Saturday night I attended my company Christmas party - ate, drank and even danced. Sunday bright and early I got up and headed to the race. My tummy wasn't sure this was a good idea but, the money goes to the Salvation Army Christmas Hamper program which is a great cause.
The course is two loops through a local park. The first 1/3 of the route is uphill then we do a steep downhill and wind around back to the start area. I ran/walked this race last year in foggy icy conditions and finished in 47 minutes and change. This year it was again foggy and the crowd seemed big. I lined up at the back and spent the first 10 minutes passing people (tricky on a trail which only supports 3 people abreast). I eventually caught up with a lady I knew and ended up running the remainder of the race with her and her friend. We finished the first loop in 21:09 and the second in 19:57 for a total time of 41:07. WooHoo! Negative splits and a great new time for this race. I was a happy camper.
I gave my race bib to Sarah and Mike from our club because I had to leave before the draw. They called and told me I won a vest. Coolness! Of course I seriously doubt it'll fit me so I am planning to give it to Sarah. Sarah is a nice skinny fast kid in our club who is growing out of all her clothes. (She grew 7.5 inches in the last year!)
I finished off the morning with brunch at Denny's. My hubby had breakfast and I ate a big burger and fries. (The first time I have ordered fries for myself in eons! WW was on vacation :)
Hope everyone had a great weekend!
Carlene
PS - I also weighed in and have maintained at 58.5 pounds. I guess I need to do more running and less eating :)
I haven't been running much. Instead I have been focusing on trying to get better. Wednesday I had a fever again and I ended up staying home from work. I bought more vitamins and started popping them. I have been sick since October 5th and am heartily sick of it. My running log clearly shows the how bad things have gotten. September 73 miles, October 40 miles, November 22 miles. UGH! I'm barely moving! However, the cold is starting to go away (I'm keeping my fingers crossed as I type this which is making typing VERY challenging :)
Today was the Help Santa Run 2 Miler. I felt like a slug going out for this but I had pre-registered and wanted to see how I would do compared to last year. Last year I finished in 24:17 and ended up walking during the second mile. (Yes, I was a wimp.) Today I was hoping to break 21 minutes and praying to break 20 minutes. This was based on the fact that my fastest 5K is 32:35. I was itching to see if I could break the 10 minute mile barrier. Well... my watch time was 17:53 and my official time was 18:00. WOW! I was thrilled! Afterwards I saw a friend from my last job and discovered that she just finished a beginners running class and that she started running because I inspired her. It was really a cool day despite the fact that I didn't win any door prizes. Afterwards I headed down the street to begin the dreaded Christmas shopping. Of course I only managed to find stuff for one person. SIGH! It is going to be another one of *those* shopping years.
Happy running folks!
Carlene
Hi Folks
Weighed in on Saturday and was down anothre 1/2 a pound. Total is 57.5 and slowly climbing. Yeah!
Did a 'fun run' on Friday and, when I went to log it, had a bit of trouble. My watch said 55 minutes - that I can't lie about. My new mapping software said my route was 8.4 km. That made my pace work out to an unbelieveable number (under 11 minute miles) - basically a race pace for me BUT I didn't feel tired or overworked. I was tempted to play with the numbers to make them come out to a pace that would be more realistic for me and realized that I wasn't giving myself enough credit. After all, the pace was possible. So I left it as is in my training log and will see what happens on future runs.
Did the Run for the Cure on Sunday. Not a fast race (too congested with walkers) but I still had fun. Ran 3/4 of it with a friend named Steve. Turns out it was his very first race and his goal was to finish without walking. He did great. We ran, chatted and had nice kick at the end. Finished in just over 32 minutes which was pretty good. I'm not really considering this a race in my log though as the course congestion prevented speedy running and I think the course seemed a bit short (it was laid out differently than last year due to road construction).
Didn't log any of my eating all weekend. Today I'm back on track though. I am also fighting a tiny cold (scratchy throat, congestion, etc.). Please send some prayers my way - I can't get sick until AFTER the half marathon next weekend. I have invested too many months of training to get sick now.
Ciao!
Carlene
PS - Tonight I'm having my first chiropractic adjustment. Hopefully it'll go well. I already feel tired and achy so I hope this treatment improves things instead of making me feel worse.
I ran the Graham Beasley Memorial 5K today with my husband Andre. It was Andre's first 5K and his idea of the plan was that we would start together and, if he ended up going really slow, I could go on alone and then wait for him at the finish. My idea of the plan, formed after lots of thought, was to run with him regardless.
