Race Eve

Saturday morning we arose bright and early.  Twin 1 went for Starbucks while Twin 2 was getting ready as our coffee pot only had a single cup pot and we both required coffee.  Twin 1 only ever orders black so they filled both coffees to the brim and when Twin 1 tried to put milk in Twin 2’s it didn’t go so well as it was already so full.  Twin 2 had black coffee as well.  We started the day off with coffee and oatmeal with bananas and almonds. 

 After breakfast we headed over to race kit pick up. We assumed we’d be waiting in line for hours so we got there shortly after it opened.  Our Google map printout said it would be a 15-20 min walk so we set out and when we arrived to our surprise there was no line up at all. Everyone must have gotten them on Friday because on Facebook it showed the huge line up out the door.  This was set up a little differently than any of the other kit pick ups we’ve been to.  First we had to get our bib then got it verified and then we had to pick up our shirts at the back of the race expo.  I guess that’s a good way to get you to walk through the expo.  So we picked up our shirts and walked around and checked things out.   It didn’t take long to walk around as it wasn’t too big.  We did find some purple shirts that said “Run Strong – Ottawa” and they were only $19 so we each bought one.  

 We went to the Running Room booth and saw that our sneakers were on sale because apparently they were last year’s model and they were trying to get rid of them.   We said we would think about it and might be back for them.  In hindsight we probably should have bought them because our sneakers from the race are still trying to dry.  More on that in another post. 

Here are a few pictures of the Army Vehicles and Race Expo.

On our way out people were taking photos under the sign so we joined in.

We finished there early and we didn’t really want to walk ALL THE WAY back to the hotel so we went to the mall and walked around looking for stores to shop at on Monday as we waited for our other Race Buddy to arrive.  A lot of the mall was under construction and most of the stores we shop at are not in the mall anymore and we are way too cheap to shop at all the brand name stores. 

At lunch time we stopped at the food court to eat.  Again, being cheap we brought our own lunch.  PB sandwiches and an apple.  We hung out there for a bit and then met our Race Buddy on the corner and went back to the Race Expo with her and then over to the park across the street to catch up.

Endorsing Asics

Late afternoon we parted ways, walked her back to her car and on our way back to the hotel we hit the grocery store to get some entrees to eat before supper.  Entrees included cheese and grapes again and some macaroons. 

We cooked up some supper and relaxed the rest of the evening.

Salad, Sweet Potato & Chicken

 We laid out all our race gear and tried to get some sleep.  

 In hindsight we shouldn’t have walked around Ottawa for as long and as much as we did. 

Travel Day (continued)

As mentioned in a previous post our intentions of updating our blog daily did not come to light.  Our hotel room didn't have the greatest wifi connection to upload all we needed/wanted to say/share in photos.  Our plan now is to try and do a post a day of the days we were away (some more exciting than others) instead of one looooong post.

Friday (Travel Day)

We got to the airport in Hali around 12:00 noon and the excitement was starting to set in.

Twin 1 seemed a tad more excited lol

First stop after check in was security.  We have never seen the security line so long in Hali.  Someone must have been on lunch.

Speaking of lunch, we are cheap and were trying to save money where we could so Twin 2 packed some peanut butter sandwiches for lunch while waiting at the airport. 

We thought Porter might give us a free lunch as well but unfortunately it was just snacks and drinks.  For snacks we had the option of chips/cookies/almonds.  We chose chips (the decision needed to be made quick).  We were given these...low sodium gluten free excotic vegetable chips. Yum. Yum.

Twin 1 thought this looked like Onyx's pig ear.

Cookies it is next time.

We arrived in Ottawa around 3:30 p.m., caught a cab and checked into our hotel.  It was pretty nice.  It was pretty much a one bedroom apartment with a bedroom/bathroom/full kitchen/dining area/living room/balcony.  Highly recommend. We liked this idea as well so we could cook our meals and again, not spend a lot of money.

Once checked in we headed to the nearest grocery store and bought some food for the weekend, most importantly being our supper on Saturday night and breakfast Sunday morning before the race.  Friday night we decided to pick up a frozen pizza and have that and in the meantime we snacked on cheese and grapes.  Loved this little package.  Also had crackers in there as well.  We picked another one up again on Saturday for an afternoon snack.

After supper we checked out the rest of the hotel and planned out our Saturday.

View from rooftop sun deck

Tip Tuesday

If an event such as a marathon or charity run is in an unfamiliar city, make yourself familiar with the course beforehand. Run it, drive it, or at the very least, look at a map to know what to expect. Make note of major landmarks and hilly sections.

Do not walk around for 9 hours the day before a race as your legs will be tired for race day.

1/2 Complete

Well we did it. In the torrential rain. Just when you think it couldn't rain any harder, it did.

We are sorry about not updating the blog this weekend but our hotel doesn't have the best wifi connection. We will update and recap when we get home.

In the meantime, here is our bib and dog tag medals. This is why we ran lol

Travel Day

Well travel day is finally here.  After an evening/morning of packing we'll soon we headed to the airport.  Packing was a little difficult as the temperatures during the 4 days we are there range from a low of 1 degree to a high of 27.  But the only thing that matters is our running gear is in our carry on luggage in case for whatever reason our checked luggage does not arrive.  If it doesn't the airport luggage people will have a feast on the food we packed.

We are excited.  The nerves probably won't kick back in until Saturday evening/Sunday morning.

We'll check back in when we arrive.

Distractions

Leaving tomorrow....busy at work, lots to do tonight. 

Anyone ever need one of these at work or wish your co-workers had one?  In the afternoon we could have a good nap in one.

4 DAYS!

Feelings: 

            Excitement: We are almost off to our favourite Canadian city! OTTAWA!

               

Anxiety: We are running 21 kms

Uh oh: Weather has now changed to rain with a feel like temp of 26 (translation: 36 degrees & humid)

Today/tonight will be the prep work to figure out what to pack/what to wear on race day, etc.  Not gonna lie, we will both probably just throw everything we can into our suitcase and figure it out when we get there.  We also are staying in an apartment style hotel with a full kitchen so we’re trying to do up a meal plan for the weekend to see if we can take some food with us instead of buying it all up there.  The most important meals will be what we eat for supper on Saturday night and for breakfast on Sunday morning.

This week is taper week.   What is tapering?  Here is the definition from Wikipedia:

In the context of sports, tapering refers to the practice of reducing exercise in the days just before an important competition.  Tapering is customary in many endurance sports, such as the marathon, athletics and swimming.  For many athletes, a significant period of tapering is essential for optimal performance.  The tapering period frequently lasts as much as a week or more.

http://www.runnersworld.com/race-training/how-to-taper-for-your-first-half-marathon

So last night we ONLY ran 6k.  It went by soooo quick compared to the 10ks and over we’ve been running all summer.  The weather was perfect as well for running.  One more run left on Thursday (another 6k) and we are off!