My Big, Fat, Bluenose Half Marathon Disappointment

So. Here’s what went down. The day was perfect for running: 6 degrees, overcast, only a slight wind. It was a bit chilly for a start, but I was in singlet and shorts and feeling fine.

I lined up at the front and got a good start. I stayed relaxed, established my rhythm and didn’t encounter any people congestion problems. Things went well around the Citadel, and then we scooted down Maynard. Here we encountered a horde of 10k runners and had to start weaving in and out of traffic – not something you really want to be doing when you’re racing hard, but no problem.

The front end of the half had spread out after a couple of k. There were two in front and then a pack of four of us vying for third. We grouped together and were content to carry each other for awhile.

Then disaster.

On the first loop through the north end of Halifax, the course turns right at Russell St. On the second loop, the course keeps going on Maynard and turns right at Columbus. You would imagine that making that right turn on Russell St. would be important enough to warrant stationing a course marshal there to instruct runners to turn. Alas, there was no such course marshal. As it turns out, the four of us ran right past the turn and went all the way to Columbus without a single person telling us we were off course. With this misdirection, the four of us added 5 or 6 minutes of running.

By the time we rejoined the pack streaming down Russell St., we were hundreds back. Not fun. So we picked up the pace and just started passing people. By the time I got to Point Pleasant Park, I’d dropped 2 of the other “misdirected” guys, and I’d finally caught up with the 1:30 pace bunny. With half the race left to run, I knew that I would at least get under 1:30.

I kept going and eventually dropped the other “misdirected” guy. My pace felt good and my legs and lungs were doing okay, but I didn’t have that extra energy that comes from being in a race for the podium. I worked hard and ran what would’ve been at least a 1:18 (a friend ran with me for about 10k and all the splits he took were 3:40 or faster), but ended up 11th with a 1:24.

So it goes.

Here’s the thing, though. There has been a bit of press recently about the bad blood between race organizers and faster local runners. Very few competitive locals are willing to run this race, but I wanted to run it to help start building a bridge between the group of fast marathoners (most of whom I know and train with) and the Bluenose. I wanted to be able to say: “look, they’ve fixed the logistical problems and organized a much better race.” But the fact of the matter is they haven’t. In fact, the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th place marathoners all went way off course as well. Every year, there is confusion on the course, and the organizers have not been able to fix the problem. Part of the problem is that four races all intersect in odd and confusing ways. Runners get in each others’ ways and fast runners are forced to add on mileage weaving through the crowds. It’s disappointing.

In the end, the event is great; the race is not.

Oh well. I’m not sure if this fires me up to run the thing again or if it makes me want to stay away from the race forever. All I know is that I can’t really help mend the break between the race and faster runners. But perhaps something positive and constructive can come from this – the race’s problem is not the course; it’s the logistics. And those can be ironed out with good planning.

If anyone cares enough...

Blue Nose Update

Work and travel have kept me from blogging lately. I’m still running. I’m still planning to run the Blue Nose Half Marathon. But my ambitions for the race have changed. The thing about working a bit too much and being on the road is that it plays havoc with the kind of consistent routines I rely on to run well – for one, my eating has gone to pot. Well, I can’t really complain – I’m eating great. But that means I’m putting on a few pounds – and a few pounds translates to slower times. That’s just the way it is. I’m not making the kind of choices about food that would allow me to lose the weight I need to in order to run my best. I just don’t have the motivation this time.

I’m also not hitting all my workouts – and I didn’t get to talk to Cliff before I started travelling (he was stuck in Boston after the marathon – there’s a story waiting to be told there), so I didn’t get a sense of what I should be doing in the lead up to the race. No big deal. I’ll just do my best on the day – what else is there?

So now I’m thinking a 1:16 is way out of reach. I do hope to run under 1:20, though. That translates to 3:47/k or 6:06/mile. I’ve been able to do somewhat comfortable miles at this pace, so it might be possible – but the course is a tough one, so I’m not holding my breath.

The race is in 15 days. Normally, I would be intensely focused on everything to do with the race, but I haven’t been able to focus with the kind of intensity I’d like. I haven’t even studied or run on the course. Again, this is just life, so there’s no reason to get worked up.

What this means, though, is I should be able to run the race with the kind of joy my racing lacked last season. I’m going to leave the watch at home and just pace by feel. I’m really looking forward to the freedom of that. There’s no reason for a non-elite runner like me to get so worked up about splits and so forth. I take racing seriously... but it still needs to be for joy.

So that’s where things stand. I’m going to run my hardest, but it may not be my best. Who knows, though – maybe being well fed and rested will pay off with a fast time. We’ll see in two weeks!

The Blahs

After watching the finish of both the women’s and the men’s races at Boston, I should be inspired. But I find that, despite those beautiful displays of athleticism, my own running lacks lustre. I’m still putting in the miles and putting in the workouts, but something’s missing. I’m hoping it’s just a phase or a passing mood. Yesterday, I ran my easy run with joy, which is something I haven’t felt in a number of runs, so maybe things are starting to shift for the better.

I’m being a little vague here, but it’s not intentional – my running mood is vague these days. I find I have no desire to race. I think the fact that my Lung Run result wasn’t significantly better than last year has had a much deeper negative effect than I’d thought. I’m working hard, but the results are not coming – and I’m tired of being frustrated after every race. I’m not willing to admit that, from here on in, I may only make small gains until I get too old to make any gains at all. But part of me suspects that if I had any big gains to make, I would’ve made them by now.

The reality is that I may not get much faster than this.

I think the only way to deal with this dread fact is to find the joy in running in and of itself and not worry about the racing. I love training. I love the process of trying to get faster. But I hate not getting faster. I guess I need to focus more on training and less on race results – but it’s not easy. It feels a little like giving up.

My goal half marathon is still a month away, but I don’t feel any excitement about it yet. I tried to do a 6-mile race pace run last Saturday, but I couldn’t hold the pace for the whole run. I’m not ready to run 1:16 – and I have to face the fact that I may not run 1:16 – and that it’s okay. I want to run hard, but I want to enjoy the race no matter where I finish or what time I finish in.

I guess what I’m saying is that I want to find a way to motivate myself to do my best without relying on race times. I think this is a predicament many runners past their prime face.

Oh well. Time to lace up the shoes and hit the track. There’ll be time to figure this out later.