Race Report: Waterloo Re-Frigee-Eighter 8-Mile Run

Race: Waterloo Re-Frigee-Eighter 8-Mile Run (Combined start 8Mi, 8km, 3k Fun Run)
Start Time: 10 a.m., February 20, 2011
Race Weather: -7°C(19°F), sunny, light winds from the East

Interval	Pace	HR	Max HR	Comment
1 mi	10:24	134	153	My Dinner with André
2 mi	10:38	137	144
3 mi	10:36	142	147
4 mi	10:48	143	149
5 mi	10:47	143	147	I'm loving it!
6 mi	10:50	145	150
7 mi *	11:05	142	149	Ahh, this is muscle pain!
8 mi	10:50	146	153	Just run as fast as you can dummy
9 (100 y)	29 secs	151	155	What! who moved the finish line?
8-Mi Avg	10:44	143	-	-
Max	-	-	155	-

Chip Time: 1:26:27

The last 9 participants (the people on a mission!):

O'all                                 Gun       Class       Gender  Pace   Chip  
Place  Bib         Name              Time      Placing       Place   /Km   Time      City  
----- ----- -----------------      ------- ----------------- ----- ----- -------   ----------
  176   524 Andrew Opala           1:27:06 LM45-49   15/15     106 10:49 1:26:27   Mississauga         
  177   533 Elise Pierre           1:27:32 LF25-29   14/14      71 10:51 1:26:43   Kitchener           
  178   512 Paul Miner             1:28:16 LM50-54   15/16     107 10:55 1:27:17   Burlington          
  179   514 Debbie Moore           1:28:18 LF35-39   13/13      72 10:59 1:27:50   St. Jacobs          
  180   554 William Spaetzel       1:28:38 LMW+200    4/4      108 11:00 1:27:53   Kitchener           
  181   430 Gina Cowing            1:28:58 LFW-140    3/3       73 11:03 1:28:23   Innerkip            
  182   575 Carrie Strub           1:29:22 LF40-44    8/8       74 11:08 1:29:00   Cambridge           
  183   412 Bill Bentley           1:30:38 LM50-54   16/16     109 11:15 1:29:53   Waterloo             
   DQ   568 Connor Watson            38:08 DQ                       4:46   37:59   Kitchener  

Thanks for all your support on Twitter, Facebook, Email, DailyMile and the Blog.  This race was definitely a test of patience.  There were 5 water stations evenly placed at the bottom of uphill portions of the run.  When I saw them I would plop a shot blok into my mouth, and then put my hand out for the water.  I'd pinch the water cup closed, and run through the traffic and then sip the water slowly way past the stop (I did no drinking through the stops).  I ran with no music.  The run energy was awesome.

After listening to people talk about nonsense (My Dinner with André) for the for the first 4 miles I fought with passing them (or running ahead of them if they were behind me), but I knew I had to keep my pace.  Once the 8km group peeled off from the 8-milers (at the 4 mile mark) it was pure bliss.  But I didn't know what was waiting for me.

Mile 7 seemed like a breeze at the start: I felt like I was banking a lot of energy, and then I hit this slight hill, and it felt like every thing in my body was screaming with pain when I tried to maintain my pace.  I glanced at the current pace when my interval rolled over and I was at 12:12!  I tried to bring it back during Mile 8, but there wasn't much there.

Then the final stretch on Mile 8 showed me that I still had 100 yards to run to the finish (didn't run the tangents). Looking down at my watch after I finished I was "sprinting" at an 8:50 pace up the last hill to the finish.

Thanks Jill, you were right on the pace that would keep the pain away for the longest so that I could "sprint" at the end.  I was experimenting with going faster at the start - the 3k, and 8k groups shot out like rockets, and me with them!  But at the 1k marker I toned down my running considerably.  I remembered Paul's comment about putting my timing chip on my nuts and kicking them across the finish line, and I thought I have this race in the bag.  I'll impress everyone.  But near the end my "elephant" balls turned into "moth" balls, and I was struggling to give it everything I had.  I also have to thank those three volunteer kids near the end of the race who were doing synchronized cheerleader cheers, high fives and fist pumps.  And their funny comments, "Keep going, you're almost there, there's pizza and hot dogs at the end!"

It was a draining and strategically-run race for me.  And I have no regrets.  Plus I got a new PR!


Burpee Challenge Results will be tablulated and announced tomorrow.