2013 Glencoe Icebreaker 10K Race Report

The Glencoe Icebreaker 10K would be race number six in my quest for (more than) 13 races in 2013. No doubt you have all been waiting with baited breath to hear whether my anti-snow dance for the Glencoe Icebreaker 10K on Sunday worked.  Well, that depends!

I woke up on Sunday morning and checked the weather report.  It was cold and there were freezing ice pellets falling.  Seriously, freezing ice pellets…  The roads getting to the race were slick.  Several of us almost slipped and fell in the parking lot for the Glencoe Club too.  So while it hadn’t really snowed (yet) I don’t think that freezing ice pellets were a better option!  I decided to make my number one goal for the day to not fall down,

With about 20 minutes to go before before the race start I ventured out for a warm up run.  I wanted to get a feel for just how slick and slippery things were out there.  As I made my way outside I happened to notice white stuff swirling around in the air.  It had now started to snow!

So much for my anti-snow dance!  What can I say, I did my best!

Before I knew it, it was time to take off.  I started running fairly gingerly as I didn’t want to get too excited, take off and hit an icy patch.  Friends reported seeing several runners slipping and falling in the first few hundred meters.  Given my ankle issues I suffered through in March I didn’t really have a clear set of goals for the race.  Besides not wanting to fall down I just wanted to run a strong and happy race.  I know this course is hilly so I wanted to run as consistently as possible.

Mile 1 was fairly flat and clicked off in 10:26.  Mile 2 is where the race gets tough as you hit a big, long uphill climb.  As people slowed down or started walking the hill I kept pushing my way up.  I wanted to keep my momentum going and not get sucked into walking.  As I made it up the hill I had another goal for the race.  No walk breaks.  Mile 2 done in 10:38.

There were some really slick sections as we ran past Stanley Park.  Luckily there was an awesome volunteer loudly yelling warnings at us.  You could see spots in the snow where people had slid out.  By this point in time my glasses were well fogged up, making it difficult to spot the best route to take.  I regretted not leaving my glasses behind in the car!  Mile 3 done in 10:33.

We were now running an out and back section through some very lovely homes just off the Elbow River.  I kept my eye out for my teammates and cheered folks on.  I always feel so lucky to be a part of an amazing team at races like this.  No matter where you are in the pack everyone on Team Tri Life cheers for each other and wants to see everyone succeed.  The support I get from my teammates at races always puts a huge smile on my face!  Mile 4 in 10:29.

The last two miles in a 10K race area always tough for me.  Mentally you know that 2 miles isn’t very much but it feels like it drags on forever!  I began playing leap frog with a few other runners which kept things interesting.  The route still had some little hills to contend with but I was keeping my goal of no walking.  Mile 5 in 10:36.

With just over a mile left to go I mentally started to dig deep.  My ankle was feeling good and I worked hard to not focus on the fact that I was feeling tired.  Just keep running!  I made it my goal to make sure I could hang with the couple of runners I had been playing leap frog with.  Mile 6 done in 10:30.  I knew the finish line was not too far ahead so I tried to give it everything I had while still being conscious of the slick pathway leading to the end.

Overall I was really happy with my race.  Despite the tough/hilly course and the difficult conditions I thought I ran a fairly well paced race (and with no walk breaks).  I grabbed some Gatorade at the finish, cheered in my last few teammates, then made my way into the Glencoe Club for the awesome post race breakfast.  They had muffins, pastries, fruit, muesli, waffles, scrambled eggs, ham, sausages and yogurt.  The breakfast alone makes doing this race worthwhile!

Final Race Stats:

• Chip Time: 1:05:40
• Overall 429 out of 514
• Females 30 – 34: 32 out of 45

Miscellaneous Photos:

Our race shirts!

In the afternoon I got on my bike for a super easy spin to flush my legs out.  I need to get more comfortable being in aero so I spent some time working on that.

After my spin I knocked out a 2 minute plank, supervised by Peat!

I have a pair of tri shorts that I save for at home workouts only because they are so low rise in the front!  I find tri tops are so short so what’s up with these low rise shorts??  The bottom of my shirt is just at my belly button. #onlineshoppingfail

And just before this picture was taken, there was a Peat photobomb!