Monthly Archives: February 2011

Race Recap: Grimsby 3k Road Race – Feb 27, 2011

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Well, the first official race of 2011 has come and gone, and it’s off to a great start!  The weather this year was almost identical to last year for the same race…perfect for a brisk morning race.

I was up by 6:45 AM, did my usual thing and left for the venue with Mrs. Fat Guy, and Mr. Fat Guys mother, also know as the “Cheering Committee”.  We arrived at 8:15 AM, picked up my bib, got changed, and warmed up with a 1k run on part of the race course.

Up the hill at the start.

At approx. 9:10 AM I lined up at the start line, in front to make sure I didn’t have to dodge slower runners.  The start horn went off at exactly 9:15 AM.  The first 300m was on a slight uphill, and snow covered road.  Once passed the right turn at the top, it was asphalt/slush combo.  I made the mistake of starting off too strong, and my pace was somewhat downhill from there until the last little kick at the end.

The last 500m is a decent uphill and it took alot out of me.  I was surprised that no one was around me though at that point.  Rounding the last corner going to the finish line is a slight snow covered downhill and I pushed with whatever I had left.

When I crossed the finish line, I was totally spent, but extremely happy.  Not only did a meet my aggressive goal of 14 mins, I smashed it, finishing in 13:46 which is almost 3 minutes faster than the same race last year.

Crossing the Finish Line

After a little walking around and stretching, and got changed and waited for the posted results to see if I actually won anything. Approx. 30 mins later the results were posted and there it was; I had won my 40-44 Age Group and by a significant margin. 2nd place was almost 3 mins behind me. My time also placed me 24th out of 127 overall!

Here I am with my "Gold" medal.

Here are the Official Results.

Overall: 24 of 127 runner (19%)
Age Group: 1 of 4 runners
Official Time: 13:46.0
Avg. Pace: 4:36 min/km (7:23 min/mile)

Here is all the data from my Garmin FR305:  http://connect.garmin.com/activity/70418616

Next on the race agenda: The Hamilton Around the Bay 30k…the oldest road race in North America.  I have quite a few run miles to log in before this race in less than 26 days.

 

Pre-Race: Grimsby 3k Run Race

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Only 4 days away is the start of race season. :-D   First on the schedule is the Niagara Running Series’ Grimsby 3k.  I know, not a significant race, but it’s significant for me because it was my first official race ever last year when I started on this fitness journey.  Last year I finished the race in 16:45.3 which is an average pace of 5:36 min/km pace.  My training pace is faster than that now.

My goal for this year is a 14 mins which is a 4:40 min/km pace.  This is a VERY aggressive goal, but I’m shooting for it anyways.  Based on last years results, that would give me 1st place in my Age Group.  But, looking at the confirmation list, there’s already significantly more people registered for the race than last year.  We shall see.

It appears once again that I’ll also have my cheering party with me…Mrs. Fat Guy.  Thanks hun! ;-)

Stay tuned for the race results.


Expenses Report: Nov 2010 to Jan 2011

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I’ve decided that I’ll post what my monthly expenses are for all this endurance stuff I do, including equipment, memberships, self-care, etc..  This will serve 2 purposes in my view;

  1. I’ll keep me accountable for this habit;
  2. Show other what they’re about to get themselves into.

Now, this first report will be from Nov 1 2010, to Jan 31 2011, and from now on it’ll be a monthly update.  Here goes:

November 2010

  • Gym Membership: $30
  • Swimming Pool 3 mth Membership $121.50
  • Brooks Ghost 3 Running Shoes: $75
  • Massage: $70
  • BT 6-Mth Membership $33
  • Infinit Nutrition $11.65

December 2010

  • Gym Membership $30
  • 2010 Jamis Comet Tri Bike $1,723.25
  • Aero Bike Helmet $90.50
  • Zoomers Z2 Swim Fins $46
  • Bike Stems(2) $36
  • TurboCrank Bike Training Program $12
  • Sudbury Rocks 10k Race Registration $33
  • Runner’s World Magazine Subscription $36

January 2011

  • Gym Membership $30
  • 30k Around The Bay Race Registration $75
  • 3k Tim Hortons Race Registration $28.75
  • Shimano Compact Bike Crankset $120.43
  • Cobb V-Flow Plus Bike Seat $85
  • Shimano Dura Ace Bottom Bracket (Bike part) $32
  • Road ID Bracelet $27
  • Infinit Nutrition $71

So far totals are Nov $341, Dec $2,007, and January $470.  There’s already a few “entries” for the month of February. :)

Good times!


Totals: January 2010 Training

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Well, January training totals are somewhat disappointing as they are pretty much identical to December when they should be higher.  There were plenty of bad days that led to missed workouts.  Hoping things improve for February.