Andre did very little training for this race but it was my hope that having a race to go to would help motivate him to exercise more and it did help. During training Andre's 5K time was around 40 minutes. Consequently I was not expecting a really fast race.
Today was perfect weather for a race. The predicted high was 19 celcius (mid-70's I think) and it was sunny with a nice breeze. Andre and I started together with Howard (my running partner). Howard left us at the 1K mark and then Andre and I were on our own. For the first half of the race we were behind a 5 year old girl who was running with her Dad. This girl was a great runner. Eventually though she got tired and we passed her. We were beat by someone with a jog stroller though.
Andre and I thanked all the volunteers (Andre doesn't know this tends to be unusual behaviour) and we plugged away. Our 1K split was over 7 minutes so I was expecting our time would be over 35 minutes. We found out later that the 1K sign was at the wrong place and was a little long. Andre kept trying to get me to go ahead but I stuck to him like glue. My HR monitor told me that I was putting in a good effort but, every so often, Andre would groan and claim that I had speeded up on him again. I was feeling really good around the 3K mark and was ready to put the hammer down. Andre wanted to wait till the 4K mark and so we held back a bit. Unfortunately, the 4K mark was directly followed by a big hill. UGH! When we got to the top I knew that the finish line was just around the corner. However when we rounded the bend it was hidden from view by the trees. That was not good. Andre was sucking wind big time and telling me that I had better not ask him to try and sprint as he had nothing left. My HR monitor read 192 which let me know that I was working plenty hard. We stuck together for the final stretch and I hung just behind Andre as he crossed the finish line. Our time 32:35.
I was very pleased. Andre had done a wonderful first race. We started slow and gradually increased throughout. I can only hope that today will help encourage him to join me in other races down the road. (When we started running Andre was much faster than I was. If he does start training more it is likely that I will be eating his dust at future races but I don't mind.) I am a happy woman with a new 5K PR and a husband who is no longer a race virgin. This has been a wonderful day.
Carlene
PS - After the race I pulled out my trusty HR chart and discovered that
193 is supposed to be 100% for me. Since my mid-race readings were
reasonable I guess I can truthfully claim that I gave just about everything
during that final kilometer. That is a nice feeling.
Hey Folks
I could feel all your helpful vibes as I trudged along the course today. It is a great day here. The temperature is 22 degress but with humidex it feels like 27 degrees. So... it was a very hot race. I did see the ambulance leave with lights flashing at one point so I imagine somebody suffered some heat stroke or perhaps a heart attack. Perhaps I'll find out more tomorrow.
Anyhow... as you can see from my new sig I BURNED rubber racing around that subdivision this morning. My goal was 70 minutes. Obviously I smashed that big time. I completed the first 1K in 6:15 and the first 5K in 31 minutes and managed to complete that just ahead of the mens 10K winner. (I congratulated him as he passed me in the chute.) Pretty disgusting actually to think that some folks can run that fast. WOW! I walked a very small amount here and there along the course. My heart rate never dropped below 180 which means I was working very hard for the whole race. My friend Jane ran with me for much of the last kilometre. She really helped me to push harder. Once I rounded the final corner I could see my husband waving the Canadian flag I bought him and then I focused on the finish line. I was gasping and felt dreadful. I had been fighting nausea for the second half of the race and many negative thoughts were rolling around me head. Jane kept saying positive stuff and reminding me to relax, breath deeply and watch my form. I started my final sprint and Jane reminded me to think about the 100m sprints I have been doing in training and to really kick it. I pushed myself hard and finally crossed the finish.
Afterwards I felt like throwing up but didn't actually do it :) Howard and his wife met me at the end of the chute and I went and drank about 10 cups of water and enjoyed the shade. I told Howard I was pleased with my time and didn't care if I ever beat it. I wandered off to find Andre and then some food and more fluid. We waited around, watched the 5K and the 1.2 K fun run and then ran with Howard's daughters Beatrice and Lillian in the 200 meter Tot trot. They were both thrilled to get their red ribbons at the end.
We then set out for home. The chain on Andre's bike had self destructed on the way to the race so we walked the bikes home. (I had left the house earlier so Andre was in quite a panic when the bike died. He arrived just before the race start with greasy bike chain in hand to see me off. Then he patiently waited through all those races and did lots of babysitting before coming home. He is now in bed taking a nap.)
So... that's my story. I had a challenging but very rewarding
race. I can honestly say I really pushed myself and that, in retrospect,
it feels
pretty good.
Now... on to the partying!
Carlene
PS - I was struck today by the fact that, when I donned my race number last November for one of the races I ran my number was 205 which was also my weight at the time. It really helped me remember that I have come along way since then.
