General Discussion Race Reports! » Chilly Half Marathon Rss Feed  
Moderators: k9car363, alicefoeller Reply

Chilly Half Marathon - Run


View Member's Race Log View other race reports
Burlington, Ontario
Canada
Running Room Canada
Total Time = 1h 54m 53s
Overall Rank = /
Age Group = F30-34
Age Group Rank = 41/
Pre-race routine:

Slightly later start time than I am used to - at 10:05 - so i ate breakfast and got ready to go. Nothing special but quite a bit of time spent cold and waiting.
Event warmup:

None. Trying to keep warm. Did I mention it was cold?
Run
  • 1h 54m 53s
  • 21 kms
  • 05m 28s  min/km
Comments:

So this was my first real race back since having a baby in June of last year. Training has been going okay. Really glad I got a treadmill because the frigid temperatures and all the snow made weeknight runs tough.

I didn't do much in the way of build - not as many long runs as i would usually do and I didn't really get to the point where I was adding much intensity. I wanted to be smart about my build after a lay off. That said, I did want to use this race to see where my fitness was. As a benchmark for other races so I wanted to go pretty hard.

Unfortunately, the weather was not on our side. I realize this is the Chilly Half but it was downright cold. It should have been the Frozen Half. We got a few centimetres of snow overnight and the temperatures were below -10C.

We went into a coffee shop near the start tried to keep warm - this failed by the time we were in the corral i could barely feel my feet. It was a very crowded started and we seeded ourselves right near the 2:00 pace bunnies. I was hoping to squeak in under 2:00 so if we could keep them in sight then we would be in good shape.

The first 5 to 6 kms were very crowded and it was hard to get any space. It was easy not to focus on pace just from all the bobbing and weaving (watch for potholes and puddles!). I did check my pace a few times and it didn't seem like the pace bunnies were all that well positioned to make their times so we ended up getting in front of them. I would check my pace and see it was kind of fast but I wasn't feeling out of breath or overextended. Weird. I hadn't trained these paces at all - but as I mentioned before I wanted my body to quit before my mind did.

My running buddy wasn't really feeling it and i think I pulled her along for a while but I felt her drop off around the 12k mark and I knew she didn't want to be pulled anymore. So I kept on. And then I started to pick up the pace. I passed a lot of people - and I still felt great. Weird! And Awesome! I was doing some race math in my head about where i could finish under various scenarios - should i need to slow down but I kept burning it up! :)

I stopped my Garmin at 1:54:54 - totally thrilled. That is not a PB for me but it was a great result and a great feeling run! Better than I would have thought
What would you do differently?:

A training cycle with more long runs and more intensity to build speed - but then that is not what this race was about for me.
Post race
Warm down:

Basically it was an effort not to freeze! I ran into some people I knew but went to find my husband with the baby. My running buddy finished a few minutes later and we packed up right away and got into the warm car!

Event comments:

This would be a great course for a PR if the weather cooperated.

My only pet peeve is the race expo was annoying - parking was terrible and the venue was not accessible. The actual packet pickup was down a set of stairs where there was no elevator. I didn't see this anywhere and had to lug my little one around in her car seat (as i didn't think i would need to bring a carrier) and park the stroller in a room off the lobby. I did not stay to look at any of the booths because of this.




Last updated: 2013-12-17 12:00 AM
Running
01:54:53 | 21 kms | 05m 28s  min/km
Age Group: 0/
Overall: 0/
Performance:
Course: Along the Burlington Waterfront. Flat, simple course. Head west for about 4km and then go east until around 12k and then come back to the start area.
Keeping cool Drinking Not enough
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5] 5
Physical exertion [1-5] 4
Good race? Yes
Evaluation
Course challenge Just right
Organized? Yes
Events on-time?
Lots of volunteers?
Plenty of drinks?
Post race activities:
Race evaluation [1-5]

{postbutton}
2014-08-05 2:26 PM

User image

Master
4117
20002000100
Toronto
Bronze member
Subject: Chilly Half Marathon
General Discussion-> Race Reports!
{postbutton}
General Discussion Race Reports! » Chilly Half Marathon Rss Feed  
RELATED POSTS

The Fattman Cup Chilly Half Marathon

Started by blueeyedmom
Views: 877 Posts: 1

2010-11-15 10:42 AM blueeyedmom

The Fattman Cup Chilly Half Marathon

Started by cquin534
Views: 1725 Posts: 2

2010-11-29 7:50 PM hockeyhands

1st Annual Chilly Half Marathon

Started by barefeet4
Views: 1225 Posts: 2

2009-11-15 1:21 PM sconner

The Fattman Cup Chilly Half Marathon

Started by jammers
Views: 1103 Posts: 3

2009-11-15 12:39 PM jammers

The Fattman Cup Chilly Half Marathon

Started by sconner
Views: 2185 Posts: 5

2009-11-16 7:31 AM sconner
RELATED ARTICLES
date : May 24, 2010
author : Coach AJ
comments : 0
My question is am I playing with fire entering the half marathon this close to my primary goal for this season which is the HIM?
 
date : June 15, 2009
author : Ali Winslow
comments : 0
I just ran the Boston Marathon under nine minute miles, can I run eight minute miles for my half Ironman training runs? Or should I go slower?
date : November 17, 2008
author : mat steinmetz
comments : 7
I just started doing tris this summer and I have two under my belt, both sprints. Is it reasonable to build up for a Oly in early ‘09, with a HIM in Oct of ‘09
 
date : June 10, 2008
author : kns57
comments : 0
Steady is our walk. Ignoring the pain that is radiating from my feet, I continue to place one foot in front of the other. Again I wonder, “Why am I doing this?”
date : July 10, 2007
author : Ontherun
comments : 0
Having three seasons under my belt I thought I knew what I was doing. That all changed with a few new challenges and a bunch of new friends.
 
date : October 24, 2005
author : mikericci
comments : 0
This program should be used for an athlete whose goal is to run a marathon in the 1:30-2:30 range and has a good running base in the past 8-12 weeks.
date : October 2, 2005
author : smeeko
comments : 2
I will assume you have not run consistently more than 6 miles and have never completed a half-marathon. I believe running your first half-marathon is a big task which requires dedication and work.
 
date : January 10, 2005
author : ewkfit
comments : 0
My training was taking off. I had never felt stronger. I was making bigger strides than I ever had. I was stronger and faster than I had imagined myself ever being.