I'm coming at you today with very little motivation to work and more to write about running.
I haven't written my annual Tely blog yet so what better time than right now?
Besides, its FriYAY!
TGIF- Happy Weekend.
Whatever you want to call it.
Every year I run the Tely 10 in St. John's. It is the one race that made me fall in love with running and it is also the one where I say every year, " i'm going to sit this one out next year and be a spectator"..... NEVER HAPPENS
I feel obligated EVERY TIME.
I figure I will run it for ten consecutive years and then finally feel like I can breathe and just watch all the excitement.
I have this theory that every second year is a Golden year. Meaning that every second year we get a GREAT day for running. If you go back through the dates of the tely's for the past 6 years, look at the weather and compare my times, well you might just believe me. It seems that every other year is a heatwave, raging humidity or really wet conditions.
This year we experienced something like 94% humidity... HOLY SHIT!!!
When I woke at 6 am, it was raining cats and dogs. I took one look outside and seriously considered going back to bed. When it is raining like that there is no way to stay dry OR prevent chafing and blisters.
At that moment I thought to myself, Why do I even do this?
I can tell you that it was not the last time I had that thought through out the day.
Luckily the rain stopped just before I left to head to the start line. I had a rain poncho in tow just in case it rained while we were waiting to start.
fortunately the rain held off, the humidity however did not.
It came with vengeance.
I haven't written my annual Tely blog yet so what better time than right now?
Besides, its FriYAY!
TGIF- Happy Weekend.
Whatever you want to call it.
Every year I run the Tely 10 in St. John's. It is the one race that made me fall in love with running and it is also the one where I say every year, " i'm going to sit this one out next year and be a spectator"..... NEVER HAPPENS
I feel obligated EVERY TIME.
I figure I will run it for ten consecutive years and then finally feel like I can breathe and just watch all the excitement.
I have this theory that every second year is a Golden year. Meaning that every second year we get a GREAT day for running. If you go back through the dates of the tely's for the past 6 years, look at the weather and compare my times, well you might just believe me. It seems that every other year is a heatwave, raging humidity or really wet conditions.
This year we experienced something like 94% humidity... HOLY SHIT!!!
When I woke at 6 am, it was raining cats and dogs. I took one look outside and seriously considered going back to bed. When it is raining like that there is no way to stay dry OR prevent chafing and blisters.
At that moment I thought to myself, Why do I even do this?
I can tell you that it was not the last time I had that thought through out the day.
Luckily the rain stopped just before I left to head to the start line. I had a rain poncho in tow just in case it rained while we were waiting to start.
fortunately the rain held off, the humidity however did not.
It came with vengeance.
Photo: Margaret Brown-Bury
I did my routine warm up while waiting to start, actively looking for familiar faces.
It is always nice to start with a friend even though you may part ways a few kms in.
My stoke levels were high when I found my friend Maggie.
Maggie and I have shared some sort of love of running for about 7 years now, we have even travelled together to run races. It is a face I am always glad to see at the start and finish.
She get's it!
The race started the same way it does every year. Its kind of comforting on some level when you know exactly what to expect. When the gun went off we slowly made our way closer to the start line. Wave by wave!
Two kilometres in and I thought to myself, sweet jesus is it just me or is it HOT. The sweat was POURING off me.
Truth be told it wasn't that hot, the humidity however was near unbearable.
I was able to keep a 5:20-5:40 pace until about kilometer 9.5.
I started to get cold chills and my arms were numbing. I knew that heat exhaustion posed a serious threat so I dropped my pace back to about a 6 minute to 6:30 minute kilometer and stayed there for the duration of the race knowing that I was not going to finish within my "non" goal time of 1:30:00.
There were a few times throughout the run where I was swept with cold shivers. This is a nerve wrecking feeling for most. You know your performance is compromised. Fearful that I wouldn't be able to finish, I made sure I stopped at every water station, drinking water and gatorade. I also consumed every salt tablet I had taken with me.
Totally underestimating how much I would sweat during this race, I had only taken 3 salt tabs which would allow for one every 30 minutes. Realistically I needed one every 15 minutes to keep my levels where they should be.
On days like this, it is impossible to hydrate properly in my opinion.
While I found dehydration and the humidity tough during this race I never took my heart condition into consideration. I have an MVP or Mitral Valve Prolapse. This at times can alter my athletic performance due to the fact that blood can sometimes pool in the left atrium of my heart causing fatigue, was this a factor on this day? I'll never know. While this condition does not restrict my physical activity it is something that requires monitoring to ensure that surgical repair isn't necessary. It can certainly be scary to think about at times but most importantly I can live a normal life and do the things that I love.
It is always nice to start with a friend even though you may part ways a few kms in.
My stoke levels were high when I found my friend Maggie.
Maggie and I have shared some sort of love of running for about 7 years now, we have even travelled together to run races. It is a face I am always glad to see at the start and finish.
She get's it!
The race started the same way it does every year. Its kind of comforting on some level when you know exactly what to expect. When the gun went off we slowly made our way closer to the start line. Wave by wave!
Two kilometres in and I thought to myself, sweet jesus is it just me or is it HOT. The sweat was POURING off me.
Truth be told it wasn't that hot, the humidity however was near unbearable.
I was able to keep a 5:20-5:40 pace until about kilometer 9.5.
I started to get cold chills and my arms were numbing. I knew that heat exhaustion posed a serious threat so I dropped my pace back to about a 6 minute to 6:30 minute kilometer and stayed there for the duration of the race knowing that I was not going to finish within my "non" goal time of 1:30:00.
