2013 - 6 HOUR KINGSTON TRANSCENDENCE - RACE REPORT

5 Days to Go

Hello and wellcome back. It has not been long since Sulphur Springs 50 mile - only 2 weeks ago. Now the OUS (Ontario Ultra Series) is in full swing that's about the extent of rest you can expect between ultra events if you want to complete allot of them.

This is going to be my first timed event. I'm actually looking forward to it except for the 5 hour drive. 6 hours around a paved footpath which loops around Fort Frederick in Kingston. Well, at least I won't get lost. There are far fewer runners entered than other evnts - only about 58 so far so I guess I'll be seeing the same faces and asses allot.

I've been reading as much as I can about the course, watching You-Tube videos - of which there is one excellent one on the Sri Chinmoy website which really gives you an excellent idea about the course, being only 880 meters long which is just over 1/2 mile or 1km. [VIDEO]

Sri Chinmoy is a religious group whose founding principles include learning about spirituality and yourself through endurance sporting events. Hence the name 'Self-Transcendence'. Who knows what I'll discover. I'm not very religious but after 6 hours I might have an epiphany. Another unique feature about this event is that you have personal lap 'counters' who are members of the religion. I've read that they have a good spread of goodies each time you come around the lap and after the race there is more food. 

The weather for me is always a factor and so far it looks like 21 degrees and raining on the day. That is better than 35 degrees and baking heat/humidity. Some runners love that but this is a very open looking course and I don't want to look like road-kill after 5 hours, even if I smell a bit like one.

After Sulphur Springs I was very stiff the next day but forced myself to go for a walk which I think really helped. I recovered far faster than after the PYP 50km race and hurt allot less over the following days. By Thursday I went out for a 10km run on the treadmill and on Friday I did a 10 miler on the streets at the hottest part of the day. I want my body to get used to hot days. I can't say I enjoyed that run. It was a real slog with allot of walking breaks after 5 miles. My intention is a final 1/2 marathon run tonight (Monday), slow and easy. My 2 blisters really healed quickly where the duct tape moved and I popped/drained them easily. The feet are good to go and the only remaining issues are a sore muscle on the front top of my leg (don't know the technical term) and my issue on the hip which if I keep it gelled with Voltaren seems to keep the discomfort at bay.

I am doing far less mileage than I would have expected and seem to use my 2 weeks between races as a taper. My first 4 days after each is a break, then a light 10km and a 1/2 marathon to get my body used to a longer run before the next race. I'm sure others approach things differently but that's been my strategy so far. I know my 10km times would be crap now but I feel ok about doing 6 hours on paved foot path after running SS two weeks ago in 9 hours. Hopefully I can walk less in this race though.

Race Predictions

Baring any problems, I hope to achieve 36-40 miles. I don't see many of the usual names on the confirmation list but hopefully I'll see some of you there. I hope all your races and training are going well. I'll update you soon with my race report - fingers crossed for Saturday.

:)

POST RACE REPORT

Well, I wrote allot and then my computer crashed and lost it all so here I go again. . .

First, let's get the distance/pre race prediction out of the way so you don't have to read any more if you don't want to. I managed 60km or 37.2 miles so well within my prediction but honestly, I should have been able to crack 40 miles easily which is a shame. I'll tell you all about it if you stick with me :)

I did my final 1/2 marathon during the week leading up to the race, not on Monday, but Tuesday. It was a fairly OK run overall but when I got home the top of my left foot really hurt and I was icing it 3 times a day until Friday morning. At this point I was fairly sure it was a stress fracture but figured I would go to Kingston and do my best. I have an MRI scheduled for next Wednesday which was booked about 3 weeks ago because of the hip pain I was having - and I called up the doctors office to ask if they could scan my foot at the same time. He wanted to see me so I got in on Friday afternoon. He manipulated the foot but I was not feeling any pain when he did this. He said he would ask them to do it at the same time but no guarantee and just in case he wrote me out a form to get an X-ray.

The Night Before

I got all my stuff packed and didn't sleep great. I got up at 2:00am, had some toast and was out of the house by 2:30am. The drive was pretty uneventful. I was shocked how developed it was along the 401 east of Toronto. Huge modern high-rises. Traffic was not too bad and only a few little spatters of rain along the way. It took 3.5 hours to get there and I arrived in the Parade Square and there were lots of people, marquees, etc. It turns out there was a Cancer Run or walk going on in the central square from I believe 7:00pm the previous night. The track was a mud bath and there were still some people walking around the track. There was music playing but the event was almost over.

