Stampede Road Race - every dog has its day

Welcome to the longest 5k race report ever written. It might take longer to read than it did to run.

The movie based on the book

If you'd prefer to see the film, here it is: http://youtu.be/LVnatwHji-k 

The 5k novella 

To battle once more for the Stampede Road Race 5k, my 3rd after a 3 year absence. Back for more 5k madness, and perfect timing too, 5 weeks after the Calgary Marathon weekend and my first ever 50k ultra. 

It's a wonderfully friendly event, full of warmth. It fulfills the need for a race during Stampede, and has most of its best features without the annoyances (sorry, rant unavailable in your area). 

Not for the first time, the omnipotent organizers managed to get an F-18 to fly past. It did so twice before the race (in 2012, during), even tipping its wings the second time. 

C-training 

Since the 50k on May 31, the aim had been to stay healthy and get back into shape without injury. Hips and lower back remained stiff for a while, so the return of raw endurance had been gradual. 

Speed, however, was another matter. My approach was to do speed runs and tempos at the specified pace, but cut them short as needed. A couple of tempo runs were for 5k at 4:00 per k. The first was just 11 days post-race, inevitably fading in the final k. The following week was 8k at 4:10, which I completed doing mostly 4:05. Oops?

Thursday before the race was again 5k at 4:00, which I did with what felt like speed to spare. "Have I trained myself, post-difficult-50k, into PB shape?" 

The scene and scenery 

The course has gradient and used to have a fiddly turnaround about 500 metres from the end. It was changed a week prior. While it would be possible to eliminate the turnaround altogether, that would require a separate startline from the 10k and half marathon. It's a nice dream of mine, but a bit of an unreasonable expectation. The 5k was the event's minority pursuit with 350 runners, the other distances featuring 550 each.  

The turnaround was at about the 1.5 km point now, however a second uphill climb had been added. I'd need flat road to beat my PB of 19:18, my event PB was 19:46. The Stampede Road Race shares much of its route with the St Patrick's Road Race. Back in March, I had gasped my way to just under 20:00, fighting every centimetre to hold my pace at the end. 

There was also a northerly wind picking up speed that morning. It was rather cold too, which was not very spectator or wife-friendly. 

Start Me Up

"Am I going to get in your way?" asked a polite lady at the line. "I don't think so, I'm going for about 20 minutes." "Good, me too." Asked about the first turn, I gave a quick summary of the course, and chatted with another about pacing. This guy, from Montreal, had done track at college. 

An explosive start, I was lined up on the right to be on the inside for the first corner. A group of kids were on the left, so the 300 or so metres starting straight would be long enough for most of them to sprint themselves out before the turn.

"Maybe a little fast" said the Montrealer. Watch said 3:27 pace, so he had a point. First gradient: charged it as it was early and short.

Fellow blogger Sophia, aka The Mama Runs, was a course marshal, I gave a quick wave. 

Oh my watch!

Camera duly noted by a slowing runner, my Garmin beeped. Why was it going into powersave mode? Out loud when I realized I announced "Oh I didn't start my watch!"  

I decided to start it at the km 2 sign, after the turnaround. I had been using its speed reading to control my pace, I just wouldn't know my total time until the finish line. I now calculate that my average over the first 2 k was 3:53. Probably 3:46 and 4:00.

I was now thinking, given the wind and 2 climbs: "never mind a PB, but get a solid sub-20." 

Middle Earth

One of the Dragonflies that I paced in Banff gave me a wave up the second incline. I managed to sort of wave back. 

As I rounded the corner at the top, I wondered why it wasn't as steep as it used to be as I regained target pace very quickly. 3rd k was done in 3:55, a little quicker for the last 2 would make for a good day's work. 

Just as the downhill began, the 10k leading bikes came over the footbridge to rejoin the course. 

The 10k leader came gliding past, fabulous pace and technique. 

Something possessed me to film myself for the first time during a 5k. Obviously feeling fairly relaxed. 

End Game

2 corners, then the long straight back past the start. Directly into a headwind, I caught up to three others. Each seemed to be hoping for someone to take the lead and tuck in. 2 of them were in their early teens, and didn't have the strength to keep to the pace I wanted. I overtook all of them, then became the wind break they'd all been looking for. 

I clocked 3:50 for the fourth k. My race might've ended there as the guy behind was drafting me so closely we made contact. It was a brush rather than a full-on clip. I had heard that leaders of the Half had even tried to draft the course bikes.

