Sri Chinmoy Self-Transcendence 6 Hour
Race Report.
There's a mouthful! In ultra-fashion
parlance: The Kingston 6 Hour race. This race is truly a gem, with
a very civilized starting time of 9:00 AM, and no stress regarding
cut-offs or a potential DNF. I find the 1.1K loop rarely gets
boring, as the scenery is diverse, with views of Lake Ontario, the
old Fort Henry and the interesting architecture of the Royal Military
Academy. In fact, when the going gets tough, the 1.1K course is a
godsend, as it eliminates the need to focus on locating directional
cues. You can turn off your navigational processing and concentrate
on putting one foot in front of the other. There is also no need to
worry about nutrition, as the aid station is never more than 6 - 8
minutes away.
Other aspects that make this race
interesting is the constant meeting of other runners, as they pass
you, or you pass them. Timing is accomplished by an actual human, as
a pleasant contrast to most chip timed races. My timer was Pratyaya,
which I mispronounced on every lap, as I greeted her yet again. I
think the proper pronunciation is “Prataiya”, although I
developed some interesting variations as the race progressed.
Kingston is quite the historic town, so
although travelling from Toronto the morning of the race is an
option, staying in or near Kingston is worth considering. We stayed
(via AirBNB) the night before the race at a home roughly 10 minutes
from the race. It was a rare event to have breakfast the morning of
a race!
Race Report
Leading up to the Kingston 6 hour race
was truly uncharted territory for me. I had never run an ultra 7
days after completing a 50K. I also had to factor in Conquer the
Canuck, another 50K race I hope to complete just 7 days after
Kingston. Compressing the recovery period and the taper into 6 days
is something I have never even thought about. How does one do this?
What makes sense? Fortunately, the condition of my legs and knees
left little room for dialogue. After the Sulphur 50K, I had to take
2 days off. So, on Tuesday, I attempted a short recovery run.
Nothing too long or intense, perhaps 7.5K? I made it 2K before my
legs starting complaining. Loudly. I turned around and headed back
home. So, with a less-than-impressive 4K run, how far do I run
Wednesday? I realized that I was not going to run on Thursday or
Friday, before Kingston. I ran 7.5K on Wednesday, which would have
to suffice for my extensive recovery and taper runs...
Running 2 ultras in 8 days is actually
quite simple, as all of your options are stripped away from you,
gratuit. Should I start fast at Kingston? No. Should I continue
much further than my B goal, of completing an ultra? Not going to
happen. Long before the halfway mark of the race, my legs were
informing me that at 43K, it would be time to pull the plug. Having
little choice, I graciously complied.
The breakdown at Kingston was simple.
Run the first 25 loops (about 27.5K), then introduce walking breaks
at the aid station. The hope was that the legs would recover more
quickly for the 50K next week. Although tired and slow, I never had
much problem running when I was supposed to. In fact a few times I
“forgot” to walk when I reached the aid station. After 39 loops
(42.9K) I told Pratyaya that I would be walking the next loop, which
would be my last. It took me 5:11 to reach 39 loops, so I was not
breaking any speed records, although it felt like the correct thing
to do – avoid any fast running with another ultra only 7 days away.
Walking the 40th loop for a total of roughly 44K was
actually more painful than running. My knees made it quite clear
there would be no 41st loop! Near the end of the race,
each runner is given a small bag of sand with their name. When the
race hits exactly 6 hours, car horns sound and runners drop their bag of sand. 2
gentlemen with a wheel, trace the course and mark down how far each
runner went on their last (partial) loop. The leader-board only
shows the full loops completed.
Some of the other runners at Kingston
need mentioning. April Boultbee lapped me more than 20 times! April
pushed hard and I believe she either achieved or was close to a
Canadian record. Pablo Espanosa also went by me like clockwork,
completing 63+ laps. Both of these incredible runners will represent
Canada at the World 24 Hour race in Belfast on Canada day (July 1)!
Paul Chenery placed 2nd male with 57+ laps, which is
outstanding for someone in my age bracket. Well done Paul! Another
good friend Charlotte Vasarhelyi (also going to the 24 hour Worlds)
cranked out 55+ laps for second place female. Speaking of runners I
know, Lee Anne Cohen placed 3rd female, which is
astounding for a 63 year old. Well done dear!
Many of the runners ran stupid-long
distances at the Sulphur Springs race last weekend. It was almost
embarrassing when I mentioned I had “only” run 50K the week
before. I am typing this as a text document instead of on Blogspot
because our internet is currently MIA, so I can't provide the
distances run by Paul Chenery, Ron Gehl, Jeff Ishazawa et al, at
Sulphur, but it was something to behold.
I am also typing this on Monday instead
of Sunday as I worked in Toronto yesterday, helping my son-in-law
Daryl rip carpeting and trim out of his new house. That was not
easy, although recovery is a bit better than last week; I even toyed
with going for a brief recovery run. In retrospect, it would not
have been wise.
I am very much looking forward to
having a few weeks off after the Conquer the Canuck race this coming
Saturday! Even factoring in the ultras, my weekly distance has
decreased. I am spending too much time recovering and tapering. It
will also be good not to drive somewhere far for a weekend.
Cheers!
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