Peterborough 1/2 Marathon

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Race Comments:

1st Half

• hadn't planned on running with the 1:30 bunny but when I found he was right at my pace I made a point of staying with him.  This was good as it challenged me to make sure I was keeping up with him.  At times he surged at other times he went easier.  Overall this made a big difference.
• Two of my best races have been when I have ran with someone or a bunny as in this race.  This is a strategy that I may need to work in more for my future races.
• As we got closer to the turn around the wind became more of a factor.  Some sections were directly in our face but most of it was just coming from the sides in the open stretches around the airport

Turn around to 15k

• Once we got back on the main road after the turn around I worked hard to not let 2 guys pass me easily for a good km or so.  The other reason for this was so that I could get back up behind the 1:30 bunny who had pulled away a bit on the dirt road around the turn around.  Eventually they felt determined enough to go past me.  This was okay as I had used them to keep me going through that secion.  In the end they stayed only a few yards ahead for most of the rest of the race.
• A couple of other guys tried to pass as well.  Each time I heard someone coming I pushed my pace harder.
• Through this section I was still able to push reasonably hard.

15k to the Finish

• Starting around km 16 I was feeling the lactate acid build up in the legs.  This slowed my pace 5-10 s/km.  I felt good to push for short stretches but not continuous through this stretch.
• Left hamstring was not too happy through here but it wasn't a huge hindrance through here.

Overall

• Very competitive race.  Most local races I would have placed much higher within my age group.  Today I was 12th.

Nutrition Comments:-

• Pre-race
  • Oatmeal for breakfast 3 hours before race start.
  • 1 bar 2 hours before race start.
  • 1 bottle of SP3 (2 scoops) 45 minutes before race start
• During the race
  • 1 small drink of Gatorade every other water station on the course.  Water stations were every 2.5k.
• Post race
  • water immediately
  • 1 cup of chili, 1 bun, 1 slice of pizza from the post race food area
  • Continued to eat small amounts during the rest of the day.

Weight and Rest

• 185.4 lbs
• 8 hours Saturday night.  2 naps (yes I said 2) during the day on Saturday.

Sports Psych Comments:-

• Pre-race
  • stayed with pre-race plan.  The plan was not written down for this race but had been thought about considerably.
  • Key components:
    • get to race 75-90 minutes before the start
    • get race kit right away
    • Organize number and race gear
    • Take non-essential gear back to the car.
    • slow stretching for 20-25 minutes with increasing emphasis on left hamstring.
    • final bathroom break 30 minutes before race start
    • go to race start area immediately after
    • Run 10 minutes easy (6.2 to 7.0 mph) from race start area
      • focus on relaxing and zoning out external influences
    • 3-4 x 30s @ 9.2 mph / 14.7 kph
      • find a nice rhythm, feel fluid and strong
    • Go to race line up 5 minutes before start (possible in this race as its small enough)
    • Line up in the middle 10-12 rows back.
    • Relax, enjoy the day.  The work is done.  Nothing else can be done at this point.
• Early race
  • goal was to get into good position and pace as quickly as possible.  Surge if necessary to get around people.
  • found 1:30 bunny running my pace early.  Decide then and there to run with him for next few kms.  This would keep my pace even and hopefully not over do it.  First time ever running with a bunny.
  • Had to continually focus on keep the bunny 50 yards ahead of me.
  • Tried to relax as much as possible and not waste energy at this point.
  • Keeping the bunny in position was hard work but gave me a good mental target to focus on.
  • Start to get windier as we got closer to the half.  Everyone is in the same boat so not too worry.  Just run.
• Mid race
  • dirt road unexpected around the turn around.  I found I was able to get focused again fairly quickly on this road.  Hard to stay with the group on this road as its considerably narrower.
  • used runners who wanted to pass as a means to dig down and push the pace.  I needed to see what I would do and what I had left.  To easy to just sit back.
  • Up and down through the middle part of this race but overall for this section it was strong.
• Kms 16-21
  • Feeling the affects of lactate acid build up.  Focused on keeping a steady pace.
  • Pace didn't feel strong through this section but found it challenging to run any faster.
  • Trying to reconcile the fact that I didn't feel max'd out but couldn't push a steady pace much faster.  No obvious strategies to work this section a bit better.
  • Focused on continuing to push to get through to end.
• Finish
  • pushed hard through last 600 meters.  End was near.
• Overall
  • Was very pleased with the aggressiveness of the first 15k of the race.
  • Last 6k was just okay in terms of pace but effort was consistent and strong. It will be useful to think of how I can work through this section a bit more effectively.
  • With the wind today's overall result was really good.  I'm pleased with where I'm at physically at this juncture leading up to the next two races (ATB 30k, Mississauga marathon).
  • I felt that a lot of today's strategy I'll be able to take into the ATB 30k race in 5 weeks.
  • This race was one of the first races that I was able to really take advantage of other runners around me.  Historically I've not done as well on flat uneventful courses.  This by itself was a big success.
  • Weight coming into this race (185.4 lbs.) was the best its been since the fall.  This contributed to feeling stronger and better overall about the race in the lead up to race start.