Over the last year, I’ve developed this habit of wanting to do races while on vacation. So when my friend Sara and I decided to go to the Czech Republic for a week, I started hunting down races to run in the area.

One of the only ones I could find was a half marathon race in Ústí nad Labem (and another 10k in Vienna the following weekend, which I’ll also be doing). I was a little wary: I had never run a half marathon before, I was going to be in a different country that was six hours ahead of my current time zone and I would only have 48 hours to recover from the time change before the race. I also had to do some serious training for the weeks leading up to the race because I hadn’t completed any distance of over roughly 12k.

So uh…

Upon hearing that I was going to be doing this, my brother, who lives in Paris, offered to come out and do the run with me. So with my good friend and brother in tow, we made our way up to Ústí nad Labem from Prague on the morning of the race.

The weather wasn’t great – it was cold and rainy, and the outlook for this run wasn’t good. But frankly, I was too excited to really care. Despite the cold and rain, I knew that I would warm up enough on the run to not freeze my butt off out there and, if anything, the rain would feel refreshing. I very much dislike running in the heat, so I’d opt for rain over bright, boiling sunshine any day.

We picked up our packets and huddled in a few buildings until the start of the race. Sara took our bags (bless her cotton socks) while my brother and I made it down to the race start zone. He was in a faster class than me, (sub two hours) but it didn’t seem to matter since we all basically ended up in the same area.

It wasn’t too packed of a race either – roughly two thousand people and the start zone wasn’t a disaster which was hugely appreciated.

My goal for this run was just to complete it. I had some idea I’d like to get around two hours, but given the road conditions, my overall fitness level and the fact that I was on vacation, I knew I wasn’t going to be busting ass the whole way throug. My good friend Cory had suggested a pace of around 6:10/k, so I took him at his word and decided to stick with that.

I started off too fast. I was doing the first few kilometers around 5:30 and feeling pretty awesome, but I knew that couldn’t last. The rain dwindled off around the 4th kilometer and the sun started to come out so my pace actually ended up slowing down at that point.

The first leg of the course was through a fairly industrial area of Ústí nad Labem. It wasn’t particularly picturesque, but the lanes were wide and there was tons of space to move around through the crowd. I was passed often and frequently, but that was okay because I was out there to have a good time.

One thing is for sure though, despite this being labeled a flat course, it definitely was not! By the end of the race, we had done 125 meters uphill! Uphills are not my friend, and I appreciate them even less on a half marathon course!

Having never done a half before, I have to say I was impressed with just how many water stations there were. Not only water, but power drinks (not something I go for though), actual pre-peeled fruit like bananas and oranges and even wet sponges to use on yourself if you’re too warm. The run was put on by a company called Mattoni, which turned out to be a water company from the Czech Republic. The only slightly odd thing was that brand was the only water they were serving on the course and it was lightly carbonated. In any and all situations I opt for flat water, so I wasn’t sure how my system would handle the carbonation of the fluid. Thankfully, it was such a low amount of carbonation that I didn’t feel especially gas-y while drinking it. (I did have a small bottle of tap water on me that I had filled up prior to the race though.)

I had three running gels on me and I consumed one right before the start of the race and another one at kilometer 7. By the time I was supposed to take my next one (kilometer 14), I was just really grossed out by the sugary gel and only ended up eating half of it. I actually had to force myself to do so because I didn’t really want to eat it, but I could tell I was getting a bit lackluster and thought maybe some of the carbs would help me out. In the end, I don’t know if I really noticed much of a difference.

All in all, it was a good run and I didn’t feel strained at any point. None of my joints hurt, and my muscles didn’t really start to feel any kind of soreness until roughly kilometer 19. I wasn’t pushing a pace that made me out of breath, so I think it allowed me to enjoy the race a lot more than if I had been busting my ass for a sub two hour run. I enjoyed the run as a whole, although I’m not sure how much I’d like to be physically pushing myself for faster and faster times for such a long distance.

I saw Sara several times throughout the course, and it was such a huge boost to see her out there supporting us! It put a smile on my face every time I saw her (and I saw her loads of times and at varying intervals! I think she got around that course faster than I did!). She snapped pictures of me and my brother constantly for those two hours and it really warmed my heart.

I also really enjoyed getting to see a city I’d have no other reason at all to visit if it weren’t for this race. The people were friendly, the course was… err… interesting, and I got to experience my first half!

As you finish the race, they hand you your medal and these shiny silver foil cloaks. I always thought they looked a bit silly, but oh my god did I ever need that after the run. It worked well to keep my body temperature up because as soon as I finished the run the warmth started to leave my body and I was shivering within seconds.

I met up with my brother (who finished around the one hour, fifty-five minute marker) and Sara at a designated spot after the race. I clocked in around 2:08 something or other.

