Christmas is over and the new year has arrived, which can only mean on thing.... AROUND THE BAY TRAINING IS HERE!! Time to put down the bonbons, cap the suds, and run my guts out! Last year the goal was sub-3hrs, but I didn't quite achieve that on race day. IN TRAINING, however, I did... thereby making race day slightly heartbreaking. Considering how much stronger I am running this year (thanks to a spring, summer, and fall of dedicated trail running, and the addition of weights (done properly thanks to Kathi's help!) and spin classes), I feel this goal is absolutely within reach this year. BUT! I (claim to) like a challenge (not that this entire race isn't a challenge for any one at any level going for any time!), so I've decided to do my best to complete my speed work (intervals and tempo runs) as if I was training for a 2:52 Bay. My actual goal is going to be 2:55:00-3:00:00. And to finish feeling good! This is going to be my THIRD Around the Bay 30k race.
Check out the YouTube panel on the right hand side of this blog. I have little doubt the videos I've posted of Around the Bay's past will inspire you (I may or may not have got misty-eyed watching them. If you're inspired watching them, consider running some portion of the races! It's A-M-A-Z-I-N-G to be a part of them! OR, you can come and shake a cowbell for those of us crazy enough to run them ourselves ;).
(EXTRA: Following the training schedule for this finish at ATB would bring me in for a 4:00:00-4:05:00 marathon in either Mississauga or Cleveland in May (still can't decide which one to do! ). A 4hr 5min marathon is 25 minutes off my Boston qualifying time (3:40:00)and, as some of you may (or not) know, I have hopes of qualifying within the next 5 years... Lord willing!).
The only reason I race is because in order to do so, you have to train. TRAINING IS THE BEST PART OF RUNNING!! Race day is what it is and, as I have learned on multiple occasions, any goals you have held for yourself for finishing time can quickly become discarded depending on any number of race day factors. But in training... that's where you see all the gains! ATB training is 16 weeks long, and in that time you can see just how far you've come. The first time I ran ATB, I had never run further than 10k. By the end of 16 weeks, I was doing 30k, running faster, and loving the sport more and more and more and......
And running in this cold winter weather..... nothing beats it! I'm not going to say I don't struggle to get out of bed at 6:45 every Saturday morning, or that I don't drag myself to my car to make the trek from the east end to the west every week, or that sometimes I just don't have the energy to do intervals or hills work after a long, tiring day at work. I ABSOLUTELY STRUGGLE WITH THESE BARRIERS! But I have never once regretted pushing past them, getting through the workout, and feeling good about myself for doing so.
This morning was our first long run on the schedule. A comfortable 16k, from the Den in Westdale to Daryl Rd in Burlington and then back. Only two challenging hills on this one: up a long, winding, somewhat gradual and often painful section of Valley Inn (around the cemetry), and then the infamous "Heart Attack Hill" on the section of Valley Inn leading back up to York/Plains Rd. We got it off to a strong start, never stopping on either of them! I do plan on owning Heart Attack Hill this year! It was a wicked run, and a fun time with the breakfast club afterward.
2011 Races.... so far:
1. Grimsby Half-Marathon - Feb. 27
2. Around the Bay 30k - March 27
3. Mississauga or Cleveland Marathon - May 15
Next Week in Fitness: Spin Class (Sunday), Weights (Monday) Intervals (Tuesday), Tempo (Thursday). Swimming (Thursday after tempo), and 18k from the Den to LaSalle in Burlington and back (Saturday). One extra hill on the LaSalle route, and a bit of a doosey. I welcome the challenge!
In between all this I will buy snow tires due to my almost crashing multiple times in a 15 minute drive from home to the Den, and then from the Den home again :S.
Thanks for reading!
Christeeny!
(P.S. - Even though today's run was fab, I am currently icing my ankle! I have this "problem" that when I run, I can tend to kick the insides of my ankles, most often my left foot kicking my right ankle [note to self: see about bodily realignment surgery!]. Well, today I kicked my right ankle so many times, and with a frozen left shoe, and one time REALLY hard, it is now a swollen, purple disaster. It doesn't affect my running at all, but ouch anyway!)
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