have over 10 km of downhill running ahead of me, and I can't put any pressure on my right foot. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I hobble with my poles, which are now annoying me as I also try to feed. Slowly, I make my way to CP6b, again greeted by Leo and his crazy clown. Suddenly Arden joins me in the CP! Wow, nice work. I'm not moving very quickly, and she soon distances me on our way back to the TA. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">TA6. Back to the campground, and again I see my angel, Mel, waving me over. I try to feign strength so she doesn't worry about me, but I know she doesn't buy it. I gladly exchange my poles and pack for my last handheld bottle. Mel gives me some encouragement as well as some real talk; the next 4 kms are brutal, but then it turns into a nice flowy descent to the finish line. Finish strong… This is your jam! Arden is finishing up in the TA and we set off together.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Leg 7. 10.9 kms, 321m elevation.</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">"Shortest leg on the whole course, and difficulty rating of 1, but don't let that fool you" - Ailsa M.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Sure enough, once I hobble out of sight of the TA, we turn and smack! The climb. It is brutal, just as Mel warned. My climbing legs are not pleased, and I shuffle upwards, only slightly better than leg 6. There is hope of a finish, at least. Arden escapes, and I muster all my energy to climb. About 2km later, it goes down, but rocky and steep. I cramp, and can't even run it… I'm now walking downhill, about as slow as the up. This is not how to "finish strong."</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">CP7 is a welcome sight, about half-way. The brutal part should now be done, bring on the greener pastures!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">One last dip in the river, one last climb, and oh shit, another runner catches me. It's Jazmine again. She flies past me on the downhill.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Then the trail turns into a beautiful lush forest. It's soft on my feet. It's a slight descent, which is nice on my toes. I'm 5 kms from the finish, which is nice on my morale.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I can now run again! Not all out, but steady, actual running. Kilometers are ticking by. I glance behind me and thankfully see no one approaching, so I enjoy the final chapter. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Celebrate. Take it all in… soon it will all be over and I will miss racing.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Trail ends at the road on the North side of Coleman. It's about a mile from the finish, and what the…, I see a runner down the road… I think it might be Brad?!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I ask my legs to give me one last nitro boost to see if I can close the gap… but he's just too far.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I cross the finish line in 8 hours, 44 minutes, and 22 seconds. 5th overall, 3rd male, 2nd master.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Brad was there 43 seconds earlier. Arden beat Jazmine by 14 seconds, about 4 minutes earlier.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;">Results <a href="https://zone4.ca/race/2021-07-10/c3792c00/results/d4fa65fa/" target="_blank">here</a>.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">The other achievement you won't easily find, is that thanks to my self-mutilation on leg 6, I won the very prestigious, and highly competitive "worst feet" award! Not bad for a rookie 🤣</div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">What went well:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>The training. Coach Mel designed a perfect plan, building distance and elevation steadily. Race intensity, plus variety, plus course recon included. My fitness was at an all-time high. I don't think I missed a single workout, and taper went to plan as well.</li><li>Heat adaptation & management. Timed most of my runs during the hottest time of day I could. On race day, I hydrated as much as possible, and soaked in every river available. Started with sunscreen, and Mel sprayed me down with more at TA's.</li><li>Staying on course. No wrong turns or delays.</li><li><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Yh-FmTyiQBc/YO4HMOELmOI/AAAAAAAAkXo/oSwv83bBDxQrTvthOOuuTb_fuyG5zn3BwCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/REPT0637.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: left;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1203" data-original-width="2048" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Yh-FmTyiQBc/YO4HMOELmOI/AAAAAAAAkXo/oSwv83bBDxQrTvthOOuuTb_fuyG5zn3BwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/REPT0637.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Transition Areas. Spent less than 1 minute at each of 3 Tas.</li><li>Nutrition. Constantly fed myself, and never finished a leg having completely run out of food and wanting more. </li><li>Ate nothing from aid stations, but brought and ate pickles, maurten gels (could have used more), xact nutrition bars, espresso beans, cliff blocks (lime was good, cherry was not - too thick). Salt caplets were great. Did not want any more dry food, like cookies.</li><li>Pacing went well, I think. Moderately aggressive on leg 4, then settled in. Let Brad & Greg go, almost caught both of them.</li><li>Mental Game: <br />Theme Song: Whatever it takes, Imagine Dragons<br />Mantra: "relentless forward progress"<br />Unphased when Greg ran off. Same with Brad. Boosted confidence when I caught Greg, knowing I was 3rd. Happy for Arden when she caught me, though it deflated me facing the reality that I was in fact fading, but got over it and happy with 3rd male. When Jazmine caught me it actually lifted me, because I saw her approaching but didn't know if it was male/female.<br />A bit frustrated when the cramps and smashed toes forced me to a crawl, but also knew (hoped) it would pass each time. Kept a positive attitude.<br />Lots of alone time, and I was okay with it. Said Hi or waved to all volunteers, racers, and quad/dirt bikers. <br />Reminded myself to be grateful, and to enjoy the experience, especially in the final 5km.</li></ul></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">What would I do differently next time:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>No poles on leg 6. Heart rate escalated, didn't pan out saving the climbing legs. Also I fumbled with them a fair bit when I was fishing for food, or fuddling with my flasks.</li><li>Handheld bottle and a light food belt instead of a pack. Or, pack, but with one hard flask bottle.</li><li>More power hiking steephills, like Prairie Mountain repeats. Especially on tired legs.</li><li>Cold drinks at transition. Bring cool box and have something chilled.</li><li>Less time at CP's. Dang soft flasks are hard to refill.</li><li>Shoes. Not enough shoe for the terrain (see toes). Also, try "heel lock". Going to lose up to 3 toe nails, but it did earn me a cool prize!</li></ul></div></div>Overall, super happy with my first Ultra, and 100% will do another. They feel like equal parts fitness as they are preparation and logistics, and luck and experience. Looking forward to gaining in all areas.<br /><br /></div></div><p></p>Reinier Paauwehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08420729024236698930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2082531088926799267.post-23337428265254245232019-10-26T10:36:00.001-06:002021-05-26T09:21:12.965-06:00Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ilxu3vPOXCk/XbRp56GQtAI/AAAAAAAAaw4/CkuMmYCHEZQHkjwfGCCL30bzojlixUYdwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/20x30-TWAA0002.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1069" data-original-width="1600" height="425" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ilxu3vPOXCk/XbRp56GQtAI/AAAAAAAAaw4/CkuMmYCHEZQHkjwfGCCL30bzojlixUYdwCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/20x30-TWAA0002.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div>
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October 20th, 2019<br />
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Unlike my previous 2 marathons, STWM was not Melissa's idea! In fact, I'm pretty sure it was me getting <i>her </i>drunk and signing us both up for it, #richmacdonaldstyle<br />
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<u>The Build</u><br />
If CIM went better than Phoenix because of more mileage, then STWM was going to go even better. Melissa had us commit to even more miles, pushing ourselves to volumes previously thought of as extreme... My goal was to notch a 120k week, as well as a 4-week rolling average over 100k. Combine that with a healthy dose of speed work, tempos, and progression runs, and a creative mix of all of the above, along with just enough "restraint" to avoid injury and burnout, and I don't think the build plan could have gone any better.<br />
I would race Edmonton half in August in order to set a proper time goal for the full. Breaking the 80 minute barrier convincingly there gave me the confidence to start dreaming big...<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-N636hrV5TOs/XbEcCPZ8S3I/AAAAAAAAawY/F4WFppuN5BwFclc3gJ0RCudzAQOT9IOMgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/marathon_stats.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="502" data-original-width="611" height="327" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-N636hrV5TOs/XbEcCPZ8S3I/AAAAAAAAawY/F4WFppuN5BwFclc3gJ0RCudzAQOT9IOMgCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/marathon_stats.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">By the numbers...</td></tr>
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<u>The Plan</u><br />
"What's your goal for this race?" <br />
That has to be the most common question, and ironically one that seems to make everyone uncomfortable. Do you say it out loud to hold yourself accountable? Do you keep it to yourself, thereby under promising and over delivering? Do you create a diversion by avoiding the question, offering instead some form of comedic, usually self-flagellating retort? <br />
CIM should have taught me better, recalling the immediate embarrassment I felt after openly announcing my 2:45 intentions during a group run. <br />
I suppose my success in that race helped erase that trauma, because when asked about Toronto, I figured I may as well be forthcoming about my logical next barrier, the 5-minute incremental step of breaking 2:40. Why not be bold and try for it, even if the pace on paper sounded ridiculous?<br />
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The training had gone great, but at no point did I feel comfortable running the aspirational marathon pace for that long.<br />
So, I did as any good software engineer would do in this situation; I asked math for some help to boost my confidence.<br />
Last year I ran a 1:21 half followed shortly after with a 2:44 full marathon.<br />
Now I had taken 4 minutes off my half in Edmonton, surely I could ask for 5 over a full?<br />
So, it was decided. Stretch goal was 2:39:59, and assuming I felt ok, I would aim for 1 hr for the first 10 miles, 1 hr for the 2nd 10 miles, and finish the final 10k knowing I would only need to hold 4 min/kms (aka, pedestrian pace) to hit my target. Sounds easy, right?<br />
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<u>The Reality</u><br />
After a remarkably good sleep, Mel and I awoke, had a bagel with cream cheese and jam (+ an immodium), and chilled in our hotel 1 block from the start line. Stepped out for a little warm up to get the juices flowing, then meandered to the start. <br />
Despite the large start list, I found myself easily able to move to the first 3 rows of the 1st (non-elite) corral.<br />
Temperature was warm (8C?) and I immediately tossed my arm warmers and gloves.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xjiBdwpWDjU/XbRqPz9Jo9I/AAAAAAAAaxE/Y3qvS4Uwt3IhX1mo_UpQucTtaedE7MRAwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/20x30-TWAJ1792.jpeg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xjiBdwpWDjU/XbRqPz9Jo9I/AAAAAAAAaxE/Y3qvS4Uwt3IhX1mo_UpQucTtaedE7MRAwCLcBGAsYHQ/w213-h320/20x30-TWAJ1792.jpeg" width="213" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Calf sleeve, completely useless</td></tr></tbody></table>
In front of me was a dude in a banana costume! He dropped me... thankfully he was doing the half and earned himself a <a href="https://runningmagazine.ca/sections/runs-races/meet-the-worlds-fastest-banana/" target="_blank">Guinness world record for fastest fruit (1:15)</a>. It was one of those "where were you" moments.<br />
<br />
Back to my race.<br />
Gun goes off and here we go again!<br />
Starting with a slight uphill, I soon spy another lime green mito jersey just ahead so put in a little dig to catch up.<br />
Josh Inhaber and I proceed to run the next several kms together, which was a great way to settle into the race.<br />
As we loop around and head back south, the road drops elevation on it's way back to the lake, and I recall <a href="https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=2754946181191242" target="_blank"></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=2754946181191242" target="_blank">
</a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QVt3fFTFFDY/XbRp5rEfiBI/AAAAAAAAaww/ac0lr-XLnH4ZZDvCfgUTIbrcLrauv7GRgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/20x30-TWBQ1024.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1068" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QVt3fFTFFDY/XbRp5rEfiBI/AAAAAAAAaww/ac0lr-XLnH4ZZDvCfgUTIbrcLrauv7GRgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/20x30-TWBQ1024.jpeg" width="213" /></a></div>Reid Coolsaet's advice in the voice over video: relax in the beginning and use the downhill to find your pace group before hitting the waterfront. Combined with Blaine's reminder to find other bodies as it can get rather windy along the water, I take this advice to heart and spend kms 3-6 accelerating and sitting in, repeating this until I find a group I feel comfortable with.<br />
As we hit Lakeshore Blvd I have latched on to one guy in particular, tall, bearded, dressed in blue*. He looks very comfortable pushing what to me is a bit of a stretch, but I reason that every km with him will get me closer to the end sooner!<br />