Yay! Completed my first half marathon! One thing that interested me, and of course made sense, was that in this echelon of racing, I’m no longer amongst the more physically fit people out there. Usually in 5 and 10K races I’m in the top 25%, but for this one I was definitely in the bottom half! There was also a huge discrepancy in how many women (25%) ran this compared to men (75%).

Race Results

• Finish Time: 2:08:46
• Pace: 6:06 per kilometer
• Overall placement: 1450/1831
• Age group placement (Women up to 34 years): 134/219
• Gender placement (F): 272/452

So the next race in the “my dad wants to run a marathon” series was the 10K. He’d done his first 5K in May with me during Ottawa Race Weekend, and a 10K race was the very obvious next step up. We signed up for the Longboat Toronto Island 10K, making this my third 10K race to date. I was excited to do this run because Toronto Island is a beautiful venue for a race as the terrain is fairly interesting. You alternate between paved path running, occasional grass running (NOT my favourite, but my dad likes it) and then finish up running a kilometer or so down the boardwalk before hitting the finish line. Additionally, a good friend of mine decided to join us for the race (the same friend who had done the Sporting Life 10K with me back in April).

Once again, I was nervous. Will this never end?! I wanted to beat my previous 10K personal best (pb) which was 56:23 but I didn’t know if that was going to be possible. Reason being is that my previous 10K pb was done on a primarily downhill route! Downhill running conserves a LOT of energy and I always kind of figured it was pretty much a cheater personal best since that previous race had been so much downhill. This was an incredibly flat course – there was zero elevation gain or loss, so I didn’t know if that was going to mean I was less able to get a better time.

All that to say… I had no idea what to expect.

We took the ferry over to Toronto Island and made it there with plenty of time to spare. It was a beautiful day – sunny, cool(ish) and no wind. Absolutely beautiful conditions for running. The 10K didn’t start until 11:15, but I think that’s partially because getting out to Toronto Island on a Sunday isn’t the easiest of things to do in the early morning since the subway doesn’t even start running until 9 am.

So we set off at 11:15 and I broke away from my dad and friend right away. I started out with a good pace, but I could tell my breathing was a little too laboured which meant I would eventually have to slow down. In previous interval training I had done, I knew I could push a 5:00/k pace for roughly 3 kilometers before I’d have to tailor it back a bit. My first few kilometers were done around the 5:08/k mark, which was nice, but I wasn’t going to be able to keep that up.

I started significantly slowing up during my third kilometer right through to my seventh which turned out to be a 6:02 pace. When I saw that 6:02 lap pop up on my Garmin for that kilometer, I knew I had to speed up because that was way wayyyy too slow for my liking.

I stopped to walk a few paces at the last water station on the course (7k) because all I’d managed in doing at the previous water stations had been to slosh water all over my face and get maybe a teaspoon of water in my mouth. (Nothing like trying to drink from an open cup while bouncing up and down.) So I stopped to a walk for five meters and actually got a gulp of water down my throat before pressing on.

It wasn’t till I got around the 8th kilometer marker that I realized I could actually beat my previous time by a significant chunk if I just continued to push myself. I was surprised because I had wasted a lot of time in the middle of the race due to my ever-slowing pace. There wasn’t a lot of leeway for error though, so I really had to book it and monitor my pace closely (thank you Garmin 220!).

Unfortunately, it was right after I realized I needed to push a bit harder that I also started to feel really fucking weird. I started getting body chills mixed with a touch of nausea. I’m starting to wonder if that’s just how my body reacts to physically stressful situations when my heart rate remains elevated for too long. My average heart rate for this race was 183 bpm, peaking around 193. The last time I felt similar chills and nausea was during the 5K race I did in Ottawa when I also had a nasty heart rate average of 185, peaking at 196. Comparatively, my best 5K pb had a heart rate average of 177, with a max at 186 and I didn’t suffer the same odd side effects during that race.  That’s a very large jump in heart rate between races. Very interesting.

Anyway, the second to last kilometer was along the boardwalk and there was a beautiful breeze coming off the lake. Considering my nausea and intermittent chills, this was incredibly refreshing. My iPod also started playing a really energizing song (Cheryl Cole – Say My Name) so it gave me even more inspiration to press on.

I crossed the finish line somewhere around the 55 minute marker (good news!), headed straight for the water station and pounded down two full cups of water right away. That seemed to make me feel better, so I doubled back to the finish line to wait for my friend and father. My friend clocked in just before the 60 minute mark, and unbelievably, my 66 year old father finished his first 10K in 65 minutes! I can’t even tell you how unbelievable I find that. It also makes *ME* feel incredibly out of shape. I mean, I’m 31 so he’s more than double my age and he’s only finishing the race 10 minutes after me? Holy smokes, what have I been doing with my life?!?

