Around the Bay 2011

Training began on January 6, 2011 and lasted 16 weeks. In that time, I completed countless sets of intervals at 200m-800m distances, did 75 hill repeats, trudged through 16 Saturday long runs ranging from 16-27km, leaked the toe jizz ending in two purple toes, nursed two injuries, braved the chilling cold, wind, and rain, swam like a fish, spinned my heart out, and lifted hundreds (thousands?) of pounds in weights. Combined, it proved to be completely worth it when I ran Around the Bay 2011.

The day was absolutely, undeniably, positively, no word of a lie PERFECT! Cloudless sunny skies, a beautiful -10 to start (warming to -5 by the time I was closing in on finishing), and BEST of all... limited wind! There could not have possibly been any better day to race.

I arrived at Copps fairly early for a 9:30 start... 7:45 to be sure, because Kimberly was working for the event, and I was her only way of getting there. It was a good move on my part, because it gave me plenty of time to just sit in the stadium to collect my thoughts, consider my race strategies, and calm myself down from inevitable race anxiety. I met with Julie, Kathi, Breeann, Louise, Laura, and some others at 8:30.

Originally Steve and myself were going to run together for this race. My own goal was a reattempt at the sub-3hrs goal of last year, which I had missed by a very large 17 minutes. Steve had success with this last year, but had been nursing some injuries of his own and though the pace and goal was more manageable than those goals and paces of other runners in the group. But it turned out that Steve would not run ATB at all this year, due to the injuries which had been plaguing him over the last couple weeks. I was disappointed... we always have a really fun time running together, and in a race fun is what you need to get through a distance like 30K. At the same time, I sort of looked forward to the challenge it left me with: I was going to have to push myself along for 30K without any accountability to anyone but myself. This intrigued me.

Anyway, I started out with Julie, Kathi, and Breeann. Their pace would be 5:30/km though, which was 20 seconds faster per kilometer than I needed to be to achieve my goal. I stayed with them for 8k, but decided to hold back at that point for fear of burning out and missing my re-attempt at being a fast runner in a race. In this race, it's not at all difficult to go full out on the first half, which is straight and flat, completely forgetting what lies ahead in the very hilly and curvy second half. Having done this twice prior to this race, I knew what was ahead, and I decided to take the smart path and stay realistic on my pace.

Usually I watch for each and every kilometer marker in a race, which is completely stupid and I'll never do it again. Not after the success I had at ATB this year. This year, I just put my head down and I ran. That's it. I had been thinking... my training runs do not have giant markers to tell me how far I've gone. I just go out and run, and it never seems to be a problem. I find that in a race, if I watch for each and every kilometer marker the race goes by so much more slowly, and it seems so much more torturous. This race, I put my head down and ran, and before I knew it I was on Northshore Blvd at the 18k marker with just 12k to go.

I plowed through the hills like it was nobody's business, never stopping for a single minute along the way. Not even to drink. Yes, I spilled many cups of water all over me, and ended up spitting part of one of my energy gels out in front of me (and subsequently spraying a fellow racer, although they didn't seem to notice, thank goodness!). In total there are 6 big hills on this course, including the infamous Valley Inn hill. In the Boston Marathon, there is a hill called "Heartbreak Hill". It is long and gradual, with a grade of 4.6. Valley Inn, a part of Around the Bay just before the 26k marker, is 600m long and has a grade of 7.3. It comes after 25k in the race, 7km of which were other hills, both long, gradual, and more steep. Valley Inn defeats experienced marathon runners, and makes your legs burn like a campfire. Most people walk up it. But not me. I ran every step of that hill with tremendous spirit, pride, and confidence. I never stopped once on this race, not for anything.

I have never felt that good at the top of Valley Inn as I made my way down York Blvd. to Copps Coliseum for the finish line. To be sure, the Grim Reaper (a man and his son dress up like the Grimm Reaper each year beside the cemetery on York Blvd... a perfect place for the race and the runners who actually feel like death at that point!) told me "You look way too happy right now". I was not at all ashamed to tell him I was feeling great, because I absolutely was. I made my way down York, now with some burning calves and sore hips (it's near impossible to not feel something racing at this distance).

When I made my way down the loading dock ramp at Copps, and turned the corner to the finish line, the first thing I did was look up at the clock. What I saw has kept me on a high ever since. The past two years, I have documented 30K times starting with the number 3. This year, my time begins with a 2! To be EXACT: 2hrs 55mins 23seconds!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I WAS UNBELIEVABLY, UNCONTROLLABLY, UNCONTAINABLY HAPPY!!! I had not only made my goal of sub-3hrs, I BEAT it by 5 minutes!! I knocked TWENTY-TWO minutes off of my time from last year, as well. And I had done this all on my own, without running in a group. I pushed myself along, and up, and faster, and over the finish. I did it all on my own. You have no idea what this is.

I ran into several friends when it was all said and done, among them a colleague from work. Robb was aiming for an in the area of 3hr finish too, and came extremely close with a 3hr7minute 3ok. I ran into Kate who had an amazing race as well. Julie, Kathi, and Breeann had a spectacular race, finishing in 2hrs 44mins, perhaps a goal for me for next year. For the first time in 15 years, a Canadian won the 30k race. He came in at 1hr 37mins (disgusting!). The first place female was also a Canadian, and she finished at 1hr 50minutes (and when the news interviewed her, she looked like she hadn't even broken a sweat, and her make up was perfect. I found this to be extremely unfair and offensive, considering the stench and sweat I endured during my own race).

Afterwards a large group of us from the Runner's Den gathered at the Vicar's Vice for terrible bar food and beer to share race stories over. I couldn't have wanted anything more than that in that moment. I am so very, very, very, lucky. I love these people.

My post-race body also been strangely wonderful. I didn't feel any pain whatsoever until later in the evening on Monday, when my quads reminded me that I didn't stretch as good as normal, and still are as I type. Other than that though, I am A-O-K! I ran this evening, just 8k, and it was a fantastic run. Ain't no rest for the determined! ;)

Around the Bay is all over for another year, but training continues on hard and strong in preparation for the Mississauga Marathon on May 15th. I am feeling very confident now that I will achieve my 4hr5min goal in Mississauga, based on my ATB performance, and the fact that I am going out and holding the same pace for Mississauga as I did this weekend. Yeah, bring it on!

New training goal: find fuel that is not a gel. They kill my stomach. Like really terribly kill me.

I still can't believe I did it!