As we turn around and head East, we are now a group of 4 or 5, though it's clear only me, blue guy, and a guy I raced with in Edmonton, Chris Schwartz, are actually working together on the long, long road in the wind.<br />
When I say working together, blue guy did about 80% of the work.<br />
Just before the half, I see fellow duathlete Garvin pull up beside us on his bike, and we chat for a bit before hitting one of the overpasses. Even though I felt like I had been struggling, I was surprised to find I could hold a lucid conversation still.<br />
At the half way mark, a couple guys veer off to complete their distance, but blue guy and Chris stay on course for the full, and I am so grateful. I hit the 10 mile mark with a handful of seconds to spare before my 1 hr target.<br />
I cross the half-way mat around 1:18:31 (2nd fastest half yet), and am starting to feel like I may have made a big mistake...<br />
Blue guy separates from Chris and I, so then there were 2.<br />
The next 8 km it's just him and I, taking turns in front to block the wind. Our pace feels like it is slowing a bit, but having someone there in that industrial 2nd half was a life saver! Looking at my upload, the pace did slow, down to my goal pace of ~3:47/km.<br />
And then Chris drops me, latching on to a runner that passed us on Lakeshore Blvd East, and I have no response. Kilometer 30, and I am all alone for the foreseeable future.<br />
My world goes dark, my little Jiminy Cricket is telling me I WAS an idiot for going out too fast, and that I am in the process of blowing up majorly!<br />
I look down at my watch and its agreeing with that fucking cricket, 4:05/km... that is about 20 seconds / km slower than my goal pace.<br />
The next part gets worse, because I start to not care. Any competitive spirit in me has completely vanquished.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xfHNNlw6lwM/XbRp5xIymCI/AAAAAAAAaw0/qnaXanHQymg_hdi7hm6xMKFuhGuUddE9ACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/20x30-TWBQ2242.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1068" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xfHNNlw6lwM/XbRp5xIymCI/AAAAAAAAaw0/qnaXanHQymg_hdi7hm6xMKFuhGuUddE9ACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/20x30-TWBQ2242.jpeg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Band of brothers for about 10k</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
A bike rolls past and tells, "you're going fast, I'm having a hard time cycling to keep up with you!"<br />
I know he's lying and try smiling back but inside I'm too busy signing off on my surrender.<br />
Chris is off in the distance, I'm alone into wind and slight uphill, and I haven't even gotten to the last turnaround yet. How can I take down the evil "wall" if I'm so far off pace already and slowing down to a crawl? I should note, that upon review of my post-race data, this slump lasted only about 4kms, but at the time it felt like an eternity, so low were my spirits.<br />
And then I get a couple injections of motivation. <br />
First, I see homeboy Trev Hofbauer come by in the opposite direction, and he's the first Canadian! We exchange some quick salutes and go on our merry ways.<br />
Defending Canadian champ Cam Levins is a good minute or two behind him!<br />
How cool is that, Trev is punching his ticket to the 2020 Olympics!!<br />
Soon after, I reach the final turnaround (finally!!!) <br />
This is around km 32 and the moment I've been waiting for.<br />
By now, I've lost a bunch of time, crossing 20 miles around 2:01:something, and given the past 30 minutes, have all but written off my A goal. But now I at least am going downhill. And have a tailwind.<br />
Then I see Mel! She's not far behind, and there aren't many women ahead of her!<br />
Before long, I'm back to my flow, focusing on my leg turn over and taking down kms.<br />
Around the 35 km mark I hear "hey Ren, good job" from across the street. It's fellow WRTWC runner Frank! He's smiling and looking strong!<br />
I take note of the time. 7.2km to go, clock says 2:12:11... hmm. Could I? 27 mins for 7km? Jiminy is gone, and my watch says I'm back to running 3:45s.<br />
Give it a try, whispered the heart.<br />
6k to go, still holding on.<br />
Then I see, and remember one last overpass. Ugh... that's gonna bite into my pace.<br />
5.2k to go and about 20 mins. Uphill finish. Its gonna be close, but I'm starting to believe.<br />
38k. 16 mins left... keep it going. I am almost back to the CN tower!<br />
39. Crowds are back and loud. Normally in races this drives me crazy but now I'm feeding off it.<br />
40. We will be turning right soon on Bay street. Why is it taking so long? 8 minutes to go.<br />
41. Don't see this marker, nor anything other than that Parliament Building at the end of the tunnel that is my vision.<br />
42. Where is that finish line? Can't even see it?! Oh there it is. What does that clock say? 2:39:something? Oh shit, stay focused Reinier or you're gonna blow it.<br />
Open up the sprint... <br />
<br />
2:39:41!<br />
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The next four minutes I spend in what feels like a suffocated state, my lungs unable to get any air. I shuffle around the finish line area, holding a fence and gasping. Eventually regaining myself, just in time to see Josh (7 minutes ahead of his 2:50 goal), and then Melissa (2 min PB) cross the finish line.<br />
Oh, and I remember a Firetruck trying to get through and runners having to scramble around it to finish!<br />
<br />
In the aftermath I see all our friends have done well today. Ken Young setting an 60-69 national record, Frank, Mark Cullen and Jeff Shikaze setting PBs. I learn that I got 3rd in my age!<br />
I learned the Mel was 8th Canadian female!<br />
Across the country, our friends in Kelowna have all had great races too!<br />
<br />
<u>Nutrition </u><br />
A Maurten gel at the start line, another one around kilometer 11, and an Endurance Tap maple energy gel around kilometer 28. Zero gels spilled today!<br />
Gatorade or water at each station, and both in the final 10k (just a small sip each time). Not quite as successful keeping gatorade off my body and shoes :(<br />
<br />
<u>Lessons</u><br />
So, what is your goal for this race?<br />
Ultimately you hope to finish knowing that you gave it all on that day. There are plenty of things outside of our control including course, conditions, and competition/companionship, so having specific goal times can be rather arbitrary. It doesn't mean you can't do your homework and make some aspirational goals along the way. And while anything can happen during the race, don't give up on those goals until you absolutely have to. Keep it close and you may catch a second wind. That can be all you need to get motivated again to dig deep through until the finish.<br />
I was down and out in this race, and ready to pull the chute, but a few key moments helped me snap out of it and begin my comeback.<br />
There are many benefits of running on feel (<a href="https://runningmagazine.ca/sections/training/why-trevor-hofbauer-races-without-a-watch/" target="_blank">ask the Hof!</a>), which I mostly did, but one of the downsides is that any slowing of pace combined with an increase of perceived effort can tax your already depleting confidence. My perception of my blow up felt much worse than the GPS-validated reality, in retrospect. On the plus side, when I regained my mojo, my actual pace did not improve by as much as I felt like it did, but it boosted my mood exponentially.<br />
Another good lesson is to wipe your mouth when waiting at the finish line and the CBC cameras are watching!<br />
<br />
<u>Acknowledgements</u><br />
I'm so thankful to <a href="http://www.weruntheworldcoaching.com/" target="_blank">Melissa </a>for helping my focus (recall a conversation earlier in the year during a morale slump where she forced me to "pick a *&%#@ goal already"), pushing me when I needed pushing, and holding me back when my natural overzealous nature would have resulted in self-destruction. There were several miles spent in the final stage of the marathon that I dedicated to her.<br />
I'm thankful to my kids for accepting my daily commitment to the Saturday morning long runs and evening workouts before dinner.<br />
I'm grateful to Troy Delfs for taking over leadership of Peloton Racing this year so I could step back. It's a ton of work that is unpaid and underappreciated, and without him stepping up the club would not have endured.<br />
I'm grateful to my physio and chiropractors, Shari Macdonald and Carson Smith, for keeping the niggles at bay.<br />
Immensely thankful to the Calgary running community for accepting and mentoring me, and the positivity and support ahead of STWM was second to none. It's no coincidence that Calgary is host to the current men's Canadian National Marathon Champion (Hof daddy... omfg!) as well as national Master's age group champs.<br />
Strides Running Store, Mito Canada, We Run The World coaching, and Bow Valley Harriers are just some inspirational examples of community and excellence that make it easy for anyone to start dreaming big!<br />
Shared many miles with amazing humans and have come to truly appreciate group/social running for both motivation as well as entertainment.<br />
<br />
<u>What's next?</u><br />
Eat too much, drink too much, then start thinking about Houston Half Marathon in January. But that's a long time away. What will my goal be for that race? Too soon to decide, but if history is any indicator, it's unlikely that I'll keep it to myself!<!--/data/user/0/com.samsung.android.app.notes/files/share/clipdata_191021_204145_562.sdoc--><br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.strava.com/activities/2803963217" target="_blank">Link to Strava</a><br />
<a href="https://www.sportstats.ca/display-results.xhtml?raceid=101896&status=results" target="_blank">Link to Results</a><br />
<br />
<br />
* Blue guy later identified as Kevin Lachance (thank you, Kevin!)<br />
<br />Reinier Paauwehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08420729024236698930noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2082531088926799267.post-81180770824800008902018-12-08T16:26:00.004-07:002021-11-22T08:25:57.346-07:00Oops, I did it again!<div class="separator"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hf2i4s7R0ew/YPWbDf3z-3I/AAAAAAAAkiY/k9BbDIHt_9Aswnl7Q8bSXGyG7fwN_ToYQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1200/SRAbanner2.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="90" data-original-width="1200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hf2i4s7R0ew/YPWbDf3z-3I/AAAAAAAAkiY/k9BbDIHt_9Aswnl7Q8bSXGyG7fwN_ToYQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/SRAbanner2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<br />
Something about human nature allows, or rather forces, the suppression of trauma from long term memory. It is said to be true of child birth, and of running marathons.<br />
<br />
And so, less than 9 months after subjecting myself to my first "full," and despite being 100% satisfied with my performance and my official marathon PR, I found myself at the start line of my 2nd marathon.<br />
I believe it started with a tactic made popular by one of my endurance heroes, Rich Macdonald. Rich has repeatedly convinced his wife, Megan, to sign up for ridiculous athletic adventures by getting her drunk and then mingling with other co-conspirators, applying group bias and peer pressure to get her to commit. I'm quite certain Melissa employed the same tactics on me.<br />
<br />
Following a first half summer season of bike racing, Melissa and I went to Europe for Duathlon World's, where Mel represented Canada proudly in the Elite field, and I stood on the side lines as her manager, yelling "go baby" at all the right moments (other teams had more traditional managers yelling time gaps and other useless tactical information).<br />
The summer concluded with more cycling in Italy, then some late season races, including Tour De Bowness, Calgary 70.3 (bike leg of the winning relay team), and Revelstoke Steamer Hill Climb.<br />
<br />
Then, as the leaves fell and Alberta voted yet again, to skip autumn and go straight to winter 1.0, my mind turned to running again. And drinking. Next thing I know, we've got flights and hotels and are registered.<br />
Mel put together a great program which would get us ready, with each of us taking slightly different routes.<br />
The general strategy was to increase mileage a lot more than the previous plan. My body had held up really well and we could increase the stress on it.<br />
Physio from Shari MacDonald and chiropractic from Dr Carson would ensure that continued to be the case.<br />
<br />
In addition to growing volume and targeted intensity, we sprinkled in a few preparatory races<br />
<br />
09/08 - <a href="https://www.strava.com/activities/1828085680/overview" target="_blank">MEC 15k</a>: 3rd OA, time: 59:11<br />
10/07 - <a href="https://www.strava.com/activities/1890734650/overview" target="_blank">Kelowna SynRype Half Marathon</a>: 5th OA, 2nd AG, time: 1:21:01<br />
10/27 - <a href="https://www.strava.com/activities/1932381013/overview" target="_blank">Dash of Doom 5k</a>: 1st OA, time: 18:04<br />
11/27 - <a href="https://www.strava.com/activities/1987684234" target="_blank">AWS re:Invent 8k</a>: 2nd overall, time: 28:36<br />
<br />
The half marathon broke a 4 race "slump" of 1:23:xx that went back nearly 2 years.<br />
My weekly average was over 90km, maxing out at just over 100.<br />
The AWS race 5 days before the marathon moved the chains on my 2 mile, 5k, and 5 mile PBs.<br />
<br />
Final preparation included walking 20,000 steps a day in Las Vegas but sleeping over 10 hours a night. With a disciplined end of week and proper fueling once we arrived in Sacramento, I knew we were ready!<br />
<br />
Race morning:<br />
Rather uneventful, thankfully! After maybe 3 hours of decent sleep, alarms rang at 4:30 AM and Mel and I ran the 2k from the hotel to the busses, hopped on and were transported in the dark to Folsom, CA. Weather was about as perfect as it comes; very low wind, temps around 2C. And no smoke/fire/snow/etc.<br />
Bit of a scramble getting to the front for the start due to the volume of talent at this race.<br />
CIM served as the US National Marathon, as well as a US OTQ (Olympic Trials Qualifier), with serious incentives going to speedy Americans. I pushed my way through a huge mob and find myself at the prescribed 3 hour mark, only to see literally hundreds of runners STILL ahead of me at the start.<br />
<br />
Nutrition:<br />
High percentage of carbs, effectively starting 48 hrs prior to the race. Not really increasing calorie count, just redistributing it. Nothing too spicy or exotic.<br />
