Comox Valley Half Marathon - RunHalf Marathon

My longest training run so far this year was only 15k, so my plan for this race was to treat it as just another training day and to run the whole thing well within my comfort zone. I planned to keep my pace above 6:00/km to be safe.

This was a pretty small race, and I started out at the very back of the pack. When everyone took off at the start, I let them all go and settled into about a 6:20 pace to start warming up nicely. At one point, I was one of the last runners in the very back, and I could hear the sweep car right behind me. I couldn't help but think of the Steven King book The Long Walk, where walkers who fall below a certain pace are shot from behind by a tank, and I had visions of being blown up for moving so slowly. They were fleeting, though, because sure enough I started to pass people after the first kilometer.

I kept everything nice and comfy and just ticked off kms to the turnaround. I loved that it was an out-and-back course and that I got to see all of my friends in the last couple of km before the turnaround. I zoned out a bit and almost missed some of them, but with the small field and my hot pink vest, they at least saw me!

At the turnaround I felt absolutely great and wondered if I should pick up the effort a bit as the course turned downhill. But I reminded myself that I would be adding quite a bit of distance on this run, so I made a deal with myself: I would continue running at least a 6:00/km pace until the 16 km mark, and if I still felt like going faster after that, I would. Kilometers 14, 15, 16 were the fastest ones of the day as I anticipated allowing myself some speed, but I was still feeling cautious, and sure enough, I started to hurt around 18. Mostly because the road surface was angled and the course marshals were forcing us to run on the terrible shoulder of the road to allow cars to pass (it wasn't a closed course). My left hip, knee, and ankle were in a lot of pain through the end of the course due to the uneven running surface. So I decided to keep it in cruise control and maintain a steady pace to the finish. I focused on slowly passing people, and continued to do so right up to the finish line simply because they were slowing down while I wasn't. I also made a mental note to see my chiropractor pronto about my left side!

For nutrition, I took one gel right before the race, then one at 30 min, 1:00, and 1:30 (the last two were caffeinated), all chased with water. I have realized that a full gel is too much for me at one time, so I only took about half of each gel and discarded the rest, except for the last one because I knew I had more than half an hour to go. In previous races, I have eaten full gels and had some tummy discomfort and bloatin, but 1/2 a gel was perfect today.

The combination of race tummy and having just started my period produced some really uncomfortable cramps, and it was a difficult decision to run right by the only porta-pottie on the course -- twice! But I really just wanted to keep moving forward, and there were plenty of bushes around if the situtation had progressed to emergency status. Thankfully, it didn't!

I started to get really emotional in the last few kms. I was thinking about my grandfather, whom I watched die a slow, painful death from heart disease and diabetes and stroke complications, and who is a huge source of inspiration for me. I thought about how far I've come with my training and how much farther I hope to go. Though certainly motivational, I think these thoughts are best left for after the race, because I started to feel like I was going to cry and it was messing with my breathing and I had to talk myself down a bit.

Running down the homestretch, I was in quite a bit of pain on my left side, but I was happy to see James waiting for me by the finish line. The last few km had been painful, and I was overcome with relief at getting to run straight toward him. What was especially great was having so many friends cheering for me at the finish. That's one really nice thing about being a slowpoke -- all of my friends are already done and are waiting for me at the end!!

Nothing. I paced myself beautifully, focused on my own needs, and paid attention to what my body was telling me. Even at a comfortable pace, I knocked about 14 minutes off my 1/2 marathon time from last fall, which is a huge improvement for me. I'm very happy with this run.

I tried to walk around a bit and ate some bananas and OJ. Since we were carpooling and had a long drive home ahead of us, we elected to get going early rather than stroll and stretch. We did stop for a very welcome veggie burger and fries on the way home, though! I could have really used an ice bath, some self-massage, and a bucket load of Traumeel, but it just wasn't in the cards today.


I hadn't run this distance yet this year, but I think I still managed it well. I started my period the night before and was dealing with some painful stomach and lower back cramps throughout the race, as well as a bit of period fatigue. We also did a ~100 km ride the day before, and my legs weren't feeling as springy as I would have liked. I think the only thing I could have done better would be to more actively encourage recovery from the long ride the day before.


Overall, this was a very good race for me. Given the easy effort, I'm very pleased with a 14 minute PR and I had a great time. The VERY best part was how easygoing I got to be about the whole thing. Last fall, running a 1/2 marathon felt like an epic journey, but this time it just felt like...well...Sunday. I suppose that's what Ironman training will do for you! :)