In the end, we all achieved our goals. I wanted a new pb, and I got it (my official finish time was 55:14, which was 1:09 minutes shorter than my previous record), my friend finished a few seconds shy of 60 minutes which had been his goal, and my dad just wanted to finish somewhere under 75 minutes and he blew that completely out of the water!

It was an excellent race all around, and one I’d definitely consider doing again. We went for burgers and beer afterwards and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves as everyone was happy with their accomplishments!

Race Results

• Finish Time: 55:14
• Pace: 5:31 per kilometer
• Overall placement: 386/971
• Age group placement (25-34): 24/95
• Gender placement (F): 120/495

The Pride and Remembrance Run marks my very first racing anniversary. It was one year ago that I got talked into doing the 5K Pride Run by a friend and since then I’ve become a rather rabid racing addict!

My last year’s 5K was a flat 28 minute run. Since then I’ve managed a personal best of 26:10. While I would like to go faster than my pb, my only real goal with this run was to stay under the 27 minute mark.

June 28th was a hot and incredibly sweaty day. Thankfully, the race was at 10 AM and the starting point on Church Street and Wellesley was only minutes from my apartment. I was doing this run with a rather large group of people so we met up in advance before heading to the starting area together. Unfortunately we got to the start line very late, and ended up situated behind the walkers. There was no chance we could push our way through the crowd to get into a more reasonable zone.

So this race’s route is a straight run out to Queen’s Park from the Gay Village, a double lap around Queen’s Park, then straight back to the Village. It’s not a a great course, and there’s immense potential for cheaters to cut their race short by doing only one lap around the park. However, the thing I like about racing is that realistically this is never going to be a race between me and the other 1300 people out there. Since I’m never going to come in first (let alone even in the top 100), the only person I’m competing against is me and what race times I’ve put out in the past.

When the event started with a large bang of rainbow confetti, I broke away from my group quickly and pushed on ahead. Getting around the walkers wasn’t fun – for the most part they were five abreast, causing huge walls to get around. I started out really strong – my first kilometer clocked in at 4:52, but I quickly realized I was not going to be able to maintain that pace.

This was a pretty uncomfortable race for me. I felt like I had to go to the bathroom the entire time and it was about 23C degrees outside (“feels like 34C with the humidity” – I only wish I was kidding). I don’t perform particularly well in the heat, I never have. I find it really taxing on my body. And now that the excuses are out of the way…

While I had started the race hoping to get a decent time, throughout the run I quickly amended that to “just don’t drop down to a walk”. It was hot, I felt like my bladder was going to wimp out on me, and all I could think about was ‘I’ve done this course, I know where the water station is and you can get that tasty delicious, refreshing water TWICE on this route… just. keep. pushing!”

And so I ran.

It wasn’t pretty, and it wasn’t fun, but I ran.

And when I say it wasn’t pretty, I mean it REALLY wasn’t pretty:

I grabbed water twice at the stations and did the “run and drink”. Which basically means I got about a teaspoon of water in my mouth and the rest of it splashed up into my face and up my nose. But that was okay, I just needed the refresher.

The thing I don’t like about this route is that it feels suspiciously uphill on both sides of the park. I don’t even know how that’s possible, but that’s what it feels like!

I really don’t remember the tail end of the race to be perfectly honest. I remember thinking it was grossly hot out. I remember thinking I didn’t like how slow I was going. And I remember being like… can I please just finish now?

I clocked in at 26:48 which is not the time I wanted, but it wasn’t over 27 minutes, so that was something to celebrate for sure. Bizarrely, I came in the exact same place (575) as I did last year! Although I believe the race had about two-to-three hundred more people in it this year.

To anyone considering this race in future years, it’s definitely worth doing. The atmosphere is welcoming and happy. It’s also not too large of a run so there’s plenty of space to move around. Definitely worth adding to your racing schedule!

Race Results

• Finish Time: 26:48
• Pace: 5:22 per kilometer
• Overall placement: 575/1333
• Age group placement (25-34): 74/247
• Gender placement (F): 175/667

So I work for Scotiabank, and every year the bank does a “Rat Race” for United Way. The idea is that it’s a bunch of corporate big cheeses running a 5K through Toronto’s downtown financial core (although the route has changed a few times over the years). I’d only ever run it once before several years ago (I’m thinking circa 2006, but I’m not positive). This was long before I knew anything about running any kind of long distance seriously, what a “personal best” meant or that there was technology to track your racing times.