1.5 glasses of wine the night before (don't change anything too drastic right before the race, right?)<br />
Morning breakfast of oatmeal and half a bagel with peanut butter, coffee, water, and a maple gel 20 minutes before the start.<br />
During the race, took a Honey Stinger Gold gel at km 12, half a Maple ReKarb gel at km 28, sip of water at nearly each station, and 1.8 oz of pickle juice*<br />
<br />
The plan:<br />
Due to the aforementioned OTQ, there was a pace team for the women's B standard time of 2:45, and it was my plan to start the race fast and latch on to this pacer. I planned to run a 1:23 half (as I've done many times before), which would keep the pacer in sight. I would then try to hang on as long as I could. I have been known to be able to find another gear in the final kms of most races, and with CIM's flat finish I was banking on testing my abilities like never before.<br />
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<br />
<br />
The reality:<br />
First half went almost exactly to plan. A bit faster, but with the net descent it was pretty reasonable.<br />
Distance markers every 5km showed I was averaging around 3:51 pace, 4 seconds under the 2:45 pacer and 9 seconds under my sub-2:50 "A" goal.<br />
I caught the pace team around after about 30 minutes, and ran within eye shot for most of the day.<br />
Melissa came running up beside me and we both didn't notice until she was literally right beside me. Then she dropped me on a hill.<br />
Then I passed her on a downhill. The thing about CIM that is not in the brochure, but best advice we received from friends was that for every uphill (and there are plenty), there is an equal or longer downhill right after. I capitalized on this by running steady up, and flying downhill to regain contact with the pacer.<br />
Kilometer 22 it started to get old. My first half went great and my average pace was still incredulously quick, but these next few miles were tough. I was starting to make mistakes.<br />
I sprayed sport drink all up my nose. I spilled a gooey gel all over my leg and arm. My legs bobbled. I lost the pacer in a crowd.<br />
Then I approached the final quarter, the WALL, and my excitement grew. This is the moment I go from pacing to racing. My typical race tactic this year has been to pace the first third, observe the field in the 2nd third, and compete in the final third with the mindset of "you've been holding back for this section of the race!"<br />
Though my body was still feeling rough and muscles were drained, I focused on form and increased my cadence to keep my legs turning over. My watch average pace said 3:55, but it occurred to me the course was probably a bit long, and if I could that average down by just 1 second I might finish with a sub-2:45! Somehow I managed to run the final 8km at 3:47 pace, bringing me in with a 2:44:49 chip time (2:44:10 Strava time); an 8 minute improvement on my Phoenix time.<br />
I crossed the finish line in a state of hyperventilation, and in disbelief, and in relief. Then I got to witness Melissa run across the finish line a couple minutes behind me, also smashing her expectations!<br />
<br />
<br />
Key Takeaways:<br />
<ul>
<li><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>Training Plan<br />Can't overstate how valuable it was to have <a href="http://www.weruntheworldcoaching.com/" target="_blank">Melissa </a>put my training plan together with the long range vision, pushing me with confidence-building high speed and big distance workouts, and holding me back enough to prevent burnout and injury. </li>
<li>Mental strength / confidence / risk taking<br />Great truth spoken by one of the elites before the race, "you will experience a tough mile, but there's another good mile right around the corner." Marathon distance will present plenty of such tough miles. Be prepared to combat them each one of them. </li>
<li>Recovery (Normatec compression pants, Massage, Physio, Chiro, sleep, rest days). <br />Your muscles only grow once you stop working them. One visit with Shari and she transformed the way I run today. The last 8k was literally made possible by the new and improved running form she prescribed.</li>
<li>80/20 rule. Train slow to race fast. Nailed this one. See below zone distribution over the past 3 months. Aerobic Zones 1 and 2 are represented by the lightest shades, and you can see, account for the bulk of training time.</li>
</ul>
<br />
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<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CullWg9HCyA/YPWbMX2L7OI/AAAAAAAAkic/aRWx4Q0ggEA01JRG1cW1j-8EEAuCHddLwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1200/SRAbanner2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="90" data-original-width="1200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CullWg9HCyA/YPWbMX2L7OI/AAAAAAAAkic/aRWx4Q0ggEA01JRG1cW1j-8EEAuCHddLwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/SRAbanner2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />Reinier Paauwehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08420729024236698930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2082531088926799267.post-56033253771758531432018-02-26T21:13:00.003-07:002021-07-19T09:31:09.676-06:00First marathon!<div style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 9pt; margin: 0in;">"Training for a
marathon requires a LOT of running," and other epiphanies learned over the
past 3 months.</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 9pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 9pt; margin: 0in;">
Coming off of World's
Duathlon Championships in Penticton last summer, I was left with a bit of a
void in my training. Melissa and I had maintained a very disciplined and determined training
regime for months leading up to the race, and exhausted ourselves physically and
emotionally in 2 dramatic hours late last August.</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 9pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 9pt; margin: 0in;">
We returned to Calgary
completely drained, but on a high of satisfaction and relief. I took part in a
few more races that fall, starting with Provincial time trial championships, a
MEC fondo, and Victoria half-marathon. Each of these events left me a little
unsatisfied; I couldn't hold my expected power during the ITT, I flatted and
chased for about 90km of the fondo, and I literally stumbled across the finish
line in Victoria without nabbing the PB I fully expected. </div>
<div style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 9pt; margin: 0in;">
While my fitness was at
an all-time high, my mental game was done for the year.</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 9pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 9pt; margin: 0in;">
So, I was as surprised
as anyone to hear my mouth say "Yes!" when Melissa suggested we sign
up for a marathon in February.</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 9pt; margin: 0in;">
Part of me went along
with it because I knew it could provide a tremendous boost to her running
ability, and part of me felt like I could pull this off with little pressure on
myself; I'm not a runner…guaranteed a PB having never raced this distance…</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 9pt; margin: 0in;">
The timing also fit
perfect with my off-season training. I could focus on running until February,
keep my weight down over the winter, and start bike training on March 1st.</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 9pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 9pt; margin: 0in;">
So, we registered and
bought flights to Phoenix, booked a BnB, and Melissa drew up our 3 month
training plan. </div>
<div style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 9pt; margin: 0in;">
The first long run was
25 km, and I was bored immediately and in pain by km 20. Hmm, not a great
start.</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 9pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 9pt; margin: 0in;">
"Marathon pace is
actually pretty damn fast!"</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 9pt; margin: 0in;">
The runs got
progressively longer, and more speed work was added. I recall a cold, icy run
along Calgary's bow river with Darryl Penner, which was to include 12 km at
marathon pace (MP). It was then that I realized how quick MP actually is! I
struggled in an out and back route, questioning my decision making ability. </div>
<div style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 9pt; margin: 0in;">
The weekly volume went
up as did the length of the long run. Set a new distance record for me when we
took advantage of a fortuitously timed trip to Seattle and notched 32 km along
the scenic Burke-Gilman trail. Though I finished with my intestines upended and
my feet in pain, it gave me a much needed lift in spirits that the distance
could be achieved.</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 9pt; margin: 0in;">
I also started to
really care! No longer was I content with just finishing my first marathon, but
I recognized how much work it was going to take, and how much dedication, how
much time away from my bike, that I did not want to finish it feeling like I could
have done better. There was no second chance at this.</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 9pt; margin: 0in;">
I also wanted to
represent Melissa properly. She had designed a creative and challenging program
and I owed her my 100% commitment to this plan.</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 9pt; margin: 0in;">
A few weeks later was a
planned a 25km run with 15km at MP. It happened to fall on the same weekend as
the first MEC running race, which featured a half marathon. Perfect! Sticking
to the plan, I warmed up for 4km, then ran at a steady 4:05 / km for 15, along
with Melissa and a few others. I felt really comfortable and had the coach's
blessing to "do whatever you want after the 15 km" so decided to open
it up. The pace felt so easy I couldn't believe it. I finished the final 6km
with a 3:53 pace, catching but losing out to 1st place in a sprint finish.</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 9pt; margin: 0in;">
The next big milestone
was "peak week." I would amass my highest volume running mileage at
>80km, including a Yasso's workout, and finishing with a 36km long run. 2
bike workouts added in there, just for sanity's sake.</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 9pt; margin: 0in;">
The Yasso's workout I
did at the 200m track at Repsol Centre. If you're not familiar with the Yasso's
workout, it's a mean workout often used a few weeks prior to a marathon to help
predict one's finishing time. It indicated 2:51 was possible. Grain of salt
applied to these as it assumes one has the physical and skeletal ability to run
the full distance and not just aerobically capable.</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 9pt; margin: 0in;">
That weekend was -30C
plus blowing snow and high winds, so the long run was going to be inside,
again. Sick of treadmill workouts, we went to Mt Royal University track, also
200m in circumference. Just under 3 hours, 180 laps, and 720 right turns later,
I finished. I had dialed in my nutrition strategy and, more importantly, had
found my zen. My mind and body entered into a rhythm such that I was not going
to falter or stumble until it was over. </div>
<div style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 9pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 9pt; margin: 0in;">
"Tapering is a
leading cause of divorce in endurance athlete marriages"</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 9pt; margin: 0in;">
Sounds like fun on
paper… relax, take the night off, carb-loading… far from it. There were some
dark days and nights in there as anxiety levels arose and our coping mechanisms
were limited (no bike, easy runs only, limited alcohol)!</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 9pt; margin: 0in;">
This is probably the
main reason they suggest not doing more than one or two marathons per year.</div>
<br />
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<br />
<div style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 9pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 9pt; margin: 0in;">
"Running a
marathon is 33.3% physical preparation, 33.3% pacing, and 100% mental
fortitude"</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 9pt; margin: 0in;">
Race report: Mandatory
belligerent neighbours yelling in the middle of the night outside our room,
check. On the plus side, we didn't need our 3:30AM alarm. </div>
<div style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 9pt; margin: 0in;">
Down a bagel with
peanut butter and pack our gear and jog the 2km to the busses. Hop on and get
carted out of town, to wait in the cold (4C) at the start line, lined up for
port-a-potties and huddled around barrel fires like gypsies.</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 9pt; margin: 0in;">
Last minute clothing
drop and the fireworks announce the start of our journey back to the red glow
of the Phoenix skyline, far away in the distance.</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 9pt; margin: 0in;">
After jostling through
the crowd in the opening km, I catch up to Melissa and we settle into a
comfortable pace for the first 6 downhill kms. Hundreds have flown past us,
succumbing to the allure of the net descent and listening to their lying fresh
legs.</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 9pt; margin: 0in;">
The road then turns up
for a couple miles, and into a slight head wind. Melissa gracefully and
predictably drops me, and soon I am passed by dozens of others, many of which
are already wheezing from effort.</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 9pt; margin: 0in;">
Patience. Run within
myself. I glance at my HR, which has risen steadily from 150 to 160 on the
climb. Ok just hold it there, there's a lot of road left to cover.</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 9pt; margin: 0in;">
Atop the climb I push
forward, legs now loose and ready to turn over. </div>
<div style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 9pt; margin: 0in;">
I see that Melissa has
not managed to find her first bottle at the aid station (elite runners are able
to bring their own bottles and fuel, and have them placed at certain aid
stations, however this race had them quite obscured). I bridge up to Mel and share
my bottle and offer a gel. It's enough to hold her over until the next station.