Penultimate corner, and out of the head wind. Time to add some power. I heard a voice behind me say "you got this". Was that "Mr Clipper" behind? A spectator? I know it wasn't me talking to myself as it wasn't my accent. 

I swung out to take the corner off the road that joined the track. A course marshal briefly wondered what I was up to. 

The ground between the road and track was a little soft. As I got onto the track for the final 200 metres, my follower overtook with considerable speed. If I had drafted him instead, my time would have been slower. I was just glad he hadn't taken me out. 

Bolt Channelling 

Accelerating around the bend, I of course didn't know what my race time was. I had been aware of my pace and knew I was close to a PB. Halfway down the straight, I spotted the clock: 19:08. Time to sprint! 

The track finish is a favourite feature of this race. While for the St Patrick's race (which finishes at Stampede's turnaround) in March I was fighting to stop my pace collapsing, this time my inner Usain Bolt emerged. According to my Garmin data, I was traveling at 2:51/k at the line (to put it another way world record marathon pace), 3:44 for the final kilometre.

With 19:16 on the clock, I even dipped at the line. 

I put my arms in the air as it felt like winning, looked up to get even more oxygen in, then put my arms up again. 

There was Neil again, like a good luck charm, to capture my contorted face in close-up. Not suitable family viewing.

Bonus Bale

A-Chang was there as my personal photographer. Shall we call this one "runner's high"? 

I was waiting for the official results to find out my chip time. Finding myself at 10th overall, I moved my finger across to see 19:15. A PB by 3 seconds, result! 

Hold on, what's this? "Cat/pl 1/15"? I won my age group? Not my traditional 4th place?

So, up the hay bales I went, one of them a little wobbly.

A prize envelope and a cool Western themed medal. 

Stampede Road Race is very well supported with a lot of spectators, so I lingered a while up there...

...then a chilly breeze helped me down. 

What was my AG prize? $25 in Mizuno gear. "Enjoy your socks." To put it in perspective though, 2012's time which was some 30 seconds slower would've still got me AG 1st, though on that day it got me 5th. 

I certainly made the most of my moment in the sun/ on the hay, but the enduring satisfaction is always the exhilaration of race day, doing your best, and the collective joy of it all. 

Banff Marathon 10k - The Rabbit's Regeneration

The recovery continues 

The 50k was something different, in its aftermath another different experience seemed like a good way to continue the recovery. 

Summer's kicking in, though not all the time, unlike May 31's race itself, when it showed up early. 

Back to rebuilding core strength (while watching Netflix), needed to get back raw endurance. The hips still tire quite quickly, though time and hard work is gradually bringing them back. 

There's no shortage of speed however, and I certainly got a chuckle out of being in the lead on this segment on Garmin Connect. It makes a change from my collection of 4th places.

A different idea

I was asked and charmed into being a pace bunny at the Banff Marathon event's 10k distance back in April. 

Through A-Chang and some of my videos, I am apparently a minor celebrity in Calgary's Chinese community. There's an social media grouping called the Dragon Warriors with whom I have a little involvement too. I amuse many with a level of Chinese good enough to make hilarious mistakes. 

The general idea was to pace a group of 6 ladies to 60 minutes, a couple of them would probably pull ahead later on, and 2 others perhaps drop back. 

3 weeks after the 50k, it would be a way of enjoying race day without risk of injury and also a day in Banff with A-Chang. 

Race day

A portent of greatness to come, I found a street named in my honour. 

A 9:45 race start meant plenty of time to get to Banff from Calgary. Fortunately the weather cleared a little by the time we arrived, forecasts had contradicted each other. Package pick-up was the day before, a little inconvenient if living driving distance away, though fortunately one of our group was overnighting. 

The tutus were all well coordinated, my loudest jacket fitting in well. The brains behind the project was Tammy, on the far left. We were entered under the team name The Dragonflies. 

I inflicted my awful dancing on everyone to stay warm. I kind of look like this when I run anyway. 

The crowd applauded Canadian Pacific, keeping an eye on rail traffic on the line we'd all have to cross. The start was delayed for a couple of minutes waiting for a train to pass. 

I was going to run without jacket, but changed my mind just before the start. 

We headed out, and I kept it at a strict 6:00/k. From Garmin Connect, runkeeper, etc, I could see that many of the Dragonflies start too quickly - effecting finishing speed - so I restrained the collective enthusiasm. It was slightly uphill to the turnaround at 4k, so after that would be a good time to pick up the pace. 

