Race report: Fall Classic Half Marathon

Date/Time: November 21, 2010, 8:39 am (delayed)
Weather: minus 5ish with a few slippery patches and light snow.
Distance: Half Marathon
Chip time: 1:29:06 (4:13 min/km pace)
Age Group: 9/104
Overall: 28/1008

Ah the Fall Classic, it should be better known as the winter classic this year. This must had been perhaps the coldest of the cold Fall Classics I’ve done over the years. The surprise elements of snow and some patches of slippery ice also decided to crash the party this year.

Overall, I’m quite pleased with my time. Didn’t quite PB or even PB in this particular race; however, given the circumstances I managed to pull off a respectable time no less and was super close!

For me, this race was more for adopting a new running technique with the Newton Terra Momentus (here’s a link to a review of the shoe: a good read for those interested).

Source: https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSG-Fg-VA9DQtyaUj1Ka8oERA-_uC-q1r94GUtpQuSTNlAg_s926oQxLsTijPyfJQWCeoNSEyONgttjIGZ49I8SauWeSzirH6sX0ymjIuoxjIJm7YijGobuLcnFqZe3Q3lBM7PY-sd6KMk/s400/IMG_0876.JPG

My soft goal was to go 1:28 and see how far I can keep up with Mr. Liam Harrap this year (last year I got dropped at 5k the first turnaround), but REALLY I really had absolutely no idea how the new shoe and technique would perform in a half marathon race. I’ve only used the shoe in 15ish casual training outings and maybe just a couple intervals speed workouts.


I’ve been cautious with this particular shoe because striking the ground with less surface area is painfully painful from a blister perspective (apologies for my comments, if they offend if not all the Newton lovers out there). I’ve been getting so many with this shoe!!!
I think the whole idea of forefoot and its link to barefoot running is still foreign to me. I didn’t quite get the scale of hype about it, until I saw practically everyone in the leading pack of the Ironman Canada wearing Newton Runners.

I’m more of a mid-sole striker, and really have adapted into it. My Racer ST4 Brooks running flats has always been the PB missile of choice this year.

Okay now for the exciting race details.

Writing this report two weeks late, I guess it won’t be as fresh as newly laid snow (oh yes, pun intended). It was great to see so many people doing this race I knew from the triclub. I wanted to keep up to Liam because he is so steady and fast. He is that person who can run as patient as you and can run that extra 10 second pace faster- a DEADLY combo for the perfect pace buddy.

The race was delayed 8 minutes for some odd reason. In the triclub office during a pre-race gathering, Liam and some other girls particularly called me out for being just WEAK. I guess I just was wearing too much clothes.

Shortly afterwards Liam intelligently recommended ditching the leg warmers entirely and just going with short shorts. On hindsight, what a great suggestion, but then the downside you wouldn’t have been able to see how ridiculous my attire was (fitting with the road conditions obstacles we had).

We held about 4 minute pace, but deep inside something just didn’t feel right for me. My left leg warmer falling down was the least of my problems. The penetrating lug of the Newton shoe just pounded into my layer of cold skin. It was just unbearable at the 5K marker. For those keen and interested, please scroll down to the photographical illustration at the bottom of this post.

Looking at Garmin, I just ended up taking the rest of the race gingerly at around the 4:12ish pace, which was my blister’s tolerable pain threshold. A few runners passed me, and that was perfectly fine.

I finished at around 1:29:10 gun time and felt awkward walking the blister out. I did manage to quickly crash fashionably late into the triclub Sunday’s swim workout and get a solid 500m swim and to ease up the pain in a nice dip into the hottub. This was probably the best decision I’ve made all day.

Special congrats to my pace buddy Liam for holding pace and posting a very impressive 1:24:43 and big congrats to Matt Reeve from the triclub finishing 3rd overall in the 10K race! Very impressive results along with many other notables.