</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 9pt; margin: 0in;">
Ian Jeffrey rejoins,
and soon we are in a pack of about 8. </div>
<div style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 9pt; margin: 0in;">
I cross the half at
1:26:46. A little slower than I figured, but feeling fantastic and confident I
can maintain this.</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 9pt; margin: 0in;">
Melissa gaps us after
the half as our pace ebbs & flows while she drives steadily forward. Ian
and I slog it out over the long expanses in the 2nd half, sections of road
several miles long without a turn. I let Ian know that around km 32 I plan to "open
it up." </div>
<div style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 9pt; margin: 0in;">
As I cross km 28, I
prepare for the "the wall," feared creature of marathon lore that has
been known to chew up and spit out nearly every runner around km 30-32. Some
say it has to do with low glycogen levels around the 2 hr mark. Some say it's a
mental barrier we have fabricated. Either way, I'm totally ready to battle and
yell out loud "I'm going to make this wall my bitch."</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 9pt; margin: 0in;">
I anticipate the
odometer reading on my Garmin watch displaying 32km like the count down to New
Year's. Bring it. I start talking to myself and though my quads have been
arguing with me since the early miles, their nagging is increasing in
frequency.</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 9pt; margin: 0in;">
But each time it hurts,
it also goes away. I remind myself of this every time now. Km 33 arrives and
now I'm into single digits. I can tell the wall is starting to doubt itself,
though it hasn't surrendered yet.</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 9pt; margin: 0in;">
The next couple km's it
fights me, especially as I turn corners and have to regain my cadence. I see
what the wall is trying to do… "bring it on, corners!" I bellow. </div>
<div style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 9pt; margin: 0in;">
Then it succumbs,
around km 35. I start getting faster and faster. I see Melissa in the distance
and hope I can make it up to her so we can cross the finish together. She's
looking strong, wow! I am further inspired. I catch her with about a mile to
go, on a descent to the finish, and my legs are screaming but somehow only
getting faster. I clock a final 5km in 19:45, with the last km at 3:38,
completing my 2nd half in 1:25 50, including a 1 min negative split for a total
time of 2:52:35. </div>
<div style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 9pt; margin: 0in;">
And…done!</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 9pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 9pt; margin: 0in;">
So, what now? Yes, it
meets the qualifying times for my age for Boston, Chicago, and London (3:15),
and even NYC (2:58). Not gonna lie, even though I'm still limping 2.5 days
later with no end in sight, I kinda liked it. I enjoyed having a race that allowed
enough time to screw it up, enough time to think, to dial in to myself and my
mind, and push myself beyond anything I've ever done before.</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 9pt; margin: 0in;">
There was a sense of
urgency in this first one as I'm turning 42 this year and it felt poetic to run
42 kms. Right now I'm shifting my focus back to bike racing and we'll see how
2018 unfolds.</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 9pt; margin: 0in;">
Or maybe I'll leave my
fate in the hands of the almighty rollup…</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SNgYQhVOFSc/WpTZHNVPzOI/AAAAAAAAL-w/5FIdTx5JPuovH-Blp-xctA5EIre19caYACLcBGAs/s1600/20180226_202119.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1498" height="200" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SNgYQhVOFSc/WpTZHNVPzOI/AAAAAAAAL-w/5FIdTx5JPuovH-Blp-xctA5EIre19caYACLcBGAs/s200/20180226_202119.jpg" width="186" /></a></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 9pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 9pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 9pt; margin: 0in;">
Full results <a href="http://phx.onlineraceresults.com/individual.php?bib=10003" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a>.</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 9pt; margin: 0in;">
Strava link <a href="https://www.strava.com/activities/1423808754" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a>.</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 9pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 9pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="text-decoration-line: underline;">Stats</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 9pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-style: italic;">Nutrition </span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 9pt; margin: 0in;">
Breakfast:</div>
<ul style="direction: ltr; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.375in; margin-top: 0in; unicode-bidi: embed;" type="disc">
<li style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; vertical-align: middle;"><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 9pt;">1/2 whole wheat bagel with
natural peanut butter </span></li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; vertical-align: middle;"><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 9pt;">starbucks oatmeal with brown
sugar & nuts </span></li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; vertical-align: middle;"><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 9pt;">small coffee.</span></li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; vertical-align: middle;"><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 9pt;">Half a bottle of water on the
way up to the start.</span></li>
</ul>
<div style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 9pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 9pt; margin: 0in;">
During:</div>
<ul style="direction: ltr; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.375in; margin-top: 0in; unicode-bidi: embed;" type="disc">
<li style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; vertical-align: middle;"><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 9pt;">1 hand-bottle (20 oz) with
Skratch Matcha Green Tea & Lemons mix (80 cals)</span></li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; vertical-align: middle;"><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 9pt;">1 Endurance Tap Energy Gel,
maple syrup (100 cals) - eaten at km 10</span></li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; vertical-align: middle;"><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 9pt;">1 pack of Jelly Belly sport
beans (100 cals) - 1 bean every km from 20-35</span></li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; vertical-align: middle;"><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 9pt;">1 sip of water at each aid
station, every 2 miles</span></li>
</ul>
<div style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 9pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 9pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-style: italic;">Temperature</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 9pt; margin: 0in;">
Start: 4C</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 9pt; margin: 0in;">
Finish: 12C</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 9pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-csJNJ5bLBTY/WpQlrGZkkPI/AAAAAAAAL-c/MD0UCFHvJIM2TvNdt1w9V6Hk59ITJlImwCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_0929.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-csJNJ5bLBTY/WpQlrGZkkPI/AAAAAAAAL-c/MD0UCFHvJIM2TvNdt1w9V6Hk59ITJlImwCLcBGAs/s400/IMG_0929.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Enjoying post-race pool-side Pina Coladas with legendary runners, the Deere's, Keith Bradford, Jody Draude, and Ed Bickley.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 9pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 9pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
Reinier Paauwehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08420729024236698930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2082531088926799267.post-34501584656333016942017-07-16T20:10:00.001-06:002017-07-17T12:39:51.576-06:002017 Canadian National Duathlon Championships, Magog, QC<div class="MsoNormal">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-C2EclVHWf8I/WWwZwAw9YNI/AAAAAAAALiM/5_juu-ZviY472Hyf0_WeLFF510gYItN_gCLcBGAs/s1600/20170716_193723.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1210" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-C2EclVHWf8I/WWwZwAw9YNI/AAAAAAAALiM/5_juu-ZviY472Hyf0_WeLFF510gYItN_gCLcBGAs/s320/20170716_193723.jpg" width="241" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shaking the hand of the 2017<br />
Canadian National Duathlon Champion!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
7.7 seconds. In a
race lasting 2 hours, 9 minutes, and 59 seconds, this accounts for less than 0.1%.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The opportunity to stand on the top step and represent
Canada alongside my amazing wife as king and queen national champions in the oft-misunderstood
sport of Duathlon was literally within spitting distance (assuming a decent
sized loogey and a good tailwind). <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
On the plus side, I had the best view of the new national
champion, Mathieu Paquet, raising his arms and running through the ribbon!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Surely I could have found 7.7 seconds somewhere on the
course? So let’s rewind and see how the race played out.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Wednesday. Kieran comes home with a nasty stomach flu.
Activate full on containment efforts, short of hazmat suits. <br />
<br />
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Thursday. Temperatures start to climb again in Calgary, making
30C in our non-AC household a tough recovery environment. Big thanks to
@ryanvanorman’s wonderful Animal names sleeping trick<b><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%;">®<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
Friday. Weigh-in results: lowest weight attained by me since
the digital scale was invented. Pack TT bikes into new EVOC bike bags and pray
for a good night rest. (prayer not answered)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
Saturday. Drop off kids and take early flight, which happens
to go WAY smoother than expected, despite the Stampede crowds and big bike
bags. Arrive in Montreal, rent Jeep, drive 90 mins to Magog, unpack and
reassemble bikes, 30 min safety test bikes, pre-drive the bike course (yikes it’s
hilly), and eat Poutine. Pray for a good night’s sleep (prayer unanswered).<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
Sunday. 5AM wake-up call, which for us Albertans feels like
3AM. 91% humidity, apparently, which basically means you sweat just by breathing. Quick breakfast and checkout of our BnB and hit the start. Mel
and I get a warmup in and are drenched from sweat in about 5 minutes. Ok, time
to settle down. A 30 min delay in our start time means we sit and drink water
and occupy port-a-potties, and repeat.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Ok, now to the actual race. Bang, off we go, double file
through a tight path and by 1km I am running a brisk 3:50/km and sitting in
about 25<sup>th</sup>! Ok did I miss a
memo about Quebecois running pedigree? Oh well, “stay within myself,” a wise
man once said to me*, and that’s exactly what I did. By the end of the first
5km loop I had moved up about 2 or 3 positions gradually, and first place was
about 2 minutes ahead of me. At this rate, I will have a 4 minute deficit to overcome
on the bike. Sounds doable on this course. Do not panic.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Another loop and after picking off a few more scraps, I
enter transition sitting around 14-16<sup>th</sup>, with an average pace of
3:57 (fast, but *hopefully* within my abilities). I definitely have my work cut out for me. I
was expecting a couple guys to have gotten away, but over a dozen? How could I
even keep track of them all, especially with a couple Triathlons taking place
at the same time on the course?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The thing about any multisport event is that you have a
finite amount of funds in each sport’s bank account, but can borrow some funds
from the other sport’s account, but with a heavy interest rate. Oh, and you're never told what your balance is. In a perfect
duathlon, you burn through 2/3 of your running funds in the first run, 100% of
your bike funds on the bike, and completely empty all reserves of running on
the final run.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In reality, most people dip into the other account too
heavily and are left with a nasty bill during the final run, often consisting
of slowness, cramps, vomiting, diarrhea, and other nasty over draft charges.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
So, on to the bike. Touted (by me) as the gnarliest bike
course in any duathlon, with 2 loops of 20km, up to Mont Orford ski resort. Coach’s
instructions were to read the course and field on the first lap, and work it on
the 2<sup>nd</sup> lap. Well, the field at this point consisted of
predominantly athletes competing in different races, so that wasn’t going to
help, but I did feel comfortable on the bike and climbing felt good. Also feels
good to pass 200 hundred triathletes like they’re moving backwards.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Finish the 40km bike in 1:06:53 with an average speed of
about 36 kmph. Slow by multisport standards, but with the 1500 feet of
elevation and technical layout, good enough for the individual bike course
record and <a href="https://www.strava.com/segments/15447485?filter=overall" target="_blank">strava segment</a>. And good enough to move me from 14<sup>th</sup> to 3<sup>rd</sup>
in the race. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I had no idea of this, other than there seemed to be very
few bikes in the Duathlon designated transition area…<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
The run felt good and I realized I had not overdrawn on my remaining running funds and I pushed on, with paces getting faster
and faster. In the final kilometer, I buried myself, thinking any one of the
people in front of me could be doing the Dua, and I passed tons. With just
meters to go I see the finish line banner and Paquet lifting his arms as he
crosses through it and realize… that could have been me!! Run two: 5.1km in 19:35 (3:51/km).<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So, could I have shaved 7.7 seconds off at any point in this
week? Had I slept better, or eaten more aero oatmeal, or used my full disk
wheel instead of my lighter races wheel, or shaved my nose hair, etc? <br />
My transition times alone were 27 seconds longer than Paquet’s.
Could I have pushed one or two hills on the bike a smidge harder. Could I have
pushed a little harder on the first run?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
The answer is no. I gave this everything I had on this day.
