From smile to pain in 33 minutes 21 seconds

A bit about my latest running adventure at the Prairie Inn Pioneer 8K, Jan 11th, 2009 in Saanichton, BC.



That's an easy picture, I knew Crys was going to be there and that's about 300m from the start line. I am fresh, rested, hydrated and in good spirits. That's about to change...the smile will fade away....



This second picture was taken exactly at the same spot as the first one BUT after a 4 km loop. I am pacing myself, knowing that there is still 4 long km to go. I want to go fast here but not too fast...I need gas in my tank to last long enough. A 8 k race is not long but just long enough to burn out if you are not careful! I try to smile (I thought I was smiling) but I cannot. My heart rate is now at 170 beats per minute (BPM, 88% from max heart rate)and my pace is just above 4 min/km. It's about to get more difficult....



There was a guy in front of me....I made him my prey and I ate him for lunch. I wanted to make sure this guy was not going to take any spot from my age group. At this point I am totally exhausted, I just want to finish and I no longer care about my time and performance. My left side of the brain is sending weird negative messages and I try to fight those nasty demons...if you run and ever pushed yourself, you know exactly what I mean...My heart rate is now 192 BPM (99% max heart rate) and my speed is 3.5 minutes/km. Not fast compared to elite runners but fast for me. I did it, I have a new PR that I improved by 38 seconds, and an average pace of 4 minutes 11 seconds/km. I am happy....time for chicken soup...

I finished 22nd of my age group (40-44 yrs). The first guy in my group finished in 25 minutes, 42 seconds...a pace of 3 minutes 13 seconds / km. The top male finished in 23 minutes 35 seconds....ahead of me...way, way ahead of me!