My splits from Garmin

km Pace
1 3:59
2 3:59
3 3:51
4 4:15
5 3:53
6 4:14
7 4:14
8 4:20
21.1 4:12





----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
As UNCOOL as this might be, I think most people would enjoy this! =)

A MANblister! I did you the favour of not going for a zoom-in shot. =)

Two Hundred Ninety Nine

To celebrate my last race in the 20-24 age group, I figured I can break the only PB I have yet to achieve this year and that is running the half marathon. It’s been an awesome 2010 year for me, and 2010 reasons to celebrate for sure. I've been busy mooching candy off little kids lately. =)

Source: http://rlv.zcache.com/personal_best_poster-p228634564171146027trma_400.jpg


I have already achieved quad-digits of running mileage in kilometres during training and racing this calendar year. But hey, I am still nowhere close to Marathon Maniac status...just yet. That’s beyond the scope for 2010.


My current PB in the half marathon is 1:28:32 and my latest marathon in Victoria halfway split was just 26 seconds shy from matching it! So with little convincing from Liam Harrap, I decided to join him for the UBC Fall Classic in only 19 days.

See? I believe good things are in stored. Just can’t lose, unless I don’t try.

Just another baby step to keep me distracted from that next big challenge coming up (299 days until Ironman Canada 2011!).

NB Fall Classic Half Marathon Race Report

Coming into this race, I had my hopes high especially coming off from a pb time in Victoria. I believed I was capable of a sub 1:28.

It turns out I was ‘CLOSE’-ish with a gun time of 1:32:39 [just maybe twist palm of hand back and forth a few times].

Here’s the story. The weather for the race morning was not exactly the prettiest of conditions: cold (6°C) , wet (20-30mm) and windy (39km/hr E, 50km/hr gusts). Despite having suited up well with four layers and having proper taper and rest, as well as having my pre-ritual breakfast (a bagel and banana and orange juice no less), I couldn’t escape from whipping out the weak excuses. I had overlooked one detail - ample time for warm-up.

It’s my own fault really. Oh man, how EMBARRASSING!!! The morning was chaotic, I had totally lost track of time after waiting in the long line-up to pickup my chip and race bib. Ideally I would have warmed up for 10-15 minutes prior to starting. So I just smiled it off and started.

My smile and warm-up run :)

On hindsight, I probably would have only shaved off one or two minutes given the harsh conditions. Still two full days after, my legs are in a world of hurt and I guess I have to be impressed with my time for doing the half marathon on literally cold feet.

Despite the lack of a proper feel-good warm-up and the tough conditions, this race was actually a lot of fun. A few friends were doing the race with cold feet as well, so I wasn’t alone.

My attempt to round up the troops and get Chris Scott, Nathaniel Janzen, and Ceilidh Curtis to smile at the camera.

Eric Suess and I met up around the 3km mark and just after the first turn around at 5km, Liam Harrap had caught up. I could only hold their pace until 7km mark when I had to slow down and hover around the 4:20 pace. I tried to keep up but my legs had given up at that point.

My second lap felt a little faster, running it more aggressively. I managed to reel in a handful of runners whom had passed me late on the first lap.

Liam braved the conditions with only the coveted UBCTC Tech Tee! He really could handle it, since he has experience with extreme training in Iceland from doing a year of study-exchange there.

Chris Scott making it look easy.

Vincent Lavallee pulling away from everybody...

...and him finishing.

Liam Harrap went on to having a stellar first half pb of sub 1:28! Check out his souvenir on his left knee.

Nathaniel sporting a sleek toque.

Scott finishing in a pb time!

I have to thank my dad for these great action shots he took.
Congrats to everyone who did the Fall Classic, check out our club's results here.

My Splits (min/km)
1km 4:14
2km 4:07
3km 4:08
4km 4:07
5km 4:14
6km 4:01
7km 4:21
8km 4:40
9km 4:34
10km 4:46
11km 4:21
12km 4:21
13km 4:40
14km 4:14
15km 4:08
16km 4:20
17km 4:33
18km 4:28
19km 4:28
20km 4:26
21.1km 4:26 (4:53)

NB Fall Classic Half-Marathon Prerace Report

Alright for Sunday’s half marathon run, sub 1:28 bring it on.