I paced the first run as fast as I felt comfortable doing, changed my shoes in
transition as fast as I could, hydrated and poured cups of water on me at every station, cycled within my abilities and ran my ass off in
the final run, with the final kilometer at 3:37/km. After 2 hours, that’s a
full on sprint for me! Paquet ran that final 5km in 20:45, but blasted a 3:29
in the <a href="https://www.strava.com/segments/10047964?filter=overall" target="_blank">final kilometer</a>… taking 8 seconds on me despite my all-out best.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
On this day, 2:09:59 was the absolute best I could have done
and it earned me the Silver medal in the Canadian national championships of the
peculiar sport of Duathlon, and I couldn’t be more proud. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I also happened to be the only guy on a podium that day to
see his wife crowned the national champion in the same event! Wow, what an
honor!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Definitely some things to tune up before World’s in August,
but for now, we celebrate our successes in a beautiful part of this country
that has adopted me and allowed me to represent it in competition.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p> Full results can be found <a href="https://www.sportstats.ca/display-results.xhtml?raceid=46179" target="_blank">here</a>.</o:p></div>
Reinier Paauwehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08420729024236698930noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2082531088926799267.post-25069431707623785542016-10-23T14:37:00.003-06:002016-10-23T14:37:35.077-06:00Where did THAT come from?<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
I'm hardly in a
position to write a "Secrets of my success" story; I have not broken
any World Records, won any bike races, or made any headlines in recent years.</div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
But I have come off
arguably one of my best seasons of racing in 2016, with massive improvements to
my cycling power numbers, running speeds, and racing intelligence, and I can't help but reflect and share my thoughts on how this came to be.</div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
But let's rewind a
bit, as it's been 3 years since my last post and it's probably best to recap a bit.</div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
2013 saw me bike
racing in cat 3, dabbling in cyclocross, running, and duathlon.</div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
I raced the BMO
Okanagan 10k in 41:50 and averaged merely 250W for the <a href="https://www.strava.com/activities/75495259">30k Provincial Time Trial</a>.</div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
That season I only
attained half of my upgrade points for cat 3, despite racing nearly everything
on the calendar.</div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
2014 was the first
season for Peloton Racing, the cycling club Mike and I started. This led to an
inspired first half of the year with the prospect of riding with teammates.
Alas, with Mike in cat 2, it wasn't until the last couple weeks that I finally
got to really race with Karel and JVD. If you've never raced road bikes before
on an organized team, let me tell you, there is an instant elevation in your
abilities. Karel and Jack made sacrifices for me and I was able to get enough
points to upgrade to cat 2!</div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
Finished the season off with 2nd place at Blitz Duathlon, after focusing on running for a few weeks but with plenty of carry-over cycling fitness.</div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
With a jump to the big leagues (of Alberta cycling) for 2015, I knew I was in no condition to compete unless I enlisted a coach. JVD was an obvious choice as both a teammate and friend, and has a track record second to none in cycling and multi-sport.</div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
My goals were pretty simple, work on my FTP to get my TT times at cat 3 podium level. I had no delusions about my TT ability versus other cat 1/2 men, but that would at least give me respectable times.</div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
My other goal was to keep running on my calendar so that I could keep up my elite runner fiancee.</div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
She would start bike racing this year as well, and both having the same coach helped coordinate our weekly workout schedule to put in runs and rides together, aka "date nights."</div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
Well, first ABA stage race Velocity, I get 32/44 in the ITT, and subsequently dropped from the road race later that afternoon. This was going to be a looong season. BUT... my time in the ITT would have put me 3rd in cat 3!</div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
My power numbers were up over last year and I reached my training goal. The rest of bike season went much the same; coming in bottom 2 in each ITT, getting dropped in each road race, and getting lapped for the first time ever in a criterium!</div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
With a bit more focus on base and general aerobic strength, my running was coming along better.</div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
I came in 3rd in the Footstock Duathlon, coming into T2 tied with first but my hands were too frozen to get my helmet off! At Blitz, I flatted right before the bike turnaround in a great position. Later in Kelowna, I set a new PB in the BMO 10K at 39:43. Oh, and did I mention I married my best friend, lover, and training partner that summer, atop Sulphur Mountain! Regardless of my lackluster race performances, this was easily the best year of my life!</div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
Then I did something I haven't done before... I took time off. Surgery forced me to 6 weeks off running and cycling! In the past 5 years, my previous record was 3 days! As I eased back in, I took up swimming a couple times a week, and when the snow came, Mel (also coming off a month-long injury-forced hiatus) and I decided to take up cross country skiing, and loved it!</div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
I also added stair running. </div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
For the next 3 months, I averaged about 1-2 bike, 1 run, 1 stair, 1 swim, and 1-2 xc ski activities per week.</div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
Oh the variety! I was loving every one, none of them feeling like a "workout," though many scored some pretty serious TSS. </div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
It wasn't until March that I decided to re-enlist Jack to coach me, but this time my goals were different.</div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
Bike racer. Nothing else should interfere with this plan, from March until July. One more kick at cat 1/2.</div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
After that I could assess where I was at, switch focus to duathlon or running or bbq'ing...</div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
I felt like my fitness level was high, despite my lack of bike time. My weight was down from the cross-training and I hit some new power numbers in Penticton camp in April. Nothing dramatic, but a good start.</div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
More interestingly, I could recover from my workouts better and my endurance on long rides was at an all time best. Hard to quantify those benefits, but I could tell this year was going to be different.</div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
I spent little to no time on my TT bike this year, but rather built on top of my base with some highly specific sharpening of the upper training zones.</div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
But would it pay off in racing cat 1/2?</div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
May 14th, Velocity ITT, 16km. Passed by my 1 minute man around km 2. My 2 min man passed me about one km later. My power numbers were dropping, and my lungs and legs were failing me. Then my Garmin mount came loose. Then my 3 and 4 min men passed me... I'll spare the expletives I was thinking, but let's just say morale was at an all time low.</div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
I had been sick all week and wasn't completely surprised by this disaster, but the team was so supportive, with Melissa and Stephan Becker winning their categories, and several others in the top 5.</div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
The road race later that afternoon forced me to stop dwelling on my defeat. Having been dropped in that race in previous years, I set my expectations pretty low; complete 3 laps (might as well get a ride in).</div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
Well, 3 laps came and went and the pace was pretty modest and I started feeling good. I went to the front and pulled. I chased. I even broke away and formed a chase group that stayed away and almost caught a 6-man break. I finally felt like I was racing again! Managed a decent sprint after 140kms, good for 10th! Morale was an all-time high again, just like that.</div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
The next day, I felt a bit of intimidation lining up for the crit. But, like the day before, I found my racing legs and hung on. Didn't tango in the sprint, but was very happy with a 15th place finish (and not getting lapped!)</div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
The rest of the bike racing season would see me hang on in every crit and smash my power numbers. My Canada Day Crit normalized power for 1hr was 339W! 2 days later I finished 2nd in my age, 5th overall in the <span style="font-size: 11pt;">Great White North Duathlon, qualifying me for World's in 2017, despite little to no running.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">I would finish off bike season with an 8th place finish in a semipro-stocked Tour De Bowness criterium, and among the lead group of 4 in a strong MEC century race.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
Then I switched to running, and after a month of footwork, proceeded to set new PB's in the 5K (18:43), 10k (<span style="font-size: 11pt;">38:22), and my first half-marathon (1:24:12).</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<br />
So... what lead to this breakthrough? After training and racing competitively for 7 years, how did I crack through my plateau?<br />
I've noticed a trend among other racers in cycling and running lately and a few themes leap out.<br />
<br />
<u>Take Time OFF</u><br />
All endurance athletes I know have something in common, some addictive personality type that is fueled by working out. It helps us deal with health, weight, stress, kids, family, etc. After competing at a high level for so long, this workout routine is so engrained that it's very difficult to break it, and yet that is exactly what our bodies and minds need to fully recover and heal after multiple seasons of high volumes and intensity.<br />
Everyone has seen a racer sustain an early-season injury and come back near the end of the season fired up!<br />
<br />
<div style="font-size: 14.6667px;">
<u>Hire a coach</u></div>
<div style="font-size: 14.6667px;">
<span style="font-size: 14.6667px;">We also often measure our success by watching others. I've certainly been guilty of coming home after a good 3 hr bike ride, feeling accomplished, only to upload to Strava to see so-and-so posted a 5 hr ride and suddenly feel like my effort was inadequate. Once I found a coach I trusted, I never had that feeling again. I knew that my 3 hours were part of the plan for the week, and that week fit into the plan for the season. A good coach will push you to try things you wouldn't even imagine doing in training, giving you an unbiased assessment of your capabilities. Whether it's forcing you to push harder, or forcing you to take a rest day, it's one thing very difficult for even the most seasoned athletes to do themselves.</span></div>
<br />
<u>Find something ELSE</u><br />
Half the people reading this will immediately tune out, but here's a way to take time off your primary sport while sustaining your mental and physical fitness.<br />
Last year I took up swimming, stair climbing, and cross country skiing and did not even think about the bike for months. It kept my weight and endurance in check, such that when I was ready to bike, I was truly ready!<br />
<br />
<u>Turn off the Garmin</u><br />
Ok that's crazy talk, especially coming from me. Strava or it didn't happen, right?<br />
Ok ok, I don't mean actually turn it off, but don't rely on it. What happens when doing an FTP test where your expectation is X watts? You typically achieve X watts, or lower.<br />
Set out with a 40 minute 10k goal and that is likely the best you will attain.<br />
Once in a while, it's helpful to recalibrate and go on feel. Push on up hills, recover when you've pushed too hard. I know it's not the prescribed pacing strategy and I know it's an inefficient use of your glycogen stores by not pacing evenly, but it's a great way to release yourself from the confines of your own self-assessed limitations.<br />
<br />
<u>Enjoy yourself</u><br />
There is a time and place for high intensity, long endurance, or overloading training stress. But in the off-season, go on 'rate of perceived fun.' Run until you're not LOVING it anymore. Ride as hard as you like, taking the time to appreciate your surroundings, nature, your family. Take it easy, meet new people, discover new roads. If your kids or spouse isn't as fanatical about the sport as you are, now is the time to invest in the future of the rest of your lives. Find a tangentially related past-time that you both enjoy, hiking, skiing, etc.<br />
<br />
