Wedding + Iron Knee 25km race report

I just wanted to start this blog off today by saying that the wedding I went to was absolutly wonderful. The bride looked stunning! I had never met her family but over the weekend I realized they were extremly kind and caring people. Both families are very religious so we all had a good time poking fun at the "events" that were going to occur after the ceremony and reception (when everyone went home)! Peter was unable to make it because he came down with something feirce and spent the entire day hugging the toilet. He wasnt able to eat a single thing all day but he still got up this morning to run Iron Knee 25km!

I had "more than a couple" glass's of wine after the ceremony and at the reception, as well as lots of really great food and hand made cupcakes for desert. I was kind of writing off Iron Knee 25km which was happening the next morning. I came 2nd last year and I really didn't think I would have it in me (after all the previous nights festivities) to really go giv'r. But, combine a competetive runner and a lot of sugar from late night cupcakes, you get one hell of an energizer bunny. It was crazy. I woke up soooo tired at 6am. I went back to sleep until 7am, which left an hour to get dressed, do a car drop in deep cove, and book it over to Grouse Mountain for an 8am start. I was debating breakfast and decided on 3 fig newtons. Not much, but I didn't think my tummy could handle much more. We got to Grouse at 7:40 leaving enough time for a couple bathroom breaks and a 5 minute warm-up.

The start of this race has always been a weakness of mine because it begins uphill. My heart rate is usally in the 180's before we even get into the single track trail. I was running with Pat and Kathy, 2 very good runner's, and we kept a great pace going up the hill. I really wanted to run all of it because in years past I have always taken a few walk breaks. A wise coach once told me "any race under 3 hours should be done all out, nothing left in the tank". So, with that in mind, I ran more of this race than I ever have in the past. Not only did I run it, I felt so good. My legs were just pumped with energy. Once I reached the crest of the undulating hills on Grouse, I began running the funnest technical downhill, and I was just flying past people. In the back of my head I was wondering if this pace was going to come back and bite me in the ass. It was in this section that I passed the 2nd, 3rd, and
4th place females and I gave it everything I had to hold 2nd place.

I cruised through Lynn Headwaters, using the flats as a little bit of a break, still going hard, but was thankful for the chance to turn my legs over versus going uphill/downhill. It was starting to heat up and the wine was starting to talk back to me. My face felt like it was going to blow up and all I wanted to do was poor a jug of water on my head. I started the long descent down to twin bridges and it seemed a little more shaded here and I was able to cool off a bit. As soon as I got to powerline however, I began to cook, the trail was completly exposed. I had a couple of guys running up this 2km hill along side me. We walked where we couldnt run but I tried to run as much as I could, and I did more than I ever had before. Right before the top of the climb I saw Heather Macdonald. I wa so happy to see a familair face cheering me on and the first thing I could think of to say to her was, "I love you Heather". She returned the complement and I surged up the final switch back and began my final descent into Deep Cove. There has never been a year in this race where I haven't been passed going up Powerline. This year hoeveer, not a single guy passed me. I new that if I could hold off anyone going up the hill that no one was going to pass me going down.

As I came into the last 2.5km into Deep Cove I just kept telling myself not to let up, but rather, let forward (I dont know if that makes sense, but that is what I said to myself haha). This guy was right on my tail and there was no way he was getting by. I usually walk the little climbs in the deep cove section but today I was going to put all my power into it and run everything. I did what I said I would do and I even passed a guy in the last minute of the race. As I came into Panorama Park, the clock said 1:53:45...which meant a sprint finish was going to have to happen because getting under 1:54 meant a PB. I sprinted as hard as humanly possible and was impressed by the amount of kick I still had left in my legs. I came in just under- 1:53:55. I later found out the clock was off by a couple minutes so my real time was 1:52:24. My PB on this course was 1:54 so I was very happy with how the day finished up. It's funny how you can neglect your body by putting larger than normal amounts of alcohol into it and yummy treats and go out there and feel amazing. Then other times (most of the time), I can fuel perfectly, eat so healthy and cautiously the night before a race, and just feel tired and fatigued.

Peter finished up in a time of 2:09, which isn't his best time nor his worst. So considering he felt terrible and lost 6lbs yesterday to the toilet, that's not to shabby!

I am feeling really good right now and I hope I can continue to feel great snd bring this energy to Knee Knacker 50km in July! Thanks to Keith Nicoll, the North Shore Athletics Staff, and all the wonderful voluneteers who cheered on and kept me well hydrated.

See you in the trails!