Mommy's Post Race Report - Flatlanders 10 km

"You better stay inside, Pooh Bear , it's blustery out there!" - Winnie the Pooh

I am very happy to report that my race went very well this morning.  I checked the forecast last night which predicted winds gusting from 40 to 60 kph.  I was really hoping it wouldn't be that strong or would at least hold off until after the race.  Who was I kidding?  This is Regina after all.  It's windy and there are no physical landforms to block the wind.  Some runners actually tried drafting behind competitors.  I doubt this was very effective but I suppose it's worth a try on a day like today.

Back to this morning.  The race started at 10 am which is a little later than I am used to but I guess it's typical for a fall/winter race.  I arrived around 9:30 am and spent the next half an hour trying to stay warm.  It was very cool with the wind and I just wanted to get moving.  The start line for the race was next to Douglas Park track and we started off running directly into the wind. I kind of wondered what I had gotten myself into for the first few minutes.  I really hate running in windy weather.  I guess I should be thankful it was only gusting to 60 kph...it could have been worse.  It was just unfortunate because we've had such gorgeous weather here lately..why did it have to be windy today?!

The race route sort of followed a twisty path so we kept changing directions which I appreciated.  Before I knew it, I felt like I was flying. Because I was determined to meet my goal time of 52:30 minutes, I knew I had to take advantage of the wind at my back.  Another turn and suddenly I was gasping for breath once again.  I did my best to stick with some runners that appeared to be running at a good pace.  The most challenging point in the race was between 3-5 km when I was running against the wind and still not even half finished.  That, mixed with the aromatic smell of a hot breakfast in the air, was making me wish I had eaten something before the race.  Yep, you read that correctly.  There was some sort of huge BBQ set up in a parking lot next to the race course...coincidentally, it was the part of the course we had to run by twice.  I will be making pancakes tomorrow.

After battling through strong winds and hunger pangs, I had finally reached the half way point in the race.  I checked my watch...26:14.  Some very quick math told me I was right on pace!  The next section was with the wind again and I pushed myself a bit since I knew the last 3 kilometres would be against the wind. 

The last stretch was really tough but I coped with it better than some others.  I must have slowed down a bit though as a couple of the girls I passed during this section suddenly passed me back with about a kilometre left to go.  I glanced at my watch and realized that I needed to pick up the pace to reach my goal.  The finish line was in sight and it was such a wonderful sight!  I took off my running jacket and tossed it to the ground.  I dug down deep and was able to find some energy left over to speed up and then sprint to the finish.  I might be a Thorson now but I've still got the "Keil Kick"*.

It turned out that I needed the extra speed as I completed the race in the exact time I had hoped to achieve: 52:30.  It just goes to show that goal setting can be a very powerful thing.  I ended up finishing 3rd in my age group for women.  My time was not my personal best but it is an excellent time for me now at this stage in my life.  I have learned to redefine my goals and perspectives in life.  It's amazing how having children makes this happen.  Nothing seems quite as important as it did before.  My kids are now the priority and I wouldn't have it any other way.

* Keil Kick - The phrase used by the infamous Keil family to define a quick sprint at the end of a long distance race.

Mommy's turn to race!

Last weekend, Aleena participated in a race so this week is my turn.  I am fairly confident that I will get past the starting line unlike my little girl although I won't be nearly as cute as she was and neither will my competitors.  I probably should have followed Aleena's pre-race sleeping plan though as a good rest sounds like heaven right about now.  I am sore already and I haven't even raced yet.  I am not sure how I got sore muscles in the past week but they seem to accompany the random bruises I get on a regular basis.

The race is called The Flatlanders Road Race, an apt name for a running race in Regina.  There are three distances in the race: a Half Marathon, 10 km, and 5 km race.  I thought it would be nice to do a "shorter" race after completing a 15 km in August and a half marathon in September so I'll be doing the 10 km race tomorrow.  I am hoping to run a bit quicker than I did in the longer races.  I am hesitant to announce a time goal since I am not even sure how fast I've been running lately.  I really, really, really want a Garmin Forerunner so I can monitor my running pace and have a more accurate measure of how far my outdoor runs are.  My birthday and Christmas are coming up...hint hint.

I have also considered getting a Nike + since I already have the shoes and the IPod.  I am just not sure about viewing my IPod while running as that might be awkward.  I prefer to strap the IPod onto my upper arm and it'd probably be a lot more convenient to check the pace on my wrist.  So, after that little tangent, I will state a time goal as maybe it'll help motivate me to reach it tomorrow.  I'd like to finish the race in 52:30 minutes or less.  My pre-baby, high mileage PB was just under 49 minutes.  I don't even remember how many years ago that PB was set but it's been a while.

I thought I'd share some of my favourite running resources.

The Running Room Website:  You can register for an account for free and use their online training logs.  I used to record my mileage in training log books but now I just enter the training runs into an online training log and it does all the calculating for me and also has some pretty charts to show my progress. 

Hal Higdon's Website: When I first started to train for marathons, I bought a couple of running books.  I had no idea how to run a marathon and there wasn't a Running Room in Taiwan so I was on my own.  I ordered Hal Higdon's Marathon book and found it very helpful.  His website has lots of training programs on it along with tons of other information for runners.

Jeff Galloway's Website:  The other book I bought when I decided to run a marathon was Jeff Galloway's.  It was the first time I had heard of walk breaks.  I loved the idea and used walk breaks for both my marathons.  The theory and logic behind walk breaks really makes sense and has helped thousands of people finish marathons when they may not have been able to otherwise.  The Running Room marathon/half marathon programs also incorporate walk breaks..not sure which came first but they are very effective for longer runs/races.

This is possibly the best race t-shirt I've ever got.  Running wheat...gotta love it!

My race number and DTAG.  Love the DTAG timing chips...so much better than the old style.

Run Momma Run!

On September 12th, I ran the Queen City Half Marathon here in Regina, SK. It was my second race since having Aleena. I didn't set a personal best time or even close to it but it was a personal best time for having a baby just 5 months ago. My official time was 1:59:04. I did the best I could on that day and am very pleased with my time and effort. It didn't feel easy. In fact, I think I was already sore before the race started because I had been busy cleaning and preparing for Connor's birthday party the previous day.

The race itself was amazing. I haven't participated in the Queen City Marathon event in a few years and it's come a very long way. There were a LOT of people and it was a great atmosphere for running. The weather also co-operated except for the gusty wind for the second half of the race. I found that difficult since I have done a lot of my training during baby nap times on a treadmill. There's isn't much wind in our basement. Despite not running a best time, I was excited to find out that I finished 22nd out of 158 for women in my age group. Pretty good for a mommy of two young children!

I don't have any decent pictures but there are some posted on the official race photographer's website. They even have finish line video available for purchase. I might have bought some photos but I was wearing my running hat and can barely see my face in the pictures. Note to self: lift hat up slightly for finish line photos in the future. Here's a link to my race photos and finish line video. If you're wondering, I put my hands up for Connor and Aleena...2 for my 2 year old and 5 for my 5 month old.

As I mentioned, this was not my first race since having Aleena. I also ran a 15 km race at the beginning of August when I was less than 3 months post partum. I found out my brother was doing that race and thought it would be fun to do it too. My brother doesn't really run races normally but he did really well. He could have a promising career in road racing if he put his mind to it and his knee is able to take the punishment. Curt, if you're reading this, I think that running could be your thing since it's a front/back motion and not side/side like hockey or lacrosse. Just an idea!

Jeremy, if you're reading this, I registered for another race on October 2nd. Don't worry, it's only 10 km this time. :-)