Race report: Phoenix Rock N' Roll Half

Although the Boston marathon is famous for its qualifying standards, guaranteed entry into New York is actually more difficult to attain. The open female qualifying time for NYC 2010 is 3:23 marathon or 1:37 marathon; the Boston qualifying standard of 3:40 for under 35 and 3:45 for 35-39 seems downright easy by comparison....AND Boston actually affords you the extra 59 seconds whereas NYC does not.

Having missed the 3:22:59 cutoff at the Victoria marathon by a scant two minutes (lol!), I was determined to meet the qualifying time within the cutoff period for NYC 2010...meaning I had to qualify before January 31, 2010. The PF Chang Phoenix Rock N Roll marathon seemed the ideal race choice - fast, flat, sunny Arizona weather and one of the only viable January race options.

So with NYC qualifying at the back of my mind, my friend Emma and I set off for Phoenix. The PF Chang Rock'N Roll Arizona is actually three events (a half, marathon and ultra) having a combined entry of 33,000 people and world-class entrants (Deena Kastor rocked my age category with a 1:09 half). I had somewhat of an idea as to what to expect. Crowds. And indeed....we were not disappointed in that regard.

Our weekend was spent eating, battling crowds of people and attempting to find taxis....as well as marveling at the scene that is Scottsdale, AZ. The race expo was an absolute nightmare - congested, crowded and hot. I have resolved NEVER AGAIN to attend a race expo the day before a race, ever ever ever. Although well-organized, the sheer volume of people and their entourages made the expo really unappealing.

I woke up early Saturday morning for a quick 2.5k "shake out the legs" run and was mortified to discover that not only were my legs incapable of managing more than a 5:30/km, but that the dry weather (and possibly elevation) made my breathing laboured. My left achilles was also nagging me. I've had this happen before and tried as best I could to shake it off....no training would help me now - sleep and nutrition for the 24 hours before the race would be the only remaining factors I could control. I hydrated well (maybe too much), snacked on my pretzels and bananas and had a wonderful pre-race meal at a cute Mediterranean restaurant - potato soup in chicken broth with arugula, pita and hummous, veggie pappardelle.

(A humorous side note - when I asked the concierge to suggest a running route, he said I should check out the "waterfront". I tried to keep a straight face. The "waterfront" in Scottsdale is in fact an irrigation canal....not quite the "waterfront" that Vancouverites are used to. LMAO!)

Sleep the night before the race was fitful, made worse by 2:30am partiers returning to their room. Luckily security turned up quickly, but I was unable to get back into a good sleep. I was pretty much awake from 3:30am onwards, and finally resolved at 4:45am that I should just drag my tired butt outta bed. The day would be all about will....I was achy and tired and not enthused.

Getting to the start line was a logistics nightmare. Our taxi had to backtrack around race road closures to take us to the finish at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, where we caught a school bus to the start line 13 miles away in Phoenix. Reminded me a little of the early morning ride to Hopkinton :) The half and full marathons were two separate races, with no shared start, route or finish; hence the half marathon starting corrals were relatively easy to find despite the fact that the start area was geographically challenged (read: huge). The half was a wave start with 1000 runners/wave so with my predicted (hopeful) finishing time of 1:37, I was assigned to wave two. It was a loooong walk to the start! Given my insomnia and our early start, however, we had more than sufficient time to drop bags, grab a coffee (it was cold!), do several pottie visits and make our way up 5 or so odd blocks of starting corrals.

I knew that in order to finish under 1:37, I needed run my 10k pace the whole way. There was no room for error and no chance to decide partway through that I was going for it. Either I went for it from the start or not. My race plan was to evaluate how I felt in 5k increments. Running a great half was not important enough to blow the rest of my season with an injury. If it was not my day, I was not going to force it.

Exactly 1 minute after the wave 1 start, wave 2 was unleashed. The pace out of the start line was glacial....clearly self-seeding does not encourage honesty. It was very hard to get into a pace. Almost 5k passed before the group I was running in had trimmed down to a consistent group of runners. I hung out behind the 1:35 pace bunny from mile 2.5 onwards, trying to stay just under a 4:30/km and knowing that I could not afford to fade much without losing the prospect of finishing under 1:37.

5k. 21:49....eek! A little fast, I knew I had to rein it in, but was still feeling great.

The course was dead straight from miles 2 through 9, mildly uphill, so it was easy to let my pace get out of control. My focus was keeping my stride quick, light and even and keeping my head down - it was just too hard to stay motivated when I looked up because you could see the endless stream of runners stretching out for miles in the distance! At 3 miles the headwind started - while it was keeping me cool, it was work to stay at pace.