PPS - I did LOTS of PEOPLE watching today. Lord do some of these
runners have GREAT BODIES! I am particularly impressed by a couple
people I saw with massive quads. I would have liked to see them run.
I also saw lots of ladies with zero body fat running in those little running
bikini's. Made me a little jealous. However, we each do what we can
with what we have.
Race Report: Scotiabank Half Marathon, May 9th, 1999
The races this weekend attracted 9700 entrants and were great fun. Weather was great - overcast, slight drizzle, temps in the 70's. Final chip time for my first half marathon was 2:38:27 which is pretty speedy for this penguin.
A number of people I know came to spectate at the race which really helped. I almost missed two of my friends (Ann and Jane) when I passed them. They, angels that they are, waited on the other side of the course for us to loop around to them. When I saw them again I briefly stopped, thanked them for coming and then headed down the course. I also saw some people from work and, near the end of the course some folks from my running club. It was the first time I had friends around as spectators and they really helped boost my spirits. I am a lucky gal.
The run was great. My running partner Howard and I ran the whole race together. (We didn't find each other till the gun went off because he was in the potty line so it was a miracle that we ran together.) Just before the race start I burst into tears, grabbed a hug from my hubby and got on the course. I was pretty emotional. I looked forward and felt very small in this huge crowd. Then Howard appeared next to me and we headed out. Howard and I were in awe when we turned the corner and headed up the first hill. Seeing thousands of runners in front of you is an awe inspiring sight.
We stopped at all the water stops and I even doused myself with a wet sponge to cool off. We were really lucky with the weather as the rain and overcast conditions were helpful. We also stopped a couple of times to visit porta potties or, in Howards case, the bushes. We thanked all the volunteers and clapped for the musicians along the course. At one water stop an angel of mercy even ran ahead of me to refill my water bottle for me. The course support was great. One oddity was the sponge stations. There was no drinking water at the sponge stations which placed water breaks about 3-4 miles apart. That's too far apart for me!
I got a little emotional after the 2/3 point. This was when I realized that I was going to finish. Of course the emotions forced me to walk and reset my breathing. Howard never complained about the walking breaks and we struggled on together. (He is in better shape than I and could have run a faster race. Many times he slowed down for me.) We basically did 10/1's with some impromptu stops after some BIG hills and for the occasional potty break.
We were lapped by the lead men at 2:07 clock time. The two leaders were side by side and we cheered for them. As we were occasionally passed by the marathoners I tried to cheer them on. At about mile 11 we saw my friends Ann and Jane again. We did our next walking break and then Howard started trying to convince me to run the rest of the way to the finish without anymore breaks. I was getting tired though and so we snuck one extra break in and he didn't complain.
I was getting tired. Basically I was at the point where I was trying to convince myself that there were less than 10 minutes left and that I could do anything for 10 more minutes. It was around this point (about 1 mile from the finish) that we saw Jane one of the leaders from our running club. Jane was dressed in her Canadian National Team gear and she jumped onto the course and ran with us for a few minutes. She really pumped us up with her comments about how well we were doing and our form, etc. It really helped. While she was running with us the lead woman racer passed us. The poor woman was all alone which would make it pretty tough going. I also heard a spectator comment on the fact that we had an 'elite' pacer with us. Said spectator didn't sound too impressed.
We came around the corner and saw the finish line ahead. It still looked pretty far to me. I tried to get Howard to go ahead but he said "We started this together, we're going to finish this together." So we struggled on. I saw my husband and he snapped a quick photo and, when I looked ahead again the finish line seemed doable. I turned to Howard and said "Let's go." My brain told my body to sprint. My body said, "Sprint? Are you insane?" I ignored my body, pumped my arms and found my legs followed. We DOUBLED our pace and started dashing to the finish. The spectators cheered for our burst of speed and we crossed the line. The race was over and our clock time was 2:4X which we were more than happy with since our goal was to finish in under 3 hours. (The chip time was 2:38:27.) We hugged our family and headed down the chute to turn in our chip and claim our medal. Unfortunately they were out of medals :( but we put our names on the list and they should mail us one.
So... I finished and I feel really proud of myself. I did more Sunday before noon than I have ever done and any other day of my life. Now I get to sit back and relax.
Carlene
Smiling in Kanata
Postscript:
I just checked the internet and our official times are:
2:38:26 Howard Rosenblum
2:38:27 Carlene Paquette
I am so pleased! (Of course the results also show that we were nearly last in our age groups but I don't care!)
Ya know, for the first time in my adult life I feel like an athlete.
