St. Clair River Run Race Report

I know my last post was about a race too...summer is a busy time in these parts.  I have been enjoying lots of running (with and without the boys) and general getting wet in pools and splashpads over the last couple of weeks, and clearly I have been having so much fun I forgot that I like to write about it :)

On the weekend I ran in an excellent race, the St. Clair River Run , in Port Lambton ON.  They had a 10k and a 5k option, so my brother and I ran the 10k and my husband ran the 5k.  The three boys stayed home with Grandma (yipee!).

We have been experiencing quite the heat wave around here lately, so running a race in the midst of it all can be challenging.  Luckily, the race started at 8am (I think they should aim for 7:30am next year) and the race followed a parkway located directly beside the St. Clair River (hence the name, duh) so there was a nice cool breeze off the water the entire time.  The sun is relentless, however, so they also had the fire trucks on hand to "spray" runners as we ran past.

This race was very close in proximity to my parent's house, so we headed there on Friday night with the boys.  After driving most of the 2 hour drive, I realized that I had forgotten my beloved Garmin at home (some profanity may have been used upon that realization) grrrr.  It is so funny, as a year ago, I didn't even own a Garmin, and now I just love it so much.  At least my wrist wouldn't get sweaty?

As we arrived at the race, and started to get ready, my husband realized he forgot his socks.  He wins.  Running a race without socks is harder to handle than knowing your pace.  Ick.  I know what you're thinking...we were very ill-prepared it seems.  Remember that we have three kids ages 4 and under.  At least all of them are fed and clothed most of the time.  All the rest is gravy :)

We boarded the school bus shuttle to our starting lines, and headed out.  My husband got off the bus at the 5k stop, and Scott and I headed on to the 10k start.  I had to go to the bathroom really bad by the time we got there, and they only had an on-site washroom with three stalls in the park.  Next year I think they should add some port-a-loos, as the line-up (on the women's side) was loooong.

With only a moment to spare, I dashed from the washroom to the start line, and we were off.  My brother settled in ahead of me, and for most of the race I could see him (we were basically running in a straight line).  My pace felt very comfortable, but I have no idea what it was!  Splits, schmits!  They had kilometers marked, so it was nice to see them often.  At about the 3k mark, my shoe lace loosened.  Really?  I have never had that happen before.  I don't "double knot."  I read an article in Runner's World a couple of years ago, about the proper way to tie shoe laces. "If you do it right, you don't need to double knot".  I had been doing it wrong for years, so I retrained my brain to tie them this other way (the "proper" way) and this is what I get?!  Ah, well.  I stopped, re-tied the stinking shoelace, and tried to catch up to the three people that passed me.  I managed to speed up, and fell back into place.

At about kilometer 6, the OTHER lace came undone.  Are you kidding me?!

Everyone I have talked to since has recommended the double-knot, especially for race day.  I may consider it for next time.

In the last couple of kilometers, the crowds picked up, and it was nice to see the finish line off in the distance.
My husband and my brother were there to cheer me through the finish line, which is always nice.  Great post-race food (they even had food and refreshments for spectators!) but sadly this year they didn't do medals (last year they did).  boo!

Here are the stats...

23/159

4/33 age group

5/95 females

47:39 gun time

I will add photos when my computer decides to cooperate :)

Here's to another hot week of running!

Angus Glen 5-Miler Race Report

Last night was the Angus Glen Canada day 5-miler .  I thought the distance was perfect, and I haven't run an evening race in a long time.  Also, the venue is nice with a post-race dinner and terrific race kits/goody bags.  My brother also signed up, so we planned to go together with our spouses and kiddies.

Yesterday also happened to be the staff luncheon at my school (I wanted to attend even though I am currently on maternity leave!).  I figured I had lots of time to get home from the luncheon, meet up with my brother, load up and get to the race (which was located on the opposite side of Toronto).

Longer luncheon than expected.  Loading 4 kids/4 adults into 2 cars.  Emergency stop for gas.  Long weekend traffic. Hmmmm.

Sometimes the race begins well before we even get to the starting line.  We had *exactly* enough time to get to the race, assuming there was no traffic.  As we got on the highway, we were slowed to a breeezy 40km/hour.  Not a good sign.  We still had to pick up our race kits and get changed (yes, we weren't even in our race gear yet!).  Luckily for me, I have the most calm and cool husband ever, and he was behind the wheel, assuring me that everything would be ok as we drove, bumper to bumper with the rest of Toronto.

I hardly could believe it when we finally were getting off the highway at our exit.  It looked like we might just make it to the starting line.  Thank goodness for tinted windows, as I changed completely into my running gear...even applying a brand new bandaid to my poor heel blister.  Race kit pick up was supposed to end half an hour before the race start, but they were still there at 5:50pm when I arrived to grab it.  I ran back out to the parking lot to drop off the race kits and meet up with my bro, who was changing.  We ran into the club house to grab our chips (those horrible ankle-strap ones--ick) and navigate our way to the starting line.
This race had wave starts, as the course takes place entirely on cart paths, and they don't need runners cramped for space, running all willy-nilly on the golf course.  We assumed we would start in the first wave.  But, as the count down of less than 2 minutes until wave one started, both Scott and I decided a quick potty break was more important than being in the first wave.  We ran back into the club house to use the facilities.  **wow, what a great decision!  I really had to go, and my post-pregnancy bladder would not have made it!**

So, 3 minutes later we were off with wave 2.  I was still a bit rushed, and had forgotten to reset my Garmin.  It was all messed up, but at least I could tell my pace, and my mile splits.

I ran the Angus Glen 10-miler a little over two years ago.  By far, it was the worst race I have ever run.  I felt slow, and out of shape during the entire race.  It was the best thing that ever happened to me, as I vowed to work harder as a runner after that race, and I really haven't looked back.  Well, last night I realized that perhaps some of that feeling of being slow/out of shape may have had to do with the course.  It is a golf course, so the entire race is rolling hills, with a few really steep ones added into the mix.  It is also difficult to gage which direction one is running, as it twists and turns continuously.  Last night I just felt like I couldn't stay on top of my pace.  Perhaps the lack of mental preparation for the race (literally having 10 minutes from highway to race start) made me feel "off".  I definitely felt happy to finished the darn thing, that is for sure.

Here are the numbers...

30/228 finishers

8/148 females

1/37 age group (yay! I won my age group!)

39:26 (7:54/mile pace)

After the race, we enjoyed a nice bbq dinner, and I collected my prize ($25 running room gift card and a golf hat).  Thank you so much to my sister-in-law Chrissy and my wonderful husband for chasing after entertaining all the kiddies while Scott and I were out on the course running!

Our drive home was so much more calm (3 boys sleeping in the back didn't hurt) than the drive there.  

When will I learn not to leave the commute to the race to the last minute?  A couple of years ago a friend and I were so late for a race (there was a slow snow plow in our way) that when I ran to grab our race kits while she parked the car, I mixed them up and we ended up running 'as each other'.  oops.

How patriotic and cute are they?!

Happy Canada Day!  

p.s.  My brother did very well.  He was fully out of my sight by the halfway point!  He finished 15th overall!