Denouement

The Mizuno Half Marathon is the first race where I met Yiu Kit Ching last year.  She had run a 10k the day before, and I was somewhat out of shape after plunging myself mouth-first into the holidays after Yokohama, but I won that race in 1:22:55.  Then she beat me in the next four times I raced her, up until December, where we both posted PRs in the Shek Mun 10k.  So our rivalry is making us both better, and I came into this race 2-3.  I also come in with the momentum of two big half marathon PRs.   But she is the terrible combination of a strong runner and a great race tactician and the local favorite, so I knew she would fight for the championship.

Meanwhile, I had the runs the night before the race and poor sleep.  I felt ok race morning, though I earned four stars, and was afraid that my antidiarrheal medicine, which I normally take before a half, would not be enough because it didn’t seem to be working. 

The first 15.5k of this race is large hill rollers.  Not ideal course for a half marathon championship if you ask me, but no one did.  Coach Paul advised me to push the last flat 5k hard, and to be in the lead (without YKC drafting) before the last big uphill (which was about 14k).  The course record was 1:19:30, so I thought if I got 38:30 for the first 10k (hilly and net up) then did 3:45/k (6:00 pace) the rest of the way I could shave 15 seconds somewhere and get the course record.  Unfortunately I split 38:30 in correctly while running, thought it was 19:45/19:45, obviously it is NOT. 

First 5k: 19:44 (last year was 20:22, so right where I should be) I lead up the first uphill which is so steep and quite ridiculous.  My breathing was so hard 1/3 the way up so I backed off, YKC caught up, I let her take the lead and followed.  We were about 4:00 at the 1k, just right.  I let her lead for the next k, just drafted off her and other guys, let her pull me along.  Then I led for the 3^rd k, then she led again starting 4^th k and I was just fine with it.  I felt like I was not mentally sharp and just waking up, but I also felt it was smart to let her be the one to push the pace.  This 5k is net uphill but lots of rolling

Second 5k: 19:18, YKC led most of this, there was a long downhill that she just hammered from 6-7.5k and I just tried to stay close, knowing it was going to get both of our legs very sore, then there is a flat bit out and back.  She seemed to rest here, I take the lead, we turn around then face the same hill we just screamed down.  She catches me (she is so smart, taking a breather before the big hill) I almost let her go on this hill, but I keep in contact with guys who are between her and I and just will myself to keep with her.  The hill ends at about 9.5k, and I am up with her by the 10k mark.

Third 5k:  We have a short out and back (perhaps a k each way), and I surge at perhaps 10.5k and try to catch up to guys ahead of us, simultaneously trying to bring distance between YKC and I.  At the turnaround she is perhaps 4-5 seconds back.  So by 11k I am leading by 5 seconds! Now it is rolly but downhill for a while, and I push the pace, running scared because she pushed the last downhill hard, and the next uphill I am supposed to be in the lead and alone.  I feel good, though.  As I incline, though I am feeling fatigued and feel like I need to go to the bathroom!!!! So distracting.  The 15k mark is somewhere before this crests hill and I got 18:02

Fourth 5k: About a minute before cresting the hill I hear in my mind, “Charlie, we’re going to candy mountain, Charlie!  Charlie, come with us to candy mountain!”  This is from a silly viral video on youtube my kids made my husband and I watch over Christmas.  It reminded me of my kids and made me smile and I made it over my candy mountain.   Then there is the terrible starting hill in reverse, which is pretty much too steep to fully take advantage of, I am just trying to get back into sub 3:45 pace.  By the flat part I get to 3:45, hit a water stop, then there is a short hill at around 17k then we hit the finish line (but have 2k out and back).  I hear them announce me and then announce Yiu Kit Ching so I know she is close (it has been over 5k since the last turn around and since I have last seen our positions).  I am so tired but tell myself I don’t have to run the last 4k faster than her, just as fast as her.  I see the clock and realize I had done some miscalculations and would not be able to break the record which is a bit demoralizing.  When I am up the hill to the flat dyke 2k out and back my watch says I am at 3:50/k pace, so I lost time on the hill, and YKC is close!  I try to inch that pace down, and it gets to 3:47 eventually.  I see her at the turnaround and she is perhaps 10-15 seconds behind.  I need to push!  My  time for this k is 19:01. 

Now just 1.1k to go.  At about 800m to go I tell myself to try to run a 2:30 800m, like I do on the track.  This did not happen, but it was good to try :D  I ran 3:41 pace for the last 1.12k per my watch.  I see the clock register 1:20, and the official time ended up being 1:20:10. Yiu Kit Ching finishes about 15 seconds later with a PR.  A PR on this course is super impressive.  She and I both fought hard.

I gave two interviews within the first few minutes of finishing the race, and I was supposed to run 8 more kilometers. I ran straight to the bathroom, and had the runs so had to hit a portapotty a couple more times, but then ran more than 5k straight at a fast pace 4:35/k. 