I drove from my spot there and found another car park immediately by the walled gate and it was right where I needed to be. I ate my cereal and curled up in the back seat with my sleeping bag but I could hear the constant 'thump-thump' of music and it was light out so really it was just relaxing. I did go for a little walk first to make sure I was in the right place and found all the trimmings for our race and looked out over the water and took a few photos of where we'd be running

Setting up marquee for counters - through gate on right is where the aid station was - start/finish was almost here

Walled fort with tower in middle - Military school is building behind wall - behind me is the embankment down to water

Loop we did around the flag pole, down to the counters and the start/finish and aid station and down to waterfront

We ran along this road - in distance is Kingston

The course is on this path - people arriving and setting up

More runners

Eventually I heard activity and the volunteers were arriving to put together the tables and food and marquees for the counters, etc. I picked up my personalised bib and T-shirt and set up my chair and bits/pieces infront of my car. The race went right by where I parked so it made it very easy in case you needed anything.

Other runners arrived and were setting up and I said hello to a few of the familiar faces in the crowd. Ron and Helen were there of course and I finally found out who Kimberly van Delst is. I kept seeing her name on EVERY single ultra event. She has short reddish hair and a lovely bright smile. There was a friendly duck who stopped by and was walking between all the runners accepting bread graciously! ha ha.

I finished applying my creams, popping my pills, taking some gel and finishing a banana, made sure I had my good luck lock of hair and then just watched the activity around me.

My good luck charm

Ready (somewhat) for race number 3 in the OUS calendar

With a few minutes before the start the race director ushered us to a convenient place for a group photo. We all got one after the race which was a really nice touch. Next time I'll have to get out from behind Ron's multi-coloured cap!

2013 Kingston 6 hour Transendence runners

The Race

After that we walked through the gates into the Fort. I introduced myself to my personal lap counter and thanked him (he was responsible for 4-6 runners) and we lined up on the footpath. Somewhat stupidly I lined up near the front. We had a minutes's silence when we were all lined up and then the Director was saying, OK, 5-4-3-2-1-GO! Off we went!

The weather was overcast but not raining, and it was a comfortable temperature. You got a little breeze off the water at one point and then it died as you went around the tip and came back into the fort. I felt it was perfect conditions. I passed a number of people on the first lap that had started ahead of me in the line and there were 2 runners ahead of me by the end of the first lap. I kept seeing them as we came back into the fort as you pass the flag-pole. It took a while but eventually you start passing the slower runners but it was very friendly/positive and the fast runners and slower runners we equally friendly. Those that had head-phones on it was hard to chat with but we all have our favourite methods of running. I prefer running without music and taking in the ambiance of the race.

This type of race is very bad for me for pacing because there is always someone ahead that I want to catch up to. I really HAVE to invest in one of these GPS watches so I can monitor my pace and ignore everybody around me. You would pass the slower runners and then it would get harder to catch the ones ahead because they were the faster runners. I knew I was going too quickly but my plan was to try to get to a marathon in a good time and then evaluate what I had left in the tank. Every time I would pass the covered marquee with the counters my guy would point and yell out 'GOTCHA ALEX'. Then within a few feet through the gate there were all the munchies at the aid station with my car immediately to the left. For awhile I had my hand-held and belt and after about 20 laps I dropped the belt pack.

It was going well and I was strong for the first 2-2.5 hours. Around this time they posted the top 7 men and women on a board which would change as positions changed. At that point I was in 2nd position overall. Ron asked me a few times as I passed him what position I was in and he hedged his bets saying I'd win it. Thanks Ron but I was not so confident. ha ha. Just after 2 hours the leader lapped me. I could hear footsteps behind me and he followed me through 1/2 a lap but I hate having someone on my tail so when I got to the car I decided to pick up some orange slices I'd prepared and let him sail by.

I was tired by this point and knew I was going far too quickly, probably close to 8mph and knew I didn't have the fitness to maintain that much longer so off I went and tried to slow it down. I got up beside Kimberly to stay with her. She had headphones on but took them out to say hi but I told her I just wanted to stick with her for awhile but not to mind me and carry on with her music. I hung out with her for awhile but I got the feeling she was slowing on purpose just to motivate me to carry on which is OK. Not everybody likes running with someone so I drew ahead. Then, at some point my foot started to have really bad shooting pains on the top every time I landed and I knew that I was in doo-doo.

