The 2009 HSBC Chilly Half lived up to its name as the event was truly 'chilly'. The temperature at race start was -10 with a 20k north wind. The weather must have discouraged some participants as about 3000 had entered but there were only about 2400 runners actually started. Too bad because the run was actually quite comfortable. We ran under bright sunshine and the wind was seldom directly against us plus it gave us a mild push on the 8k homestretch along Lakeshore.

When conditions are good this is a fast course. While it was a little chilly the footing was excellent. There was no snow, ice or any wet spots to negotiate so all we needed to do was concentrate on running. As a result our northern team performed very well. Brent Walker's goal was sub 1:25. He turned 1:24:06 and 39th overall. Steve Fessenden's window was high 1:29 to 1:34 and he turned 1:29:15. Vince Perdue was looking to go sub 1:45 with a faint hope of sub 1:44 and he turned a 1:43:55. Paul Washchuk broke the 1:50 barrier (1:49:51) AND came first in his 65-69 age group - for the second year in a row. Francine Lukan is a transplanted Rock!! originally from Garson now living in Stoney Creek. She broke the 2 hour barrier handily posting a 1:50:21. Suzanne Dionne, our Burlington Rock!!, hoping for a sub 2:10 posted a 2:09:35. Stephanie Leclair posted a 2:29:01 and Florine Atkins, fresh off her 2:41 finish in the Sudbury Hypothermic Half , took the course by the teeth and shaved off minutes stopping the clock in a time of 2:33:07.

Good going All. For those interested in this event it usually fills up early (by mid December). If you'd like a good winter run you can't do much better than the Chilly.

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Brent Walker adds: I always look forward to the Chilly half marathon and see it
as an opportunity to see how my winter training has gone. However, just
before these races, another side of me questions my sanity for running
them. The only real person that I am ever running against is myself.
Even though I've ran many races, just before the horn goes off I dread the
idea of running against my previous best time.

The Chilly Half Marathon is always well organized. The race course was
changed within the last couple of years to make it even better. This
year's Chilly Half marathon was graced with nice sunny conditions that
made for good racing conditions with no snow. It was actually kind of
freakish to be running by homes that had perfectly green lawns on March
1rst.

The race course is one big loop. After the race starts, it heads
north and then heads east for a long stretch. Heading east for about 8
km, the race pushed against strong head winds. I was fortunate enough to
be passed by two tall runners whom I was able to tuck in behind and
draft off for the 8 km head wind section. Trying to stay with
stronger runners and not get dropped brought me to the edge of burning
out and crashing but as we ended the section heading east, I knew that I
was on track to beat my previous best time. As we turned south, the runners
that I drafted off left me behind but I knew that I was ahead of myself
and then just needed to not crash to beat my previous PB. We then turned
west onto Lake Shore and the previous head wind was now a tail wind and
helped. In the end, I beat my previous best and was delighted. I had beaten
myself. Now the question becomes, can I ever do it again?

 

All Results

View a clip of the race at:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZPiJBw-dUkM

 

 

The first event of The Senior Winter Games ----a 3 km prediction ski----took place last Wednesday at the Naughton xcountry ski trails . Skiers had to predict how long it would take to ski the 3km trail .The person closest to their time was the winner. Would you believe they even took away our watches!! Even though there were only 8 skiers this is more than double from last year when there were 3. Mother Nature even cooperated as the temperature hovered around -2. As usual the trails were in excellent condition thanks to Ralph Kitler who always makes sure the trails are well groomed . Thanks also to Patti Kitler who gave of her time Tuesday mornings taking a group of us out on the trails giving pointers for making skiing more enjoyable.

For those who get the Northern Life there is a nice picture of Lorna in the March 3rd paper as she starts the "race" . Louis and I or maybe just me had a good ski.We had a staggered start and I really tired to catch him but was unsuccessful in doing so. He was closer to his predicted time than I was but in my attempt to try and catch him I actually beat him in time to cover the distance. YES---I finally beat him in something after all these years!!