10k passed quickly. 43:45. Feeling OK and on pace for 1:37, would re-evaluate in 5 more kilometres.

After 10k, the group of runners I was with did not change much. Everyone was shifting into maintenance and keeping an even pace. I didn't really talk to anyone, but noticed that compared to other races there seemed to be a lot of females around me. I stuck to the back of a male runner whose cadence was good and tried to use him to shelter the wind. He seemed to recognize this tactic, and moved to the other side of the road after about a km of tailing him. At 12k, the course blessedly turned...albeit a long straight stretch 90 degrees to the south, but it was still a welcome change from the monotony! I made a conscious effort to stop at the water stations just before 12k and 14k, taking a few walking steps to get the Cytomax down. It was starting to get hot and 14-15k marked the biggest elevation gain on the course, albeit not much, but it definitely felt like a hill!

15k. 1:06:37. I was losing pace a little, but still the fastest 15k I have ever run. I was in for the haul.

I started the countdown in my head. 6k, 5k, 4k. Not feeling well at 20k, slowed to take another slug of water, but I hung in there. My head felt woozy from the heat and I wasn't able to process pace and projected finish time, so I just stopped looking at my GPS.

It felt like an eternity after passing the 1k left sign. I couldn't see the finish line and there were runners sprinting by me....my legs were no longer responding when I told them to move faster. I can imagine I had that look on my face :) When I saw the finish line clocks approaching, I forgot that I was actually a minute less because of the wave start...I just saw 1:36:20 and started sprinting. I needed 1:36:59 and wasn't letting that slip by mere seconds.

Pressed stop on my GPS when I crossed the line. 1:35:13. A smile came over my face when I realized my failure to take into account the 1 minute gap on the wave start.....not only was I sub 1:37 and had qualified for New York, but it was also a half-marathon PB for me! Great way to start the 2010 season!!

Stats:

Official finish time 1:35:08

Pace: 4:29/km

Overall 527 / 21,518

Female 91/ 13,521

Category 15/ 2,316

2009 by the numbers

The thing about having technology constantly at our fingertips is that exercise - running, biking, swimming, hiking, whatever - is not just exercise anymore. Whatever stat you are looking for is out there. VO2 max. Heartrate. Cadence. Pace. Elevation. Calories burned. Carbs burned. Brain cells burned.

Some of it is science, some of it merely amusing....and some of it probably just plain flawed.

Training is no longer about going out for a run or a ride. It's about making every workout count for its intended purpose, working on form, improving on weakness and creating strength.

As geeky as it is....it's certainly interesting to look back on the numbers for 2009:

Total distance traveled: 4,131 km

Total calories burned: 182,202

Elevation gain: 83,134 m

Number of runs: 186

4 marathons, 4 half marathons, 2 triathlons

Number of rides: 51

Marathon PB: 3:24:56

Boston PB: 3:29:59

10k PB: 43:31

First olympic tri: 2:35:41

New bikes: 2

Pairs of runners: 5

Tires changed: 7

Gels consumed: more than I care to count!

Gels thrown up: 1

Oyster shots eaten on marathon course: 0

Post-marathon visits to McDonalds: 1

I am such a nerd!!

New beginnings

Well, holidays are over....and with the end of 2009 comes the end of that blissful season known as "base". To me base is really just maintenance - it means not taking training too seriously, eating a Purdy's caramel (or nine) and not getting too fussed over skipping a zone 3 workout here and there (Okay, I admit....I skipped quite a few!).

After a 10 day vacation in Kauai to usher out 2009 and welcome 2010, this week marks the beginning of my build to IMC!

In less than a week I will be on my Ironman training schedule, with a scant 33 weeks of training to go. I'm still having trouble wrapping my head around the distance - a 16 week training program for a marathon is so familiar to me, yet 33 weeks to build to full Ironman distance just doesn't seems like enough time!

Yesterday marked my return to the hell that is known as the Peak winter racing series (more on the *rollercoaster* to come....I'm still not ready to talk about it) and today was my first day back at tri-fit swim after a three week break. Amazingly, all of the base work I did in the fall on my swim stroke seems to have become ingrained and it was curiously relaxing to be back in the water. Yes, you read that right - the girl who hated swimming for 34 1/2 years just said it was relaxing to be back in the water.

Looking forward, the Phoenix rock'n'roll half marathon is coming up on Sunday, and Calvin Gehlen (www.finishlinecoaching.com) is helping me put together my IMC training plan. I am excited about returning to the structure of a proper training schedule, and particularly motivated to get back on the bike after a short hiatus over the holidays!