I couldn't run on it anymore. I tried walking a few hundred feet and started running again but immediately there were stabbing pains and I knew it was likely a stress fracture. I was concerned about making things worse so spent a full hour walking. I popped my fourth Advil and did get to the car and take off the shoe and apply the gel to the top of the foot. I have no idea if this helped or not.

It was very frustrating being passed over and over again and watch my name slip from 2nd to off the leader board. Everybody must have thought I had bonked from going too quickly and chances are I would have had to slow down but not yet! I tried to keep calm about the whole thing and I was able to walk without pain so I just carried on. I walked for awhile with another woman who was also injured and walked the whole thing. She was not giving up. At 4 hours I tried running again and was able to pick it up again for a little while. I started to lap some of the people who had been doing it to me for the last hour but it was too little too late and I was soon back to walking but tried to run measured distances - running from the counters to the waterfront and then walking, then running to a discarded cup - then walking, etc.

During one of my running segments along the lake I felt sick and couldn't keep it back. I ran to the breakers and threw up about 4 times and then carried on. Sorry everybody that had to see that - at least in the woods there is more cover. I got pretty muddled up with my drinks/hydration/salt intake and was alternating with the belt pack, holding the handheld or holding a bottled water - so I probably got off my normal regime. Anyway, by this point I was suffering and wanted to be done with this race. The time was counting down and more people were walking and suffering for sure - the leaders all seemed to be doing well though and were cruising by. People were all very supportive and the volunteers were very helpful. I dropped my handheld with them a few times and asked them to fill it with water to pick up on my next circuit.

At one point, for abut 1/2 hour, a bag-piper stood on the top of the earth ramparts and played while we ran by which was very inspiring. I think because of the military school there it is standard but it was nice. Along the water we'd see lots of sailboats and ferries going by once in awhile. With the last few minutes to go as we came by the start/finish we were handed a ziplock bag with sand inside and our name on it which we carried on our final lap out and when the time ran out we dropped our bag where we finished when the horn sounded. I happened to be right by a woman and we hugged after our efforts and then high-fived all the guys that were walking back to the start. It was really nice to congratulate all the fellow runners who participated in the event. It's something you are not often able to do in a different type of run where people are all finishing at varying times.



The leader board after the finish

After the run I headed back to the car and shook more hands and got talking to a number of fellow runners - one did very well and was in the military and another guy I sat at the back of his van and we chatted about Sulphur Springs. We both started shivering badly and so I put on some layers and headed over to the buffet which was pasta with a tomato sauce, a nice wedge of bread, a salad and a juice. I sat down with everybody else in the chairs as we waited for the awards to be handed out and once I got some food inside me my shivering stopped.

Tired but happy I finished - 60km - 37.2 miles

Personalised certificate

The race Director got up and went through the winners and it was really nice and personal. Once they announced the top 3 men and women they handed out a certificate with your completed distance and one of the group photo shots from the start to every entrant. All the women competitors got a lovely rose also. Just as we got through the ceremony it started to rain just as they brought up a big cake which was for everybody but they said it was to cover all the birthdays taking place in June so those that had a June birthday got up. Most people by this point were heading off. I considered just crashing in the car for a few hours but didn't feel as stiff as normal and I wanted to drive home in the light although I was dreading the 401 going into Toronto on Saturday evening. It was not fun at all but I got home unscathed and got into the house, showered, unpacked food items and after a little pizza and TV headed up for an early night.

3rd place female

2nd place female

1st place female

3rd place Male - Gino de Carlo

2nd place Male - Patrick Campbell

1st place Male - Cameron Lutley

The following two days I'm stiff but really not as bad as other events - probably because of all the walking. The foot the next morning shows quite a bit of bruising so we'll see what the MRI or X-ray show. I have the Niagara 50km Ultra in less than 2 weeks and if it is fractured it would probably be a bad idea to run hard. Damn!

It was great to meet so many of you out there on the Kingston race. I look forward to meeting all of you again in future races.

For those of you considering this race it was very fun - small and intimate with allot of volunteer support. You are well taken care of and all levels of runners can do well here. The nice weather helped everybody. There is only one tiny incline with a corresponding downhill. It's all paved and there are only 2 sharp turns which might start bugging you 50 odd laps into the run. I personally enjoyed the run. Whatever you are training for, wherever in the world you are - carry on running :) Thank you for visiting. 


Bruising along the foot