It was a fun time and next year each of us will try to bring out one more person

Maureen Moustgaard

Results

 

Why is it that you can go from the brink of physi-cal exhaustion, wondering whether you can even take another step, to having a surge of energy and a higher level of performance? It's because physical fatigue isn't entirely physical. And that's not just a cliché like mind over matter. The prevailing scientific theory is that when you feel like your muscles are at the breaking point, they really aren't. It's just your brain telling you to stop. The idea that your brain has a lot to do with physical performance isn't new. There has always been a sense that mental toughness can override physical obstacles or that poor physical performance can be caused by mental limitations. Or, as Arnold Schwarzenegger once put it, "the mind always poops out before the body." That's not the most articulate or scientific explanation. But there's an increasing amount of research that proves he may be right. A few years ago, scientists developed what is known as the "central governor theory." It has nothing to do with the governor of California, apart from the fact that it supports his "poop-out" theory. The thinking used to be that your brain simply passed on a message from your muscles at the point of exhaustion. Either your muscle fibres were spent or they were overcome by toxins like lactic acid, putting a physical limit on your performance. But researchers studied muscle fibre and found that when athletes feel totally fatigued, they actually still have reserves to draw on. The brain doesn't let your muscles go to the brink because it's worried about the risk of damage to your body. So it creates the sensations that you understand to be fatigue. It's a bit like your car turning on a warning signal when you're low on fuel rather than when you run out of gas completely. Only in the case of your body, the warning signal hurts.

The researchers who developed this theory figure that the brain forms an idea of what a safe level of exertion is, based on the current state of your body and past experiences with strenuous exercise. That's why they think interval training is valuable: it teaches your brain that you can safely exert at a higher level. And that's not the only way that your brain can artificially limit your performance. New research released this week suggest that being mentally tired before you exercise or race can make you feel physically exhausted even sooner, even though there's no difference in the performance of your muscles.

According to a study to be published in this month's Journal of Applied Physiology, athletes who were given a mentally tiring task before exercise reached exhaustion sooner than when they were mentally rested before their workout. Scientists had a group of athletes perform a mentally fatiguing task and then ride stationary bikes to the point of physical exhaustion. Then the same group rode the stationary bike when they were mentally rested. When they were mentally tired, they reached the point of physical exhaustion 15 per cent faster. But here's the interesting part: scientists were measuring indicators of their muscle performance. And there was no difference in results at the same point in each workout. The riders just felt exhausted and quit earlier when they were mentally exhausted.

The researchers figure there could be two explanations. Either mental fatigue lowers your brain's resistance to quit, or mental fatigue affects the level of a chemical in your brain called dopamine, that plays a role in motivation and effort. Either way, the research confirms it's your brain that generally tells you to stop, not your muscles. And it helps to explain why a training run at the end of a long day at work may seem more exhausting than one first thing in the morning.

It would be a stretch to say it's all in your head. There are physical limitations to performance and it's risky to push too hard when your body is telling you to stop. But if you recognize that even though your brain is trying to look after your overall best interests, it can be an obstacle to peak performance, you may be able to overcome the signals of exhaustion and hang on for a strong result.

In other words, don't let your mind poop out before your body.

© Copyright (c) The Ottawa Citizen

 

NCTT Youth Program Organizational Meeting March 8th 1pm Laurentian Gym

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Are you interested in helping to organize a youth Triathlon program with the Nickel City Triathlon Team? Come out on Sunday March 8th, 1:00pm for an organizational meeting to discuss the youth triathlon program for this summer. (met at the area in front of the Ken Banuk lounge at Laurentian University gym).

If you are unable to attend but are still interested in helping with this program please let me know..

Each youth program workout requires that a coach be present. NCTT is hosting a triathlon coaching clinic April 4-5 at the New Sudbury library.

Interested people may want to register with NCTT ($100.00) http://nickelcitytri.com/ as the registration fee for this coaching course ($175) is waived for NCTT members .

After registering with NCTT as a member, you can register for the Coaches training on line at http://www.triathlonontario.com/hm/inside.php?id=741 . Let Laura (laurawest08@yahoo.ca) know you are registering for the coaching course so you will be admitted without a registration.

Registering this way will save $75, get the benefits of being a member of the NCTT triathlon team which includes registration in OAT, regular workouts, social events and ensures the youth program has enough trained coaches to hold training sessions.

We look forward to meeting with you. Please share this email with anyone you know who may be interested in supporting the development of a youth triathlon program this summer.

Cheers
Bob Jeffery, Nickel City Triathlon Team