Although running almost every day during vacation got me energized for the upcoming build to Boston (I love running in Hawaii!), I have to admit that I really missed being on the bike. Note that this says bike; I did not miss the trainer one little bit. Here's hoping that the winter rain will be short lived so that I can get out on Ruby soon!

So, welcome 2010.....I look forward to the challenges you have in store for me!

It's all perspective!

Today I headed out for my first long run in three weeks after having been sidelined with the flu. My schedule indicated 2 hours, or approx. 23-24km at my training pace of 5-5:10 minute kilometres....and I was less than enthused. I had done a very painful 10k tempo run on Thursday so needless to say I was very skeptical as to how I would fare over 2 hours.

I procrastinated - leisurely took the dog for a walk and rationalized to myself that I needed it to warm up to prevent icy roads. It took me nearly an hour to leave the house. I decided on a route that would take me west on the beachfront gravel trail along Spanish Banks, up UBC hill (where I could run on the grass if too icy) and then into the trails at Pacific Spirit. The first km was painfully slow, spent ice skating down Pt Grey Road and onto the trail. My feet were lead. My breath was labored.

At the intersection of the trail at Jericho, a young woman and her spouse jumped in front of me with their stroller so I pulled behind them watching their footfall to identify ice on the trail. After about 500m I realized that they were clipping along pretty good and drew back to my 5 minute per km pace, justifying that I would need to conserve my energy to last through 20-odd kilometers. I was not feeling well. And, I thought to myself, this couple was probably just out for a short run, hence the fast pace.

Alas, three km into my run I passed the same couple, who had pulled over to the side of the trail, feeling justified for not keeping up with their pace. Ha. About a kilometer and a half later I would eat those thoughts. Just as I was nearing the end of the Spanish Banks trail and about to head up UBC hill, the young woman - sans spouse but with stroller- clips past me as though I am standing still!! I looked down at my GPS and did a double take....I was moving along at a 4:55 per minute kilometer and she was making me look like I was out for a Sunday stroll!! I smiled as she passed me and commented "you are making me look bad!", and really I was only half kidding. She was pushing a baby, in a stroller, presumably a child she had recently given birth to and she was passing me going uphill. If that doesn't put one's fitness into question....I don't know what does!

The stroller did start to take its toll on the persistent grade of the UBC hill, along with icy conditions, and she slowed enough for me to run up beside her and start chatting. Her name was Jane, she was three-and-a-half months post delivery and was training for a March half marathon to attempt a NYC marathon qualifying time. We chatted going up the hill, all the while I was thinking, "holy crap, I am practically losing my lungs running up this hill and this woman is chatting happily while pushing a 20lb stroller and a baby. You are a wimp, Richele!"

From that point onwards, my whole mindset changed. I was going to rock this training run....flu be damned! It is amazing how much a little perspective can change your mindset completely. At 2k I was in total misery, trying hard to visualize getting through even half of my planned distance, and at 6k I was totally inspired by this incredible, strong woman.

The rest of the run was wonderful. The lead attached to my feet melted away and the self-doubt disappeared. I popped into the trails at Pacific Spirit just off 16th Avenue and enjoyed the peace and solitude of the forest - it was a gorgeous, brisk, sunny day and beams of sunshine were reaching out like shining arms through the breaks in the trees. I reached the southwest end of 41st Avenue and turned up Camosun....the 10 blocks of uphill didn't faze me. I felt great. It was one of those epic runs, where it just feels so great to be moving and to be alive, that you almost wish you never had to stop.

Exactly two hours after I had left dragging my butt out, I pulled up in front of my house. It is amazing that 23km later I felt charged, inspired and empowered. Jane Doe....wherever you are....thank you for the inspiration. I had forgotten how wonderful it was to run. Just run. Thanks for putting it all in perspective.

Winter racing stage #4 - Rolling Hills....fuggedaboutit!

There are workouts that, while difficult, leave you exhilarated and inspired.

Stage #4 of the winter racing series was NOT one of those. Rather it was the kind of workout that you silently pack up, put in a box and never, ever think about again.

I just was not on. I showed up, and yet just didn't ever really get into the race. My average wattage certainly reflects that...20 watts less than the prior week. And it isn't that I had a bad race - I didn't. I just didn't show up for it.

So I am forgetting about it. Chalk up an uninspired workout and wipe the slate clean for next week.

Here's the stats: 24.14km. 29.6 kph. 1st place female (by a mere 3 seconds, but even so wtf?) 178 avg watts, 318 max watts.

