Well my 4th 30K Around the Bay Road Race is done!

The day started out … tired. The alarm went off and I thought “ugh” … but I got up. I stepped out to catch the bus to the start and thought “man is it cold!” … it was supposed to be up to 13C that day but I don’t think it climbed to more than 4. I was chatting to a fellow on the bus who was also doing the Bay and he was hoping to come in sub – 2:00! … AMAZING! My best is 3:27! I got downtown and headed for Tims to get my morning coffee :) … While at Tims I was chatting to some ladies who were walking the 5K for St. Josephs. They were asking how I was going to do the 30K and how long it would take. I said how sometimes I like to find newbies and help them finish. They said so look for us along the course and help us … I said if I saw them I knew I’d be REALLY off course :) After the coffee, I hung around soaking in the adrenaline. Then to get warm I dropped by the church and soaked up a different kind of feeling.

The race started and I’m off … doing an R5/W1 pace. Feeling pretty good. I hit the 10K mark and I’m 4 minutes ahead of pace for a 3:30 finish time. Feeling pretty good. Then at around 13-14K I start “noticing” my Achilles tendon / hamstring. This is not good … these are important for the hills that are coming up.

So I decide to slow down my pace to an R3/W1. I hit 20K and I’m still managing to keep up 2-3 mins ahead of pace. Then come the hills. I decide to walk up and run down. … Shortly after 20K I meet up with someone I know who’s walking the race. I stop and chat for a short time and then continue on.

At 21K I got a “burbly butt” feeling … I need a porta-potty and SOON! I spy one ahead … stop and wait for a bit … get in and … pass gas! For this I waited 2 minutes!

Now we’re at Valley Inn Road. Just before I got a high-five from the dwarf who’s always just before the hill cheering on the runners with “We are the Champions” blasting. Very cool … although this year he has a cane which he hasn’t had before. Now the hill … I’m walking … and yet I see people running up it … I call out “you guys are machines!” There’s a older fellow who tells me that his friend beat him years ago by walking up this hill and he himself ran it … it goes on forever … then we’re at the top.

Now there’s 4K to go … I’m trying to R3 but can’t sustain it the whole 3 … feeling tired, and my baby toes are now making themselves known. Blisters forming for sure. So I’m walking a bit and running a bit as much as I can. Now we’re at 29K … yippee the race is nearly done.

Although I see a poor woman with blood down the side of her shin. I stopped and asked what happened she said she has ‘foot fall’ and that she’d spent the last 10K hitting her ankle. I ask if she wants me to stay with her to finish … she says she just needs to get herself together but htanks me for stopping. Now I’m heading down into Copps … watching for the mat at the bottom since I DON”T want to fall again! Then I’m running across the finish line hat in hand … yippee! I did it in 3:34:58 … not half bad all things considered! Splits 1:10 at 10K and 2:21 at 20K.

As well ... I didn't mention that once again things at work are THE PITTS!!!!! So I went into this pretty darn stressed! Next up … Mississauga ½ marathon … and then the full in Ottawa … altho’ the boys and I are doing the 8K spring run off in High Park on April 7 … that should be fun!

Cheers

Powerful Story ...

I heard this story last week ... quite powerful ... enjoy!

The Old Man and the Children
Once upon a time there was an old hermit who lived near a village. There were many stories and rumours about the hermit. These stories all spoke of the wisdom of the hermit. The children of the town enjoyed visiting this wise man and would spend countless hours trying to think of ways to stump him. They were never able to stump him.

One day they were determined to find a question that he could not answer. They captured a bird and said, "Now we will go to the old man and ask him what we have in our hands.” They did not think he would be able to tell it was a bird. But if he did they would ask “Is it alive or dead?’

And if the old man replies that the bird is dead we will uncup our hands and the bird will fly away and the old man will be wrong. If the old man replies that the bird is alive, we will simply crush the bird to death, and the old man will still be wrong."

The boldest of the children knocked on the door. The old man answered. The boy holding the bird said “What am I holding in my hands?” The old man watched carefully and saw a small feather wafting behind the boy’s back and so he answered “It is a bird.” The children were amazed! The boy then asked the second question, “Is it dead or alive?"

After a moment of deep thought, the old man looked at each of the children and stopped at the boy holding the bird. Looking into his eyes, the old man replied, "Young man, the answer is in your hands."