In the end, you will all do what you wish and my only reason for writing this is that I have discovered these to have been tremendously beneficial for me and want to write it down, as I continue my eternal search for unlocking the hidden potential in myself and my loved ones. Watching Melissa elevate her performance this year and watching my 12 year old son discover his first crush with running fills me with such hope and pride that I am inspired to update my blog again.<br />
Hopefully it won't be another 3 years until my next post!<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
Reinier Paauwehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08420729024236698930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2082531088926799267.post-13524507902725362152013-10-21T09:11:00.000-06:002013-10-22T15:58:15.918-06:00Bici Rodeo Cross, September, and BMO Okanagan 10kApologies for slacking on the blogging side, but I've been sick ever since Blitz Duathlon and not doing much with regards to racing / training in the past month.<br />
Here are some notables.<br />
<h3>
Bici Rodeo Cross</h3>
First cyclocross race of the year. A week after Blitz, and was just starting to feel a cough coming on. I had done a decent amount of skills training but very little high intensity training. Ouch!<br />
It was very cold and windy out in the Airdrie Rodeo grounds. I managed to get in two full laps of warmup, but the last one cost me a decent starting position - which pretty much seals your fate in a cross race. I was probably ~20th in the hole shot.<br />
I felt pretty good in the first 2 laps, passing or catching guys on the straights, and mostly holding my own on the technical parts. I did slip up a few times, especially as I fatigued, and ended the race in virtually the same position as I started (not uncommon).<br />
<br />
<h3>
September Stats:</h3>
<ul>
<li>Bike: 21 rides, 950 kms, 35 hours, 8,500m elevation</li>
<li>Run: 16 runs, 113 kms, 9.5 hours</li>
</ul>
<br />
After this, my cold/cough thing got a bit worse. I went to see a Dr who told me I had a throat infection, and prescribed some antibiotics. With over a week to go before BMO, I figured I'd be well just in time to get in a couple hard runs before the race and still do well.<br />
Unfortunately, the antibiotics did nothing.<br />
I managed one hard run on the preceeding Friday, with a single kilometer at race pace (sub-4 min/km), and was hacking and coughing for a minutes afterwards.<br />
Did a light run in Revelstoke on the way to Kelowna on Saturday, and didn't feel great there either.<br />
<br />
<h3>
BMO Okanagan 10k Run</h3>
So the stretch goal was sub 40 minutes, requiring a sub 4 min/km pace for 10k, obviously. I say stretch because I've never even done 5kms at that pace.<br />
That said, I felt I could do it with the reduced elevation (>600m lower than Calgary, which according to <a href="http://www.runworks.com/calculator.html" target="_blank">runworks</a>, could equate to about 11s improvement).<br />
I line up next to Melissa and a bunch of school kids who are talking about running 3:30's. Yikes.<br />
My plan was to go fast with the lead group, for about 3km, then pull it back for a km, 3 fast, 1 slow, last fast.<br />
Went out hard as planned. Looked at my watch and it said 4:30's...wtf?! Turn a corner, now it says 3:30. Great...<br />
1 km split goes by, 3:50. I'm feeling pretty good. -10s.<br />
Next km goes by. Little bit slower but still sub 4. Overall, -12s. Still feeling good.<br />
Km 3, lose a few seconds, back down to -10s. Now I'm starting to hack.<br />
I hear a familiar voice behind me. Turn and see Melissa has caught up to me.<br />
Km 4, lose a couple more. -6s. Melissa runs in front of me. Wow she's running strong!<br />
Km 5. I'm fading. Tempted to try to break the 20 min marker, but decide to ease a little and hope to recover. +4s.<br />
The turnaround takes a lot of me. I struggle to get back to speed, and am losing contact with Melissa and another guy I'd been running with.<br />
The next 3 kms are torture, and I lose 56s, and several placements.<br />
In the final 2km I am caught by another guy, and we run stride for stride at around 4:10's until the final 400m, where he accelerates and I'm left with nothing.<br />
<br />
Official finish time: 41:50. Not quite personal best, I got 41:30 last year in the <a href="http://canadutchracing.blogspot.ca/2012/06/underwear-affair-10k-run.html" target="_blank">Underwear Affair!</a><br />
Not too disappointed considering the state I went into it, but was hoping for better.<br />
<br />
(Melissa on the other hand, killed it! Won the overall women category, time of 40:27!) Reinier Paauwehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08420729024236698930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2082531088926799267.post-59855310687648698892013-09-25T14:00:00.000-06:002013-09-25T14:00:01.817-06:00Blitz Duathlon<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zOHW_84IhLQ/UkNAedGe4WI/AAAAAAAAH44/cnhG8N4iCHQ/s1600/Jeff_Rhude-1509.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zOHW_84IhLQ/UkNAedGe4WI/AAAAAAAAH44/cnhG8N4iCHQ/s320/Jeff_Rhude-1509.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
7km Trail Run - 19km Bike - 3 km Trail Run<br />
<br />
Details, <a href="http://duathlon.blitzevents.ca/" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
<br />
<br />
<span class="comment">Strategy going in was to hang on to lead runners
(mike) for the first km, then hit the climb easy while the others burn
matches, then kill it on the descent. </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-j-kUUAtu8IM/UkNAZ2U69oI/AAAAAAAAH4w/MwFbBiI8UWo/s1600/Jeff_Rhude-1906.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-j-kUUAtu8IM/UkNAZ2U69oI/AAAAAAAAH4w/MwFbBiI8UWo/s320/Jeff_Rhude-1906.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
<span class="comment">Then hope for a wicked bike split
to make the difference, and hammer the final 3km "sprint". </span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<span class="comment">Well, that's pretty much was how it went down, except I couldn't make up
enough time on the 20k bike, and the lead runners were much faster. </span><br />
<span class="comment">Cool-down run in the final leg because there was nobody within a minute, before
or after. Finished 4th overall, but since the top 3 were all in my Age Group and they separated those, I still got a prize for 1st place in my AG! </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-y3O51Adg4oM/UkNAXCGc7FI/AAAAAAAAH4o/RvMtwWXJNHw/s1600/Jeff_Rhude-1569.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-y3O51Adg4oM/UkNAXCGc7FI/AAAAAAAAH4o/RvMtwWXJNHw/s320/Jeff_Rhude-1569.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
Reinier Paauwehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08420729024236698930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2082531088926799267.post-2691032304817076382013-08-31T18:34:00.002-06:002013-08-31T19:08:37.280-06:00August 2013<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6axqLIlsTmQ/UiKTYI3IJgI/AAAAAAAAHYk/PeJzYu7kjaY/s1600/13+-+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6axqLIlsTmQ/UiKTYI3IJgI/AAAAAAAAHYk/PeJzYu7kjaY/s320/13+-+1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Not much news since road race autopsy, except that I've been enjoying NOT having to put in specific training rides, taper, etc.<br />
Even seeing my wattage coming back for sustained efforts.<br />
Also, been getting back into running and as of today, put the knobbies on and cleaned up the cyclocross bike and went ripping around Fish Creek!<br />
<br />
Stats:<br />
<ul>
<li>Bike: 21 rides, 825 kms, 31 hours</li>
<li>Run: 5 runs, 48 kms, 4.5 hours</li>
</ul>
Reinier Paauwehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08420729024236698930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2082531088926799267.post-80011686789640602252013-08-28T15:16:00.001-06:002013-08-28T15:16:10.516-06:002013 Road Race Season, epilogueIt's always hard not to judge the entire season by the last few races. Last year, I ended on a high note, taking 1st and 3rd in the final two races, and receiving my Cat 3 upgrade letter in the mail shortly thereafter.<br />
This season however, fizzled out slowly, with both enthusiasm and ability crawling along to the finish.<br />
In order to provide a fair introspection on the season as a whole, I will provide a timeline of races and a brief recap of high/low lights.<br />
<br />
<i>May</i><br />
<ul>
<li>8 - WNS 16km ITT </li>
<ul>
<li>Big turnout for the first WNS of the year, 8th overall, in a strong
field. Watts very close to the same as a similar race a year ago. Only
29 seconds behind Mike though.</li>
</ul>
<li>11-13 -Velocity SR</li>
<ul>
<li> Worked my ass off for Isaac in Road Race, chasing breaks. Went in the ditch on final turn. 10th/36 in ITT, only 1 second behind Mike! Tired and timid in crit; unable/unwilling to push to the front in the final laps.</li>
</ul>
<li>26 - Pigeon Lake RR</li>
<ul>
<li>Cancelled right before final loop due to crashes.</li>
</ul>
</ul>
<i>June</i><br />
<ul>
<li>11 - MM Crit</li>
<ul>
<li>Fast names, hung on and rode strong. </li>
</ul>
<li>13-16 Banff BikeFest</li>
<ul>
<li>No improvement in HC over last year. First time racing 1ASprint RR, which ended in crash right before the sprint. Missed start time for ITT. Too risk-adverse in crit. Finished strong in Tunnel Mtn RR, but got center line infraction. </li>
</ul>
<li>22-23 Devon GP</li>
<ul>
<li>Bottom 3rd in Hill Climb. Skiddish in crit after Mike crashed. Strong in cat2/3 combined RR, worked for Marc, but strong in sprint. Finished 3rd but relegated for center line infraction. Cost me podium in RR and high placement in Omnium. </li>
</ul>
<li>25 - MM Crit</li>
<ul>
<li> Raced strong, but rained out before the finish.</li>
</ul>
<li>26 - WNS - Mini Giro RR</li>
<ul>
<li>Suffered like a dog on the course with nothing but climbing and climbers. Finished solid. </li>
</ul>
</ul>
<i>July</i><br />
<ul>
<li>1 - Canada Day Provincial Crit</li>
<ul>
<li>Tactical race won by break. Played the only hand I had and had the best outcome I could have received in those circumstances. </li>
</ul>
<li>7 - Stampede Master's Provincial RR</li>
<ul>
<li>Mechanical problems forced me out of the race.</li>
</ul>
<li>13-14 - Rundle Mountain Omnium</li>
<ul>
<li>Mid-pack in prologue. Unable to obtain my position in the crit. Strong Provincial road race, where I worked hard and managed a top 10 in the uphill finish. </li>
</ul>
<li>27-28 - Kicking Horse Cup</li>
<ul>
<li>Consistent power and good final kick on long hill climb. Hung on for first climb but dropped on 2nd lap. Strong finish in final kms.</li>
</ul>
<li>31 - WNS Hill Climb</li>
<ul>
<li>Two other guys in Cat A, Evan Bayer and Isaac... and I came in 2nd! </li>
</ul>
</ul>
<br />
<i>August</i><br />
<ul>
<li>3-5 - Tour De Bowness Omnium</li>
<ul>
<li>Strong in long road race, attacking, chasing, sprinting. No motivation in Hill Climb so pulled the chute half-way up. Lost position in final lap of Crit, despite racing strong.</li>
</ul>
<li>9-10 - Jason Lapierre</li>
<ul>
<li> Not riding strong in ITT, until flat at turnaround forced me to quit. Didn't read the tactics in the crit sufficiently so was out of position for the sprint. Also really low max wattage.</li>
</ul>
<li>17 - Provincial ITT</li>
<ul>
<li>Little bit sick, not much motivation, and even less ability! </li>
</ul>
</ul>
<br />
While typing this summary, a few observations jumped out at me.<br />
First off, my lack of aggression in the crits prevented much of my former crit success this year. I recognized situations where other guys, mostly young guns, would dive bomb into corners at obtuse angles, risking life and limb of everyone around them. I would always back off. I happened a bit in road races too, but usually there is more time/distance to recover. Not so in a 30 lap crit.<br />
<br />
I started the season with strong time trials, but ended weakly. This tells me I had great fitness coming off Libby, etc, but with the sheer amount of racing my fitness probably waned, while I accumulated fatigue. <br />
<br />
I excelled in the long road races. The longer and nastier, the better. Apparently. After Devon and TdB I'm confident that I could easily hang in most Cat 2 road races, with enough mustard to produce a solid finish.<br />
<br />
I've also lost my fear of climbs. In years past I would never have driven all the way Golden to do a hill climb! Sure at 80kg I'm not built like a horse jockey, but I love how those races are about sustained wattage. I'm finding I can climb better than most sprinters, and sprint better than most climbers. There are certain races where this could be the perfect recipe for success.<br />
<br />
Cat 3 tactics are very different from 4 and 5, at least in my pelotons.<br />
In cat 5, guys will sprint from everywhere! You are guaranteed a lead out from anywhere you want, if you are patient and can jump a few wheels.<br />
In cat 4, nobody wants to sprint too soon, so you can often catch the pack off guard by jumping early.<br />
<br />
In cat 3 this year, due to the log jam of great juniors always present, guys attack everywhere. Entire races are often filled with attacks, many of them a couple hundred meters, slight regroup, then next attack. Timing is key and trusting a few other guys in the group to help chase down legitimate breaks.<br />
Seldom is there any team tactic involved, however.<br />
<br />
<h3>
Highlights</h3>
<ul>
<li>Points in all Provincial Races (6th in Crit, 9th in RR, 6th in ITT)</li>
<li>28 Upgrade points, out of the required 60 (could have been more if GC events still counted for upgrade points. Also could've had more if I'd learned about that centre-line rule sooner!) </li>
<li>Increased critical power for 10-30 min range.</li>
</ul>
<br />Reinier Paauwehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08420729024236698930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2082531088926799267.post-86758339852573032412013-08-23T19:49:00.001-06:002013-08-23T19:51:07.557-06:00Provincial ITT
