Wednesday, November 22, 2006 - 07:42 PM

A perfect fall day results in a lot of pb's....






Team Running Free in Action!

It was a perfect day temperature wise. As I walked up the drive-way to the Angus Glen clubhouse, the walkers were just starting off. I live within walking distance of the start/finish line, but for those who don’t, parking was available in the field. I went inside and grabbed my chip and then went to the back to check my bag. Everything was very well organized. I never got stuck in too long of a line for a bathroom visit either, which is nice. I managed to get 4 washroom trips in before dashing to the start line.

I started off a little quick for the first two kilometers – but it was ok. I slowed myself down to my target pace and was happy to have “bought” myself a little time to spare. With all the hills that were coming up, I knew those extra seconds would come in handy! The course was very well marked and the km markers were easy to see. Water stations were available every 3km and there was some good support along the route from spectators. The weather was perfect. Cool to start but warm once you got running. Many runners were wearing shorts. I opted for tights and a long sleeve shirt and light gloves, but the gloves were off after 2km! I ended up carrying them the remaining 19km – silly me! I recommend training on the course a few times if you get the chance. I did, and it helped me a lot on race day. Whenever I hit a hill, I just slowed down a bit and got myself to the top – no point in powering up and wasting all my energy. I knew where the flat sections were and some of the downhills where I could make up the time. There’s a great downhill section along Elgin Mills where you have to be careful – I felt like my legs were jell-o and completely out of control. I just flew down the hill! To add to the challenge of the rolling hills, the wind started to pick up. It wasn’t as bad as last year, but still a good head wind along 19th, Warden, and then the home stretch down Kennedy. I think we can all take two minutes off our time because of the wind! I had a great race, running an average of 5:28/km, and finishing 10th in my age group. I thought it was a PB but I missed it by less than a minute.

Overall, it’s a great half marathon and a very well run event. It’s a nice way to end the season. The course is hilly and the weather this year and last added an extra challenge. The pre and post race events are held indoors in the Angus Glen clubhouse. They have beautiful facilities (you can use the showers!) and the post race meal is great (tuna, egg, and chicken salad, bread, fruit, juice, water, coffee, Powerade, macaroni salad, cheese, etc.). Everyone gets a finishing medal and there are prizes for the top three finishers (male/female) for each age group. The race is capped at 1500 because the clubhouse can only accommodate so many runners. This keeps the race small and provides good odds for a prize! During the race, spectators can watch from indoors on the large screen live feed! After the race everyone enjoys the music of the live band.

I’d highly recommend putting it on your race list for next year!



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