On Saturday I ran the National Capital 5K. I ran this race last year and really enjoyed it, so I decided to run it again this year. Seems like a pretty good reason, don't you think?
This race was one of many events organized on Saturday by Somersault - a local running/triathlon event organizer. There were about 100 people or so in the 5K, but over 1,200 participating in the day's events, which ranged from the 5K to an Olympic distance Triathlon.
Saturday morning's weather was perfect! No wind, clear and about 10C when I left the house. My friend Jen and I headed down to the race together. We parked at Brookfield High School, about a 10 minute walk to the race start. We picked up our kits and I rushed back to the car to drop off our stuff, as there was no on-site bag check. I really have to make that suggestion next year, as there's no on-site parking and I ended up doing the trek to/from the car twice. Hey, at least it was a good warm-up!
The race started promptly at 8:30. A lot of runners started out too fast and this course will make you pay. Knowing that, I started further back in the pack and tried to hold my pace and avoided weaving if possible. It's pretty much all downhill on the way out and all uphill on the way back. I saw one woman pushing her kid in a running stroller... a very ambitious undertaking on that course! This year's route was adjusted slightly due to construction at the turnaround point. Organizers added in a little jut out halfway along the course. I wasn't a fan, but there wasn't much they could do.
The course itself is quite narrow, as it follows a bike path along the scenic Rideau River. A good portion of the run is through a forest. I really like the route as it's entertaining to run and I don't get bored easily.
Overall, I had a good run. I felt strong on the hills, which is what I'd trained for. I didn't improve my best time on the course, but conquering the hills was a really rewarding experience. I managed to pass quite a few people in the 2nd half of the race, including the woman with the kid in the stroller, who faded quite a bit in the second half.
I finished in 33:35, 9/12 in my AG. The 10K winner finished just ahead of me. Man he was fast.
My next race is the Fall Colours 10K. I might sign up for the Army Run 5K, but I haven't decided yet.
Showing posts with label National Capital 5K. Show all posts
Showing posts with label National Capital 5K. Show all posts
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Monday, June 21, 2010
Race Report: Emilie's Run 5K
Saturday morning dawned warm and overcast. By race time it was 24C, but it felt like 27C with the humidity. There were some clouds, but the sun came out just in time for the race start. There was a bit of a breeze, which turned out to be a headwind on the way back.
The course itself is flat, with only small undulations along the route. It's an out and back on newly paved asphalt. The event had about 600 participants in the women's only 5K. My friend Jen and I started out near the back of the pack... I knew after last year that the racers would be really fast and I didn't want to get caught up in the madness that is mid-pack at Emilie's run!
I'm happy to report that my gun time was 35:02, which is what I was shooting for. I finished 34/41 in my age group. My garmin tells me that I ran 34:43, as it took some time to get across the start line. My splits, according to sportstats, were 7:16, 7:10, 7:07 and 7:06 and 6:25.
I'm very proud of the fact that: a) I ran the whole thing, from start to finish. b) I didn't blow up. And, c) I ran negative splits.
Like I said the other day, I knew a personal best was out of reach. And even if I'd been 100% healthy, a personal best would've been tough given the heat and humidity. I had lots left in the tank at the end. I'm not sore today, two days after the race, and I wasn't sore yesterday either. But I sure was tired on Saturday night!
I'm looking forward to my next race, the National Capital 5K, on July 31st. In the meantime, I'm going to work on improving my endurance and most especially hills, as the next course is all downhill on the way out and almost entirely uphill on the way back. Ouch!
The course itself is flat, with only small undulations along the route. It's an out and back on newly paved asphalt. The event had about 600 participants in the women's only 5K. My friend Jen and I started out near the back of the pack... I knew after last year that the racers would be really fast and I didn't want to get caught up in the madness that is mid-pack at Emilie's run!
I'm happy to report that my gun time was 35:02, which is what I was shooting for. I finished 34/41 in my age group. My garmin tells me that I ran 34:43, as it took some time to get across the start line. My splits, according to sportstats, were 7:16, 7:10, 7:07 and 7:06 and 6:25.