30km ITT. Sounds fun, don't it. What if I told you it was up near Edmonton, windy and hot? Well, if that doesn't get you excited check your pulse.<br />
<br />
Okay, there was one detail luring enough for me to make the day-trip up for such guaranteed suffering; ABA "Series A" upgrade points and a small field of Cat 3.<br />
That and I'd registered in EVERY other ABA race this year, so why come up just short?!<br />
<br />
My strategy was to start out around 90% of my FTP for the first 5-10km, so that I would feel good and have a strong finish.<br />
Sounds easy enough, however I hadn't done an FTP test in a long time, so I was basing this on my most recent 20 min test, performed <a href="http://www.strava.com/activities/63649645" target="_blank">back in June</a>.<br />
<br />
Unfortunately, I hadn't made any adjustments for fatigue, or a nagging cold I'd been fighting.<br />
<br />
The first 5km split was painful, even at the lower target wattage. The next few splits would see my power drop to 80% of FTP, despite an alarm that I had set to beep when my wattage dipped into Zone 2!<br />
The body just wasn't having it. I was producing a ton of phlegm, and felt like I had zero energy.<br />
Took the turns very carefully soas to reduce the risk of flat/crashing like last week.<br />
I was NOT going to DNF again and miss out on a couple upgrade points!<br />
<br />
So, on I trudged, managing to bring up my wattage in the final 5km back up to 90%. To me this felt like I was going all out!!<br />
<br />
Anyway, thanks to my aero bike, helmet, wheels, etc, my average speed was still over 40, which put me in at 6th / 8. Went home with 8 upgrade points, so Mission Accomplished I guess.Reinier Paauwehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08420729024236698930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2082531088926799267.post-45857753351177418492013-08-10T23:42:00.003-06:002013-08-10T23:42:48.209-06:00Jason Lapierre Memorial<h3>
20km Time Trial</h3>
Decent warmup, tapered all week, and despite fighting a cold since TdB Road Race, I was jacked to race on the Orbea. Last time I got to ride it was <a href="http://canadutchracing.blogspot.ca/2013/06/banff-bike-fest.html" target="_blank">Banff</a>, when I DNS'd due to my 10 min time penalty.<br />
<br />
I went out pretty hard, trying to keep my watts at FTP. Started fading in kilometers 5-10. Going into the turnaround, my front tire exploded, and I went over my bike.<br />
Race over.<br />
<h3>
Downtown Criterium</h3>
Though nursing a sore wrist and scraped knee from the ITT, I was feeling less sicky than yesterday and ready to go back to the <a href="http://canadutchracing.blogspot.ca/2012/08/jason-lapierre-memorial-stage-race-part.html" target="_blank">course I won last year</a>!<br />
<br />
The return of Isaac meant I had a teammate! First time since Devon that I've had someone else in STC colors to race with!<br />
The pace was pretty quick, and folks tried attacking, but nothing was going to stick. It never does.<br />
The course it too straight, too non-technical.<br />
At point around lap 10, I saw Isaac at the very front, so I decided to launch an attack; have him block a little, or at least have someone else pull in front.<br />
I got a small gap but looked behind and saw only Masa. Half a lap later he wasn't coming around and the pack had pretty much retrieved us so I backed off.<br />
That was exciting. Sat in the back for the remainder of the race.<br />
Only one prime, and I found myself bored for much of the race.<br />
Isaac wanted to go on an attack with about 15 laps to go. It finally happened with around 9 laps left. He was caught about 2 laps later.<br />
In fact the final 15 laps were attack-filled. Final 3 were no exception.<br />
It would make my last year's strategy very difficult. Got a bit separated from Isaac, and there was some sketchy cornering so I didn't/couldn't move up to where I wanted to.<br />
Ended in a bunch sprint for about 50m.<br />
I didn't like how close the finish line was to the final corner this year; it served to neutralize the thing I liked about that race before, the 3 wide open city lanes to sprint on.<br />
Finished disappointingly somewhere around 10th or 11th...<br />
First time in 4 years that I attained not a single upgrade point at this event! Reinier Paauwehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08420729024236698930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2082531088926799267.post-4079689238567592382013-08-05T18:51:00.000-06:002013-08-05T18:51:09.853-06:00Tour De Bowness<h3>
135km Road Race</h3>
20k in, a pair break away and we let them go. Big mistake, they stayed away for the rest of the race!<br />
2nd half of the first lap, I spent a lot of time at the front, trying to keep the pace going, but didn't get much help.<br />
2nd lap, pace seems like it's getting slower and I'm still at the front, so I convince Evan Burtnik to drive the pace up on a roller. End up in a 3 man break w/ Andrew Rockwell. I'm liking this mix, so we bust it for about half a lap. Unfortunately our break is caught right at the base of the big KOM hill (crappy place to get caught).<br />
Soon after the hill, Evan jumps again with someone else. They stay away, so now I'm thinking we're racing for 5th.<br />
3rd time up the hill, Andrew and a couple guys get away, and I'm convinced we're now out of the points.<br />
We still have Barrie and Lukas, both good sprinters, so my new goal is to mark those two guys.<br />
We end up catching all the breakaway gang (except for the first 2) with about 10 km to the finish.<br />
Pace immediately softens until about the final Km.<br />
Final rise it strings out a little, but everyone is being very cautious.<br />
With 250m to go, an opening forms in front of me. I make a quick decision, knowing it's probably too far, into a cross wind, but with a big pack still remaining, I don't want to risk getting tangled up with people standing up to sprint so I decide to jump!<br />
Nothing but silence for what seems like minutes, I can see the finish, and then voom-voom-voom... The 2 Juventus boys and Barrie go flying by, maybe 20m from the line!<br />
End up 4th in the sprint, 6th overall.<br />
<br />
<h3>
3-Up Hill Climb</h3>
The format of this race is a little different. It's considered a time trial, however races go up Canada Olympic Park hill in heats of 3. This allows for some interesting tactics, drafting, pacing, etc.<br />
Except when you're two heat-mates don't show up. :(<br />
Then it's just me, and the long, lonely road up the side of a bobsled hill.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
Despite pleading with the commissaire at the start line to group me with individuals behind me, he adamantly refuses saying it's too complicated, etc. Wouldn't ya know it though, he somehow managed to uncomplicate it 2 minutes when he paired Evan B up with Mark Faas, who were both without partners!<br />
<br />
I had a decent warmup, but definitely felt the residual wear and tear from the Saturday race.<br />
As I take off I settle in nicely to my target wattage and plough through the first half of the course, against the NW head winds. But my legs start to ache, as they should, and I decide not to argue with them on this day.<br />
I'm not a hill climber on the best of days, but I would have fought tooth and nail to hang on to someone else's wheel had there been one, so I resolved to resist the self-mutilation and live to fight another day.<br />
Ended up about 30s slower than last years time.<br />
Good news is that I'm still in 7th in the Omnium, and can possibly make up a couple spots next in the Crit.<br />
<br />
<h3>
Criterium</h3>
Not killing myself in the HC the day before was a good idea. I had a long warmup, and felt great the whole race, moving easily from 10th-3rd place at will. <br />2nd last lap, the pack is strung out in the final straight away and the guy in front of me lets a huge gap open in front of him. Crap! <br />I have to burn my one and only sprint match just to get around him and regain the pack. By then I'm pretty cooked and going into the final sprint I was way out of position, and couldn't move up any places at all. Finished 11th. Managed to snag 7th overall in the Omnium so at least my race fees are offset by my prize money! :)<br />Reinier Paauwehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08420729024236698930noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2082531088926799267.post-9868877190995679202013-07-28T21:42:00.000-06:002013-08-12T15:51:32.391-06:00Kicking Horse Cup, Golden BC<br />
<h3>
Hill Climb</h3>
Mass start hill climb in Golden BC!<br />
Considered a Master's race, however all men started together. We left Golden and crossed the bridge and it was on! 13km Cat 2 climb! Ouch. I let a dozen guys go right at the base of the first climb, and rode w/ Thomas for most of the way up, hoping for guys to drop off.<br />
Didn't really happen, only caught a couple guys.<br />
Finished 5th in my age group.<br />
Here's a nice pic of the final rise to the finish! <a href="http://instagram.com/p/cSpywhK-H3/">http://instagram.com/p/cSpywhK-H3/</a><br />
<br />
<br />
<h3>
Australian Pursuit Master's Road Race</h3>
"As per BC Masters Association rules, the Australian Pursuit Road Race starts with 70 year olds first, 6 minutes to 60 yr olds, 5 mins to 50 yr olds, 4 mins to 40 yr olds, 3 mins to 30 yr olds. Women will race with men, 15 yrs their senior."<br />
Sounds simple enough. Except for the 1000m elevation, largely accumulated in two long climbs.<br />
It was a 30 km needle-shaped course, which we lapped twice. The first lap was spritely, with several attacks, but none stuck. It did dwindle down the pack, especially up the first long climb.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ujWg2zF6tG0/UfhskOGE2iI/AAAAAAAAGhI/8Ww5lJtxPnY/s1600/kicking_horse_rr.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ujWg2zF6tG0/UfhskOGE2iI/AAAAAAAAGhI/8Ww5lJtxPnY/s320/kicking_horse_rr.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Managed to hang on to the selection of 10 guys, including 2 juniors. We saw the 40 year olds split apart and I think that inspired our group to catch them. 2nd time up that long climb, and our selection broke apart. I was in the 3rd group of about 3 guys at the top, and the group in front had caught a big group of 40 year olds. We would catch a few more stragglers on the long descent to the finish. Going into the final 700m I launched my depleted sprint. Finished 5th in my age group, 7th overall.<br />
Pretty pleased considering the amount of elevation concentration in the last 2 rides!<br />
<br />
<a href="https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0Bw_YTP0U2r_Wdks3VUlOTHhkcTQ&usp=sharing&tid=0Bw_YTP0U2r_WUUxBYWhmTEY5Qjg" target="_blank">Results</a> <br />
<h3>
</h3>
Reinier Paauwehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08420729024236698930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2082531088926799267.post-10732038166001282682013-07-15T08:45:00.000-06:002013-07-15T08:45:40.514-06:00Rundle Mountain Omnium<h3>
Prologue </h3>
4.2 km time trial on the Nordic Centre ski roller path.<br />
<span class="comment"></span><br />
Pre-ride would have helped because of it's
technical nature. Nonetheless, I felt I rode it much better than last
year. In fact, I knocked 20 seconds off my time from last year. Finished
11 or 12th in Cat 3.<br />
<br />
<h3>
Criterium</h3>
<span class="comment">Fast pace the entire race. I counted 2 laps out of
25 that I would consider recovery laps. Very difficult to move up when
it's going full tilt the whole time. Spent most of the race mid-pack,
which meant I suffered from the elastic snapping effect constantly. Like
last year, I ended up further back than I wanted going into the final
lap and did not put myself in a position for the final sprint. Finished
12th. </span><br />
<h3>
<span class="comment">Provincial Road Race</span></h3>
<span class="comment">Woke up sore, and tired, but decided most people
would be feeling this way. Imagined a break could form, so I stayed near
the front. </span><br />
<span class="comment">At the first end-of-lap turn around, I was ready to pounce.
As luck would have it, Bryon H. laid his bike down in front of me, so I
detoured on the gravel but stayed in it. A small split in the pack had
formed and I fought to get in it. Some of the big names were in, so I
thought we had a good chance to escape on the downhill. One name missing
was Barrie, however, and I think he dragged the peloton back in
contact. </span><br />
<span class="comment">That first lap and a half was fast, I think 41kmph. We slowed
down each lap thereafter, and I spent most of the race at or near the
front. </span><br />
<span class="comment">On the final ascent to the finish I hung on as hard as I could.
Lost Barrie's wheel in a brief regrouping before the final kicker, then buried myself up to the finish line. Ended up 9th. Not too displeased
considering the profile of this course.</span>Reinier Paauwehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08420729024236698930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2082531088926799267.post-2421613938456387452013-07-08T13:26:00.000-06:002013-07-08T13:26:25.904-06:00Stampede Masters Provincial Road RaceFirst off, had a great long warm-up with Barrie, only to realize we went out to far and I might risk missing my start time.
So I haul ass back to the car and realize Mike had locked it; With all my bottles and nutrition inside :(
I scramble together a couple bottles of water and a banana and off I go to the start line. Make it just on time.
Half a lap into the race I hear a whirring sound. My rear brake had become dislodged!
I take it off and ride over to the feed zone. Wrench back together and off I go.
Solo.
Two laps later my rear tire goes flat.
Teammate Adam lends me his rear wheel in the feed zone and off I go!
Fourth lap I decided to pack it up and watch my race come to a sprint finish.