Introducing.....

Since signing up for Ironman in August, I have been deliberating my ride.

Basically there are two options: convert Ruby to a tri-friendly position by adding aerobars and a different seat post, or invest in a tri-specific frame. Either way, I need to be happy and comfortable for 6-7 hours. Fast is good too :)

So I set to work understanding the advantages and limitations of my options (with the ultimate limiting factor being cost!). Depending on who you talk to, the jury is definitely out on this one. Conventional wisdom will tell you that it is the engine, and not the bike....a well-trained athlete on a road bike will beat out a lesser-trained one on a $25,000 tri bike with disc wheels and aero helmet. So recognizing that I am not looking for a band-aid solution or and excuse not to train.....the question remains: which bike is best suited to get me through the bike course at IMC in the best possible position to withstand running 26.2 miles??

Each has their pros and cons - just as there are limitations on the standard road geometry in a triathlon setting, tri bikes also have limitations for strictly road riding. For city riding, hands down my Ruby is more nimble and safer. You rarely get a chance in the city to get down into aero position and it is simply not a wise idea to get into the peloton in your aerobars. Drafting = smashy the wonder bike. Tri-frames are also not optimal for high speed cornering or on technical, hilly terrain....on these types of courses a road bike is best (i.e., the 4-loop bike course of Stanley Park at the Vancouver olympic tri).

However, a tri bike IS specifically designed to be ridden comfortably and efficiently over long distances on flat to rolling terrain and in a more aerodynamic position than a conventional road bike set-up allows. The tri position, while strictly speaking less powerful than the road position, also shifts the work off your quads and more evenly onto the rest of the muscles in your legs...as such tri-geometry bikes facilitate the transition from cycling to running better than road geometry bikes.

So why not just convert the road bike? It can be salvageable, but it is NOT the same thing. Road bikes have longer top tubes than tri-specific frames, so the increased distance from saddle to aerobars on a road bike can make you too stretched out for stable handling. This not only impacts comfort, but also is thought to restrict breathing. Road bikes are also more limited as to how low the front end can be, which impacts aerodynamic performance of the bike.

So my research (and constant badgering of everyone I know who has an opinion on these matters) got me to the following conclusions:

• If the main use of the bike is to participate in a long-course triathlon with the intention of doing solo training rides....the tri-bike is probably best.


• If the main use of the bike is to participate in group rides, shorter distance triathlons or crit-style courses....then a road bike is your ride.


• If you want all of the above....get one of each. Spending money on crossover use for a road bike is better used on getting a more appropriate tri bike.

So having hammed and hawed over my options for the last few months I have finally made a decision....Ruby is no tri-bike. And she's not going to be.

(Drum roll please......)

So with no further ado, I am pleased to introduce the newest addition to my growing IMC toy trunk and Ruby's brand new little sister...Ora. Isn't she pretty? :)

Winter Bike Racing - Race #3 - Time Trial

Wow. And I thought the "hilly course" was tough.

This week's pain was served up in the form of a 22k time trial -a steady uphill ramp with more grade increases than decreases. Worse, my heat was comprised of one of the fastest bikers at Peak and two other males. Lovely.

At the get go, I fell into 4th place. The other three took off like raging bulls and I just kept saying to myself...pacing, pacing, pacing. The pace was a lot faster than the previous week, but even with no steep inclines I knew that I had to keep my cadence even and strong. 10 minutes in, that strategy was paying off and I was only about 350m back of the next racer, and closing fast. Steady pacing and moving into the small ring on the grades seemed to help. No gasping and tongue wagging like last week.

At 15 minutes in, I was hating the whole thing less than the prior week.

At 20 minutes in, the hate was back. The harder I pushed, the harder the course pushed back. At some point, I actually pulled into second place (wtf?) and was just trying really hard to keep it together.....I didn't want to be the wimpy girl that bonked after trying to keep up with the boys!

At 19km in, the reality set in that I was going to finish and possibly in second place. 3rd and 4th were closing fast but the little voice in my head was going nah nah nah nah nah....so I moved into the big ring and started hammering as hard as I could up the final incline. Volume on the i-pod cranked. Steady at 31 kph. Breathe.

At 43:21 it was all over....and worth the effort! Second place in my heat. A little worse for wear, but on the pain scale probably only a 8.5/1o as opposed to the 10/10 for the hilly course.

Stats for Race #3: 22.53km. 43:21 total time. 31.2 kph avg. 45.8 kph max. 200 watts avg. 321 peak watts. 12/33 racers total.

Until next week!