I'm very proud of the fact that: a) I ran the whole thing, from start to finish. b) I didn't blow up. And, c) I ran negative splits.
Like I said the other day, I knew a personal best was out of reach. And even if I'd been 100% healthy, a personal best would've been tough given the heat and humidity. I had lots left in the tank at the end. I'm not sore today, two days after the race, and I wasn't sore yesterday either. But I sure was tired on Saturday night!
I'm looking forward to my next race, the National Capital 5K, on July 31st. In the meantime, I'm going to work on improving my endurance and most especially hills, as the next course is all downhill on the way out and almost entirely uphill on the way back. Ouch!
Monday, August 3, 2009
Race Report: National Captial 5K
I raced the National Capital 5K on Saturday, which was part of Somersault's annual run series. There were a number of different events on Saturday including a 10K and Olympic-distance duathlons and triathlons.
The course was a hilly out-and-back on a bike path that follows the Rideau River near Hog's Back Falls. Saturday morning was sunny, foggy and humid. At race time it was 20C with 83% humidity. The weather in Ottawa's been horrible over the last month and most athletes (including me!) haven't had the opportunity to really train in hot or humid weather.
The grassy parts of the course at the start and finish were sopping wet, thanks to all the rain we've had. Course marshals warned us ahead of time to watch our footing so we wouldn't end up getting covered in mud. I started off a little fast, but the run out was mostly downhill. It was quite pretty: we ran through a forest next to the river and you could hear the gushing water over the sounds of the runners. The course wasn't overly wide, so we ended up running almost single file and it was really hard to pass other runners in certain spots.
I did end up walking at the 2.5km mark to take some water and then again at another point for my puffer, thanks to the humidity. The uphills on the way back were quite challenging, but I enjoyed it as there aren't many hills for me to train on near me. As I approached the finish line, I had to make a couple flying leaps over muddy water on an uphill to avoid getting soaked!
I had enough left in the tank to overtake the person ahead of me (you can see her behind me in the photo), to finish in 31:23. It wasn't as slow as my first 5K, but definitely not a personal best. But, I wasn't running this race as a personal best. I ran it for fun, for some experience with hills and to find my motivation to run again. So far it seems to be working!
My next 5K is on Sept. 20th at the Canadian Army Run where I'm going to try to break my personal best in the 5K of 30:08. I've set an August exercise goal of running three times a week, excluding ultimate frisbee games. I've also committed to a 5K training program for intermediates on http://nikeplus.com/... I think all this should be enough to get me back into the running groove.
The course was a hilly out-and-back on a bike path that follows the Rideau River near Hog's Back Falls. Saturday morning was sunny, foggy and humid. At race time it was 20C with 83% humidity. The weather in Ottawa's been horrible over the last month and most athletes (including me!) haven't had the opportunity to really train in hot or humid weather.
The grassy parts of the course at the start and finish were sopping wet, thanks to all the rain we've had. Course marshals warned us ahead of time to watch our footing so we wouldn't end up getting covered in mud. I started off a little fast, but the run out was mostly downhill. It was quite pretty: we ran through a forest next to the river and you could hear the gushing water over the sounds of the runners. The course wasn't overly wide, so we ended up running almost single file and it was really hard to pass other runners in certain spots.
I did end up walking at the 2.5km mark to take some water and then again at another point for my puffer, thanks to the humidity. The uphills on the way back were quite challenging, but I enjoyed it as there aren't many hills for me to train on near me. As I approached the finish line, I had to make a couple flying leaps over muddy water on an uphill to avoid getting soaked!
I had enough left in the tank to overtake the person ahead of me (you can see her behind me in the photo), to finish in 31:23. It wasn't as slow as my first 5K, but definitely not a personal best. But, I wasn't running this race as a personal best. I ran it for fun, for some experience with hills and to find my motivation to run again. So far it seems to be working!My next 5K is on Sept. 20th at the Canadian Army Run where I'm going to try to break my personal best in the 5K of 30:08. I've set an August exercise goal of running three times a week, excluding ultimate frisbee games. I've also committed to a 5K training program for intermediates on http://nikeplus.com/... I think all this should be enough to get me back into the running groove.
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