Race: Endurrun Marathon – Stage 7 in the series.
Member of: MyVO2 Craziest Relay Team (Ajax Running Free)
Date: August 14, 2011
Result: 3:01:45, 1st overall.
Website: http:\\www.endurrun.com
The view from the front of the race:
It takes so many details to have a marathon go just right – proper training, stretching, injury prevention, nutrition, sleep, right shoes, timely treatment, weather, and good race support. The list just never ends. However, after a substantial 2:50 PB in Hamilton last fall, I was very confident I had learned what most of those key details were, and had them in place again. Even better than before.
My sincere thanks go to Jeff Fyfe (Ajax Running Free) who rode beside me for most of the journey. He ensured I had ample water and gels. And when things unraveled, he kept me together. It was lonely leading the marathon solo and Jeff kept my mind on the goal when I was talking myself out of it. He prevented me from wandering off course near the end and that would have cost dearly. I owe a big part of just finishing to Jeff.
The goal was to repeat my PB, which I knew would not be easy. The challenging course was net zero elevation with unending rolling hills and a couple of difficult climbs. This was August, fall temperatures not quite yet here. With 18C holding through most of the day, sun shaded by cloud cover (no rain) and winds less than forecast, conditions were a good as could be expected. I had trained for and expected much worse heat and humidity.
The course was two times around a 21.1k circuit. The second time around, it was very clear what was coming. There were some tough hills to suck up around the 12k/33k markers. Having seen them before and knowing they were coming again made matters worse, not better. Another matter was the want of competition, being unchallenged from start to the finish. Really not major showstoppers – so what went wrong?
Over the first 10k I searched for 4:00/k pace, hit and miss, mostly miss. I should have been lightly pressing, not fighting for it, so early in the race. The return toward the start line through the harder hills, was more of the same sub-prime pace. At 19k I could feel my left ham tightening. A feeling I knew too well from the Toronto Half Marathon where I walked off the course without a finish time. In fact, as I write this, it remains very tender in exactly the same location. This injury/weakness has been dogging my A-races, and today was no exception.
The finish line came the first time in 1:27:00, already two minutes in arrears of goal pace. I passed into the second half trying to stay loose and not letting my worries tighten my ham any further. But heavens it was tight!
Energy wise I was in great shape, my heart rate averaging 145 bpm, below my target rate of 151 bpm. I would have expected a bit higher given the conditions. A negative split for the second half was still possible if I could stay loose. With that in mind, I attempted to press the pace to start the redo. By 30k I knew the jig was up with my hamstring, and slowed to delay the inevitable. I told Jeff of my predicament, and he quickly rode off to find a salt stick and an Advil. I would not see Jeff again until nearly 34k, and by this time I had managed to run slowly through the worst of the cramp and nasty hills without stopping. That tactic, and Jeff’s return with remedies in hand, probably saved the race.
From 34k on, Jeff mothered me home. Although hopes to match my PB were long gone, there was still a chance of taking first for the relay team I was representing, and just finishing well would guarantee no worse than second. The goal now was to finish and not blow up. Being first to cross the finish would be good consolation. The salt and Advil did their job, and I pushed as hard as I dared, hamstring threatening and twitching the rest of the way.
A safe 3:01:45 was in the bank, indeed first across the line, and a second place relay team finish secured – less than two minutes out of first – a close call indeed! To the victors go the spoils and two prize money cheques will be in the mail, one for MyVO2 Crazier and the other for MyVO2 Craziest, in total $1100 to be shared. And honorable mention goes to our third team MyVO2 Crazy who fell just minutes outside third and the final prize money.
A special thanks to MyVO2 owners Aaron and Cathy Puttman who sponsored our teams and took care of the logistics, including hosting a lovely post race party. With so many top finishes over the various stages, it had many wondering exactly how MyVO2 could stack so much talent onto three separate relay teams, 21 runners in total. Ajax Running Free is the answer!
As strong as we were, this was not an easy race series – for anyone. All the stages were nasty. Many are licking their wounds. And we were running just one stage each, not all seven like the Ultimate runners were. My hat is off to those incredible silly runners. This marathon with 120 nasty km’s already on your legs? You must be kidding.
