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This morning I ran the Run for the Grapes Half Marathon in St. Catherines, Ontario. I completed with a PR of 1:36:10 – a 7:20/mile average pace. I’m very happy with this. My splits were:

1. 7:53
2. 7:02
3. 6:57
4. 7:03
5. 7:06
6. 7:13
7. 7:33
8. 7:30
9. 7:12
10. 7:31
11. 7:11
12. 7:40
13. 7:29
14. 6:29 (.1 mile)

After the race, I was happy to find myself on the first page of the result sheets – my time placed me 70/400 overall, 61/213 of all males, and 9/12 in the 25-29 male category. (Geez they’re fast north of the border!) More details can be found on the results page.

I first heard of this race early in the summer from a co-worker. Several weeks ago another co-worker told me he was running it, but I had no plans of doing it until (what I consider) a sub-par performance of 1:41:29 at the Rochester Half Marathon two weeks earlier – at which point I both failed to run to my capabilities and was beat by my friend Greg (who ran an incredible 1:35:41). So today I set out with the goal of beating him. Thinking he’d run a time somewhere in the 1:36s, I targeted a 7:15/mile pace.

I woke up a couple times earlier than my alarm set at 6, but waited until it went off before getting out of bed. When I turned the TV on in the living room, YES was playing it’s weekend running show, which I’ve watched and enjoyed whenever I’ve happened to catch it. Shortly after turning it on (since I hadn’t pre-registered for the race) I decided I’d see if I could at least find the registration form to print/fill out ahead of time. I was in luck, but while filling out the form, realized registration closed at 8:30! (I was planning on arriving at 9) I thought having an hour and a half gap between last registration and a 10:00am start was a little odd, but know how difficult organizing race logistics can be and pushed myself out the door a little bit sooner than planned, praying I’d get there on time.

My second surprise was after I hit the QEW and saw the first sign for St. Catherines, which read “40″. Thinking the sign was in miles, I went into a panic, ending only when I saw the next sign, surprising me how fast I was moving fast & reminding me the signs were in kilometers.

After a quick drive around the race area to find a parking spot, I made it to the registration table by 8:10 and headed back to my car to relax and kill time until the race start at 10. I was debating taking a quick nap, but instead decided to take a walk around the course. At first I headed out wearing my coat, but realized how warm it was getting & returned it back to the truck.

When I worked my way back to the starting area, I could already hear the announcer. At 8:59, I heard him say something to the effect of “Folks, we only have 1″ and was expecting to hear “hour” next – instead I was shocked to hear him say “minute to start time”! Knowing there was also a 5k and seeing some other runners still on the sidewalks, I thought I was OK, but decided to ask someone anyways. When they told me it was the start of the half marathon, I rushed to the back of the pack, but still wasn’t lined up when the starting gun went off!

I hadn’t stretched, taken a pre-race gel or prepped my iPod, but at least was fully dressed. The only thing I needed to do was fish my headphones from my pocket and hook them up, a slightly challenging task since I was both running and in a pack. While I’m glad I made the race, this abrupt start for me may have been what caused me to not beat my friend Greg’s time – my first mile was my worst, at 7:53.

The race itself was enjoyable and a very well run event. If I was forced to offer feedback, I can only think of two things. The first would be to do away with or lesson the severity of the turn for the one switchback in the course – a 180 degree turn around a road cone. The second would be to offer shirts for sale. Since I didn’t pre-register, I didn’t receive a shirt & would have happily bought one of the cotton race shirts, or splurged on a technical shirt, had they been available. Neither of these are a big deal. I’d recommend the race to anyone considering it.

The weather cooperated throughout the day, hovering in the low 60s and misty in Hamburg before and after the race, but in mid 60s up to 70 and clear during the race. I noticed the warmth of the sun at mile 9, but it never became a problem.