So when this popped up on an interoffice memo at work one day, I was like “Ooooo yes!” This race is basically a free entry race (5Ks generally cost about $35 to $50), but you’re expected to raise $100 in donations for the United Way which is the charity this race focuses on. Being the cat lover that I am, I knew I wanted to pick some kind of cat theme for my team. In an attempt to find an internet meme that wasn’t too difficult for people to understand, I went with:

And called our team “Staying Late To Catch the Red Dot”. It even made sense because he’s in a business suit and we’re staying late after work to run this race! I thought it was incredibly clever and his little faece makes me laugh whenever I look at it. So even though I had to explain it to everyone who joined my team or asked about the race, it was still worth it. Some of them thought I was talking about having my period. I even tried to make the meaning more clear at work:

Although I may have gone a little overboard! In the end, I managed to recruit 12 Rat Race team members from the office and we raised over $1400 for United Way.

On to the actual race…

I was really nervous for this one. REALLY nervous. Because my last 5K had gone so poorly, I was worried that maybe I was just naturally that slow and that there was really no use in working on my running times. Shitty mentality, but there you have it. This race felt very much like I needed to prove to myself that I could run faster than I had before and if I didn’t, I was going to be immensely disappointed.

This was a smaller race (under 2000 people) so there would be a lot more space to get around other runners if I needed to (unlike the disaster starting zone of the Ottawa Race Weekend 5K). I was also slightly worried about the 2k incline at the start of the race. The remaining 2k would be downhill, but it’s really nasty starting a race with an uphill incline like that for such a long stretch.

All 12 of us headed over to the starting line around 7 o’clock. Since most of us worked in the downtown core, it wasn’t a whole lot of hassle to get us out to the start line close to Nathan Phillips Square in Toronto.

The race started with very little fanfare, not even a starting gun bang, and we were off. As I’d said before, the first two kilometers of this race was a 25 meter incline up University Avenue until we hit Bloor Street. The start of any race is always the most unpleasant for me – everything always feels wrong. My breathing feels wrong – I feel out of breath and like maybe I’m not strong enough for the pace I’d set out for myself. I also managed to get a stitch in my side that didn’t help matters. But I just ignored it and tried to regulate my breathing a bit better. I really didn’t start to feel solid until I finished the incline at the top of Bloor Street when the ground evened out.

Oddly, the entire road wasn’t closed down for the race – only one lane was shut down so we had to maneuver around people through a single laneway of traffic. But with only 1500 people in the race, it didn’t make zigging and zagging too bad. I caught up with one of my team members at the 2k mark and whacked him on the shoulder (this is becoming a trend) to let him know I was there. Afterwards he told me that I set his pace and he just stuck with me after that to ensure he stayed on track. That was really nice to hear because I never really thought of myself as much of a pace setter. (I was, however, glancing constantly at my Garmin to make sure I was personally on track for a finish time under 27 minutes.) It’s also pretty rare to find a person that you can run beside at the exact same pace, so it was really nice to have the extra motivation whenever I got a glance of him over my shoulder.

As we finished the Bloor stretch of the race, we made a turn onto Yonge which (blissfully) was the downhill portion of this race. I could easily make up for any slowness on the uphill by pushing it on the downhill. The run down Yonge remains a blur in my mind except for the wayward pedestrians who would try to cross the street amongst the racers and the one very small child who jumped onto the street in front of me that I had to grab in order to steady him from falling over (including myself!).

As we made the last turn onto Queen Street and saw the finish line, my team member pulled ahead and started the sprint to the finish line. Once again, I couldn’t do that last sprint, and while that frustrates me, I’m content with the fact that it meant I was pushing for the entire race instead of just at the very end.

For once I finally managed to spot the clock time at the very end, which logged me in at 26:28. I knew I had started a bit further back from the start time so I knew the chip time would be shorter. The Garmin was logging me in at 26:13 so I was getting VERY excited to find out what my time was. When I checked online later, I discovered my chip time had clocked me at 26:10!!! OH HELLLLLL YES! A very solid 26 minute 5K, and a HUGE 75 seconds cut off my previous fastest 5K race (which had been in Baltimore, Maryland). I’m so close to being in the 25 minute range!

I hung around at the end of the race watch my other team mates finish. One super power woman on my team had done an INSANE 19 minute 5K, but the rest of them trickled in after me. For some of them this had been their first 5K race and I was excited to see that they were really happy to have done it and were looking forward to doing it again next year!

I was on such a high after this race – I was incredibly excited to have finished with a much better time than my last race and I’m on target for getting into the 25-26 minute range for a 5K. Having a solid race like that gives me so much more motivation to keep pushing myself every time I train.

Race Results

• Finish Time: 26:10 (new personal best)
• Pace: 5:14 per kilometer
• Overall placement: 390/1547
• Age group placement: Undefined
• Gender placement (F): Undefined