There were a few times throughout the run where I was swept with cold shivers. This is a nerve wrecking feeling for most. You know your performance is compromised. Fearful that I wouldn't be able to finish, I made sure I stopped at every water station, drinking water and gatorade. I also consumed every salt tablet I had taken with me.
Totally underestimating how much I would sweat during this race, I had only taken 3 salt tabs which would allow for one every 30 minutes. Realistically I needed one every 15 minutes to keep my levels where they should be.
On days like this, it is impossible to hydrate properly in my opinion.
While I found dehydration and the humidity tough during this race I never took my heart condition into consideration. I have an MVP or Mitral Valve Prolapse. This at times can alter my athletic performance due to the fact that blood can sometimes pool in the left atrium of my heart causing fatigue, was this a factor on this day? I'll never know. While this condition does not restrict my physical activity it is something that requires monitoring to ensure that surgical repair isn't necessary. It can certainly be scary to think about at times but most importantly I can live a normal life and do the things that I love.
Photo: Greg Greening Photography
Once I had reached Lemarchant Road, I knew the end was near, I only had a few kilometres left. The crowds became more intense and the cheering became louder. Harvey Road, Even Louder!!
This was just the push that I needed to get to the finish line.
The minute I laid eyes on the chain link fencing, my heart rate spiked and my pace followed. This meant that the finish line was just around the corner and the end was in site. For many kms of this race I felt like I was seriously in the Pain Cave but after a recent 30 km run I'm not sure that I was.
It is difficult to embrace the feeling of crossing that finish line after such a tough race coupled with a racing heart but I held my head high and smiled.
I had completed my 6th Tely 10.
Waiting for me was my Mom & Dad, Pictured on the right who get up at a silly hour in the morning to drop me at the start line and head to the finish about an hour later in huge crowds. After hugs and photo's it was then time to try and find my partner and other running club members. The real challenge!
In the six years I have run this race this was definitely one of the hardest. I'm not certain any year can beat my 2013 Tely. Now that year was some serious pain cave running.
Like many things, running improves with time. You become more experienced, you find out what works best for you and your body and how to better prepare for less than ideal racing conditions. While the temperatures with humidity were comparable to 2013 if you look at my times for those two years you will notice that there is about 12 minutes in my finish time. In 2013 I trained for the Tely, In 2018 I did not and still came out with a better time in tough conditions.
Hands down this was one of the toughest races for me yet this year, with that said I haven't run my first ultra yet.
Check back with me in a few months on that one!
Lets talk recovery!
It. was. BRUTAL.
I felt great the day of with the exception of some dehydration which I quickly addressed. A few days later it hit me, I had lost all motivation to run and felt tired ALL THE TIME. Was this the result of a hard race with the combination of dehydration and a heart condition?? I'm willing to bet.
It took me a few weeks to start feeling like myself again. I still went to my weekly group rides and weekly trail run but that was it. My training had been cut in half. It took a few long runs, R & R and good conversation with friends to get me back.
Sometimes the body just needs a rest. Yes! even in the middle of training for one of the biggest races you've ever ran, your body needs a break. Accepting that this is okay is the difficult part.
This was just the push that I needed to get to the finish line.
The minute I laid eyes on the chain link fencing, my heart rate spiked and my pace followed. This meant that the finish line was just around the corner and the end was in site. For many kms of this race I felt like I was seriously in the Pain Cave but after a recent 30 km run I'm not sure that I was.
It is difficult to embrace the feeling of crossing that finish line after such a tough race coupled with a racing heart but I held my head high and smiled.
I had completed my 6th Tely 10.
Waiting for me was my Mom & Dad, Pictured on the right who get up at a silly hour in the morning to drop me at the start line and head to the finish about an hour later in huge crowds. After hugs and photo's it was then time to try and find my partner and other running club members. The real challenge!
In the six years I have run this race this was definitely one of the hardest. I'm not certain any year can beat my 2013 Tely. Now that year was some serious pain cave running.
Like many things, running improves with time. You become more experienced, you find out what works best for you and your body and how to better prepare for less than ideal racing conditions. While the temperatures with humidity were comparable to 2013 if you look at my times for those two years you will notice that there is about 12 minutes in my finish time. In 2013 I trained for the Tely, In 2018 I did not and still came out with a better time in tough conditions.
Hands down this was one of the toughest races for me yet this year, with that said I haven't run my first ultra yet.
Check back with me in a few months on that one!
Lets talk recovery!
It. was. BRUTAL.
I felt great the day of with the exception of some dehydration which I quickly addressed. A few days later it hit me, I had lost all motivation to run and felt tired ALL THE TIME. Was this the result of a hard race with the combination of dehydration and a heart condition?? I'm willing to bet.
It took me a few weeks to start feeling like myself again. I still went to my weekly group rides and weekly trail run but that was it. My training had been cut in half. It took a few long runs, R & R and good conversation with friends to get me back.
Sometimes the body just needs a rest. Yes! even in the middle of training for one of the biggest races you've ever ran, your body needs a break. Accepting that this is okay is the difficult part.
If you've ever thought about running and training for a race, this race is high on my list of recommended races. There are a few training plans out there for this race, basically one to suit all running levels, even a very beginner. I can promise you that you wont regret it. It will be an experience you wont forget, and you never know, you may discover a new love!
Until next time!
-E
Until next time!
-E