Banner Day: Half Marathon PB & a Lick of Paint

Burlington's Chilly Half Marathon
1:34:33 - 26/237 AG, 244/3294 OA

Had a blast today competing for the second time at this event. Compared to last year's ice-pocked surfaces, this edition had dry roads going for it, although the 40+ km/hr headwind gusts along the final 8kms made me want to shift to a lower gear at times. A group of about eight of us seemed to bunch closer together as we approached Burlington's downtown for the finish across from city hall. The pace steadily picked up in the final 2 kms or so, different people taking turns surging ahead. It stirred up some long-forgotten race craft memories for me, and I quite enjoyed it; as we turned right and headed up from the lakeshore to the finish line we all let it rip with the crowd's yells and cowbells ringing in our ears. I thought, This must be what it is like in one of those campy heist movies when the getaway car breaks down and all the crooks try to outrun the police and no one wants to be last, in case they're caught. Good fun - and no doubt we all had better times than we might have otherwise. I don't recall a finish quite like that, and hope there are more racers like this surrounding me in the future. Too often I think everyone is in their own world (of pain, preoccupation, fatigue, whatever) as a race runs down - especially the longer ones, perhaps, which can devolve more into being just about completion than competition - and we all just seem to slog across the finish, maybe breaking into a valiant hustle for the last few dozen strides. But this was a good barnstormer with competitive adversaries.

The organizers did a solid job putting on this show. Loads of volunteers, lines of (not lines for, lines of) shuttle buses at both ends of the morning, a wonderful venue for remaining warm (the newly-opened Performing Arts Centre... how often can you sit back in a plush theatre seat to await the call to the start corrals?) lots of easily-accessed refreshments at the finish - including chilli & beer! - not to mention the coolest "twist" to a finisher's medal I've seen!

The little chilli pepper guy in the middle of the medal not only has a "rhinestone" inset but he also spins like a top!

The GPS Inside Us

Like most everyone, I was hoping to improve my time at this distance. Doing so would set up my Ironman Mont Tremblant training in the best possible way, motivation-wise. In keeping with my low-key (read: cheapskate) training methods, I continue to not own a GPS pace watch, in favour of RPE (Rate of Perceived Exertion) to set my tempo. I rationalize this as a great way to remain in touch with how I am feeling at all points of an event. In this case, I wanted first & foremost to improve my 1:39:xx personal best time, but my A goal was to get as close to 1:35 as possible, assuming all systems felt good throughout. It would stretch me to near the limit I thought I could hope for at this point in the season (and in my life!) This meant a goal of under 23:00 mins. for every 5kms covered, ideally closer to 22:30. I knew I had a chance to nail it as I kept hitting my Split button on my watch at the 5/10/15/20 km intervals and got back readings of 22:33, 22:21, 22:23, 22:31! Between my adrenaline of seeing the consistent numbers, and the clot of like-minded runners surrounding me in the last 15 minutes, I had no choice but to come out with a new personal best!

The Honey-Do List Gets Trimmed

After the usual post-race shower & self-congratulatory food fest I found myself dressed in old clothes, so I took the opportunity to apply a second coat of Benjamin Moore eggshell acrylic to our entire upstairs, including the two story staircase. Lots of up-and-down on the ladder, with nary a cramp or tweak of knee pain. In hindsight, it was probably a good way to remain limber in the hours following an event like that. Can't help but wonder now if I could have sprinted even harder at the finish...

Race Report: Burlington's Chilly Half Marathon & Frosty 5K

Chip Time: 1:39:20
30/189 AG, 255/2278 OA

I beat the pepper!

It's funny how one has time to obsess about competitors during races, especially longer events. In any contest of speed, from running to motorcycle racing, competitors live in parallel worlds of relative velocities - one beheld by the spectator watching them, and another one interacting with their fellow competitors. In effect, two events are unfolding at once: the faster race as seen by the stationary observers on the sidelines, and the slower one where we gain and lose ground on our competitors. In an earlier life, when racing cars, I found it remarkable how, while we may have been hurtling along over 220 kph, my competitors and I were, in fact, engaged in a low-speed tussle for position. Once the race settled into its rhythm, those around me would be so closely matched that we could likely pass a tray of eggs between us at any moment and never crack a shell. It is a calm in the eye of a storm blowing past the spectators.