It is a really cool feeling and I'm a lucky gal.
Hi Folks
On Sunday January 31st I ran in my first 10K race. Since I just started running last spring I don’t know much about the local running scene and I had never heard anything about this race before registering. I just saw it on the local race calendar and naively signed up. The people from my local race club were supportive of my goal to do a 10K race especially since I told them I had been regularly doing 9.5K long runs before Christmas. So I registered.
Race day arrived and the weather looked good. It was a clear and sunny minus 17 degrees when I left the house with the morning high predicted at minus 14 degrees Celsius. Luckily there was very little wind and the temperature didn’t actually feel too bad. Unfortunately, my GI was misbehaving and I was suffering from mild diarrhea. UGH! This was not a good sign. I drove the 30 minutes to Richmond, Ontario and located the highschool where the race started and finished. After picking up my race packet and shirt (my first coolmax garment!) I looked through the materials they handed out I wandered around but didn’t see anyone I knew. Most folks there were the skinny well dressed real runners. I didn’t see a single runner who was near my size. Sigh! Since the start was over an hour away I settled down to read my book for a while. Eventually I saw some folks from my running club and we chatted and studied the race map. Jane, one of the leaders from my club told me that she had notified the race organizer that someone from the club was planning on running the 10K with an approximate finish time of 1.5 hours. She wanted to let me know that they were expecting me and wouldn’t close everything down without me. This was a relief. The race start was approaching and I spent more than my share of time in the ladies room. I also did some stretching, a brief warm-up and then more stretches. I was worried. My legs felt like LEAD. What was going on with me today?
The start time was approaching so I wandered outside to line up. I chatted with another member of the running club and told her I’d see her at the finish. I knew she was much faster then I, so I was prepared to make no attempt to keep up with her. They counted down, the gun went off and we were starting. I started shuffling and then running as the pack took off. I was trying to start with an easy pace and hoping that at least somebody would be running near my speed. Of course I was hoping in vain. Within the first 10 minutes of the race I was completely alone. I reached the 1 mile point with a split of 11:20. The nearest stragglers were mere specks in the distance. My calves were screaming at me and my legs still felt like lead. Just after the 1 Mile mark I took my first walking break even though I hadn’t planned for one at that point. I stripped off my ear muffs, gloves and scarf and stowed them away - I was boiling and uncomfortable. I was also being trailed by a Police car which I found to be unnerving. Eventually I decided that I should consider the Police officer in that car to be my guardian angel. After all, if I fell or injured myself I had instant assistance available. This change in mindset helped.
I rounded the first corner and then the second. The kilometers slowly ticked by. (Thank goodness they had each kilometer marked!) I had walked twice by this point and was slowly starting to feel better. In general I have to admit that my overall mindset was pretty negative. But I kept reminding myself that I could do this, reviewing all my recent successes and re-reading in my mind all the Penguin and Fatloss support list email I received prior to the race as encouragement. I was approaching the 5K mark and wondering how things were going. I had calculated before the race that the fastest time I could hope for was 70 minutes. With that in mind I was aiming for 7 minutes kilometers but I wasn’t going to stress if it didn’t happen. After all, I was out here to finish and in the end that was all that mattered. I got to the 5K mark at 38:20 which was slower than I had hoped for but I was still on schedule to finish under the 1.5 hour mark and I was pleased. I thanked the volunteers as I passed and they encouraged me to hop along to the water station which was just a tad farther down the road. At the water station I stopped and thanked the folks for staying open for me. I downed ½ cup of water, thanked them again and headed off down the road. Just past this point I realized that I was going to finish. Despite all the doubts and aches I was over halfway done and feeling happy. My emotions started to bubble over and I realized that if I didn’t get control I would be sobbing and crying all the way down the road. Since I was already having vision problems with my foggy glasses I concentrated on my gait and taking deep breaths to calm down.