Sadly, my gopro's battery had not charged properly and it cut off after 5 minutes. The only thing that didn't go well on the day. 

Tina was a course marshal, so an extra dose of fab and a group photo just a few minutes after my technical difficulties. 

Not that there was a shortage of photographers in the group.. Jin took this one.

This is Rachel, a sub-2 hour half marathoner. 

The rain came along after 10 minutes, though not too heavy. Nice and cool at the turnaround. 

I tried to sing a few Chinese songs, however while I might know plenty of lyrics, I don't know any consecutive sentences.

Xiao Yu and Jenny on the left. 

At the 5k mark by my watch (only marathon signs on course), 29:45 was the time. Keep it going, I said, maybe a bit quicker in a little while. We were joined for a few minutes by the young guy to my right, desperate not to finish behind girls in tutus. He didn't get his wish, as the pace started to gently increase. Chicked...

Back past Tina, "sorry, only a photo of your butt!" I shouted back a joke, can't really remember what exactly - perhaps "there are plenty of photos of that", or "that's my best side." I do know that the lady running next to me thought I was yelling at her.

Jin and Rachel pulled ahead at this butt-photo point, around the 7k mark. Tammy and Li (in yellow in the photos) whom I stayed with were now going about 5:40/k. I didn't try to slow things down, just calling out actual pace while running slightly behind. 

One last photo from Tammy, crossing the first of 2 bridges. I recalled another line from a Chinese song, a propaganda number about a big river. I learned that my falsetto while running needs work.

The course went under the second bridge before a 1k loop around to then cross it and a quick hop to the finish. 

The incline up to final bridge looked steep, said Tammy. It was nothing, and the finish was right after, I replied. "Lean forward, push up it." 

Sharp turn onto the bridge. "700 metres, as fast as you want." Already on target to get a PB, there was quite an acceleration. Looking down, my watch read 4:40/k. Had the Dragonflies all been following my advice, and adding tempos and speed work into their training? 

It was PBs all round, I was told. Tammy took 3 minutes off hers. Jin and Rachel were a couple of minutes ahead, Li just behind with Xiao Yu and Jenny next.

I had merely slowed things down at the start, the result being that every badass Chinese lady in a tutu produced a good negative split to finish strong and fast. 

My watch said 9.63k, probably because of loss of signal passing through clumps of fairly thick tree canopy. Still, a measured course, and all times stand. 

A collective post race stretch is quite a common practice for all of them. The photographer took a while, I had to switch legs a couple of times.

So now I know what others mean when they talk about how rewarding being a pace bunny is. Using one's own experience to help others outdo and surprise themselves is simply magical. 

Post 50k legs

Uncontrolled exits from buses. Falling like a tree into bed to avoid bending the knees. A vendetta against stairs. Needing a crowbar to get out of a car. Or into it.

Such are the consequences each time I run a marathon, or in this case a 50k. 

Stats from my race show that I was stationary for nearly 7 minutes. I consumed a whopping 4,049 calories, the equivalent of about 3 days' food. In hindsight, my condition improved over the final 18k, gently easing myself to the finish. I was much better at the line, and the gradual recovery has continued since then. 

A marathon or ultra is done for the challenge. It certainly lifts the spirits when lots of praise comes your way. 

The main drawback is not being able to get right back into running straight away (lacing up after even a half can be done within as little as 2 days if taken gently). 

The first steps of the day open the eyes. 

It seemed like I couldn't extend my leg forward. Bending at the waist to shift weight forward starts a gradual falling motion, which could perhaps be called "walking". That first set of stairs has you wishing for the ability to walk on your hands. 

On tuesday, I did my tried and tested first post-race workout. 20 minutes on the exercise bike and a 10 minute walk. Without bringing on fatigue, it engages the body's recovery mechanisms and flushes the muscles of broken fibres and lactic acid. 2 hours later, stairs no longer brought on a grimace even if not completely comfortable without using the rail.

A gentle weights routine the next day and stretching, and a repeat of tuesday's workout on thursday and friday. I went back to my full core/ weights workout on saturday, only feeling a mild burn in the quads.

Sunday, a return to running. It felt odd at first, mainly because it's odd to not run for 7 days. "10k, try to keep it quicker than 5:00/k." 

Settling in after 10 minutes, a little devil on my shoulder whispers "faster, you know you want to..." Another 5 or so minutes and despite the heat it got easier and quicker. Eating up a steep hill, accelerating at the top, it was a quietly thrilling return to action.