Around The Bay

Sunday 26 March was the 123rd edition of Around the Bay, the oldest road race in North America (founded in 1894). My goal was to run at a target marathon pace of 4:44 mins per km, to finish around 2 hrs 22 mins.
 
Lots of runners travel down from the Ottawa area to participate in this famous event, and I was with a group of friends from my local Running Room.  Many had raced here before but for a number of us it was the first time.
 
To mark Canada’s 150th birthday this year, a huge flag was passed over the runners waiting at the start line, which was a nice moment before the horn blew and we were off.

I started just ahead of the 2 hr 20 ‘pace bunny’ and aimed to stay ahead of him as long as possible. The last part of the course includes some hills so I knew it would be a good idea to build a time buffer if I wanted to stay on target. 
 
For this event I wrote an additional message to wear on the back of my shirt, to raise awareness of my goal, and the charity.  I was pleased that a number of runners asked me about the challenge because of the sign and I was able to tell them about Start2Finish and the Pathway of Hope. I think it’s the first time that I’ve ever had conversations whilst racing!



Weather at the start

The forecast had been for light rain but after some overnight and early drizzle the morning was grey and windy. The headwinds were particularly strong for the first 15 km as we weaved through the industrial heart of Hamilton.  Crossing the Canal lift bridge I was impressed by the size of the waves on Lake Ontario.

The course has a number of features and traditions, the most talked about being ‘Heartbreak Hill’ (Valley Inn Road) which was part of the course again this year after roadworks for the past two events.
The last third of the race covers a number of rolling hills, and by itself the Valley Inn Road isn’t very daunting – but after 26km at race pace it was a tough climb that I only just managed to keep running up, and the pace bunny passed me on the way to the top.

The headwinds picked up again on the York Boulevard bridge, and I was starting to feel a pain in my right knee so I took a walk break to try and stretch a bit and reduce the ache.  Then I encountered another of the Around the Bay traditions: Tim the Grim Reaper, greeting runners at around 28 km. His words of ‘encouragement’ spurred me on towards the finish.
 
I needed another walk break at the 29 km marker as the pain in my knee became more persistent.  As I struggled here a passing runner gave me a real boost with some positive words, and I picked up the pace for the stadium finish in the FirstOntario Centre: 2 hrs 21 mins.


FirstOntario Centre (pre-race)

Pathway of Hope

This week I had the privilege of joining Coach Steve and the volunteer team with around 25 students at a Running & Reading Club in Ottawa.  The 32-week program is the second step on the Start2Finish 'Pathway of Hope'.

The session has two parts.  The first hour included a high-energy warm up plus strength drills, followed by some fun and games.

After learning about the word of the day (Excellence) we spent the second hour in smaller groups reading books.

It was a fantastic opportunity to see Start2Finish in action and find out a bit more about how the funds are used.  Hats off to the volunteers, including the junior coaches, who take the time every week to help all of these children improve their literacy and fitness levels.  The enthusiasm levels were impressive - and the kids are excited and motivated for their 5km race in May. 

I'm looking forward to carrying some of that zeal with me to Hamilton on Sunday for my run Around the Bay!

You can help more kids do more running and more reading here: https://www.gifttool.com/athon/MyFundraisingPage?ID=1466&AID=1695&PID=602510&Preview=Y

March Madness

08:30 Sunday (long run time)

Ok, enough is enough...
it's time to move on.
This weather is getting repetitive.

The clock's have sprung forward,
but Spring is definitely lagging behind.

And today more snow. 10-20cm due to fall on Ottawa, which will make for slippery conditions for a few days.

Temperatures have been freezing since the start of March. 

We have had some brutal wind-chill,
which was especially unpleasant for Sunday's long steady run.

On a brighter note there are great things happening this month:

• Surpassed the $300 mark in fundraising;
• Already run over 400km this year;
• Next week I have been invited to participate in a Start2Finish 'Running & Reading Club' in Ottawa; and
• On 26 March I'll be running at the oldest road race in North America: Around the Bay in Hamilton.

 
 

Hypothermic Half-Marathon

The Running Room Hypothermic Half-Marathon was on Saturday 04 March. The Ottawa event takes place a lot later than many other locations, which can potentially mean mild conditions, but not this year.

The sky was clear and the temperature was down to -20c, with wind chill making it feel more like -30c. 
 
It was freezing. Even with a short wait at the start line the cold sliced through layers of clothing.

On the first stretch the headwind cut like razors. My toes went numb and I was forced to keep my face covered, which caused my sunglasses to mist (and then freeze) so I ran without them.  After 2km the ice on my eyelashes and eyebrows was making it hard to see, but thankfully after the turn-around point the conditions were completely different.

The course is a closed road behind the Marshes golf course in Kanata.  It's a straight-ish 2.5km 'out & back' so each loop is 5km.  The second half of the loop felt great.  Facing the sun, runners were peeling off gloves and scarves and feeling much better, but you knew what was waiting for you when it was time to turn again.

Freeze. Thaw. Repeat. After four laps the course had a final 500m out & back, then a 100m run to the finish.  Some runners missed the last segment and ran straight for the line after 4 loops (many saying after that they only had 19 or 20km on their watch at the end).

My goal was 3:20 marathon pace (4 mins 44 secs per km), and I finished on target at 1 hour 40.

The pace felt good but with the conditions it's hard to tell how comfortable it would be for a longer run.

At the end of March I'll have a chance to test myself for 30km at the Around the Bay race in Hamilton.  Hopefully it will be much milder by then!

Click here to help me raise $2,017: https://www.gifttool.com/athon/MyFundraisingPage