Dead Last – KRRA Half Marathon

Me in front of City Hall where the race is about to start

You heard it right! I was DEAD LAST in Sunday’s Kingston Road Runner’s Association (KRRA) Half Marathon. Don’t believe me? You can CLICK HERE. I finished in 224th place, in 2:35:50. Right after I passed the finish line, I overheard the words “Okay, we can pack up now”! So here’s how it went down:

First off, I have to say I was not prepared for this race. And even though I’d run 2 half marathons before, experience is no substitute for preparedness (or is it “preparation”?). I didn’t even have proper running shoes, so I got new ones just the day before. And if you’ve read any literature on running long distance, you need at least 2 weeks to break-in your new shoes before using them in a race. But my old ones were really in no shape for a race (but in retrospect, they might have been better).Anyway… so I got the new shoes the day before the race, and decided to use them, instead of my 2-year old running shoes with no bounce left in them. That was mistake number one. And of course, the months leading up to the race, I’d only been running short 5-km distances. And though I felt pretty fit, what’s 5 km compared to 21?

Getting ready for the race

So I arrived in the morning at the starting line (I biked about 3 km from home), and got in line for the race. This was my first race since moving to Kingston. And I was surprised to see pacers! How cool is that? I was trying to decide: Shall I follow the 2:00, 2:15 or 2:30 pacer? 2:30 was the slowest available pacer (I guess everyone’s expected to finish within that time), but he was really funny and inviting. He joked that we’d get the most for our money by running with him (more time on the road = more value?). He also said he’d run in intervals, running for 9 minutes and then walking for 1 (apparently, this is a sure-fire way of completing a race with little strain on your body). I ran 2:30 in my first race, and a little over 2:00 in my last race. So I thought I’d take the middle road and stick with 2:15.

The 2:15 pacer I intended to follow (but didn't)

As the race began, I found myself wanting to run a little faster than the 2:15 pacer. So I quickly decided to follow the 2:00 pacer instead (another mistake). I didn’t realize that this was my 5-km pace, and is really not a pace for longer distances. I was able to keep up with the 2:00 pacer for the first 5 km, but I slowly found myself falling behind the 2:00 pack. I thought to myself – “No matter… I should be able to keep my own pace, and stay ahead of the 2:15 crowd, right?” Well, we’ll see…

By km 8, I was starting to feel tired. And my shoes started to feel weird, like my shoe laces were too tight (started to feel a little numb), and the arch was too high. Basically, my feet started to hurt, but I pressed on. I passed by Pembroke Street, and was greeted by my wife and kids, who took a video of me as I passed the 8 km mark.

By km 10, I was really getting tired. My legs were compensating for the weirdness/pain in my feet, and I was not running as efficiently as I had hoped. I resolved to following the 9+1 rule (like the pacer was suggesting), running 9 minutes and then walking for 1. Maybe that’ll work for me. Unlike my first race though, I didn’t feel a strong motivation to finish. Instead of focusing on the race, my mind kept wondering on ways to make it easier on myself.

My pace slowed, quite significantly. The 2:15 pacer passed me at km 15. Soon after, I started feeling small spasms in my calves, like I was about to cramp. So I had to slow it down even more. The spasms started to get more and more pronounced as I approached km 17. I started walking more and running less.

At km 18, I passed Pembroke Street again, and was greeted by my wife and kids… again. What a sight for sore eyes! I really needed to support. I decided to stop for a little bit and stretch my problematic calves. The muscle spasms were coming on strong. But I pressed on.

By km 19, I couldn’t run anymore without feeling my muscles contract involuntarily. So I had to walk. Even that was a chore. I had to focus on finishing. I didn’t want a DNF (Did-Not-Finish) on my record. Shortly after, the 2:30 pacer came up behind me. He cheered me on, and of course, passed right on by.

I'm walking now. Legs cramped

By km 20, I looked back, and the last runner was behind me – a lady, followed by 2 cyclists who were bringing up the rear. The lady runner eventually passed me, and so it was just me and the 2 cyclists cheering me on. Only 1 kilometre to go – How embarrassing!

I still couldn’t run. Try as I may, the minute I tried to push off, I felt that spasm. Even as I walked, I could still feel slight cramping in my calves. My legs were on the verge of giving up on me. I tried using alternative muscles, by walking backward, or marching with my quads. That seemed to keep me in the game, until these muscles too started feeling cramped (my groin muscles in particular were especially painful – ouch!).

Anyway, being last has its advantages. Everyone was cheering me on. I got high-fives from random people. I finally made it pass the finish line. I noticed a time of 2:35++ which wasn’t that bad, in my opinion. Sure I was last, but it was memorable.

Complementary Massages

I stuck around for some soup and some bagels. They also had complementary massages, which I thoroughly enjoyed. I would’ve paid for it, given my condition. But hey! It’s free! It was a good, fun atmosphere; and a fantastic day for running (except for the May flies). I’d definitely do it again next year. But next time, I’ll train for it, break in my shoes first definitely, and maybe bring my own water bottle (water was a little scarce at the KRRA).

More pictures are located on Facebook.

Next Half Marathon: Lake Placid NY. I want to beat 2:00. Wish me luck!

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