I had forgotten my GPS watch in Rochester, so I made sure I had it this race. I was glad to have it once again and never realized until today how useful it is for pacing. I tried to keep a 7:15/mile pace, constantly telling myself it was what I needed to beat Greg. My other mantras were “lengthen that stride”, “this pace feels good” and “I own this hill and can do better than others on it”. The course took us out of “downtown” St. Catherines, through a residential neighborhood, onto some country roads, through fields and back again. The route remaining fairly flat, with some small rolling hills just prior and after the switchback and at the end. Spectators were sparse – towards the end there was only a single other runner in sight ahead and had the route not finished the way it started, I might have struggled to find my way. The last two and a half miles were tough – my pace slipped to a 7:40 and 7:29 for the last two full miles.

When I crossed the finish line, I was content – I was able to run hard without issue the entire distance, had a time of 1:35:59 on the watch (I was surprised to see it read 13.1 miles exactly) and thought I had Greg beat.

After receiving my medal & enjoying some post-race food, I headed back to the truck to grab my backpack & wait to see my co-worker Joe and his friend Amy cross the finish line. (It was her first half marathon! – read her account in her Journey to the Finish Line blog.) I had seen them briefly at the start (as I tried to catch back up to where I should have been…) and at first didn’t recognize them as they approached the finish – just before the finish chute I noticed a Buffalo Triathlon jersey & started to yell “go Buffalo”, until I realized it was Amy. Joe and her ran the race together and came in around 2:15, a very respectable first half time!

When I made my way back to the truck, I called Greg to see exactly what his time was. He insisted I tell him mine first. Since I was under the impression he’d run a 1:36:<something> in Rochester, all I told him was that my time was a 1:36:<something>, to which he gleefully reported his record was safe & finally told me what it was (1:35:41). I missed it by 29 seconds… The more I thought about it, I remembered he ran a 7:19/mile pace – so there was no way my 7:20/mile pace could have beat him. I wasn’t upset at having not beat him, but I hope the enjoyment Greg got out of knowing he still has the fastest half marathon time was worth the cost of roaming international call I made to him!

On my way back to the truck, I was amazed at the amount of road and mountain bikers in the city. Talking to a few of them revealed there was both a road and mountain bike race starting shortly thereafter. I didn’t get to experience much of the Grape Festival activities, but from what I’ve gathered, there’s quite a bit of celebrating.

Although I ran the 2007 Niagara Falls International Marathon, this was the first race I’ve run that was completely in Canada. I knew when I crossed the border this would be a different type of race:

• Customs didn’t even check my papers on the way into Canada.
• The distance on the road signs on the way to the race was in kilometers. I’m used to speed in kilometers/hour for some reason, but never payed attention to distances.
• When I submitted my registration form at the registration table, the volunteer there looked at my location and said “I thought I head an accent…”.
• Distance marks throughout the race were in kilometers – there wasn’t a single mile marker. With the effort I was putting forth, I couldn’t spare the cycles to convert to miles. Again, I’m glad I had my GPS watch.
• The results page lists pace in kilometers/hour.

When I got back to my house, it was still overcast and misting. Still being early in the day, I was disappointed to not be able to take my road bike out, especially since I’d gone for a ride after the Rochester half. Two hours later though, the clouds broke, the roads dried up & I was able to put in a 14 mile ride, the second ride I’ve put in after a half marathon.

All in all, it was a great day. While I didn’t best Greg’s time, there’s nothing more I could have asked from the race or myself besides having been prepared and able to start on time. Knowing how well I did & how much effort I put forth to do so, I’ve gained even more appreciation for those my age who’ve qualified for the Boston Marathon – my 7:20/mile pace is still :05/mile too slow AND I would need to sustain it for another 13.1 miles! I also realize how far I’ve come in my (Rochester) half marathons – from an 8:36/mile pace two years ago, to a 8:01/mile last year, 7:45/mile two weeks ago, and now a 7:20/mile pace.

I’m finishing this post from bed now – I’m going to sleep well tonight not only because I ran hard, but because I’m statisfied with the accomplishment today. Bring on the Marine Corps Marathon!

This entry was posted on Sunday, September 28th, 2008 at 9:55 pm and is filed under running. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.