In the second half of the race I eliminated my walking breaks. I was getting eager to finish and felt pretty comfortable although I was getting tired. I thanked each volunteer for pointing the way and waved at them as they drove past me towards the finish. Somewhere between kilometers 7 and 8 I began to have serious doubts about EVER doing a longer race. The 10K seemed to be taking forever and causing too much pain for anything longer to be contemplated. Again I started thinking about my Internet friends which helped immensely. Eventually I turned the final corner and headed into the home stretch. The footing was greatly improved (dry pavement instead of an ice/snow covered road) and off in the distance was the finish line. As I neared the finish a kind volunteer jogged out to accompany me in. After I greeted him he earnestly asked me if I needed mittens. I was shocked and told him that I was boiling and my hands felt quite warm. We jogged along to the finish and chatted a bit. This was the best part of the race. This volunteer and the others nearby were being very encouraging and the end was in sight. Dina, one of the leaders of my running club had even pried herself out of the warm school to cheer me in. I did my best to kick in with a Bryant Burst but I’m not really sure I sped up much at all as I was quite tired at this point. I finished in 1:17:20 and I was quite pleased. I promptly thanked everyone and then burst into tears. Once I composed myself I wandered over to the constable who had shadowed me during the race and thanked her for watching over me. As I was talking to her I started to cry again (sigh!). Since finishing I have learned that this 10K is a very emotional experience for me and is as likely to make me cry as boast proudly that I finished. It’s quite embarrassing really.
Eventually I wandered inside, dragged myself to the ladies room, washed my face and then wandered into the school cafeteria. They had waited to start the award ceremony till I was done - nice eh? So I grabbed some goomies and settled in to watch the elite collect their plaques. It was nice to sit with my running club, hear about their races and watch them collect their various awards. We took a few group photos and eventually I wandered home for a much deserved bubble bath and nap. It was a very good day.
I checked the website for the race results today to see exactly how speedy the skinny fasts were and how the other club members did. I was also interested to see how fast the next slowest person was. (It would be nice to know how much faster I have to get to run with some company next year. Yes, I am already wondering about next year - I must be crazy eh?) Unfortunately the race results for the 10K stop at 1:05 minutes and change and don’t capture my outstanding effort. I also noticed that two of my friends were also missing from the results. (One of them won first in her age group too so I’m confused about why they aren’t on the website.)
So… that’s the story of my first 10K race. I came, I plodded along
alone, I received great course support and positive Penguin vibes and I
finished in 1:17:20. How much better can it get eh?
Hi All
Sunday I ran the Santa Shuffle 6.5 K. Saturday night and early Sunday morning we had freezing rain here in Ottawa. That meant I had to thaw out the car before I could even leave for the run. I woke up, decided I was crazy but I was going anyways and got ready to leave. Drove to the race start in the thick fog.
There were about 300 people at the race. In some ways it was a Penguin friendly race and in some ways it wasn't. They waited until all runners had finished before doing the awards. However, they didn't have enough water and other beverages. As well, they only had bagels and cream cheese - no fruit. (The last race done by these folks a few weeks ago had lots of fruit.) Some enterprising soul also invited a restaurant to come and sell hamburgers and veggie burgers. YUM! However, I was a tad put out because of the overall lack of beverages. I now know that my thirst was mostly because of my sore throat.
The run was 6.5 K and it was two loops around a park. There were 2 killer hills. The first trip around wasn't too bad. The ice was melting and the trees were dripping cold water on us. There was one bridge that was icy which I think the race organizers should have put some sand on. There was no water stop which suprised me. However, I brought my water bottle so I was set. On the second time around it was hard to stay on the right route. There were many paths to navigate and I couldn't see any runners ahead of my in the fog. I thanked all the volunteers I passed for standing out there in the cold and pointing me along the correct path. I ran a nice comfortable pace and took a 1 minute walking break every 15 minutes.
Near the start there was a switchback with the first hill. Those of us running slower could see the speed demons already halfway up the hill. Somebody near me exclaimed "Look! The REAL runners are already almost up the hill!" We all dutifully looked over and noticed them tackling the hill. The person who voiced this statement seemed very dismayed by how far they had already travelled and how fast they were going. I took this as an opportunity. I jumped in with "We're all REAL runners. Those folks are just a bit faster than we are." I got a few laughs from the crowd and I know I felt a lot better when we rounded the corner and started bounding up that first hill. I like being a penguin. It is so much more fun!
As I was nearing the finish area I saw these other runners coming in ahead of me off of another path. They had taken a shortcut. It made me feel a bit annoyed because they were going to beat me and they didn't run the whole course. However, after bumping into one of these ladies I found out that they were just lost and weren't cheating which cooled my temper.
The nicest part was the run raised over $3000 plus food, clothing and gift donations for the Salvation Army.
So... I'm not certain I'd do this race again next year. Depends on whether the organization get's improved or not. It would be nice to see more water available. (You can never have too much water after all :)
Carlene
PS - When I told Jane, the lady from my running group who called to ask how the race went, about that 'real runners' comment she laughed. She also commended my attitude. I like the fact that I can go to races with the goal of finishing at my own speed and still recieve support and cheers from the race organizers and other faster runners. It makes things fun and more sociable than my regular solitary training runs.