As an introduction, I have to confess that I was both ready and not ready for this race. Ready in that, technically, I had done the runs, worked on my fitness, and was pretty physically prepared as I was going to be. Not ready in that my head was a mess. Yesterday was spent dashing around town, doing this that and the other, and not relaxing and thinking my race through. I generally got stuck on, "Holy crap, I'm racing, it's going to be hot, what if I..." with a general end result that was worse than death, injury, or a bad time. I like to work myself up about the little stuff.
But I hydrated like (almost) a pro, despite the new research that constant hydration is possibly not the best thing for you (just like eggs, innocent last week, are apparently as bad as smoking, but I really don't know how you'd smoke an egg). I got my race kit ready, I set my alarm, I had my boyfriend informed, and all seemed ready to go.
I did get to the race on time, though the gear check signs were a little misleading (an arrow pointed left means left, an arrow pointed up means go through this break in the fence). I got all checked in, tried to find an appropriate start place (which ended up being just behind the 2:30 pace bunny), and all too soon, we were heading out.
The route, I knew, was going to be an out-and-back, from the Northlands Park down to Somewhere in the River Valley. I started off very confident and strong (despite yesterday's emotional upheaval). Despite a frequently patched-and-rutted road (thank you, Edmonton City Council), I was moving strong, and had to remind myself that my pace target was 6:00m/km, not 5:45, or even worse, 5:30. The thing I loved was the very strong Edmonton Police Service presence, and got a high-five from a cop as I went by. I think I may make this a race custom, if I can. The first five kilometers were not through a necessarily pretty area of Edmonton, despite the River Valley on the left side. After that, we started moving closer to downtown, and the last unprettiness is the unscenic pre-Chinatown area. However, there was no Lilydale packing plant, so Edmonton wins on that.
Since we ran across Chinatown instead of through, I did not say a thing about stopping for dim-sum. I was already starting to feel some wear on my body, but kept on truckin'. Through downtown Edmonton, we raced right by Allison's apartment building (if she weren't racing, I'd have stopped for a break), and through a little arch into Railtown. Starting with the Edmonton Veterinary Emergency Clinic, the place was rife with cheerers-on, applauders, and signs. Many were the usual 'You're Doing Great!' or 'Keep Going', but some were fun, like 'Why Do All the Pretty Girls Run Away From Me?' I shouted over my shoulder, "Because we're hoping you're chasing!"
After Railtown, with all its lovely shade, we passed by the Royal Alberta Museum, and it was about this time, at 8km that my left knee started to make its presence known. Not the usual gentle, "Um, I beg your pardon," but the, "Oi, what the hell do you think you're doing up there?" It was a pain on the outside of the kneecap, so I'm pretty sure it's rejecting the runner lifestyle. Or whatever, I didn't care. I had passed the 2:30 pace bunny and was feeling strong, despite my knee. In fact, I think I passed a fair number of people at this time. Down 102 Ave we went, and suddenly, it seemed like heaven - people were turning! Thank goodness, the turn around point!
I was a little self-delusional at this point. No, the corner was not the turn-around point (as anyone who had really studied the race map would have told me), there was still another kilometer and some in the affluent neighbourhood of People-Who-Don't-Listen-To-Insurance-Companies-Or-Common-Sense. Yes, it's the beautiful neighbourhood along the River Valley where homes have been known to slide into the river below because they were built too close to the edge. Fortunately, no homes fell in today, and we safely made it past the turn-around point and again into shade.
On my way back, around 11km, my right knee was starting to complain too. I would take extra walk breaks, and for a while, Advil helped a bit. However, after leaving downtown, there was little shade. I tried to take my last Advil, and it fell to the ground. To hell with it. Keep going. Once I passed the 18km marker, I realized I really could finish this in a suitable time. My hamstring had felt a bit achey on and off, but I really felt that 3km more was not going to be much of a problem. By then I had my fellow racers who I could not lose against (one of whom turned out to be doing the marathon, bless her), and I made it, and kept it, past them. Walk breaks were a risk, though - every time I took one, it took longer to start up running again. I would do the stiff-knee waddle for a little while before whatever was hurting warmed up (or just resigned itself to a life of servitude and pain). I took one more walk-break at 21km before realizing that, unlike the Calgary 10km, my own home city wouldn't lull me into thinking 0.1km was not that far away. I started to run again, and kept up a powerful (at the time, for me, it was powerful), up around the bend, through the first arch, and up the little hillet to the second arch, and I was done! DONE!
It turns out that I came in at 2 hours, 17 minutes, and 24 seconds, another 10 minutes off my last half marathon time! I'm very happy with this.
Now, it's naptime.
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