From this placid vantage point one can study one's opponents, size up their strengths and weaknesses, then calmly hatch a plan to vanquish them. Curiously, I found out in early March of this year that this strategy is really no different even when we find ourselves pitted against two and a half metre tall vegetables.

In my case, during Burlington's Chilly Half Marathon, I resolved no two-legged garden-variety opponent is going to beat me without a fight, even if it had to be across rutted ice tracks in places. Which it was. I've got to hand it to Mark Sullivan, he was in much better condition at 18 kms than I could ever hope to be if I was similarly swaddled in what must surely have been an itchy, sweltering get-up. For a few moments as I hobbled up nearly alongside him, I basked in the peripheral celebrity I'd imagine the Prime Minister's Secret Service agents must experience when their boss is caught in the spotlight. Spectators and volunteers vigorously clapped and cheered him/(us), and it soon became apparent that unless I moved on I would look like a Clingon*. And the last thing I needed was to be caught up in the finishing chute near him: photos of me edging out a giant pepper, or trailing just behind it, would surely be equally humiliating either way, especially if my teenaged sons got hold of them.

I threw another log on my fire and proceeded to pull away from him as best I could. In taking my leave I wish I had mustered something wittier than "Looking hot, man!" but at this point there was only lactic acid coursing through my brain.

So don't take it personally, Mark, but I just had to do it. The way I see it, it was win-win: you still took first in the Produce Category, and I avoided permanent ego scarring.

Kaz Novak — Metroland West Media Group
From the Burlington Post: "Mark Sullivan, in his red chili pepper outfit, was one of close to 4,000 participants in the annual Chilly Half-Marathon and Frosty 5K that was held throughout Burlington during miserable weather on Sunday morning."

*someone who actually thrives on this overspray of attention, and lingers around to receive it.

Road2Hope Half Marathon

do not press. This is just a logo, for decorative purposes only...


01:38:26 - 15th out of 92 AG, 158/1359 OA

Today was a great finish to a great season, at least to this codger's eyes. Wound up nine seconds quicker than my calculations in the McMillan Running Calculator!

A chilly morning, ~5 deg. C, and I was dressed fairly well for it but will trust the system next year to pack extra warmup clothes and use their bag transfer system back to the finish line at Confederation Park. There was shivering, but at least we had the local school gymnasium for warmth, aided in no small way by the few thousand bodies milling within.
Note to self: must get the name of the half-marathoner who sang our national anthem beforehand. If that set of pipes held up for his run, he was destined for a PR.

Lessons learned: trust the instincts to replace my shoes sooner... I was stretching a glide on mileage, telling myself I'd kick off the off-season with a new pair, and I think fresher cushioning would have helped the paws today, given that my only physical complaint afterwards was sore soles.
I also clearly spoiled myself with running on trails to the extent I did; I think Bronte Creek's pathways didn't toughen me up sufficiently for the solid impacts of pavement and concrete; a full marathon distance today would have degenerated into blisters and hobbling.

I was chuffed to pass the 10k mark in the 43 min. range, faster than my standalone 10k time from the Moon in June race. It was cool running down the escarpment's grade on the closed off Red Hill Valley Parkway. This no doubt accounted for the lion's share of the four minute edge I tallied over my intended pace at the 12k mark (and perhaps the downhill impacts further mashed my soles!) Nevertheless, I enjoyed the free speed and could only dream of tearing down there, traffic-free, on my bike. Heck, even my Corolla would be a delight if it could slice through apexes without shoulder checks and signals.

Terrific volunteers were hawking their provisions like Marrakech market vendors. I only wished I was more dehydrated so I could take them up on their offers. While I ended up gargling down a couple of eLoad drinks around the 15k mark, that was it, per my training regimen of keeping it light & simple.

Big turnout, decent weather - for the time of year it was, friendly folks, what could be better? Ah yes, seeing a friend qualify for Boston! Kudos to you, Campbell. Next time, just don't cut it quite so close, as I don't think my heart can take much more of that!

UPDATE: Tuesday 5:20am - Ha! Forget the feet, they're fine enough; what I've really noticed is some late-onset stiffness/tenderness in my quads! Old ladies ask if they can help me walking down stairs at the college. I haven't felt this worn out in memory (and heaven knows I have a lot to remember). Not to worry, this tells me I really hustled and left nothing behind. Next time, though, I may dial down the Juggernaut setting on my downhill segments!