So in retrospect, it was a solid race.  I raced well.  I didn’t get the best time result, but that was a combination of not feeling my best and a tough course.  Glad it is over and I posted a good time for 2013. Unfortunately, there are not many good ½ marathons in Hong Kong and I don’t think I will race another one before my two spring marathons.

Legs very sore from Sunday's race.  So started in the pool. 

Pool running 50 minutes.  Got really homesick thinking how much more fun it would have been with MacK and or Josse and the good times we have had.  Then I told myself to buck up and I have good friends here and that marathoning is somewhat lonely no matter where you are because it is hard to convince people to do YOUR workout, though I have been blessed with so much help over the years.

Right after pool running I changed and did an 8.03k run.  My legs felt somewhat frozen at the start but they defrosted. 4:48 pace.

Foot/calf massage.  Hurty. 

Core workout in the PM 

It seemed like most of my day was spent on running related stuff, the remainder on obsessing about food :/ 

AM: 5 miles on the TM and rolling and stretching.  Quads and front of calves still sore from Sunday.

PM: went to Aberdeen for my workout.  SOOOOO grateful they agreed to do my workout.  It was 10-12 x 1000m, 3:30-3:45 (quite a spread) per rep, 200m jog rest.  It would have been ideal to do them Thursday perhaps, but doing them alone would have been so much harder.  So coach told me to take it easy and not make any boys cry by beating them in the workout.  There were three men who did the workout with me.  I knew one well but two were new guys to me.  Nice and consistent these men were.  One was chinese and was always a bit ahead, sometimes close enough to draft on.  The other two were always right around me.

I wanted to do the first one at 3:45 and ease my way to 3:38-3:40.  Here were the reps:

Rep	Time	Rest	Illuminating commentary
1	3:45	1:20	I remember 800m split was 3:01
2	3:39	1:15
3	3:42	1:24
4	3:34	1:56	pace got a little giggy, drink of water
5	3:34	1:30
6	3:36	1:35
7	3:35	1:29
8	3:30	2:02	This is one guys last one so went a bit fast, hard to resist the pull, drink of water in rest
9	3:35	1:31
10	3:34	1:23	Another guys last one, now just me and tough chinese dude (his name is John, at least his English name is)
11	3:35	1:20
12	3:28		Nice to let it loose a bit

3:35 ave 

 Did I mention this workout is over two hours long with warm up/cool down and Mickie and Johnny came with me.  They were being little monkeys all over the bleachers, high jump mat, guard rails, you name it. 

So excited for my 1.5 hour massage I have booked for tomorrow. My legs will love/hate me :D 

Ran really easy, accidentally overshot my 12k run (13.16k). 5:02 ave pace/k.

1.5 hour massage. Hurt! but legs felt better afterward. 

Core workout in the PM 

AM: did 24 x 2 min on /1 min off,  Started by doing 4 into the wind, then did the ma on shan loop (rolly hills on the backside, seems like got all the uphills on the hard part and downhills on the rests), then because I still had 10 reps and I felt like a glutton for punishment I did the ma on shan loop again.  3:40 ave pace for hard parts.  Not a stellar workout, but the hills challenged my sore legs (recalled all the pain on the up and esp downhill).   

I was supposed to do 25 but like a dummy thought I was done at 24 and didn't realize I missed the last one until the last 2 minutes beeped off on my watch, but I was already 3 minutes deep into the cool down slog and didn't feel up to resurrecting my legs.  I weighed 126.0 tuesday morning after 5 miles on the tm, and weighed 121.2 after this workout.  Shows what a nice workout can do toward making you very dehydrated.  Had a protein shake and big chicken sandwich when I got home.  I weigh 121.2 no more :D

4:45 pace easy run, then 8 x 80m strides

Ran Bowen Road up to Petrol station, back to bowen road back to petrol station, then to Sir Cecil's Ride (a trail, big hills to get there).  A hillier first twenty miler than I expected.  Had a couple of fast 5ks in there (pace in 4:20s), but some slow ones too, and some stairs, some getting lost and not stopping watch, so 4:59 ave pace overall for 34.75k.  Coach gave me permission to go 32k but I went out a little too far on the trail and got a bit lost, so that's what made the distance long. My legs felt tired but I overall didn't feel as thrashed as some 20 milers in the past.  First one in the bank.

Went to lunch with a friend and then we went to Tokyo Sports and spent some GC's won in races:  I got two pair of kids cleats, two pairs of kids tennis shoes (for when Mickie and JJ grow, will probably use in 1-2 years), two pairs of wave riders for Paul, and myself 4 sports bras (New Balance doesn't make these).  I still have more vouchers to spend but had to get home and was tired of looking at stuff. 

Will do core tonight!