We Conquered the Winterman!

Gearing up for the Winterman 1/2 Marathon we heard plenty of frightening stories from runners who had braved the course in the past. So naturally we were excited to try it out for ourselves!

We ran Winterman on February 16th in Ottawa. The race was set up at the Canadian War Museum, and the route was set up along the parkway. The Half Marathon distance was created by having participants run out to a turn around point and back 4 times! Not very exciting. The course was challenging, and the temperature made it hard for us to dress appropriately. We found ourselves very cold on the way out, with the wind in our faces and hot on the way back. 

Kaitlin had a tough run. The gradient or slant of the road along with a few surprise potholes created significant pain in her previously injured ankle. Thank goodness for Melissa who was able to help her talk and laugh through the pain! In the few days after the race Kaitlin has been using the RICE (rest, ice, compression, elevation) technique, and trying to make a game plan to reduce lower leg tension and tightness (stretching and foam rolling are your friend!). Kaitlin is having her leg checked out this week just to be safe!

Although Melissa's IT band had been giving her trouble following the HYPO Half, it was nice to be able to run on the dry pavement this race, and luckily didn't cause any issues for her. Regardless, she has a visit to Kim Ethier at Restorative health booked for this week, to make sure its ready for next race.

We probably weren't prepared enough for the constant, endless, rolling hills of the route, but we made the best of it. Overall, we agreed that the race was much easier than Hypothermic 1/2 and we know they are just going to keep getting better! We made the best of it with a little singing, a lot of laughing, some Salted Caramel GU's and a little massage to finish off the morning. 

Our next race is in less than 2 weeks! At the Chilly Half Marathon in Burlington. 

Stay Tuned!

Until next time,

Melissa and Kaitlin