One thing that could be stopping me is that I’ve been battling a scratchy throat since last Wednesday 5km run. All these competitions in the UBCTC Fall Classic races series and midterms have been taking a great toll. To describe the sore throat, it feels like a funny bone caught against my throat only when swallowing. My dad has provided me some amoxicillin pills and my sister has also provided some vitamin C tablets. There has been no symptoms of a running nose nor coughing. Today I had it checked out, and my doctor told me it’s just a common viral infection (no case of H1N1 luckily). Training wise, I haven’t skipped a beat with my routine being normal.

I have found this relevant section on Antioxidants in the latest Canadian Running Magazine (Vol2.Issue8.Pg56).

Running causes extensive oxidative damage, potentially leading to upper respiratory tract infections, muscle soreness and stiffness. Antioxidants like vitamins C and E are essential components of recovery. Vitamin C is imperative for a strong immune system and increases iron uptake, aiding oxygen delivery to muscles...

So it turns out my little sister was right on insisting I take these Vitamin C tablets. Who knew?

Royal Victoria Half-Marathon Report

My adventure to the island over the weekend went well; I even managed to cap it off with a new pb with a gun time of 1:28:35! The weather was beautiful and the ocean side view on the run course was just fantastic.

A new PB finish!

The weekend started smoothly, Vincent Lavallee and I met up at Bridgeport station and were able to catch all of our transfers on time to Victoria, despite the fire incident on one of the ferry on Friday. There were also long line-ups spilling onto our ferry, since the noon ferry was taken out of service. Once the line kept moving, it wasn’t so bad and everybody got on.

Vincent and I checked into the International Hostel in Victoria which was just within 1-2 km from the race site. It was my first stay at a hostel, and I must admit, there’s not much privacy sharing a room full of complete strangers. One of my roommates, Michael who was doing the full marathon, offered ear plugs to everybody, which was considerate of him. I also have to thank him for waking me up at 5:30am in the morning because my watch alarm just too minuscule of a beep.

Race morning was breezy and dark. Temperature didn’t rise until the sun came out just after 7am. My calf-high Sugoi R/R compression socks were great calf-warmers and jel holders I’ve learned. People were complimenting my extra cargo space.

7:30am the gun went. I started 3 seconds behind the elites. Vincent had said earlier that he would attempt doing a blistering 37min for the first 10km, so I figured my best bet was not to keep pace with him. He was within sighting distance for the first three kilometres. Between us was a guy dressed in black spandex jammers and long socks with a neon-yellow cape that ran to his knees. This guy attracted quite the scene.

My heart rate started beeping at about the 2km marker when it peaked at 191 bpm. At about 3km that’s when I backed off my pace a little bit and lost sighting distance of the Vincent and superman pace group.

I was running rock steady with the group behind. At the turn around at 12km, I managed to see Vincent doing well going in the other direction and knew he was about 2 minutes ahead of me.
At about the 14km, Melanie Van Soeren, who was also doing the half, was looking very strong giving me a solid high-five as we passed each other.

Along the way at about 16km, a random guy yells, “great job super asian guy!” with lots of enthusiasm, which I thought was quite amusing.

The final three kilometres were a grind, and I managed to reel in a few more runners that I’ve been tail-gating for most of the race. For the final kilometre, I was surrounded by some more-or-less older dudes so I just moderately increased my pace hovering just above the 4 min/km pace to ensure I finished strong without the need for a final kick.

Final race thoughts.

It was a huge confidence booster doing this half; perhaps I can shoot for sub 1:28 in the Fall Classic. Congrats to all the UBCTC members for their impressive times. Vincent for his impressive pb time of sub 1:24 (by more than 6 minutes) and Melanie for her pb time of 1:44:48 (by 12 minutes 50 seconds). I also want to congratulate Ceilidh Curtis for his full marathon.

My average pacing (min/km)
1km 3:44
2km 4:09
3km 4:13
4km 3:57
5km 4:07
6km 4:17
7km 4:11
8km 4:02
9km 4:18
10km 4:01
11km 4:17
12km 4:11
13km 4:19
14km 4:08
15km 4:12
16km 4:18
17km 4:30
18km 4:11
19km 4:04
20km 4:04
21.1km 4:04

The complete results: overall, age group.