No contest this year :(Reinier Paauwehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08420729024236698930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2082531088926799267.post-50442301668130755902013-07-04T09:52:00.004-06:002013-07-04T09:52:57.719-06:00June 2013 & Canada Day CriteriumFinally it is starting to feel like summer in Alberta, and race season is in full swing.<br />
Between <a href="http://www.c4racingwns.blogspot.ca/" target="_blank">Wednesday Night Series</a>, <a href="http://midweekmayhem.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Midweek Mayhem Criteriums</a>, Banff BikeFest, Devon Grand Prix Stage Race, I've made up for all the cancelled/rained out races of past months!<br />
<br />
Despite mostly racing on the weekends, I was able to break the 1,000 kms on the bike. Will help to maintain my fitness for August races.<br />
<br />
Stats:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Bike: 23 rides, 1,001 kms, 33.5 hours, 9k meters elevation</li>
<li>Run: 1 run! 11km, just over an hour. (That's 4 runs in the last 2 months! Kind of sad)</li>
</ul>
<br />
<h3>
Canada Day Provincial Criterium</h3>
<br />
<span class="comment">Great course with wide corners. This was a points
race, with top 4 positions in intermediate sprints getting 5,3,2,1
points, every 4 laps. I got 4th in the first sprint, made it just
outside the points in the 2nd. Then a break of 2 got away, with the
majority team PRW represented in the break (so no chasing it down). Bici
and PRW had leadouts for the remaining 2 points so kept missing out.
<br />Decided the only chance was to take off with a guy from United after
a prime and stayed away until the next prime. Won that sprint so got a
couple more pts.
<br />No contest in next sprint, then came in 4th in final sprint, after the 2 breakaways.
<br />Official results say I came in 6th.</span><br />
<span class="comment">Here's a short clip of my sprint out of that chase/break group:</span><br />
<br />
<span class="comment"> </span>
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/5YnMekp2ZSA" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>Reinier Paauwehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08420729024236698930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2082531088926799267.post-6715807449960880022013-06-26T22:30:00.000-06:002013-06-26T22:30:44.947-06:00Devon Grand Prix Stage RaceLeft soggy Calgary behind and drove up to Devon, Alberta for this 3-stage race.<br />
<h4>
1km Uphill Time Trial</h4>
Peak around 10% grade... no mechanicals but I think I spent too much time looking at my wattage. Finished a mid-pack <span class="comment">13th/23 in Cat 3.</span><br />
<br />
<b><span class="comment">Downtown Criterium</span></b><br />
<br />
<span class="comment">Great warmup, great plan to lead out Mike. Except
that Mike crashed out and broke his collarbone! Ouch!!</span><br />
<span class="comment">I ended up doing something stupid called
attacking with 3 laps to go... made it about half a lap before getting
caught, and subsequently tortured... completely toasted and out of
position for the final sprint, finished 15th.</span><br />
<br />
<h4>
<span class="comment">Genesee Hills Road Race</span></h4>
<span class="comment">Cat 3 and Cat 1/2 race combined. Worked with Dave
to keep the attacks in check, reel in escapees, protect Marc where we
could. First climb up the River Valley hill I *barely* hung on, but then
saw Dave and Marc still in the selection so moved up and helped open
the gap. 2nd time up I hung on again, then managed to help contain a
couple attacks in the finals KMs.Couldn't get up to help Marc with the
leadout, but managed to pass a few guys in the sprint. Results not
official yet, I think I finished 3rd in Cat 3 but got centre line
relegated (again! grrr) to 7th. Finished 6th in GC.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span class="comment"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-18C4YCy708o/Ucj3Bd4WxcI/AAAAAAAAGKA/Ur324Bg_hvw/s1600/Devon+RR+2013+-+%23303+&+%23+127.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="210" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-18C4YCy708o/Ucj3Bd4WxcI/AAAAAAAAGKA/Ur324Bg_hvw/s320/Devon+RR+2013+-+%23303+&+%23+127.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div>
Reinier Paauwehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08420729024236698930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2082531088926799267.post-8876483056181455972013-06-24T16:39:00.000-06:002013-06-24T16:39:10.737-06:00Banff Bike FestA little late, but here is a brief overview of how BBF 2013 transpired for me this year in Cat 3:<br />
<h4>
Prologue - Surprise Corner</h4>
<span class="comment">1 second slower than last year, probably in the
first minute, but I felt like I had a good kick at the end. Finished
18th / 42 in cat 3. </span><br />
<br />
<h4>
<span class="comment">1A Sprint Road Race</span></h4>
<span class="comment">Huge pack of cat 4's and 3's combined. Relatively
easy pace on this flat course. Hard to move up in position so I sat near
the back for most of the race. Saw a black bear, and a huge bull elk!
<br />300m from the finish there was a big crash, involving Isaac :(
<br />I went into the side ditch to avoid it, then chased back up. Finished 11th in Cat 3 I think.</span><br />
<br />
<h4>
<span class="comment">21km ITT</span></h4>
<span class="comment"></span><span class="comment">Showed up for my start time, but was told the race was delayed around 10 minutes. When I
showed up for my adjusted start time they said I was too late, and they were
going to let me race after the last cat 3, incurring a 10 minute
penalty. Decided to save my legs for the remaining races :(</span><br />
<br />
<h4>
<span class="comment">Downtown Criterium </span></h4>
<span class="comment">Kinda sketchy, couple guys making stupid corners. I moved up , back , etc. last laps I couldn't move up enough, finished 17th. </span><br />
<br />
<h4>
<span class="comment">Tunnel Mountain Road Race</span></h4>
<span class="comment">Almost got shelled in the first lap but managed
claw back. Hung in there, got a good position and punched up the last
climb. Finished 9th overall, 8 in cat 3. I was later given a 30 second penalty for incurring a centre-line infraction... </span><span class="comment"></span>Reinier Paauwehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08420729024236698930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2082531088926799267.post-10961356187365341522013-05-31T22:59:00.001-06:002013-05-31T23:10:57.857-06:00May 2013Race season is upon us!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OPaBRfm1Yuk/UamCTfiYiKI/AAAAAAAAFNc/LzMIqKzlO10/s1600/F65C1DF0-0DF4-4D4B-9CD2-541645DAB936.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OPaBRfm1Yuk/UamCTfiYiKI/AAAAAAAAFNc/LzMIqKzlO10/s320/F65C1DF0-0DF4-4D4B-9CD2-541645DAB936.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
Ok, sure 3 races in a row were cancelled, but we did manage to get in Velocity Stage Race in perfect weather.<br />
Also I managed to log my 2nd highest training bike month.<br />
<br />
Stats:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Bike: 36 rides (18 on Cross bike, 1 indoor, 14 road or TT bike), 1535 kms, 51 hours, 12,000m elevation)</li>
<li>Run/hike: 7.5 hours, (30 kms running)</li>
</ul>
Reinier Paauwehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08420729024236698930noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2082531088926799267.post-20146282189383964382013-05-13T09:17:00.000-06:002013-05-13T09:17:09.363-06:00Velocity Stage RaceWell, race season has officially started.<br />
Just like last year, Mike and I headed up to Edmonton for the 3 stage race including road race, time trial, and a criterium.<br />
<br />
Unlike last year, however, we were both in cat 3 now, and were both entering the weekend with a high level of accumulated training load, so our expectations weren't terribly high.<br />
<br />
We were, however, going to do all we could for our teammate, Isaac.<br />
<br />
This stage race is a provincial team qualifier and looking at the start list, we could see many high level junior riders had signed up, including Juventus with 7 riders in cat 3. We would have our work cut out for us.<br />
<br />
<b>112 km Road Race</b><br />
<br />
One change from last year is that they had us do the road race first thing Saturday morning.<br />
With everyone still in GC (general classification) contention, and fresh legs, the first of 5 laps was insane. In typical Northern Alberta crosswinds, the Juventus and Cyclemeisters young guns put in attack after attack. Much of that lap was spent clinging to the wheel(s) in front of me trying not to get dropped!<br />
It didn't really slow down very much, and guys started getting away.<br />
At one point there was a group of 6 guys up the road with some of the bigger team represented.<br />
Speed Theory was a minority here, but since no one else was making any attempt to reel them in, Mike and I took the charge.<br />
We finally caught them, then more attacks.<br />
<br />
During lap 3 I think, a small break formed with 5 guys, including Isaac and a couple cyclemeisters. I dug deep to bridge and made it, but within less than a minute we were caught by the pack.<br />
<br />
Lap 4 was relatively calm, but then lap 5 picked up again. A Juventus kid and another guy from PRW broke free.<br />
<br />
Going into the race, our team plan was to lead out Isaac to within 200m of the finish.<br />
Rarely do plans work out exactly.<br />
We took the lead with around 5 km to go because up the road a TCR rider had gotten away. Again Mike and I doing hard pulls, even Isaac in front to close it down.<br />
<br />
Coming into the final turn, I was at the front of the peloton with a tailwind, realized I had too much speed and not enough angle... I had to make a decision, either attempt to carve it and hope for no gravel, or go into the ditch.<br />
I chose option 2! Went straight in with speed. Stayed up however, and rolled out of the ditch, but the pack had passed. I regrouped and finished the final 1.5 km on my own, finishing about a minute behind.<br />
Mike had lead out after me, but was too far from the finish.<br />
Isaac took the front, but as he faded Ferenc came up past him. Isaac jumped on his wheel for a bit, then proceeded to win the bunch sprint!<br />
Because the 2-man break stayed away, he ended up 3rd place. <br />
<br />
<b>9 km Time Trial</b><br />
<br />
Within two hours from the finish of the road race, we were set to begin.<br />
A quick snack, bike and jersey change, and it was time to "warmup" again.<br />
Temperatures in the high twenties, and winds gusting, there were some rough looking souls lining up for this race!<br />
Even in my warmup, I did a couple of race-pace pickups to test the legs. Looking at my power meter reading, I was easily 20-30W lower than what I had been targetting for such a short race! This was gonna hurt...<br />
<br />
Well, once I started I hit it a little hard, just to get my speed up in the crosswinds and get my legs spinning fast. I settled in to what I resolved would be my new target wattage, and found myself coming up to my 30 second guy pretty quickly.<br />
I passed him, then around the halfway mark I saw my 60s and 90s guys in front of me. I soon caught the 60s guy, and on the final stretch I started to gain on the 90s guy.<br />
I had been feeling pretty good, considering. Last year, the race was almost 9.5 km, however they had shortened it this year by half a km, so when I came over a small crest and saw the finish line, I had a little too much left in the tank.<br />
Found out afterwards I'd came in 10th place, just 1 second behind Mike!<br />
Considering last year I came in 16th in cat 5 and around 40 seconds behind him, I was actually quite pleased.<br />
Isaac came in 2nd, so his GC position was doing well.<br />
<br />
<b>Criterium</b><br />
<br />
There'd be some more tired legs on Sunday, however it was more of the same from the Juventus lot.<br />
They sent guy after guy up the road, and again, Mike and I pulling them back.<br />
Before I knew it, the race was half over and I'd done way too much work!<br />
Again, our hope was to get Isaac in position for the stage, and try to get myself in a decent finish as well, but the Juventus kids were making it really difficult. When they would attack, the rest of them would block.<br />
At one point, I saw 10 laps remaining. Ok, I'll settle in and recover.<br />
Next lap it said 5 laps. WTF? Maybe a glitch.<br />
Next lap, it said 5 laps again... ok, def. a glitch, it's probably closer to 7 or 8 now.<br />
Next lap, it says 3! Turns out the previous readings were how much TIME was left, prior to the final 3 laps!<br />
Now I'm sitting at the very back of the pack, and thinking how the f*** am I gonna maneuver all the way up.<br />
This course was very technical and I tried to make my way up on each straight section.<br />
Match after match I burned and by the time I got to the final sprint I think I might have made it up to the middle of the pack.<br />
Mike was just in front of me, and Isaac just a head of him.<br />
No podium for Speed Theory in cat 3.<br />
Well played race by Juventus, plus my confusion over the lap/time thing cost us.<br />
<br />
Overall, I had a great training load and it was great to measure other racers we'll be competing with all season.<br />
Also, Isaac managed to get a shwack of upgrade points so he can join Marc in cat 2 soon (that is if Marc doesn't get signed by a pro team first!)Reinier Paauwehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08420729024236698930noreply@blogger.com0