First race of the season

Time 9:35am
Place: Pearson Adult Center (LaSalle)
Temperature -5 C
Wind: neglible
Distance 10km

Course: Flat http://www.geocities.com/enducircuit/pics/parcourlasalle2k5s.jpg

What I ate for breakfast: yogurt and banana
What I wore: Sugoi long sleeve, tights, Asics Nimbus V (blue) NB tuque, MJ shades

How I felt before:

Physically: when I woke up I was stiff. I had taken the previous 3 days off leading up to this event. I practised 15 min of yoga at home and jogged around the race area prior to the start.

Mentally: Being able to record of a time of 46:50 was my objective as this time was what was returned by the McMillan run calculator in order to obtain a marathon time of 3:40. Slightly stressed but not ovewhelmed. I was running with Karl and that proved to be boon for for me. He was kind enough of offer me a lift to and from the site which removed any stress as a result from the logistics of going and returning.

What I found really suprising is that being the senior runner between us, sharing my insights and running experiences provided to be a great mode of relaxation.

Meeting the crew at the registration center was neat: Grommit, MLC, Joeboxter, Omni (Mr and Mrs) DF7 was inspiring. We'd all gather in our little circle and boast who would come in last! :) It was fun.

Being one of the early races in the season, the majority of the participants would be what I would consider to be serious runners. A large segment of these runners haled from different run clubs (Vainquers, Boreal) and local triathalon teams). Seeing some many runners congregated in one area (I deem them to be serious based on their physique, attitude and the clothes that they wear).

The group disbanded and everyone executed their race strategy. The horn sounded and being in the middle of the pack, I followed the pack as everyone took off. Thinking back, I don't even know where the official start line was. I was running for about 10 seconds hoping to synchronise the start of my watch with the start line to no avail. I started it right afteward and noticed that at the end of the race I had registered 10.27km on my watch. I knew something was amiss as my watch would recognise completion of a km before I crossed the sign. That issue was marginal compared with what I had to contend with this day.

Being my first race since the marathon last October and 9 months since my last 10km I had no concept of what pace to maintain. Overall, I am content with my time but I lament the herculean effort used to record such a time. I was flying for the first 3km, paid the piper on km 4-6, rebounded until the 9th and was fading fast (and not in a good way) for that last segment of the run. So much for a final kick (ha).

It was really inspiring when I saw a woman pushing her baby carriage and blow right by me. Aside from the, "Not again!" lament. I applaud such an effort. I wish Ville de Montreal had a snow removal crew drive as fast as her.

It was great crossing through the finish and headed into the corral. There, standing in line I saw friend from the McGill tri club. Montreal is such a small place. It was really neat. There were no time chips to speak of. When I crossed, I was handed a ticket that was to be match with a tear away section from my run bib and remitted to the race organisers. I would how that process is used to render a time.

As I exited the chute, I saw the other runners there congradulate, ol' Turtleboy. It was really nice to have your respective peers cheer on for you. Suddenly, someone tapped me on the shoulder. It was Karl! Neat, he was only 2 minutes behind me. He's such a gifted runner. I work hard to attain what genetics has blessed him with. I keep reiterating this to him to goad him into running another full. We'll see about that.

It was about 10 minutes later that everyone from our little group had assembled itself. By that time, I started to feel cold. The dampness from the sweat and inactivity made things slightly uncomfortable. Karl was a sport to stick around and wait for us to take a group picture. With myself as a new member of this crew. I felt all warm and fuzzy all over. Apparently from my posts, DF and Coureur refer to me as the, "poet". Egads, what kind of impression have I left upon them.

Karl and I were both hungry and thirsty so we headed back to the center for food and beverage. Never in all of the races that I attended did we have to work so hard to find something to eat. Normally, the concession stand is located just as you exit the chute. We had to navigate a labyrinthe of corridors as we went from the main to the upper and ultimately to the basement to locate our food. I should have brought a dog, it would have made things easier.

Finally, we manage our way to the basement whereby there's a huge line up toward a the entrance of what appears to be a cafeteria. The dining room was located in front of the entrance and we could not tell whether or not we had to pay for the stuff. I did not have any money on hand as I left my personal effects in the car. Karl and I turned away in frustration, completely exasperated by such poor organising and decided to leave. It was just by happenstance that there happened to be a water fountain with reach of where we were. It was only then that I had my first tiny sip of water since the race began.

We headed back to the the finish line to bid farewell to my running mates. Unfortunately, they were no where to be found. Instead we were pleasantly surprised by the 1km toddler race. It was neat seeing parents encourage their tiny tots to plod along. I quipped in jest, I bet one of those psycho parents told their kid if they did not win they would go to bed without dinner :P Karl laughed. What was interesting about this race was the presennce of a 10km walk event. Nothing abnormal about that but the fact that they obtained finisher medals whilst we did not seemed odd to say the least. It would have been nice to obtain something for our consideration. Okay, Karl and I are still a bit miffed about not receiving any food for our efforts.

All in all it was a fun today as I got to spend time with my new running mates. Looking forward to the next one.