2017 MacPass Mile Bridge Run

So it is Natal Day weekend in Halifax and after a 2 year absence, the MacPass Mile Bridge Run is back. Conveniently one of the bridges in Halifax is a mile long, and for many years a free mile run has been held on it, with cars being excluded for the entire morning. I have raced this once before in 2014, where I finished 13th overall, 4th in my division (Masters) and a time of 5:18.

That year I raced this on a whim, as I had been preparing for my marathon and didn't do a lot of summer racing. This year I raced it on purpose, and while I didn't specifically training for a mile race, I did incorporate some 800m repeats in speed work this year at mile pace.

Race morning came and we had a bit of rain in the early hours, but as we arrived to sign in at the race, the rain had cleared off and the air was just slightly warm.

First up was the women's race. We watched as the first few ran to the finish with some speedy times. Then we had to take off to the other side to get ready for the men's start. Just as we did, the rain started. It came hard and fast. We got soaked. So much for staying dry for the run.

It came time to line up, heavy soaked shoes and socks and all. I took to the front to get ready and then we were off.

The run starts on a downhill for a couple hundred meters before starting a climb up. I picked a decent pace and just held it. The uphill felt perfectly fine and as I crested the top of the hill (likely around halfway through the race) I was in 3rd place overall and felt fine. As the downhill portion started, I lost 3rd place but picked up my overall pacing. Like any good mile race, the aches and pains of running started to come on strong. The race finish as the downhill settles out to a more or less flat 300 meters of agony.

One more person passed me at this point but I was more concerned with overall time. I pushed as hard as I could, but ultimately did not make my goal of a sub 5 minute mile. I clocked in officially at 5:07, 5th overall, 3rd age group. It was a good effort and I think I ran it well. The rain that soaked us certainly did not help and may have slowed me down a bit, but who knows.

Shaving 11 seconds off my mile time after a 3 year absence wasn't too bad though. Maybe these aging legs have some speed still. Maybe the sub 5 min mile can happen. It was nice to hear my name announced during the awards though. 

Product Review - Rekarb Gels

So I was given a couple of samples of Rekarb gels to try out. Newish on the market, I hadn't given them a try yet but have certainly tried a huge variety of other gels. Usually most are pretty similar, in that they are a simple sugar, with flavouring and electrolytes and possibly caffeine (sometimes protein as well). That doesn't mean they all taste the same or even all go down as easy. I definitely prefer some gels more than others. 

What was nice about these (aside from them being a Canadian company) is the ingredient list is so minor. Maple Syrup (the simple sugar), Sea Salt (the electrolyte) and in the case of the 2 "flavoured" versions Cocoa and Matcha Tea (both of which contain some version of caffeine as well as other electrolytes). None of those ingredients are extracts, or heavily processed versions, simply the raw(ish) form. These aren't maple flavoured, they are essentially maple syrup.

Their website contains all the marketing jingo, though even it is simple and sticks to the basics. This company really does keep things easy going.

So enough of the marketing stuff anyway, how were they? Well I gave them all a try in a variety of settings, though all at a hard pace to see how they really went down. I tried the first one at a Duathlon, the next at a Triathlon and the third at a hard trail run in humid hot conditions.

I am pleased to say that they all sat extremely well and gave me no issues. The texture is very fluid, so they go down easy and fast. The one issue is that (and this is the same with all liquidy gels) you can easily get it on your hands, which is a bit sticky. I figured that out quickly after my first one and was more prepared on the second.

The maple flavour (being the man ingredient) is strong. So if you gate maple syrup, you will hate these. I like it and loved these. My favourite was the Cocoa, and I normally hate chocolate gels.

I don't use a lot of gels in training, but I will be switching to using these a lot more in racing. On a hot day when my mouth is dry, the fluid nature of these makes them so much more palatable. And as well, in the cold, they don't get thick either. Win win.

As is always the case, try nutritional products outside of a race setting first (unless you are me) to make sure you can stomach them. But it is great to see a new player on the market, whose product is just that little bit different.